frame

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Starting immediately, all new users must be approved by a moderator (due to spam issues). #sworry
You can dismiss this message by clicking the little 'X' in the top right this box.
If you are a pro triathlete, please click here to DM AaronWebstey for access to the 'Pros-only' private forum. Don't forget to include your real name, and a link to pro race result would be great if you're a 1st-year pro.

Garmin: 920XT or Fenix2?

Anybody with experience on either of these two watches? My old Forerunner 405 has had it, and I need to replace. I'm between these two. Thoughts and opinions on either welcome. And yes, I've read dcrainmaker on both and heard the podcast with him, and I want to stay in the Garmin ecosystem.
«1

Comments

  • Options
    920 if you're doing full distance. Fenix2 is more readable in nav mode, so if you get lost on training rides or runs, it's better for getting you back home.

    920 has all the features of the Fenix, plus extras. If money is tight, the Fenix works great. But if you can afford it, the 920 is the best money can buy, period.

    TRS East

  • Options
    Thanks, @Duckies. No interest in full distance. 70.3s are my goal next year.

    Issues for me are more about functions, readability, ease of use, etc. Part of my hesitation with the 920 is that it seems so complex with so many functions. (though I haven't tinkered with it at a store).
  • Options
    I have the 910 and I love it. It doesn't have quite as many functions as the 920. The functions it does have are tucked away nicely so it is not overwhelming.
    That is my input. Sorry I don't know much about the 920, but I enjoy my 910.
    HSeeley14Scheck48ADRBillyTheo
    HMKP
  • Options
    Eggsellent @Kpressure That puts it into context. I don't want the watch to overwhelm me, which on occasion, happens with my 405 (part of the crappy functionality of that watch, but that's another story). I think it's time to just take the plunge...
    HMkrplunkitAaron Webstey
  • Options
    James LangeJames Lange Member, Rooster Endurance Member
    I concur with @Kpressure. I love my 910. I really don't use all the functions on it (right now it is just a HR monitor while I train indoors for the winter) but the functions I don't use are "tucked away nicely".


  • Options
    Thanks @james_lange. Pending an approval on the purchase order from the other department head, I'll grab it tonight.

    Duckies
  • Options
    310xt is pretty functional as well if you want to save a few bucks. But if money were no object the 920xt does look to be the hot ticket
    Scheck48

    Brinz - TRS East - Boston Chapter

  • Options
    I'm the outlier with the TomTom with built in HR Monitor. Love it for training but it doesn't yet have the easy transition between functions that make the 910 so great for racing. Love the built in HR however.

    Great Uncle, Average Father, Mediocre Triathlete

  • Options
    Aaron WebsteyAaron Webstey Administrator, Rooster Endurance Member, Rooster Endurance Officers
    Brinz said:

    310xt is pretty functional as well if you want to save a few bucks. But if money were no object the 920xt does look to be the hot ticket

    Can anyone tell me (or point to a link) if I should want the 920 if I have a 310? @TheRealStarky I think I already know your view :).
    #KOAT
  • Options
    yournotuniqueyournotunique Member, Rooster Endurance Member
    @AaronWebstey Come on. You really need me to point you to DC Rainmaker?

    In all seriousness, if you swim and want those metrics, get the 910 or 920. If you want the wifi/bluetooth connectivity, get the 920. That's the very boiled down and overly simplified answer.

    Me, I'm a geek and will be selling my 910 soon to replace with a 920.
    Aaron Webstey
    -I know it's wrong. Blame old AOL character limits. Illadelph |
  • Options
    PreachSwansonPreachSwanson Member, Rooster Endurance Member, Rooster Endurance Officers
    I'm Like @GentlemanJerseyDave, an outlier with a Polar V800... It has lots great stuff and they keep adding too it... It does have some issues the 920 has with 3rd party web syncing but man it runs smooth while actually using it too workout.
    TRS Racing
    I'm an angel with an incredible capacity for beer
  • Options
    Aaron WebsteyAaron Webstey Administrator, Rooster Endurance Member, Rooster Endurance Officers

    @AaronWebstey Come on. You really need me to point you to DC Rainmaker?

    In all seriousness, if you swim and want those metrics, get the 910 or 920. If you want the wifi/bluetooth connectivity, get the 920. That's the very boiled down and overly simplified answer.

    Me, I'm a geek and will be selling my 910 soon to replace with a 920.

    I tried to read his whole review; must have passed out before catching that. My apologies. I thought I read at least half of it, but maybe not. Thank you!
    I count strokes in every single length - guess I'm probably OK with the 310 :). Yay ocd!
    Duckies
    #KOAT
  • Options
    yournotuniqueyournotunique Member, Rooster Endurance Member
    Jesus. Forget about counting strokes, I forget what I'm supposed to be swimming halfway through each length. If I'm not at masters and doing a solo swim, I have to write the workout on a laminated sheet and stick that to a propped up kick board. And even then I have to use lane marker rings to keep track of what I've done. Yay ADHD!
    HMkrplunkitAaron WebsteyHSeeley14Brinz
    -I know it's wrong. Blame old AOL character limits. Illadelph |
  • Options
    I've owned 310,910 and now 920. I have used Fenix and Fenix2. So here are my 2 cents:

    Go 910xt or 920xt for triathlon.
    - If you are on a budget, 910xt on eBay for $150.
    If you are doing Ultra Marathons, get 920xt.
    If you want to go hiking, get Fenix2.

    920xt is only a learning curve if you have used 910xt. With that being said, it took me ~2 days of use while training to learn the 920xt. I have used the 920xt for Indoor Run, Indoor Swim, Outdoor Run and Outdoor Bike so far, all have been as accurate as 910xt. I also really like the HRM-Run if you want all bells and whistles (Cadence & Vert oscillation come with that).

    The Fenix2 was not designed for triathlon, it was designed for outdoor activities. @Jason41 ?
    DuckiesAaron WebsteyScheck48yournotunique

    danimal

    Reformed Canadian
  • Options
    I agree with @danimal. I don't think the learning curve from the 910 to 920 is that big. It did take a couple of workouts though and I haven't swam with it. The 910 lasted me 3 tri seasons, it's fantastic. I've had the 920 since Christmas and it's sweet. And I've bareky used the bells and whistles. The wifi/Bluetooth is fantastic. Just get the 920 or 910. If you can though, side with the 920. It's awesome.

    Polletta ~ TRS West

  • Options
    Fenix3 just got released. Sorry, @kevinschummer - your decision just got harder. It's everything the 920xt has on board, plus it looks good and does outdoor/activity tracking... but it costs an extra $50 over a 920xt.
    kevinschummer

    TRS East

  • Options
    @Duckies, from a pure feature standpoint, Fenix 3 is probably comparable. I'd argue that the mechanical design on the 920xt is superior for triathlon. Again, just depends on whether you want a watch designed for hiking / paragliding / name your random sport or one for triathlon.

    danimal

    Reformed Canadian
  • Options
    Duckies said:

    Fenix3 just got released. Sorry, @kevinschummer - your decision just got harder. It's everything the 920xt has on board, plus it looks good and does outdoor/activity tracking... but it costs an extra $50 over a 920xt.

    Yeah, only out of pure laziness did I not place my 920 order last night. Then I saw Ray'ss tweet this morning. Oh, boy, guess I'll poke around his initial review of the new Fenix, but I'm heavily leaning 920. The comments here sort of confirm that's the way to go for triathlon. Then again, my family does a ton of hiking so the Fenix makes a bit of sense, too...

  • Options
    HSeeley14HSeeley14 Member, Rooster Endurance Member, POTM
    @kevinschummer get the 910xt, save a few bucks by getting the next to newest model. It has all the bells and whistles, but can be simplified. If you don't intend to use power and or don't care about using something to track your swimming (indoor/out) then try the 310xt and save even more $. The bonus of the 910 and 920 is the longer duration of the battery life and the swim capabilities in the pool and outdoor (cause the 310 might as well be a mouse in a maze when it comes to GPS tracking your open water swims). The 920 looks and feels much sleeker though so if bulkiness is a big deterrent then might want to anty up the $. I guess the question is what are you looking to measure specifically? Garmin is kinda like Apple in that it comes up with something new every bloody year and makes the last few models somewhat obsolete, but if you are ok to keep your metrics simple and steady for a few years then don't spend the $ on the newest fad until you know you will be using it for all it's worth. Just my thoughts. My husband is the biggest gadget geek I know and simply has to have all the newest models of everything, but he does use all the metrics so can't really complain; I do complain anyway though of course.
    Scheck48
  • Options
    FastCat1107FastCat1107 Member
    edited January 2015
    I would be willing to trade beer for someone to show me how to use my 920, get it to sync and load to Training Peaks. Other than that it is great and looks cool!
    Duckies
  • Options
    @FastCat1107 can't you just sync garmin connect with training peaks? That might be a dumb question, I don't know the answer.

    Polletta ~ TRS West

  • Options
    HSeeley14HSeeley14 Member, Rooster Endurance Member, POTM
    edited January 2015
    Jason41 said:

    @FastCat1107 can't you just sync garmin connect with training peaks? That might be a dumb question, I don't know the answer.

    you would think that for the price point you could simply rip the damn thing off post workout and tell it to go post on strava, training peaks, garmin connect, facebook, douchesrus and whatever other sites people are posting to these days, but such is not the case. You must soothe the savage beast that is the Garmin and speak softly as you cradle it beside the computer and wait and hope for it to decide if it wants to sync or not. Ok, so its not that bad, actually once you set it up it should be pretty simple, but those first few occasions.....
    Scheck48
  • Options
    HSeeley14 said:

    @kevinschummer get the 910xt, save a few bucks by getting the next to newest model. It has all the bells and whistles, but can be simplified. If you don't intend to use power and or don't care about using something to track your swimming (indoor/out) then try the 310xt and save even more $. The bonus of the 910 and 920 is the longer duration of the battery life and the swim capabilities in the pool and outdoor (cause the 310 might as well be a mouse in a maze when it comes to GPS tracking your open water swims). The 920 looks and feels much sleeker though so if bulkiness is a big deterrent then might want to anty up the $. I guess the question is what are you looking to measure specifically? Garmin is kinda like Apple in that it comes up with something new every bloody year and makes the last few models somewhat obsolete, but if you are ok to keep your metrics simple and steady for a few years then don't spend the $ on the newest fad until you know you will be using it for all it's worth. Just my thoughts. My husband is the biggest gadget geek I know and simply has to have all the newest models of everything, but he does use all the metrics so can't really complain; I do complain anyway though of course.

    I agree 100% with @HSeeley14. I had the "toaster oven" as my friend referred to it
    as 310xt for about four years before a drop at just the right/wrong angle cracked the screen. The watch still functions but not if I ever took in the water. After the drop, I decided to upgrade to the 910xt at a fair price because the 920 was just rolling and couldn't be happier. Basically the same watch as the 310xt but much sleeker and the pool swim function. Not being someone who must have the next best thing I would still be using the "toaster oven" if it wasn't for th crack. That said, if anyone needs a duathlon watch on the cheap, I know a guy...
  • Options
    @Jason41 I cannot even get it to connect to Garmin Connect. I am a Bean Counter by day gluten eater by night! @HSeeley14 I agree for what it cost it do all that and fold my laundry.
  • Options
    @HSeeley14 @Scheck48 I'm not a next best thing sorta dude, generally, but I want whatever I buy to be multifunctional and last for the next several years before it's obsolete. My ultimate problem, as I finally realized today, is that the 920 and 910 are too "sports watchy." For the price, really, it can serve as an everyday watch, but not in the manner I wish it would. I really like the look of the Fenix3, and it looks more everyday. The other thing is that I don't want to buy too many units, ie, do I need an Edge XXX or can I manage with just a watch?

    Also, I want to track my swimming as I can barely remember my lengths to swim a damned 200.
  • Options
    @kevinschummer You don't need an Edge XXX, you can get by with a watch just fine. My 910 has lasted 3 years. The nice part is it tracks swimming - although usually its off by 25 yards or so (depending on the length of the pool, that's an easy adjustment in garmin. It runs on an excelometer (spelling?) which is the same tech in your smartphone that changes the view when you turn your phone to the side or upside down. So its not always 100% accurate, but its a lot closer than the count in my head. I suffer from the same 200 yard problem. It does track open water though, and the triathlon function for racing or brick sessions is awesome and well worth the money. I like my 920 because it does all of that on a much nicer screen and I'm pretty sure it has a watch function. granted you'll have to charge it more than usual. I'm swimming with the 920 tonight for the first time, I'll let you know if I have any problems, but if its like the 910 it'll work just fine or better.

    Polletta ~ TRS West

  • Options
    oh @kevinschummer ever since I got my 910, the Edge XXX (can't even remember what number) has sat and collected dust. Watch is WAY better.

    Polletta ~ TRS West

  • Options
    @FastCat1107 I have had zero uploading issues, with the slight exception of garmin connect being down yesterday. Which by the way, I started a war on facebook about if you go to garmin connect's page. Spoiler alert: I gave garmin a pass and pissed off all the step counters!

    Polletta ~ TRS West

  • Options
    Aaron WebsteyAaron Webstey Administrator, Rooster Endurance Member, Rooster Endurance Officers
    Scheck48 said:

    HSeeley14 said:

    @kevinschummer get the 910xt, save a few bucks by getting the next to newest model. It has all the bells and whistles, but can be simplified. If you don't intend to use power and or don't care about using something to track your swimming (indoor/out) then try the 310xt and save even more $. The bonus of the 910 and 920 is the longer duration of the battery life and the swim capabilities in the pool and outdoor (cause the 310 might as well be a mouse in a maze when it comes to GPS tracking your open water swims). The 920 looks and feels much sleeker though so if bulkiness is a big deterrent then might want to anty up the $. I guess the question is what are you looking to measure specifically? Garmin is kinda like Apple in that it comes up with something new every bloody year and makes the last few models somewhat obsolete, but if you are ok to keep your metrics simple and steady for a few years then don't spend the $ on the newest fad until you know you will be using it for all it's worth. Just my thoughts. My husband is the biggest gadget geek I know and simply has to have all the newest models of everything, but he does use all the metrics so can't really complain; I do complain anyway though of course.

    I agree 100% with @HSeeley14. I had the "toaster oven" as my friend referred to it
    as 310xt for about four years before a drop at just the right/wrong angle cracked the screen. The watch still functions but not if I ever took in the water. After the drop, I decided to upgrade to the 910xt at a fair price because the 920 was just rolling and couldn't be happier. Basically the same watch as the 310xt but much sleeker and the pool swim function. Not being someone who must have the next best thing I would still be using the "toaster oven" if it wasn't for th crack. That said, if anyone needs a duathlon watch on the cheap, I know a guy...
    I cracked my 310. It was not too expensive to have fixed - in fact they just send you a whole new refurbed unit and keep yours for parts.
    Scheck48
    #KOAT
  • Options
    @Jason41 Sweet, thanks for that. Report back if you don't mind on how close the swimming tracking is to actual. My pool is just a little 25 yarder so I may end up with problems, but it could be worse. Also, good to know the watch will serve all purposes wo need for an Edge.

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file

The Roost

@ 2018 The Triathlon Roost, All rights reserved.

Contact us

webstey@triroost.com

Get In Touch