Garmin Rugged Outdoor Watch With GPS, Heart Rate

När jag fick klockan förstår jag att jag har valt fel modell, så jag ville returnera den klockan men säljaren svarade att jag kan inte få mina fullt pris tillbaks. Jag har skrivit att Jag har valt gammal modell instinct 1 men jag ville köpa instinct 2.

Es un excelente producto. Me sorprendió la precisión con la que registra el recorrido con el GPS. Lo uso para senderismo, caminar en la ciudad, correr en pista y bicicleta de montaña. En todo marca bien el recorrido. La combinación del recorrido, el registro de la frecuencia cardíaca y los algoritmos de cada actividad dan una buena referencia para conocer la intensidad de cada sesión. También lo uso en la bicicleta fija para medir la frecuencia cardíaca y funciona bien. Aunque el producto vale la pena en realidad para las actividades de exterior usando GPS. Estoy muy satisfecho y sorprendido ya que es la primera versión del Instinct, pero lo mejor fue el precio.
Lo uso unas 4 veces en actividades con GPS y la batería dura menos de una semana. Pero la verdad me parece correcto y no me molesta ponerlo a cargar. La batería carga muy rápido. Cuando no hago deporte prefiero apagar el sensor de frecuencia cardíaca.
Por el tamaño y por la pantalla en negativo se lee claramente en cualquier condición de luz, aún en exterior a pleno sol. También se agradece que los botones son grandes y se pueden manipular aún con guantes de ciclismo.
En mi caso la compra fue con Fashion Outlet 15 y llegó rápido desde Canadá.

This model came out from Garmin at the same time I was starting to seriously want a device for a mixture of tracking activity, in my case most of which is outdoor oriented, like hiking and riding my mountain bike, plus I wanted to start exploring some physical data from a heart rate monitor as I get more active.

When smartwatches first started becoming popular, I thought they were pretty stupid and redundant, and in my mind a teeny tiny 2″ screen will never replace a phone screen which is small enough, especially for GPS navigation duty. However, the function of getting the sensors and GPS antenna in a more favorable location, plus heart rate monitoring, I could see the benefits of a smartwatch. I didn’t like most of what was on the market until this unit.

What I liked about this watch was it didn’t have all the features and bloated interface to replace interacting with your phone for things a phone is best at. In some ways the Instinct is a throwback to older tech, but in a good way, the way anyone who has experience with GPS from the time it first became widely available for consumer use will appreciate. The interface will just make sense if you were used to the older devices.

It does all the things you might want your phone to do, but a phone is not really suited to doing well. I disliked using my phone for tracking hikes and on my MTN bike because either the phone was safe in my pocket with a horrible view of the sky and where I couldn’t see it, or I had it strapped on my handlebars where it could get knocked off. Or while hiking I had to pack it in my hands or strapped to my backpack in an awkward position. Not to mention if you use GPS on the phone and keep the screen on to see stats, it will hit the battery hard. With this, you can tuck the phone safely away but still see the info you want.

This watch was the right combo of features for outdoor activities and activity tracking to get my attention and be a useful tool more than an expensive trinket. I did not wear any watch before buying the Instinct, and now I wear this most of the time for the last 2-3 weeks I’ve had it.

While it lacks some features of more dedicated fitness devices, I got it mostly for what it did not have rather than what it did. Most criticism of this watch I read prior to purchasing clearly was because this watch has a niche and those folks didn’t fit it. This is mostly for outdoor activities, it’s simple, rugged, and doesn’t do as much because it’s made to do it’s set of tasks well, and it’s trade off is the things it does not do allow it to be smaller and use the battery more efficiently.

You can read up on it’s features and functions elsewhere, but a few things I will point out as exceptional. Some may harp on the old school LCD type display, but it’s high contrast and the way the face catches ambient light extremely well makes it very easy to read. Actually I set the back light on 5%, it’s lowest setting, because if it’s so dark you need the back light, that is plenty to see it by.

I like it’s size, it’s not huge feeling, and it’s light. As I mentioned I did not wear a watch before this one, and I find it comfortable to wear despite a history of disliking things on my wrist. I had to get used to it yes, but it’s not like having a rock strapped to your arm.

Battery life has been great, using the GPS 2-3 times a week for an hour at a time pulls it down some but I still get over a week on a charge. I’ve yet to let it run down to the point it claims it needs charging, but so far I’ve yet to charge it in a period of less than 7 days.

Definitely a personal preference but I also really like it’s appearance. I got the Graphite colored one, it’s not black but kind of a charcoal grey. It’s not preppy looking or stylish, and that’s what I’m going for. It does not give off that “oh look at me I’m athletic I have a fitbit” vibe, or look super snazzy and expensive, it just looks like a run of the mill boring watch if no one inspects it closely. For sure a more utility look, and for folks who would get the most out of this watch, that’s probably perfect.

Also will throw in there for my mountain bike, I later picked up Garmin’s cadence and speed sensors, and they paired up effortlessly with the Instinct. GPS will cheat you distance on a bike especially and that is just the nature of the tech, I was getting some big discrepancies between the Instinct’s recorded track and my wheel sensor bike computer. The trails I ride on frequently are a particular hardship for GPS anyway with heavy tree cover and tightly winding trails. With the speed sensor the difference is much smaller and I recommend it if you are going to use this on a bike.

So far I’ve been very happy with the purchase and impressed with the device, enough to write this lengthy review, which I don’t bother with often. (I did lean heavily on reviews deciding to purchase, so this is to help those like me.) If you fall into the niche this watch is intended to appeal to, I recommend it.

I’ve always used G-Shock watches in the past so it’s no surprise I like the style of this one. The Garmin Instinct is like a smart g-shock. If that appeals to you, then this is your watch.

Due to the more traditional “digital watch” style of screen you get outstanding battery life — up to 2 weeks without using GPS. Using GPS drains more battery so your total life will really depend how much you use that function. Speaking of the GPS, it works great. You can either use it with tracking an activity (like walking, hiking, running, biking, rowing, swimming, etc.) or simply tell it to track you. Once you’re done you will get a basic map on the screen showing where you went, and if you load up the Garmin Connect app for your phone you get the detailed map and history of where you went including your speed and steps.

One of the coolest GPS features is the track back, which takes you back to your starting point. It has you retrace your steps exactly rather than just pointing you in the general direction. Pretty handy if you’re in the wilderness.

The heart rate monitor is accurate and always keeps track of your maximum and resting heart rates, and gives you a long term history of it in the app. It’s always recording this in the background, and you can also have it constantly shown on the main screen.

The compass is handy and also accurate (much more than the compass in my old g-shock). The barometric pressure sensor also seems consistent. It can even warn you of potential storms due to sudden pressure changes. The temperature sensor is less useful because it is affected by your body temperature.

One feature I really liked was the easy access to sunrise/sunset times and the current moon phase and rise/set times. You can even have the watch warn you if sunset is approaching.

It keeps track of your steps and floors climbed at all times and dynamically updates your daily goal based on your activity.

In terms of smart features, they are very basic but they get the job done with no extra fluff. Once paired with your phone, you can show notifications on the watch (it can also vibrate). You can ignore notifications from certain apps if you want, or turn them off entirely. The Garmin Connect app is easy to use and your watch stays synced without you having to open the app. I’ve had no bluetooth issues. You can also have the current weather and forecast on the watch.

Another smart feature I appreciated was how Garmin Connect can interface with MyFitnessPal which is the app I use to track calories and my weight. It can automatically add your steps and calories burned to the MyFitnessPal app, and other things like your current weight will be transferred back to the Garmin app. My only complaint there is it seems Garmin is a bit too generous with the extra calories (even if your activity level in the MyFitnessPal app is set to sedentary).

There was 6 different watch faces, with dark and light versions for each. I preferred the default one. You can completely customize the watch face and choose what you want to display on it. Date, heart rate, steps, sunrise/sunset, battery level, barometric pressure, etc. I am impressed how much useful data you can get displayed on one screen at a glance. The backlight has adjustable brightness and you can also set it to automatically turn on when you raise your wrist.

The band is comfortable and fits any size wrist, even very large ones. Overall I am thrilled with this watch and wish I got one years ago when they first launched. This is the smart/fitness watch for someone who doesn’t want a smart watch.