My wife is getting into long distance running and I’ve convinced her to track her runs using a GPS watch rather than using her huge Iphone. She’s pretty set on getting the TomTom Spark Cardio+Music. It does GPS tracking and you can also load music onto the watch for your runs. It’s $239 new.
I see a lot of people here on the forum are using Garmin watches… Should she be considering that instead?
The music function is nice and I dont know if the Garmins do that. Do the Garmins have more acurrate GPS or anything?
I like the idea of the watch reminding her of her pace, etc.
Is there anything else we should consider?
Thanks
The newer Garmin watches have pretty crappy GPS chips (Fenix 2/3, 920xt). The antenna in 920xt seems to work a bit better or perhaps the software is more up to the task - but it still tends to underreport the distance when running under the trees.
No experience with TomTom.
I had the original TomTom Multisport and I thought it was great, especially given the price. Thought it was really nice looking too. The jog dial is a great interface. It was fast to pick up satellites as long as it had the pre-cache stuff, which you could update through the app.
Unfortunately mine died because I’m pretty sure water got into it. I did wear it swimming a lot, even though it only did an OK job tracking lengths, IMO. As a running watch I think it’s great.
DC Rainmaker gave it a best in class (albeit a very small class) in his roundup.
My wife just sent her second Multisport Cardio in for replacement in the last year. They have been out of warranty both times but they are still replacing them (you just have to be forceful bc they will continue to tell you they can’t help). So can’t complain there.
That being said I’m not sure that we’ve ever had a good one to use. Does running ok but would lose signal very easily. And I mean like running down a greenway in the winter (no leaves on the trees). Swim and bike capabilities are very basic IMO.
The music is a cool feature. And if she will be strictly running it could be worth a shot. If it’s for Multisport I might keep looking.
Disclaimer: I haven’t looked at the watch specs and don’t know if it’s more/less capable then the Multisport cardio.
I just bought last year’s Garmin Vivoactive for $150. I think this thing is an awesome watch. I can’t load music on it, but I can control basic functions (play, pause, skip, volume) on my phone with the watch.
I’d check it out (on DC rainmaker) as an option.
I have one. I like it.
Pros
Music
Other colored watch bands available, you can change colors in a snap
Quick GPShip pickup
Backlight is nice and bright
Several modes- biking, running, gym, freestyle, swim
Uploads to strava and training peaks
Smallish size compared to some of the other watches out there
Face does not scratch easily
Internal HR which works ok for me
Option to get heart rate from strap too
Race feature to challenge yourself against previous runs
Bluetooth uploading
Cons
Shorter battery life than comparable garmin
No lap button
No text messages/ phone notifications…although this is actually a plus for next
Mysports site is sufficient but not powerful in analyzing data
No power meter support
I thought of getting the garmin 235 or vivo smart, but I’m going to hold off. I get plenty from the tomtom plus music too and I can leave the phone or ipod at home.
I have the Tomtom cardio (but not the music model). I absolutely love it. The heart rate monitor in the watch is great if you don’t want to wear the chest strap that most other cardio watches require. The battery is good for about 8-9 hours. Simple watch that I’ve found to be quite accurate. I think it has more than enough data for the regular athlete. Pace, speed, distance, stride rate, heart rate, heart zone targeting, race modes, etc. It connects to satellite signal very fast and I’ve not lost signal when running (yet). I don’t have much experience with the garmin products. I use an iPod shuffle if I want music. Although if I didn’t have that (and really wanted music) I probably would get the Tomtom cardio music.
As far as cost, I got a great deal that was well below retail. But I think it would be worth the $239. Just my 2 cents.