You can get the 310xt for less than 200.00 now and the 910xt is less than 300.00 now, both great watches.

The Timex Global GPS has treated me just fine for a few years. I happen to have it for sale too. $75 if you are interested. I upgraded to the 920.

---

Instagram or twitter me softly @xatefrogg

You can get a used 310xt for under $100. Keep an eye on the Classifieds.

This. Or, sped just a bit more on a used 910. But, if you buy a used Garmin, you have about a 50/50 chance of it crapping out. They all do eventually, and if it does, you may not be able to get support from Garmin. If you do buy used, maybe get that person to send you the receipt as insurance. :)

Ebay is a good place to look for 310xt's and 910XT's on the cheap (like less than $100 including HR stratp). And yes, you never know "exactly" what you're getting on there, but Garmin's customer service is generally pretty helpful. They may not fix your watch for free, but they're usually pretty good.

---

Dtyrrell

I have the tomtom multisport and got mine for 100 new. But it didnt have the hrm. I was lookin at the cardio but didnt want to pay an extra 150 for it. Long story short i am pleased with it for the time being but wish it had the ability to do transitions and easily sync to websites such as training peaks. I will probably be upgrading at some point so to save money I would look elswhere for a watch with better/easier connectivity.

Also the VivoActive looks kind of cool at $250. I would give it a look as well.

Jim

I believe DC Rainmaker recently said the Ambit 2 is still his recommendation for a mid-priced multisport GPS. I believe they can be had for under $300.

---

---
KyleKranz.com
Win a pair of SKORA Running Shoes!

I was in the same situation and didn't want to drop 500 on the new 920. The ST classifieds are great along with Ebay. I just picked up a mint 910xt with HRM and footpod for under 200.00 through the ST forums.

The timex global trainer can take forever to get satellites. Not sure about 310xt although the watches seem comparable. If you carry your phone a lot, there's an app called ipbike that does the job really well for cycling and running. Not sure you'd want your phone with you during a race though.

---

Dtyrrell

910xt is $230 for a new one right now with free shipping. There was a seller on eBay that offered a refurbished 310 for $99 a while ago but no longer available. You might be able to find a used one though. However, the 910 for $230 is very attractive.

---

---

SmartBikeTrainers.com || YouTube || My Twitter

Any updates for 2015? Looking for something that can show elapsed time, lap time, pace, heart rate, distance. Elevation would be nice.

Thinking of the Lezyne Micro watch as I like my Micro GPS computer. Anyone have experience with the no-name amazon specials or fitness trackers?

I still don't like the screen, but I'd argue the Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR deserves a spot on the short list for full multisport watches. Ambit series is getting kneecapped due to the Movescount disabling

---

JustinDoesTriathlon

Owner, FuelRodz Endurance.

How tall and big are you? I used own 310 and now I own 910. They are bulky watches so be careful. I have a quick release kit for 910 and it’s heavy and bulky. I’m a skinny dude and people make fun of my watch. :-) Buy something slim and light if you don’t like bulky and heavy ones.

Probably something used from Garmin there’s always lots. Check Amazon for some old F3’s and such too.

I have a Polar VM collecting dust. Used it less than a month and got a Garmin 935 for my anniversary. I’ll sell it cheap PM me and I’ll give you details and a price.

---

I still lapped everyone on the couch!

At $280, Polar Vantage might be the best bang for the buck. If you are seriously considering no-name knockoffs to save more money, check out the Timex Ironman GPS instead. It retails for $99 and it's 25% off on the Timex website right now.

Either a used/refurbished 310xt or 910xt, or a new polar vantage M.

Vantage watches just got an update this week that improves the gps accuracy. And, you get wrist based HR in the pool, which actually works. Rumor is that the vantage series will also get ANT + in addition to bluetooth they have now.

I'd go for a vantage M over a used ambit 2, since Suunto just cut down their software at the knees.

Fenix 5 is going for $349.99 on Garmin right now. https://buy.garmin.com/...237/pn/010-01685-01#

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

At $280, Polar Vantage might be the best bang for the buck.

Agreed - does everything in my view that a watch for a triathlete, runner or cyclist needs to do. I'm not a big tech/data person, but I have been using a Polar Vantage M since December of last year and really enjoying using it. I only ride/cycle and I only really care about, Heart Rate, GPS, and possibly some tracking of fitness over time.

If you don't trust my assessment, Ray Maker has also given the Polar Vantage M his endorsement in the "Best Value" category as well - https://www.dcrainmaker.com/...ltisport-review.html

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Another vote for a used 910XT. I still have my watch from 2013 and just bought another used 910 for about $50 as a back up. Both continue to work great and will do everything you are looking for.

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Blog: https://swimbikerunrinserepeat.wordpress.com

I'll actually veto the 910xt, despite the fact I am actively still using one myself.

It's a ok watch, but I feel there's a huge drawback that really disqualifies it from being a worthy budget triathlon watch.

The multisport function (for racing) doesn't have a good 'lock button' feature for racing. Yes, I know you can readily lock the buttons during training single-sport by "mode+scroll up", but doing that in a race with transitions is impossible to do. As a result, you'll be doing your triathlons without a button lock, which means you WILL hit the lap button at the wrong time at some point (usually on the bike), and totally screw up your bike or run logging. Which is actually a major problem on the bike if you're keeping an eye on the distance and your watch distance is suddenly useless.

The newer GPS watches (including the Coros) have an auto button lock for racing that will autolock the buttons after about 10 sec after the last button push, and you can unlock by holding one (any) of the buttons down.

Believe me, this is critical to racing - I'm intentionally careful about pushing the buttons on my 910xt, but I have had errant pushes in pretty much every triathlon I've done. I at first thought it was strictly my user error and me at fault, but this is now an ongoing problem for the 4+ years I've been using this thing, and I'm very aware of it, so it's a critical design flaw.

So skip the 910xt and go for something more modern than has the button lock for multisport mode.

Having had a few old watches mentioned above, I thought I might chime in...
IME, the 910XT and older watches do not age well. I would not get a used 910XT unless dirt cheap. At lot of the used units are probably north of 6 years old, and the cases, speakers, altimeters, batteries, etc. start to go around 3 years of use.

The 920XT, on the other hand, is a beast. Garmin nailed it with that one, and my friends with them have been using them forever.

I have a three-year-old 735XT, and it is the best Garmin I have ever owned. After my three years of use and probably more than 1,000 activities captured, it still looks new and works perfectly.

So, a used 920XT or 735XT are safe and high-value bets. New, I would look at the Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR.

I love my 920xt, it's been flawless for years. But I think I'm going to go for the 945, so if someone wants a used 920, let me know. Guess it will be 3-4 weeks before I'll be able to get one from garmin, 920 will be available then.

edit: now spoken for

Another vote for the 910. I still have my 910 (and 310 as well). I still use it my swim cap for open water swims - tends to be more accurate than the 735, which is my every-day watch. The 910 does about 95% of what the latests and greatest can do - no VO2 stuff, race predictions, etc., but, honestly, that stuff isn't all that useful.

---

Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023