As a long-time runner, I've been using various Garmins for many years. This is the smallest I've had, but has great battery life. It is the first Garmin I've owned that looks good enough that it can be used as a daily wear watch (last Garmin was 310XT). I used the XT because I was getting 12-13 hours of battery life in GPS mode when I was doing an ultra marathon. Though I haven't done anything over 50K (5ish hours) yet with this model, the battery life seems great so far and I'm logging multiple 45 - 50 minute runs in GPS mode per week, along with daily use, and I'm only charging it once a week. In my opinion, it has too many options and features because it has been pretty frustrating working through some of the options, such as displaying the multiple data screens I prefer, but I guess that will come with time. Overall, I like the amount of data it collects, even though a lot of it is just "gee whiz" and I'll probably never use it.

As a personal trainer, I have used more than a dozen fitness watches from Garmin, TomTom, Suunto, Fitbit, Polar, Timex and Mio. The best budget-priced watch with optical heart rate is still the TomTom Cardio Spark 3 (under $200 with music and bluetooth headphones), but if you want sheer power and features, with a ridiculously long battery life, the Garmin Forerunner 935 is the hands down winner. It has virtually all the features of the Garmin Fenix 5 HR, but in a lighter, smaller package. If you mostly walk for exercise, with an occasional run, the 935 is overkill. Go for the TomTom. But, if you run marathons or triathlons, engage in multiple long distance activities like cycling, hiking, kayaking, and open water swimming, or if you want detailed metrics on your extreme gym workouts, the 935 will make you smile.All wrist-based optical heart rate sensors struggle to maintain accuracy when the wrist moves or flexes. They will never equal the near perfect performance of a chest strap. However, after trying several watches with optical heart rate, the 935 is the best for me, averaging around 95% accuracy when compared to a chest strap. Keep in mind, your results may vary, depending on your skin type and where you position the watch. But, to be fair, anything above 90% accuracy is acceptable. If you are paying close attention to heart rate zones in your training, I always recommend wearing a chest strap for pinpoint accuracy.The 935 does it all right out of the box, but with a little time, you can add features and customizations to personalize the way your watch collects and displays data. GarminConnect syncs your watch and smart phone, and displays all your current and historical data for activities, sleep, heart rate, stress, calories, and more. You can set goals, challenges, create workouts, make connections with other athletes, and much much more. And, the icing on the cake is the Connect IQ store for adding free apps and watch faces to your 935.$499 is a significant amount to spend on a fitness watch, but if your physical activities are varied and sometimes extreme, you will be glad you made the investment.

I've had multiple active watches in the past few years. First had a Fitbit and it didn't do enough for me. Had a Samsung before this one and gave out on my second pool workout (despite it claiming to be waterproof).The Garmin Forerunner lasted through just about everything! I got it over 6 months ago now and trained for a 70.3. multiple pool workouts a week, many open water swims, many runs and bike rides per week, and the battery still lasts over a week. I brought it beach camping and wear it to work daily yet it still looks like new after a quick wipe off. It even lasted through an 8 hour ironman and transitions were super easy.Would highly, HIGHLY recommend for beginner triathletes. Especially if you're planning on doing longer Ironman distances.

I initially gave this product a one star. I have revised it five stars. Garmin support got back to me right away and suggested that the problem that I was having had to do with the fact that I had multiple accounts in Garmin connect. I've since resolve this issue. After owning about five different Garman GPS watches I have to say that this one is the best and does everything I needed to do.I specifically bought this because of the syncing issues I had the 920XT. I got sick of having to manually upload my workouts. Now, that is the exact problem I am having with this device. I have been through many different Garmin GPS watches, and syncing has always been an issue. I even tried to back to a previous device but did not have the ANT. This 935 is much better at satellite acquisition and pace. I go under a lot of bridges and the 920XT always went out of balance but the 935 seems much more stable.The problem is that it will not sync via phone. It will not sync via wifi. It will not sync via Garmin Express - at times it will say "transfer complete" but nothing has happened. So I have to manually hook the 935 up to my computer and drag the FIT file over the garmin express to get it to Strava. There is no point paying this much money when the features you are paying for are absent.So now I will have to endure the pain in the butt warranty/technical service/possible return.I would recommend avoiding this product for a year until they work out the kinks. If they do, it will be a good purchase (and maybe cheaper).

Won't break on you like the 645 forerunner ;A;I've gone through two forerunner watches using the plastic connectors for the watchband and the 935 & up has been the only watches that haven't broken from the stress of being used daily.

This is a reliable watch that has made it through one deployment and countless training events for the military. I love that it is water resistant and holds up to rough use. I did have to change the band of the watch since the rubber latch on the watch band fell off. If you are just looking for a watch that you can workout with it does come with a long list of activities you can do that it will keep track of your heart rate and calories. If you go for a run it will even track your route if the gps is connected to your phone. The app works well for storing all your activities. The batter lasts a little over a week for me from a full charge but sometimes less if I am using it a lot.

I only use this watch for running. I run about eight miles per day at a good pace. The wrist-based heart rate monitor works well on my wrist when the strap is tight; any looseness and it becomes unreliable. Occasionally the heart rate shows higher than actual for the first three minutes, but then settles on the actual rate for the rest of the run. I have run the same course at the same pace both with and without the chest strap and the heart rates agree very closely. The GPS locks on to the satellites quickly, taking between 2 and 10 seconds – usually less than 4 seconds. I set it to use Glonass satellites. The GPS appears to be dead on accurate. I have three complaints: 1) When you push the stop button, it displays performance details that you cannot customize, i.e., time, distance, and pace. It would be much better if the user could select what metrics to view at that point. 2) When you push the lap button, it shows the time of the last lap. Again, it would be great if the user could customize what metrics to show. Better still, it could simply freeze the current display for ten seconds so you can review whatever metrics you already had selected. 3) The current pace appears to be an average over the last minute or so. I would rather this be over the last 10 seconds, or better still, configurable like Garmin’s bike computers. I purchased a screen protector and consider it essential; a watch this costly should come with one.

When my Forerunner 410 finally bit the dust (battery life under 2 hours fully charged) I did a lot of research on Garmin and other watches and settled on the 935 to track my running training, backpacking, and off-trail running races. I couldn't be happier. It is light, the battery life is wonderful, and the analysis it provides through Garmin Connect is impressive. I was most impressed last weekend. At the end of several weeks of hard training my body was beaten down a bit. I have been running for a long time and am very familiar with the signs. When I came home from my run I noticed my training status had changed to "unproductive" for the first time (meaning training load is fine for my condition but I my fitness is decreasing suggesting being worn down). What algorithm it uses to differentiate the body breaking down vs. just having an off day (have had a couple of those over the last couple of weeks but didn't change my status) I don't know but I was impressed! My only complaint is the watch face got scratched on my first off-trail race. I knew that was one of the differences between the 935 and Fenix 5 but being a triathlon watch I expected the watch face to be a little more durable (after all I never had this problem with my 410). I promptly bought a screen protector and haven't had a problem since, so for new buyers that are likely to abuse this watch a bit I would definitely suggest doing the same.

This watch is amazing. Like I said, I dislike watches; I don't like them on my wrist, and I get annoyed at how easily I become slave to time-checking. I bought this for running and general physical activity (I own a Garmin bike computer so I probably won't use it for that). The watch feels great on my wrist. I am generally unaware of it due to the comfort level of the band. I tried a third party band and took it off after a couple of hours because it didn't fit as well.I use it for tracking, and I use a HR chest strap (generally more accurate). I tried a pair of UA Hovr Infinites with the embedded cadence sensor, and the watch picked it up immediately (the ONLY redeeming quality of those shoes).I've created routes and interval routines using Garmin Connect. Very handy to be able to quickly upload a workout to my watch and have it tell me what to do! I also enjoy using the cadence and HR alerts.The battery life is amazing. I charge it every couple of weeks when it drops to about 50%, or so.If you are looking for a social smart watch, this may not be the best option for you. It has limited text messaging capabilities and no NFC, both of which are fine by me. I bought my watch to workout, not to talk to people or pay for my lattes!

Before I starting training for my first 70.3, a friend recommended this watch. After doing my research, I decided to buy this one. It has far exceeded my expectations. I'm glad I didn't spend more to buy an even higher end Garmin, or some other brand. The battery life easily last several days, and several activities. It provides a tons of data. I will admit that I don't always reference all the data. It easily syncs with Strava. I even use the alarm every morning instead of an alarm on my iPhone so that it doesn't wake my wife. I even use the timer function on a daily basis to time how long my tea needs to steep. I know this sounds weird, but I love this thing. The only time I take it off is when I shower. It is also very lightweight so I don't mind wearing it all the time. I have typical "fashion" watches that I loved and wore daily before this. I rarely wear those anymore. I would buy this again without hesitation.