I'm extremely happy with my Suunto Ambit3 Sport. Only thing to consider with it is if you have ANT+ devices (PM, foot pod, etc) as it is BT only. Other than that killer battery life, great mobile app for uploading, syncs to TrainingPeaks and Strava automatically.

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

it depends...

what are you looking for in functionality?
will it be primarily used for triathlon or running?
what is your budget?
do you want heart rate?
etc, etc, etc...

i would highly recommend ray maker's site - http://www.dcrainmaker.com/ - he has the most comprehensive and detailed reviews of anyone and if you have questions on the device or review you can post and he usually responds. he posts here on slowtwitch and writes for the site.

i recently picked up the garmin forerunner 225. i like the idea of integrated heart rate on the wrist and so far it is working well. i wasn't too concerned about full triathlon functionality so this was a good choice for me. as one of the other posts pointed out, the Suunto Ambit 3 is an excellent choice too. good luck!

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- Matt

Looking for use as triathlon watch...& heart rate budget <$300

Just got a garmin forerunner 10 reburbished for $69. I had a 305 - which I was starting to hate because of its massive size. Love the F10. Small, picks up the gps signal far faster than 305, much better accuracy with pace and looks like normal non-tri-dork watch. Give me pace, distance and I set autopace to give me average pace each mile. I don't need heart rate but the f15 has it if you want to spend another $30 bucks. Highly recommend it.

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“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring.”
¯ Desmond Tutu

The best one is the one that does what YOU want.

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Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)

I've been using a Garmin Vivoactive for a month now and love it. Small enough to wear when not working out, and upgradable w/apps. GPS locks fast. ($250 for the watch, or $300 with a HRM strap). Uploads data to my iphone/strava as soon as it's close by. I've paired mine with a MIO Link optical HRM, and my Wahoo speed/cadence sensor.


On the other end of the spectrum would be the Garmin FR10 or FR15 (the 15 has heart rate). You can get these cheap used ($50-$75). They are great basic GPS running watches. No frills, but good enough that Rinny wears one when racing/winning Kona.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

agree with some questions/points of tribiker68 above.

Have you checked out the TomTom multisport cardio? It lacks a few triathlon specific features (ie. switching directly from swim-bike-run) but has a lot of other really nice features like integrated heart rate (no chest strap!), simple and easy to use single button, swim metrics, strong GPS signal connection, etc. Have a look at DC Rainmaker's review:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...4/tomtom-cardio.html

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Anybody ever use the Garmin 910XT?

Is it a good training watch?

Over 30 years in this sport so had most 'toys' and a cupboard full of watches etc but have to say Fenix3 is right up there as the best. Covers every sport (love the triathlon function) and a good day watch.

I find the display on the 910 a bit small and still prefer my 310 which does most stuff except pool swimming and NP for the bike. I've got a Garmin Swim for the pool swim and a 500 for the bike as it saved getting a QR kit to go with the 310 and has a much bigger display.

I have been happy with my Polar V800. My personal belief is that BLE is a very safe bet for the future. Especially, as the Apple watch evolves (Garmin and Polar had better look out).

Cheers,
G

what is BLE??

Bluetooth Low Energy

http://www.bluetooth.com/...nergy-tech-info.aspx

I had that Timex Global trainer at one point, and yes, it is a monster and sits in a drawer somewhere.

Most people get sold on the high end metrics available on watches (cadence, vert movement, etc) but never actually use them to improve. If you will really use all of that stuff to improve your performance then you could look at the 910/20. The Fenix2/3 will do all of that stuff but are also huge like your Timex. These watches will do everything you could imagine.

If you just want a solid GPS watch that you only use during a run activity then the 10 or 15 will be fine for you, the 220/225 will do the same things just a little more like cadence, etc.

The VivoActive will do bike/swimming as well as hide under your dress shirt at work (Marketed to weekend warriors as an everyday watch).


Recap: Don't waste your money on a watch that will do a bunch of fancy things that you will never use. If you only want pace, distance and HR either get a 10/15, 220/225 or VActive; pick the style you like best.

AT

I just got the Fenix 3 and love it. It's at first noticeably heavier than my old Forerunner 200 but it's a great looking watch and has all the functionality I need.

I really hope the market at some stage gets an almighty kick up the proverbial by the new smart watch introduction and the original players are forced to up their game. I've always felt all the devices I've used were just a bit rubbish on a basic level compared to products in other fields.

To answer the OP the Polar M400 is good provided you don't want to export the data. It's covers the basics well (no swim features though) and is well priced. Polar flow is not ideal to work with, it's possible to download your sessions and upload to Strava etc but it's a painful, slow process and it's worth buying a product that does this seamlessly if it's a key feature for you.

I tend to avoid Garmin products at all costs. The upload to external sites from connect is good but with uploading the data through garmin express is now not very quick or reliable in my opinion. The main sticking point on Garmin products is every one I have had has failed multiple times. I always use my current one with a 2nd device because at some-stage it will just not work when I turn it on and loose all my data in the process.

I've yet to branch out to other brands so can't comment on those but will be to replace my current crop of devices!

Iain

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Training Full Time in 2015: http://www.triopensource.com
http://www.facebook.com/iaingillamracing http://www.twitter.com/iaingillam
https://www.youtube.com/...9JYCrOLP34Qtgp5w1WsA

Very happy with my Fenix 2, but the 3 looks pretty damn good too.

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2014 P3 DI2 - RT6, CXR80, Power2Max S, 820, Fenix 3 HR. (gone)

I like my 910. I like have the functionality of all three sports on one device. Works great in tri races where you can get times for each leg including transitions. Easily uploads to Garmin Connect and Training Peaks.

thank you all for your help. I ordered a Vivoactive watch by Garmin....I will let you know what I think after a couple of weeks of use.

Bingo! :)

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Love the 920xt its great if you are training for a tri.

What do you think of the Vivoactive? Looking at a 910 replacement...

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"Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."

I've always had garmin the past but just got the newest timex gps one watch. I actually think it's smaller and sleeker than the garmins I've had. So far in enjoying it and it's been really easy to set up and use.

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https://twitter.com/mungub

But the Timex GPS One can't be used for cycling or swimming, right?

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"Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."