Best value for money budget HR/GPS watch

[burger 555]

Garmin Forerunner 35 is a very good and cheap option. 

[lechatnoir]

2 hours ago, Dexter-morgan said:

I used to be a very big Garmin fan but now they are having connection issues with Phones, so you need o repair them every time you move out of Bluetooth range, so stay away from Garmin for now.

is this a universal thing that happens to all Garmin users?

[Rob Mortimer]

I'm also going to throw in a vote for Coros as a great option at a very good price. Been using a Pace 2 for about 9 months and can't complain too much.

[FDP]

45 minutes ago, lechatnoir said:

is this a universal thing that happens to all Garmin users?

As far as I understand (after calls to both Garmin and Samsung) this is only an issue on specific series (think A) phones. Has to do with their bluetooth protocol/settings. 

Nothing to do with Garmin. 

[NeverNotRolling]

1 hour ago, burger 555 said:

Garmin Forerunner 35 is a very good and cheap option. 

This. Or Forerunner's 45 or 245 which are more "modern." 

Plenty on Marketplace. Don't need a dedicated bicycle computer if you plan to run and bike and HR/Distance is all you care about.

Also get a Heart Rate Monitor (if you can) for accurate readings if you do go the watch route, the optical hear rate sensor on all Garmin watches aren't particularly great...

Edited April 26, 2022 by NeverNotRolling

[Duane_Bosch]

4 hours ago, Dexter-morgan said:

I used to be a very big Garmin fan but now they are having connection issues with Phones, so you need o repair them every time you move out of Bluetooth range, so stay away from Garmin for now.

Thought it was just me.

@the OP I have a Garmin Forerunner 45 which is pretty much the cheapest HR/fitness watch you can buy and I'm very happy with it. Apart from the hassle of having to reconnect every time I want to sync. I got it for R2999 on takealot. You can get it for R2699 on Cape Union Mart.

 

IMO buying a used fitness watch is like buying a used Golf GTI. You might get lucky but you probably won't.

 

https://www.capeunionmart.co.za/products/garmin-forerunner-45-watch/1550860100001.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwsJ6TBhAIEiwAfl4TWMCwVlujH7v_JHUV48Wsyh4wQK1fPX4Ymt1Zd6OC0Vyaiqvv-4OesBoClNsQAvD_BwE

Edited April 26, 2022 by Duane_Bosch

[117]

3 hours ago, Rolf Hansen said:

Well it seems there was a recent update. Huawei Health does sync to Strava now.

Oh? That's good news. I must go look see then how to sync them

[shaper]

Pick up a Garmin Fenix 5 in the classifieds for 5K, you won't need anything else.

[Duane_Bosch]

4 hours ago, Navias007 said:

I still see a vast difference between my Suunto 5 and my Garmin (130) with HR, average HR and even the ascent and descent. I don't use my Suunto to download to Strava at all because of the inaccuracy.

Just my 2cents. 

It's because your wrist is not straight and that pinching of blood pipes messes up the reading of wrist based HR. I've had exactly the same issue with both Suunto and Garmin forerunner 45. If you're cycling it's best to get a HR strap.

[Rolf Hansen]

2 hours ago, shaper said:

Pick up a Garmin Fenix 5 in the classifieds for 5K, you won't need anything else.

But if you use the GPS and heartrate monitor you have to charge it every 2 days.

[Biker Billy]

Garmin Fenix 5 X, second hand, will never go wrong.

[Spafsack]

I had Garmins for ages, wife as well, moved to Huawei watch 42mm and 46mm long ago. 2 Weeks battery life, watches even speak to us. Ultra high def screen, i got the gt3, with vitality rewards, end up paying under 2k i think. No brainer but all to themselves.

[Hilton.]

I have both the Garmin Edge 130 (with heart rate belt) and Forerunner 55. Both give me almost identical heart rate averages and HR maxes. I used to think the watches were much less accurate, but seems they've improved a lot recently. This is with Road and Mountain biking.

Lots of recommendations for the FR 45. The 55 is the newer version, and it's still going for R3000, while the 45 is often just under R3k. Almost identical though, with one or two extra features on the 55. I can highly recommend it.

With the Forerunner watch vs the Edge bike comp, the main advantage is that I can also use it for running (obvs) and squash, or any other sport. And get daily steps

Edit: Looks like it's gone up recently, the FR55 is now abour R3500. If that's a bit much, I think you'll be happy with the FR45.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Hilton.

[shaper]

30 minutes ago, Rolf Hansen said:

But if you use the GPS and heartrate monitor you have to charge it every 2 days.

I do 2 hrs training most days (swim/bike/run) and longer at the weekends, I charge mine every 6-8 days

 

[Rolf Hansen]

3 minutes ago, shaper said:

I do 2 hrs training most days (swim/bike/run) and longer at the weekends, I charge mine every 6-8 days

 

Do you have the 5 or the 5S?

[shaper]

5 minutes ago, Rolf Hansen said:

Do you have the 5 or the 5S?

why would I have a 5s? I said 5 in my earlier comment.