Customer Reviews

Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS-Enabled Sports Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Black)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So, as as a experienced consumer I do lots of research and readings about any larger purchase that I make. I'm also a compeitive runner and require a unit that meets my high standards of training. I've been looking at buying a GPS unit for quite some time, but have always been put off my the large amount of poor performance reviews. Often it involved functionality issues in certain conditions and inaccurate GPS readings.

This past Black Monday I stumbled across this watch for 150$ and decided to snatch up the opportunity. I have only been using it for a week, but I have already been converted. The first trial run for the watch was a series of intervals in heavy cold November Rain. It lasted and I had no issues in performace at all. I brought my old pacing unit (Nike+) and the distance was almost identical.

Since its purchase I've racked up over 50k of runs (5 runs) and it has performed ideally. Also, I have a Mac and the connection between the two devices has been perfect.

My recommendations is to read the manual before you use the Garmin Device and to lock the screen as often as you can. I would not want another unit

Purchased the green version of the Garmin 405 Forerunner. Previously I've borrowed the Forerunner 305, but decided on an upgrade when I had to return the 305 to it's owner.

The watch is necessary for any serious distance runner. Features which include showing your pacing, average speed, and distance traveled, enhance the effectiveness of your training. You can observe elevation, and break down longer runs mile/km by mile/km so you have an accurate account of areas to improve.

For those who complain the bezel is too sensitive, 1) you can adjust the sensitivity of the bezel through the 'setting' (high, medium, low), and 2) you can lock the screen by pressing the enter and quit buttons together. I haven't tried using the bezel in the middle of the run for fine tune adjustments, but the only button I generally use for runs are the start/stop buttons.

The wrist strap that is included, is also very large. I have a very slight wrist, and needed to purchase the wrist strap kit (make sure it's compatible with the 405 model). Garmin Wrist strap kit
With the velcro strap, the watch fits perfectly. The Forerunner 405cx model comes with the additional velcro straps in it's box.

Over the winter I intend to use the watch for biking. Not sure how the battery will fare in the cooler conditions when it dips to -10 celcius. Guess we'll see!

Overall, Garmin makes exceptional products and this is no exception. One note, make sure you read through the owner's manual. A lot of frustration and heartbreak can be averted through spending an extra 20 minutes figuring out the different features of the watch.

Very happy with my purchase (especially after switching the wrist band)

I purchased my Forerunner to keep track of my cycling routes. The watch itself works as advertised. The GPS features work great, as does the heart monitor. The screen is easy to read and after getting used to the navigation, going thru menus is easy.

The only problem I have with this product is the Mac support. The software is often non-responsive and crashed a few times. Deleted trainings reappear everytime I load the Garmin Training Center and the Garmin Connect site only works in Safari, not Firefox or Chrome. Once over that hurdle, loading routes to the site and sharing them on Facebook works pretty well.

Produit efficace. Un peu sensible au toucher mais bon... Le heart rate est bien visible. Il est bien certain que si vous l'utilisez intensivement, la vie de la batteriedescend rapidement.

The watch is larger than I expected and I find it difficult to do up the strap.
The instruction booklet that comes with the watch is not very detailed nor helpful in understanding how to use all the functions of this watch. Considering the price, one might have expected that they would include the more detailed manual which is only available on line.

I wanted a GPS watch where I could see the route that I had run if I was in a city that I was unfamiliar with. I wanted to be able to retrace my steps back to my starting destination after running the desired distance. You can do this with this watch but it only shows a compass on the face of the watch to help guide you back to the start. I wanted to be able to see the actual street route that I had taken. Maybe this watch does have this function but I haven't figured it out yet.
Once the data is transferred to your computer, it is not easy to navigate around the website to actually get to where you view your workout. The instruction manual is not very helpful in regards to this either.

I am a middle aged woman so perhaps not as technically savvy as some younger folks. However the functioning of this watch was more difficult to understand and set up than I had anticipated.

Thank goodness I bought it on sale. I would have been very disappointed if I had paid full price.

It is great make sure you go to garmin connect to get your software. It works well best watch to use for Calories.

For the most part the watch is great. The gps is pretty accurate. Sometimes it thinks im a little bit south of my actual position when i start my run but once i get going it figure it out.The bezel can be really annoying so i pretty much just lock it during runs as it tends to rub against my jacket and switches screens. Otherwise its very solid and makes my training a lot easier.

I love the tracking on my run, but I am having problems uploading the information. Any help would be greatly appreciatedGarmin Forerunner 405CX Water Resistant Running GPS With Heart Rate Monitor and USB ANT Stick

This item is definitely worth the price. It is an incredible training partner and I find the functions easy to find and use. I also purchased the bike mount and I find it very useful. The only bad comment I would make is with regards to the circular control button that is tricky to use. I find it hard to use with contact gloves, which will be more than required in a few weeks from now to run outside. A long sleeve sweater touching the watch will likely change the setting. The watch can be worn everyday and I found the battery life to be acceptable. As I was not willing to pay 400$ for the Forerunner 410, I am satisfied with this purchase.

When I received the Garmin watch I charged it for 2 - 3 hours until it reached 100% and then commenced the process of setting it up. One or two minutes into this process the watch went dead - no life at all. No amount of resetting or recharging could correct it. So I presume I was just one of the unlucky ones who got a dud one!