Garmin 305 or 405 (cx)

google:  dcrainmaker reviews garmin 405

he provides alot of great detail and actual usage.

thanks great review...seems like the 305 is better and if i can scrape a few more bucks together I should get the 310xt...

ive been using the 305 even in the swim for at least 18 months and never had any issues but am not familiar w the 405.  I love it and cost me $200 less than the 310   I dont do my swim training with it as I am just counting laps but I always race with it on my wrist. 

The trick is to not have it submerged more than 3ft for more than 30 secs at a time.  Swim strokes dont (normally) last 30 secs, and I just kept it near the surface on my only water-start race. 

If you like wireless sync, then stick to the 310 but I don't mind it.

Battery has lasted enough for a half iron in 6:50 so no issues there either - tho I think it is spec'd at 3hrs charge time. 

Good luck!

There's a cheap little gadget that mounts on your handlebars, so that the watch band fit around it.  I've got one- works fine.  Just search for Garmin Bike Mount on Amazon.  $13.

They're both terrific.  the 405 has the better form factor, the 305 is more cost effective.  I went with the 405, as I can actually wear it as a watch.  In fact- I'm wearing it right now, and I had it on my wrist when I went for a run at lunch.  One less thing to bring with me.  I like the operation of the touch bezel, but if you run in wet conditions and/or sweat a lot, go with the 305.  The new 410 is supposed to have improved the wet response/sensitivity of the bezel- but that will cost more.

I just got the 405CX and am pretty happy with it.  I have the bike mount but haven't put it on yet.  My brother has the 310XT and when running with him it seems a little easier than the bezel. This could just be since I recently got mine and he's had his for a while.  Either way, they will be an invaluable training help.

DC Rainmaker is absolutely awesome--one of the only blogs I read. 

I love my 405. Here's my review from this site:

Garmin Forerunner 405CX
Review by kellekl - 2010-09-14 3:48 PM
Overall rating: (4.4)
I love this, my first GPS/HRM. It is intuitive and works well.
» Read More

There are other reviews here too. I think it boils down to where you fall on the love/hate relationship with the touch bezel versus buttons.

k

Out of those two watches, I would pick the 305.  Between my wife and I we have had one 205, one 305, one 405, and are currently both using the 310.  My wife's 405 is only a year old, but the bezel functions turned out to be much more of a negative than a positive.  It looks more like a regular watch, but you will never wear it as such because you have to charge it like a GPS watch - who wears a watch that has to be charged every 10 hours.

I would buy the 305 at the lowest price; add a bike mount and  a cadence sensor at some point; and then upgrade to a 310 if you come to a point that you feel is it worth the extra money for the longer battery life and the waterproofing.

[ quote]  It looks more like a regular watch, but you will never wear it as such because you have to charge it like a GPS watch - who wears a watch that has to be charged every 10 hours.

......great point regarding whether I would actually use it as a regular watch

 

It would be a good point- except that point is incorrect.  The watch will last ~2 weeks without a charge- if you're just wearing it as a watch.  Depending on the length of your runs, it could easily go a week between charges.  I did a 45 min run at lunch today, and my 405 is telling me it's 97%.

Personally- I find it easy to just tap the bezel to switch screens when running.  I don't need to look for or press a button.  I'd only go with the 405 if you really like the small packaging (I do), and are a dry person (I don't sweat much and live in the desert).  It works for me, but admittadly, not for everyone.

I have the 405 as well.  Regarding battery life, if you arne't utilizing the GPS feature for a workout, you can turn it off through the GPS menu.  This will save the life of the battery so you don't have to charge it every day.  I go 3-4 days between charges, and just throw it on the harness when I go to sleep when it's low. 

ETA - I usually forget to turn off the GPS, and it still lasts 3-4 days.  It's been 3 days since I last charged it to 100%, and haven't used GPS.  It's reading 87% right now.

The bezel can be a bit tricky and sensitive when you are sweating and/or it's raining.  What I end up doing is just letting it cycle through the different screens on slow or medium speed, (the auto-scroll feature), and lock the bezel so that I don't have to worry about it.

The biggest complaint I've got about the watch however, is that I really can't use it for a stopwatch in the pool.  Well, I CAN, but if I forget that I have this watch on and depress a button underwater, I will most likely mess it up.  The watch is water resistant AS LONG AS the buttons are not depressed.  Haven't had to deal with that yet, as I have read the reviews of others on here.  That bit of forewarning saves plenty of time/trouble.

Edited by Dagwoodz 2011-01-06 5:47 PM

This user's post has been ignored.

Ok so seeing this thread made me finally open the bike mount package which i just discovered is for the 305 when i have the 405cx.  So...i'm curious...why cant i just wear it on my wrist while im on the bike.

I just bought a 305 off Amazon and a cadence sensor on Tuesday. I selected overnight shipping so I got it yesterday. I have a 110, which is a newer model but wasn't working for me since its just for running. On Amazon I paid $128 for the 305 with a heart rate monitor (even though I already had one because of the 110) and $37 for the cadence sensor. I used it on my bike trainer last night with the cadence sensor with the GPS turned off. It works well for trainer workouts on my wrist but I will probably buy the bike mount once it warms up and I hit the streets. I like it how the 305 has the 4 visible at one time data option, the 110 is like the 405 where you can see 3 datas at the most and I didn't like that. I have only owned it for 2 days now, but I love my 305 and look forward to using it in training.

you can.  It's just hard to see.  You'll need to take your hand off of the bars and twist it to look at your speed/distance/time/cadence, etc.  If you have the mount- it will sit there in plain view like a cycling computer.


Dagwoodz comments above about turning off the GPS are unnecessary.  When not in use, the 405 or 305 will just go into clock mode and function like a watch, without using the GPS receiver.  It'll last a couple weeks that way.  I turn off the GPS when I am doing an indoor workout, so it will track and record my HR without turning off.  If the GPS is ON when you are exercising indoors- it will think you aren't moving, and after a few minutes, go into a power save mode.   

Edited by morey000 2011-01-06 8:27 PM

JG,

I have the 305, and wear it on my wrist most of the time.  Especially for triathlons, I would forget to take it off the bike in T2.  It only takes a few rides to get used to looking at your wrist.  Not sure about the 405, but the 305 has alarms you can set, letting you know when you go below certain parameters and above them (I use cadence, and heart rate).  This way, I'm not really checking the Garmin often anyway.  I just know if the alarms are not going off, I'm where I want to be.  Works for me. 

Big fan of the 305, I don't see the 310 being worth the extra money. That's not to say that later on I may upgrade but for the price you can get the 305 right now I think it would be hard to beat.

thanks for all the great info...ill probably go with the 305!

just one more question but do people actually wear the 305 in there caps during a race or do they leave it at t1 mounted to their bike?

Thanks--this is what i'm leaning towards since I don't want to keep taking it off my wristband anyways. 

Anyone aware if I can use my heart rate strap from my 301 with a 305????

I just ordered the 305 from shop NBC using their easy pay......I have read nothing but great reviews.  Best GPS watch for the money is what everyone has said.  Most reviews on here are more than favorable as well.

You can, the watch just detects that you are wearing a heart rate monitor, it doesn't matter which watch you bought it with. I am using the heart rate strap I got with my 110 for my 305.

I really don't think this is accurate, I know my 305 does not recognize the chest strap from my 301. I may be wrong but I think the 305 (and your 110) uses ANT+ technology to communicate with the chest strap, while the 301 doesn't.