Garmin Forerunner 310XT

 

 

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I have had the 305 and 405 and whilst these are both great products in their own right had a few short comings which, for me, the 310XT addresses

It fits nicely in the wrist and is lighter than the 305 and more comfortable than both the 305 and 405 that both feel a little rigid due to the satellite receivers. It has the great satellite pick up of the 405. Its waterproof so great for swimming and triathlon. The virtual runner shows both time and distance ahead or behind (305 only shows time). You can vary your target pace as you run (like the 405). The screen is easy to see whereas the 405 can be a bit difficult. The screens are more easily customisable than the 305 and 405 and has extra options such as actual speed e.g. 12.5kph when running rather than just pace.

The buttons for scrolling are simple and faultless (the 405 bezzel is a nighmare when wet when it rains or you are sweaty)

It has the ANT wireless and pairs easily with your computer

It doesnt have the pre loaded runs like the 305 such as 10k, half marathon but they take seconds to set up via the custom option on the watch or training software so they can be reused.

It also has vibrate alerts so you know when a split has been taken or you have started the timer etc as well as the usual beep option - I didnt think I would be to bothered by having it but now Ive used it its pretty handy.

Its a bit more expensive than the 305 and 405 but worth every penny

I have owned the Forerunner 205 and 305 and was happy with both. This model though is a cut above. I considered buying a Polar, but was disappointed to read you have to buy a £50 gadget just to download data and even then they are not Mac compatible. I read reviews on Amazon and bought this one instead.

The watch is a good size and not heavy at all. The size is bigger than the 405 but you wouldn't wear it as a normal watch anyway, so this is fine for me.

Here are the positives for me compared to other models:

1. The GPS pick-up is superb! It is quick, even if you move locations. I moved from Abu Dhabi to Brussels and it picked up satellites in less than a minute. It even worked in my kitchen!
2. The vibration alert is really useful as you don't always want the watch beeping during events. Also if you have music on you don't have to rely on hearing it.
3. The charging cradle/lead is really easy to use and small enough to travel with.
4. The virtual partner function is very useful again.
5. The ease of uploading data to my Mac. The watch automatically pairs with the supplied USB 'dongle' once initially setup. It then transfers data to your computer very quickly.

As a final positive, the Garmin Connect software is superb. It tracks maps on Google and shows you split times, etc at each lap. The stuff you can do with this software is excellent. It seems that Garmin are committed to improve the software/firmware as updates seem to be worked on regularly and a firmware update was available for me yesterday. I have not used this online software before but it really is very easy to use and shows great information. Much better than the Polar online stuff!

The only negative thing would be the...orange strap!

I have never purchased a GPS watch before so have nothing to compare this with. Other reviews seem to say it is an improvement over older models, however I can only speak from my experience of this.

Firstly, I had problems installing the USB stick driver onto my PC. Having contacted Garmin support they suggested I turn off or uninstall all my security software (anitvirus / firewall etc.) and try to reinstall. I shut down as many programs and services as I could, after first disconnecting my PC from the internet, and tried again, but to no avail. Eventually I found the answer on a forum after searching on google, and it seems many people are experiencing the same problem. In the end I had to start the installation as usual, until my computer hung. Then reboot windows into safe mode, to complete the installation, then reboot back into normal mode and start the ANT program running.

After successful installation it began to upload runs to my PC without any problem. However, in the last week, the software has now started to error when it first attempts to upload a run. When I restart the software it appears to upload the run successfully, but doesn't always work successfully, meaning I have lost some of my runs.

As far as the GPS goes, this is not perfect either. Last week I ran near my home, but by the time I had walked (a couple of minutes) to where I was going to start, the watch had not found the satellites, so I started running anyway. Three-quarters of a mile later the watch had found the satellites. I'd been running in an open park area, and there were no trees or buildings that should have blocked the signal. Also, when viewing runs on the computer after having uploaded them, there are sometimes small gaps where it looks like the watch has lost the GPS signal, and sometimes the recorded route seems to differ wildly for short distances from where I've actually run. In addition to this the inclines and declines recorded seem to be way out in places (though I'm not sure if it gets this information from the maps, or GPS). Unfortunately, all this makes me question how accurate the distances are it is telling me that I've run.

Having said all that, the GPS receiver seems to work better when I've run in areas outside my hometown, so perhaps I'm just unlucky with where I live!

I do still like the idea of the device, and what it tries to do, and in spite of the above, I think most of the time it is fairly accurate with the information it's telling me. I'm planning on running my first marathon this year after starting running 5 years ago, and being able to review the runs I've done, and use the watch to help pace myself over the miles has been really useful. However, for the price that I paid for this item, I would expect it to work near perfectly, all of the time, and for me it's too glitchy. Therefore I can only give it 3 stars.

UPDATE August 2011: Having used watch for well over a year now, I would like to update my rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. I think my initial problems with installation and getting used to using the device lowered my initial opinion. Although still not perfect (from the perspective of picking up satellites quickly - although as pointed out by others it is fine if you wait until you have them before starting), I have discovered and used many more of the useful training features, and found this overall to be an excellent training aid. I also use it for cycling now, and the feature that allows you to upload and follow your route removes all the hassle from navigating in areas you are unfamiliar with.

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5.0 out of 5 stars 310xt
a few things different to 305 (deleting laps etc) but still an excellent bit of kit. definitely recommend to other runners/triathletes

Published 10 days ago by MI Runner

4.0 out of 5 stars Garmin Forerunner 310XT
Overall a good product but:

1)The instructions do not let you know that data can only be uploaded to "mygarmin" if you are signed in as an "administrator" on your... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Turtle

5.0 out of 5 stars great watch
Does everything you need it too. really simple to set up, totally water proof, great battery life, and really easy to use when training.

Published 6 months ago by D. C. Garside

4.0 out of 5 stars Great all round
For a while I wanted to get a forerunner to help track my runs during training. Others I run with all have Forerunner 305s and recommended to go for this and not spend the extra... Read more

Published 7 months ago by JACS

2.0 out of 5 stars Packed full of useless features
I've owned this watch for a year and feel it's time to add my opionion.
It seems to have been designed with the focus of 'what can we get it do? Read more

Published 8 months ago by phil

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Triathlon Training Tool
After trying out the Nike + and considering the cheaper Garmin watches, I can wholeheartedly recommend the 310XT. The satellite link is excellent, even in wooded areas. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Tom Fardon

5.0 out of 5 stars Garmin Forerunner 310xt
I bought this watch for walking and cycling and am really impressed! The watch is simple to use, finds satelites easily and does everything I wanted and loads more! Read more

Published 11 months ago by laura123

5.0 out of 5 stars Garmin Forerunner 310XT with HRM
What an awesome piece of kit. I love my gadgets and this hits the spot for me. I've not used any other GPS tracker to compare but I've used a all manner of other wrist mounted... Read more

Published 11 months ago by S. Williams

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Pleased
This really does everything it says it will do. I had a Polar RS 200 SD for a few years, which is a good watch (and wearable as a normal watch)

However the Garmin... Read more

Published 12 months ago by brazmaq

4.0 out of 5 stars It does what people said it would
As a Forerunner 305 user I read the reviews by others who had upgraded. I was attracted by the quicker picking up of satelites and the time-based virtual partner. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Fat Git

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