Garmin Fenix 7 / Epix 2

[Pieter-za]

On 2/11/2022 at 3:55 PM, rudi-h said:

 In summary, my watch "failed" / stopped working due to a software upgrade and I was told that the only solution is replacement of the unit at a hefty fee.  After a lot of arguing and dialogue, in-person visits and emails I can now confirm that they loaded some beta software patch and it is now working and the software re-load / diagnostics was not charged back to me.

Was the file system (/GARMIN) accessible via USB when the unit was bricked?

[rudi-h]

13 minutes ago, Pieter-za said:

Was the file system (/GARMIN) accessible via USB when the unit was bricked?

It was. I did install the latest firmware from Garmin express though and this didn't fix the problem at home. Not sure what software version they loaded after I took it it in

[Pieter-za]

11 minutes ago, rudi-h said:

It was. I did install the latest firmware from Garmin express though and this didn't fix the problem at home. Not sure what software version they loaded after I took it it in

Thanks, I guess they copied the firmware directly to the FS and not via Express.

One of the many reasons I prefer Garmin - the accessible file system.  Not sure if you are aware of this eg?  (For the F6 series)

Edited February 14, 2022 by Pieter-za

[Kom]

1 hour ago, IceCreamMan said:

Cheers, is it A lekker thing to have , the torch. Erming and ahming bout the 7 at this point and wondering if the 7x is that much better than 7. I have relatively thin wrists. 

The only motivation is the 51mm 7x screen over the 47mm screen on the 7. The 7 comes in solar and non-solar options, im sure in non-solar the real-estate on the 7 might be as big as the 7x.

Beyond the torch, its the exact same product.

[Fisan]

17 hours ago, Kom said:

The only motivation is the 51mm 7x screen over the 47mm screen on the 7. The 7 comes in solar and non-solar options, im sure in non-solar the real-estate on the 7 might be as big as the 7x.

Beyond the torch, its the exact same product.

The solar vs non-solar does not affect screen estate or bezel size.

The 7X also offers more battery life, though the 7 has plenty to begin with.

[Furbz]

New stock of 7x Sapphire Power Solar just landed 😎

Pm me for pricing

[Furbz]

3 minutes ago, Furbz said:

New stock of 7x Sapphire Power Solar just landed 😎

Pm me for pricing

Also have 1x Epix Gen 2 in stock.

[Furbz]

EPIX vs 7S Solar.

So after spending some time with the base 7S Solar unit and then base Epix Gen 2 unit these are my thoughts.

Both are brilliant.

There are only 2 major differences worth noting is the screen and battery life.

1. The Epix is hands down a nicer screen. 
2. And the Fenix hands down wins on battery.

Some detail:

The Epix with HR enabled, screen up to 100% and gesture enabled (the screen stays on all the time but goes brighter when turned to look at it) give me a 5 day battery life.

The smaller Fenix 7S by comparison gave me 11 days. and this is the smallest version! very impressive.

 

The screen is chalk and cheese, the Epix is so much nicer!

that said...

The best analogy i can think of is when buying a new TV. In the store you have the two TV's sitting side by side. 

One tv you can afford, the other you cannot (costs aside on this one). The difference in display quality and brightness while the two TV's are sitting side by side is clear for everyone to see. BUT when you take the "dull" affordable TV home and there is nothing to compare it to, it looks totally acceptable and you quickly forget about how lovely the brighter, sharper TV looked.

The owner of the Fenix 7 when sitting next to his mate who has the Epix is going to have screen enve for certain.

The owner of the Epix in the same breathe would also be a little miffed he has to charge his watch more than twice as often as the equivalent Fenix unit.

If you are anything like me; i hate not having my watch on my wrist 24/7 - charging the unit a pain. During charging i lose out on recording all that important data that i never look at it. 🤪

 

Looks:

SCREENS ASIDE: Overall i'd say i prefer the physical look of the Epix. I did not think i would as the online pictures make the silver finish look a bit sub par - that said the grey with steel finish in real life really makes the watch look properly upper class when compared to the black Fenix versions - it really could pass as a dress watch.

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Furbz

[pedal menace]

39 minutes ago, Furbz said:

EPIX vs 7S Solar.

So after spending some time with the base 7S Solar unit and then base Epix Gen 2 unit these are my thoughts.

Both are brilliant.

.....

 

Good review - but for the life of me I cannot quite fathom why people would want to leave the Epix screen on all the time. The gesture mode (with AOD off) is super sensitive and the slightest move lights the screen up. No person on this wonderful planet sits the whole day and looks at his watch face (although the beautiful AMOLED is tempting). With AOD off - I get 10+ day easily and that includes several training sessions. That is perfect for me in terms of charging. I also found that charging the Epix is a LOT faster than what I had with my 6x (and cannot compare with 7 series). So I really do not lose that much recording - about an hour say every 12 days? For me totally acceptable

[Underachiever]

1 hour ago, pedal menace said:

Good review - but for the life of me I cannot quite fathom why people would want to leave the Epix screen on all the time. The gesture mode (with AOD off) is super sensitive and the slightest move lights the screen up. No person on this wonderful planet sits the whole day and looks at his watch face (although the beautiful AMOLED is tempting). With AOD off - I get 10+ day easily and that includes several training sessions. That is perfect for me in terms of charging. I also found that charging the Epix is a LOT faster than what I had with my 6x (and cannot compare with 7 series). So I really do not lose that much recording - about an hour say every 12 days? For me totally acceptable

Good info to have!!!!

Can you please detail your training sessions - how many hrs total?

I need a comparison to my 735XT. 

But also need to understand if the batttery will last for endurance events such as 360One/Transbaviaans/400km Audax.

[Furbz]

1 hour ago, pedal menace said:

Good review - but for the life of me I cannot quite fathom why people would want to leave the Epix screen on all the time. The gesture mode (with AOD off) is super sensitive and the slightest move lights the screen up. No person on this wonderful planet sits the whole day and looks at his watch face (although the beautiful AMOLED is tempting). With AOD off - I get 10+ day easily and that includes several training sessions. That is perfect for me in terms of charging. I also found that charging the Epix is a LOT faster than what I had with my 6x (and cannot compare with 7 series). So I really do not lose that much recording - about an hour say every 12 days? For me totally acceptable

can confirm turning off always on increases battery life from 5 to 12 days on the Epix

[M L]

On 1/27/2022 at 9:34 AM, Craai said:

I see Cape union mart have the Fenix 6 on special; R12 999 for the 6X Sapphire.

https://www.capeunionmart.co.za/products/garmin-fenix-6-x-sapphire-watch/1565480201001.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_8OPBhDtARIsAKQu0gahJYJGS7LgHbNsNwknTu88GnacK2Oz66Mm0aRhZvDP3xwa1a0znFQaAv_SEALw_wcB

About R5k cheaper than the equivalent Fenix 7.

Decisions Decisions.

 

Heectic. Bought a second hand Forerunner 935 off the Hub for just over R3k. According to DC Rainmaker it’s a Fenix 5 in a plastic casing. Even happier with it now that I know what the Fenix 6 costs. 

[IceCreamMan]

You ous makin it difficult to resist hey 

[pedal menace]

3 hours ago, Underachiever said:

Good info to have!!!!

Can you please detail your training sessions - how many hrs total?

I need a comparison to my 735XT. 

But also need to understand if the batttery will last for endurance events such as 360One/Transbaviaans/400km Audax.

3 x Indoor sessions - Avg time 1hr 20 mins per session - I link watch to my Kickr 5

1 x Outdoor session - Avg time 2.5 - 3 hrs.  (although sometimes I only use my Garmin Edge when riding outside but sometimes I run both just to compare)

[M L]

20 hours ago, IceCreamMan said:

You ous makin it difficult to resist hey 

The 935 is my first garmin watch. I wanted a watch that can do open water swimming as well. The features differ so know what you need to know.
 

Now I use it for swimming and jogging. It makes me want to jog/swim more so for +-R3,000 it’s so worth it - even just in terms of now living a more active life. 

[Craai]

21 hours ago, IceCreamMan said:

You ous makin it difficult to resist hey 

Nah, keep your old watch. You probably like clicking buttons and stumbling around in the dark looking for a torch 😛