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Forerunner 305 or 405?

Hi,



I'm about to get a insurance payout a speedy three years after the event, thanks Direct Line, anyway I'm not here to share my grievances.



Due to this I can finally afford a HRM, I've settled on the Garmin's as I own a Edge 205 and love the GPS functionality. I know the 405 is not out yet and thus it's a bit difficult to say but I was wondering if I could have people opinions on what they think of each product. Obviously I will be selling the Edge once I have the watch.



At present I have this list;



305 Pro's

Multisport function

Virtual Partner

Routes*

Cheap compared to the 405



Con's

Ungly

Big

Not waterproof

No Garmin Connect functionality at present



405 Pro's

Great looking watch

Can be a watch for office training

Virtual Partner



Con's

No Routes*

Not waterproof

Alerts for Pace and Time are only for advanced workouts only? (Needs explanation, I don't really understand this)



* Is this course's? Thus I can't train plot a new route somewhere and transfer to watch



Thanks for your help





Comments

  • jon_gjon_g Posts: 318
    personally i wouldnt buy either of those as they arent waterproof! i wear my HRM during the swim portion of the triathlon and sometimes if i've had a tough training week i'll wear it during swim traing to be sure i'm not over-exerting myself. I've got a polar HRM and it works just fine under water.
  • grant1974grant1974 Posts: 262
    Thanks Jon,



    But I am very much against Polar as I've had one previously and they just refuse to support Apple Mac, thus it's really quite difficult to analyse the info. Plus it doesn't have GPS or a really nice integrated training system like Garmin Connect.
  • BoycieBoycie Posts: 189
    Grant,



    I am also a fan of Polar, have a look at the RS800. It is a great looking watch with GPS. It's bloody expensive (£384.50) but I don't know how this compares to Garmin. I have no experience of Garmin so I can't help there I'm afraid.



    David.
  • I'm in a similar situation to you, I until recently had a Polar S720i which was great, but had it stolen out my bag.



    Was looking into a replacement and really wanted something that I could track pace with, as well as help me not get lost. Slightly concerned that I can't put routes in, it can still guide me directionally though I take it?



    Also I really liked the ability of the 305 to beep every mile you run, not a huge deal I know but quite useful. It seems like this may not be a function of the 405?



    I also thought I read that it was waterproof, is it definitely not? It does look a lot better than the 305 though and has a nice looking interface. Any idea when it will be out? The last edition of 220 said it would be out Feb, but websites i've looked at in the states say it may be be around til April.



    I'd be keen to hear what you decide as i'm really missing having one so if its going to be another few montsh I may just go for the 305.



    Jack
  • BoycieBoycie Posts: 189
    Just to let you know, if you go to www.heartratemonitor.co.uk, you can reserve the 405. Thought that may be of interest to some.



    David.
  • grant1974grant1974 Posts: 262
    Hey armstrong_jack,



    Yes it can still guide you home, as in you can put favourite places in, thus home, and then tell it to guide you to that location. Routes is different in that on my Edge 205 I can plot a route on my home computer and upload it to the device. I believe that's it, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.



    Not sure on your next point, but it does say it only beeps on advanced workouts, I'm not sure what counts as a advanced work out, hopefully someone may be able to expand on this.



    As for whether its waterproof, I believe it is but not in the sense you can swim in it, it says its IPX7, again I don't know what this means.



    Heartmonitor.co.uk says they will have stock in late March.



    It's defiantly a conundrum, the 405 does seem to lack some of the 305's functionality. And the 305 can be brought from amazon with Heart Strap and Cadence sensor for £165.48, whereas the 405 will cost around at most £296.94, that's big difference.

  • SuperCazSuperCaz Posts: 54
    Garmins are splashproof, but not waterproof. They are OK against sweat and rain, and can take submersion for a short time (such as by accident) but I wouldn't intentionally take one in the pool.



    I recently got a 305 for use when running and I find it great. But it hadn't occurred to me to use a HRM when swimming.



    This is the first I have heard of the 405 so I have no idea what that can do.
  • Thanks for the feedback Grant.



    The ability to take you home is very useful, as there is nothing better than just being able to run/cycle freely without worrying about how you are going to get back at the end!



    Not being waterproof is annoying though, as it will mean you have to put it on in T1 and don't have the heart rate for the pool / or for total time in a Triathlon which can be useful. I guess thats a problem with them all though.



    As for purchase price, I agree that the 405 will be a lot more expensive. I was going to try and order it from an American website though, its current starting price looks to be $350 with a heart rate monitor, so thats just about 175 sterling at current exchange rates. I don't think there will be any compatibility issues...
  • grant1974grant1974 Posts: 262
    Hey Armstrong_jack,



    I would be very interested to know what site you have found. That's a big saving, but be aware you may have to pay a import tax?



    I guess the multisport function isn't really a big deal as you could just press the lap button or stop/start. As for routes, I don't really use it on my Edge so I guess I wouldn't use it on the 405, and you can still race previous workouts.



    Put it this way, if I could buy a 405 for £175, that's a done deal!
  • apnoeaapnoea Posts: 16
    Hi there

    there is a good q+a on the gasrmin website regarding the 305 and 405.

    agree 405 is lovely to look at, but garmin are still plugging 305 as the "multisport" hrm. pbm with 405 is that u cannot switch from bike to run or vice versa during ur session, although can set a session to bike or run before u start.

    worth having a read before partin with ur cash i guess. http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/01/pegs-posts-q-as.html

    and here is link for cheaper uk retailer

    http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/964/garmin-forerunner-405/6d9490e13b68f2c7e718b59cda584d5c

    pbm with buying in us will be warranty i guess(as well as having to pay import if u having it shipped in!) garmin are releasing the us and uk versions with different part numbers(whatever that means) to prevent people from doing just that.

    enjoy ur new purchase whatever u decide[:)]
  • grant1974grant1974 Posts: 262
    Thanks for the info Apnoea.



    Interesting point from reading the list of questions;



    Q. Why no pace alert or time/distance alert like previous models had?

    A. The Virtual Partner feature is now available all the time, rather than just during workouts and courses. You can set the pace at any point before or during your run. This will provide an easy way to see if you are ahead or behind your target pace. You can also set up a workout with a target pace so that you will get an alert if you are going too fast or too slow. Regarding the time/distance alert, the 405 has an auto lap setting that allows you to specify a distance. The 405 will automatically lap at that distance and beep each time. You can also set up a workout with time or distance steps.



    This feature is something I have been crying out for as I am useless at pacing.



    I think I could live without the multisport option if I get this instead.

  • turbotimturbotim Posts: 7
    nb 305 available at amazon for £129 with option for cadence available too (extra cost)
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