Garmin Fenix 3HR - FAKE HR

[MphatiPyga]

Why why !! Loooks damned nice, don't think Navworls will hold on to my warranty claim unit for that long though ????

Wait for the 935 which is supposedly out in June 2017 here https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/564291

[Pieterlab1]

I am considering this. Also may just get a credit and wait for the Fenix 5 to land in SA, and pay in whatever the difference is. Will see how NavWorld handle this and how long it takes to get the Fenix 5. I really need my watch for my swim sets, so can't go without it for too long.  

 

 

Yes, I have, and it's not really my thing. 

If I had to make a choice between fat, hairy wrists and a tattoo to improve the performance of my Fenix, I would go with a tattoo. 

[finallygotabike]

Been there done that - had it replaced by Navworld and eventually got my refund from Sportmans Wharehouse as the watch (optical HR) never lived up to those HR expectations.

 

Currently waiting on teh Fenix 5 but will go for the HR strap rather

[TK-Sp3cialiSt]

**duplicate**

[TK-Sp3cialiSt]

If the HR version can be used with a strap and has all the features... Why not have the best of both worlds

[Frosty]

Do you wear the watch tight enough, you have not said?

 

Ping Gerald24, he did an extensive write up of his 735XT (which uses the same optical reader) and his 310XT with HR Strap and was pretty spot on.

 

As an aside I have a Mio optical HR monitor which I wear on my wrist when running and sometimes cycling and have no issues and compares well with the normal HRM Strap

I have adjusted the watch during exercises and tightened it so that it cannot move at all.

 

I will move it a bit up on my arm and see if that makes any difference. Will keep everyone posted.

Maybe I will return with egg on my face on monday.   

Here's the link, in case you haven't found it... 

 

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/161729-wrist-based-hr-vs-chest-strap/?hl=735xt

[Harryn]

A few weeks ago I did some experimentation with my fenix 3, cycling both indoors and outdoors.

 

I ran my fenix 3 HR, whilst simultaneously broadcasting my heart rate from the chest strap to my Edge 510. I found the optical HR sensor on the fenix 3 does indeed under read somewhat.

 

This was more pronounced on the shorter 45 min idt workouts than it was on a 3 hour road ride. The reason is that it seems that it takes the fenix 3 about 12 minutes or so for its readings to more or less align with the strap. I do not know if this is because the watch likes to wait a few minutes for Jupiter to align with Mars, or maybe it just gets more accurate once the wrist becomes a bit moist with sweat.

 

I must admit that my amateur experiments do not pass scientific muster, because i did not always start and end both devices at the exact same time (the allure of coffee and post ride bullshitting with mates got in the way of my thirst for knowledge), and on at least one occasion the Edge battery died mid ride.

 

That said, it did become apparent that the first quarter of an hour of a workout reduces the average overall hr reading on the fenix, but thereafter I found it to be mostly compatible with readings from the chest strap, and pretty much in line with my perceived rate of exertion.

 

I must say that despite the slight differential in HR readout, IMHO, and based upon my own personal experience, the title of this thread does not do the fenix 3 HR justice in labelling it as "FAKE".

 

Interestingly, the manual states that sunblock can mess with the optical sensor, so it is not just body hair and tattoos; there are other variables it seems. Actually, I also found myself wondering what effect, if any, the velcro edge of my glove may have on the sensor, because there is definitely interaction there. I also ponder over the effect an arm warmer has, especially if it totally covers the watch.

 

Anyway, For me, I guess the most disappointing bit about the fenix 3 HR acquisition, was that it automatically disables the optical sensor in swim mode. In truth, I did not do my homework properly on this before pulling the trigger. The expensive solution was to buy the swim HR strap. This works well, but be warned - the HR data is only accessible post workout on the app. The unit only downloads the HR data when you save the swim; it is not viewable during the workout.

 

Another interesting experiment which i did was to jump into the pool, shoving the Fenix 3 into run mode, thus not actuating the auto disengagement of the optical HR monitor. And, surprisingly the optical sensor did indeed work under water. I have not compared the results with other swims (using the swim HR strap), so i cant really comment on the degree of accuracy, save to state that it was good enough for our friends at Discovery to award me 200 smoothie points for the workout. But that does not detract from the fact that Garmin themselves obviously have no confidence in the ability of the sensor to put out accurate readings in the water.

 

I do enjoy the convenience of not having to fiddle with the strap and charging the edge before hopping on the bike for a quick twirl on the idt, and as I am just a weekend kinda shlump warrior, I no longer always obsess about the degree of HR accuracy. But when feeling anal, I do still reach for the strap - though I tend to worry more about the power output accuracy of my Kikr, cos I think that does suck. (Now, I am derailing my own post, ffs).

 

Lastly, One cool feature which i like about my Fenix 3 is that you can broadcast HR from the unit to the Edge (or any ANT+ device), so you can enjoy the visibility and functionality of the Edge without the shlepp and discomfort of the strap.

 

I suppose the obscenity and prolixity of this post conclusively proves only that I should get to my day job. Tomorrow!

 

Thanks for reading this.