Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

I have used the 610 for about six weeks now after having upgraded from the 405cx (which was returned due to malfunctioning charging system). So far I am very satisfied. Battery life seems to be significantly improved, perhaps because of the new feature which automatically shuts off GPS when the unit is inactive. Satellite acquisition is fast and stable. The touch screen is much simpler to use than the touch bezel of the 405 model and doesn't appear to be susceptible to inadvertent contact ( like accidentally turning off function during a run when trying to read the screen) nor does moisture seem to affect screen sensitivity. I haven't tried the HRM yet. Aesthetically the unit , while not exactly a fashion statement, looks like a normal watch so I am able to wear it around town without looking like I took a wrong turn from a race somewhere. Time will tell whether the band, screen, and electronics prove durable. As to software, I was able to sync with my mac and with "garmin connect" successfully by following garmin's instructions. I have not experienced any problems with data transfers or online activity viewing. I do wish that "garmin connect" still used "google" maps rather than "bing".

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

I tend to be good at installing things, but I have to say this was very very easy ! Just follow the quick start guide. using it is very easy and obvious !

I've only had it for 2 weeks. Its my first GPS watch. I've been using a blackberry GPS previous to this.

I have to say-- it's amazing how easy this is to use and more important amazing how much I've learned already about my running... I love the HR monitor

I love it !! Buy it !

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

Great watch that tells you everything you need to know at a glance via 4 customizable screens with up to 4 individual fields of data. Accurate & very intuitive to use. Very reliable readings & GPS, so much so that I saved my GPS location while sitting on my couch(yes, INSIDE my house!) and the next time I was messing around with my watch later that day showing my hubs the cool stuff, it told me I was 2ft from "home" which it was right because I was sitting on the other couch cushion when I set it as "home"! Real time GPS with NO LAG!
The HR monitor is excellent & true, fits well and pairs with no issues. I also bought a footpod so I could use accurately infdoors at times when GPS either can't be located due to structures OR when GPS wouldn't show you moving(like on a treadmill). Plus, if you wear a footpod you can get cadence while using GPS too.
The swimmer who lost hers in the ocean, well....that is a bummer to loose a $400 gadget but it states that this watch isn't for swimming nor even waterproof(just water resistant to 1meter for 30 minutes). So why you would dock a product for it not performing well as not intended????? That seems like a user issue to me, not a product one.
Battery life is excellent. I got mine last Tuesday(so 6 days ago), went for 4 seperate runs at an hour plus each & am just now down to 30% battery(using GPS the whole training time, I might add!) with the other times being in screen lock time mode only(barring show off times to friends of course!)
Charging takes about 2 hours & you can do it via computer USB or the wall adapter. The ANT+ wireless transfer dongle works flawlessly & uploading to Garmin Connect is very simple & easy to read your stats & share your results via social sites like Facebook & Twitter.
I also highly recommend purchasing the Wahoo ANT+ dongle if you have an i-device like an iPod or iPad for uploading to Garmin Connect, bypassing the computer need altogether. Perfect for on the go or quick info. I had uploaded my last run faster to GC than my hubs computer could even start up by using the Wahoo dongle on my iPad.

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

First off, I read one review that bashed this product. The issues was with a "Pro Surfer." This product, and like other forerunners ARE NOT WARTER PROOF. They are not recommended past 5 meters of water, and defiantly will not hold up to the pounding of swimming, and I could imagine not surfing in the ocean. This product is ideal for jogging and cycling, which it is great for. Please keep in mind when purchasing a product that your intended uses are highlighted in the descriptions. I have never had much luck with Polar and find Garmin a much better product. I wanted to use this for Triathlon training, but am limited to using it just for the cycling and biking portion of training. I will just use an timex ironman watch for the swimming portion. Which, is not such a bad idea, I seem to always have issues with the heart rate monitor in water anyways. Highly recommend this product.

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

I use this product for running, I had a Forerunner 205 and thought it was time to upgrade. Overall I've had this product for about 2 weeks now and the only thing I would change is to make the face a little bigger and the strap seems a little stiff I hope it holds up. Love Garmin connect.

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

I use the product for marathon training and running. It picks up satelite signals pretty quickly compared to the 405 that I had before. The touch screen is not super sensitive like the touch bezel was and makes it a lot easier to view different screens while running or leave it on the main screen without annoying beeps or randomly starting and stopping. One drawback is that it sometimes loses signal mid-run esspecially in urban areas. I ran the Chicago marathon and lost the signal within the first mile of the race. It continued to track the time and I tracked my splits by manually pushing the lap button, but it wasn't completely accurate and once it picked up the satelites again it messed up the manually tracked splits. I still love it though. It makes it easy to track performance and training improvements or plateaus and overtraining. I would highly recommend this to running enthusiasts looking to take their training to the next level. The lower end models are good for beginners and casual runners.

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

I have had this GPS watch for several months and it wasn't too bad to set up and operate. What I like the best is knowing my distance and downloading my trips at Garmin Connect's website. I bought this for running but found it to be great for hiking too. When I download the trip, I get a lot of useful information displayed in graphs and a map of my course. Check out their website to see what I'm talking about. It has been very accurate, I just insure it's fully charged before I head out on a long hike.

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

Was hesitant at first to spend this kind of money on a watch. When I received it, initial impression was how can this watch do all these things and it is not that much larger than a standard watch. After spending a night playing with all the features (didn't get to them all), I was ready to use the watch for my running. I set the virtual trainer for what I thought was a realistic pace and halfway through my run, I was racing my watch. I was captivated by the immediate feedback that I received and as a response to that extra information pushed myself beyond what I thought was possible. Every run since then (some 30 different runs) has improved my fitness and awareness of what my body was doing with the extra exertion. The ANT feature is great. Plug it in and the watch is connected to the computer and downloads all new activities straight to your Garmin Connect profile. Definitely recommend to all my friends and co-workers who have not already purchased.

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

I've owned the Garmin 610 for a year now. This is a great watch overall for what it's designed for--compact, accurate, and versatile. Great as the watch may be, it's useless if you can't keep it on your wrist. The strap is, IMHO, a design/engineering defect and the primary weakness of this watch. The soft rubber strap ends are connected to the body of the watch with a single pin that extends the width of the band at the connection point and is held in place only by the friction of the rubber. To remove the band you simply push the pin through from one side. Because the band is soft, if any significant torsion is placed on the band (as would happen occasionally in any sport) the soft rubber deforms and pops off the pin. Every time this happens the rubber is cut and torn until the band no longer stays in place. My attempts to resolve the issue directly with Garmin have been met with silence. Fortunately I bought it at REI and can exchange it for something more resilient! On the upside the menus and screens are easy to use, easily customizable, and fairly accurate. The touch screen is neat, but often frustrating as it only responds accurately about 70% of the time.

Comments about Garmin Forerunner 610 GPS Heart Rate Monitor:

After three weeks, I'm pretty happy! Setup was pretty easy & if you get stuck, the FAQs on Garmin are very helpful. Moving from screen to screen does need extra pressure or a finger nail.

This is really great to keep my heart rate in the "zone." I turned off the high limit alarm since my zone 5 heart rate is 150, so I check the rate when I feel like I'm running hard. After running, there's also a "recovery heart rate" alarm to keep you on track during the cool down. Haven't used "running partner" much.

Using Garmin ANT to upload to connect.garmin is great: fast wireless upload/download. Also, the page stores all workouts, goals, courses, etc. I really like the workout playback feature: shows route, speed, heart rate, etc.

Running three x week, the battery needs recharging about once a week - it quickly goes into sleep mode if not "started." Recharges fairly quickly - setting it in the recharger is a bit tricky the first couple of times

Why only four stars: fonts are a bit small for older eyes; watch width is about 1.5 inches & does not fit well under long sleeve shirts & jackets. I wear mine over the shirt sleeve & push the jacket up to view - often hit the "lap" button that messes up lap counts.

Haven't check to see if the local gym treadmills have the Garmin ANT nor used on a bike.

Enjoy & have fun training!