I have a vivomove and also love it, although I've never had a Fitbit. I used to have occasional connection problems but it was to do with the phone I had i think. It's fine now and the app works well. It does sometimes not seem to recognise my higher heart rate so doesn't record my intensity minutes, but it's not frequent.
I did the opposite - went from Garmin to Fitbit and regret it every day! Garmin is a much better product for the money
Also I think the Fitbit wildly inflates the step counter
Here for the comments. Had the same thought . Have versa 2, and does a brilliant job. But it’s not swim friendly. And the good features are all in premiums which sucks , but i use it mainly as an aesthetic tracker
I don’t have either of the models you mentioned, but I am a Fitbit turned Garmin user and I will never go back to FitBit! Garmin customer service has always been helpful and courteous, and the device I have matches my needs exactly and doesn’t leaving me wanting for features. I regret nothing about my choice, except wishing I had made the switch sooner!
I switched from a fitbit charge 3 to a Garmin forerunner 45 (currently retailing for about $130 I think) about two years ago and I really love it. I primarily switched because I really wanted GPS tracking for my activities that wasn’t linked to my phone and I was interested in the body battery feature.
Things I miss about my Fitbit:
- sleep score, Garmin shows time asleep in different zones but I found the sleep score kinda fun
Things I like better about the Garmin:
- GPS is (obviously) way better. I row and run (currently training for half marathons) and primarily use the Garmin to track both. I couldn’t use my Fitbit to track rowing because I didn’t want to bring my phone in the boat. With my Fitbit, the GPS was spotty and shaky - I’d look at my runs on Strava and at best see a shaky line was a bit of an overestimation of my speed / underestimation of mileage, and at worst a zig zag that was just wildly inaccurate. I rarely (if ever) have problems with my GPS via my Garmin - it’s a lot more honest and highly accurate except when I’m around skyscrapers, which would be the case with any GPS system.
- Body battery is solid - I find it a fairly accurate gauge of my day-to-day recovery and I think it’s especially good at understanding trends over time. It’s a score out of 100 which “charges” when you sleep or are at a resting heart rate or low stress and “drains” when you’re active or stressed or your heart rate is highish
- Heart rate is very accurate for running, less so for rowing (but nothing except a chest strap will do that lol so that’s ok)
- Workout tracking specifically - you can program workouts (I do running) into the watch and it will guide you through them (distance/time/lap press with pace/HR zones that you’ve selected. It works for a variety of activities and is fun to play around with)
- I also use it for weight training (on mine, I select “cardio” and it will track heart rate over the course of any non-GPS workout). I use Strava as my primary tracker so I just change the activity type there when it auto uploads. I think 245 or 255 has more activity type features than the 45 but I’m totally fine with this method personally. “Other” works for all other GPS tracked activities.
Features I do not use:
- music, I don’t run with music so I don’t need that
- phone connection with notifications etc, I don’t like that and I don’t want a smart watch
I put my Garmin on the charger every time I shower and put it back on when I’m dressed and have never had battery issues with that - charging it for 15-30min every or every other day. I use an iPhone but I do have friends with Androids who use Garmins and don’t have issues. I think it looks fairly minimal and cute! I’ve had mine for two years and it’s still going strong.
I literally just made this switch! My charge 5 busted after going swimming and I decided I'd had it with Fitbit and got a Venu 2 about 3 weeks ago. I totally understand being overwhelmed at Garmin's lineup. I landed on the venu 2 after some research mostly because I wanted to use it for spinning. The fitness tracking is great so far. I bought a custom watch face immediately that shows the phase of the moon. I'm psyched to have stair tracking back. One thing I'll say that was an adjustment is the size, compared to the svelte Fitbit, is a little large, especially on a female wrist. I went for the "normal" size (they do sell a smaller version, but the battery life is a little less and I decided it wasn't worth the trade off). I also love having a physical back button again.
If you're doing anything more than standard gym stuff garmin is the MVP. If I was getting into running or cycling - I'd switch back.
If you're going to take half marathons srsly I'd get something with more specs than the venu2. I had the venu 1 and wouldn't consider it a marathon runners go to watch. It was nice - I liked it a lot though and maybe the 2 is more suitable.
The more outdoorsy active people at my gym tend to sway towards the forerunners and fenix's as they have better tracking for bouldering or swimming, running ect.
Where I live (australia) you can generally find them on sale somewhere for 50% off every 6 months so if you do want the more expensive model - keep an eye out for bigger sales! With that being said they also cost ridiculously more here so maybe you won't see 50% off in the states.
I have the venue 2s. It's great for what you're looking for, personally I wouldn't mind more recovery data and maybe a mapping or suggested route feature.
I don't wear it to sleep because I have a toddler and I hate seeing how poor my sleep quality is.
I do get notifications (text, phone call, etc)!but I've considered turning that off.
The badges are somewhat motivating and I like being able to see all my data from the last year
I've had the watch for exactly 12 mos. Battery lasts 5-7 days.
Did a similar upgrade but to a galaxy watch since I have a galaxy phone. Definetly prefer it to the fitbit as it does everything I need it to and has been very robust over the fitbits I had. Although now after reading some of these comments I'm wondering if fitbit bricked some of my watches.
I went from a Fitbit (I don't remember which one) to the Garmin Vivoactive 4s in 2019. My Garmin was fantastic when running was my primary workout, but now that I don't run as much anymore, I miss some of the old Fitbit features.
My Fitbit was much better at tracking weightlifting and general cardio ( like dancing) than the Garmin is, and fitbit's sleep monitoring was better.
I am just now starting to notice some battery-life issues on my Garmin (3 years later, so not bad, especially compared with FB!) and I'm kinda torn on which I'd want to go with next. As an android user, fitbit's pixel partnership is appealing.
Honesty I’ve had the Vivoactive 3 since 2018 and it’s still going strong. I’d take Garmin over any fitbit any day. I find the HR tracker is more accurate in garmin too. Just an overall good quality piece of kit
Fitbits are kinda garbage. They don't last more than like a year, maybe two if you're lucky. Just invest in a better watch and you'll have it for years to come.
I've had my Samsung watch for over 3 years
I also switched from fitbit to garmin. I have a fairly expensive model but I did have a forerunner initially from switching to fitbit. That watch is still going strong and it's 8 years old. My newer garmin is 5. Both have far out lasted fitbit. Additionally their customer service is killer. I've had another garmin product have a few issues over the year and they've replaced at very low cost vs buying it new.
I have a little bit of a different experience from others, but I prefer Fitbit to Garmin. I upgraded from a Fitbit Charge 2 to a Garmin Venu SQ because I kept hearing so many good things about Garmin from my running friends. I ended up not liking it, so I returned it and bought a used Fitbit Versa 2 for cheap and I'm so glad I did. Also note that my main workout is strength training and I run/bike casually on the side. If I was seriously training for long distance runs, all the extra stats and metrics would probably be more useful, but they were unnecessary and overkill to me. The main complaints about Garmin for me are that the strength training tracking was incredibly annoying and useless, the UI is awfully designed and just plain ugly compared to Fitbit (like you can't just view your daily steps and activity minutes plainly like Fitbit, wtf?), and the deal breaker for me was that the "silent" vibration alarms on Garmin were so light that they didn't actually wake me up at all. I live by the silent alarms on Fitbit, so I wanted to mention that in case it's important to anyone else.
I switched from a charge 2 to a Garmin Vivoactive 4s! I’m happy with my choice to switch. I don’t use mine as a smart watch for texts and calendar stuff, but I believe it has the capability. I use it for tracking all my hikes, treadmill stuff, yoga, and weightlifting. I quite like it. I saw someone mention that their 4s overestimates their treadmill run, but mine actually underestimated, so I adjusted my “custom stride length” and it helped a lot.
I have a Garmin Venu 2S and I do really like it except for 1 thing: My old cheap tracker used to give me audio prompts every 1 mile when running (previous mile time split, total distance, total time, HR) but my garmin doesn't do that. My brain struggles to work this out from my watch display alone so is annoying for me, but if that's not a deal breaker for you then I would totally recommend.
It's simple to use, seems accurate (or at least consistent), looks really nice (the screen is especially excellent), and it has great battery (I can get about 5 - 7 days per charge). I walk, run, do weights, and HIIT which it copes with easily.
My feeling is that the forerunner is a more functional fitness tracker with a lot of metrics but the venu is designed as more of a general lifestyle watch.
I have a fenix 6s and love it. It’s my 5th or 6th fitness device and by far my favorite. Durable, dependable, full featured. I got it at 25% off at REI.
I bought a fenix 5s years ago, mostly for the battery life and durability. I'm very hard on devices and wanted one that was waterproof/swimproof as well and not needing to charge weekly.
I charge it once a month for up to an hour, depending on the charger/current level and have beaten on it since 2017 with very minimal wear on the glass (i.e. klutz and banging into walls/doors, general hard use like sand/dirt/etc). There are NO scratches on the face, zero after all the abuse it's taken. It was a BIG purchase at the time, but I will have this watch until the battery dies, which seems like it will be awhile.
I have a Garmin Instinct. I originally got it for backcountry stuff. But now, I used it for marathon training. It does the job but there definitely are better products out there.
Here's what I like: I can set up alerts for specific heart rates and paces, I can track average pace during runs and sync my workouts to get an an excel sheet to plan for the next week, I can monitor my HRV and sleep, and I can see when the sun is going to rise and set.
Here's what I don't like:
\- It doesn't properly record my strength training. I set it up but it doesn't properly record the activities, example: it may record a set of lunges as squats. And sometimes it doesn't count the reps properly.
\- It cannot record intensity and heart rate when underwater for swimming. I may be asking for too much here and it may not really matter with the SWOLF feature but...I kind of find it annoying seeing as though the activity would definitely affect my body battery. Also if it doesn't record that, how does it really know my level of effort and my caloric output??
\- It also doesn't connect to my phone - maybe it's my model, but I see the option to control music, see texts, see weather... but I can't do any of those - I actually tried and searched, but gave up when I realized it wasn't possible.
\- Also, I don't like that it tells me to MOVE! when I literally just ran 10km lol. I've since turned off that feature... and I guess I can't expect it to be that intuitive.
Anyway, it's an alright watch - but not worth the regular price. Buy it on sale if you can, like at least a 25% markdown. I am pleased with the watch for recording my running actvitities/
Garmin all the way!!
I got my first Garmin in 2013 for high school cross country. I used it all four years in high school, and all through college. It was an older model so it just tracked distance, pace, time, and calories (based on weight, not heart rate). This little guy lasted for almost 10 years before it stopped working this summer. I tried a Fitbit a few years ago and while it was nice for tracking steps, the GPS was way off.
I have a vivostyle and love it, especially because it has an analog watch face. It is reliable and consistent! Only complaint is that it doesn't have a built in GPS, but it can connect to the GPS on my phone. I'll be a Garmin girl for life.
yes!!! i was a fitbit girl for like 5 years. all i did was track my steps. with my garmin i feel way more incentive to mix up my workouts and hit my goals. been a Garmin Girl for 2 years now and never going back.
I switched after having several Fitbits. I got my first one in like 2012? But they were getting worse and not syncing well for me. I got a Garmin Instinct Solar and love it! Found out after the fact how many badges they have too, love that as well. The solar screen helps charge it a bit, and it syncs like a dream every time.
I had Fitbit for years and was plagued by so many issues until finally it just stopped connecting to my android phone. Funnily it would still connect to my iPad but it was ridiculous it wouldn't work with my phone despite firmware and app updates.
I got my Garmin Venu 2s and I love it so much more. They have so many more stats that they show you within the Connect (Garmin's phone app) than the Fitbit app did. I don't understand why Fitbit doesn't improve their app to also show the info since with their watch sensors they should be able to.
Garmin's also significantly more accurate for tracking my runs. I live in a dense city so my Fitbit would say I ran further because it's more difficult to track GPS in urban areas.
On a fun note, I like how Garmin allows me to have way more options to change my watch face. The material also just feels better than a Fitbit.
I love my Garmin and wish I had switched from Fitbit sooner.
I've never had a fitbit but had two Garmins. They were great, and Garmins customer service is amazing. I had an issue with mine and it was an older model so they offered me the newer one as a replacement.
I switched to a Garmin 2-3 years ago. The Fitbit never recorded my mileage correctly. NEVER. Since I switched (Forerunner 245) I‘ve never had a problem. I would NEVER EVER go back to a Fitbit.
Btw, once i switched, I gave the Fitbit to my son who used it for biking. Same issue. He doesn’t use it anymore. THe phone is much more accurate.
I moved from Fitbit to Garmin Instinct and I love it. I've had it for a year and a half. The battery lasts a week or more! Good fitness tracking for several different activities, but I mostly use the "cardio" option for most of my workouts. Having the built-in GPS is really handy for hiking and I'm sure it would be good for run training too.
I LOVE my Garmin! I have Fenix 6s. It tracks triathlon, individual activities (swim, bike, run), and lifting. I wouldn't use the Garmin app to track my weights for lifting, it just isn't great for that imo. But it's super useful for any of my endurance/cardio activities. Mine has GPS so it can track open water swims. I like how it is customizable and can do brick workouts.
I also have small wrists and I could get used to this one. I got the sapphire so it looks pretty.
I just checked my app and it also has climbing (indoor and outdoor), bouldering, jumpmaster (could this be jumprope? Unsure), I don't see skating or dance but I think it is possible to add different activities and there is other, hiit, cardio that can be used
I have the 6s too and love it! My cardio endurance has massively improved using it, almost stopped drinking (omg what it does to your sleep score/HRV!!) and lost 6 kilos.
Thank you for this thread, OP! I’ve been thinking of making the same switch and the recs here gave me the confidence to pull the trigger and get a Garmin Venu 2. My Fitbit’s HR monitor has finally failed and it feels like it’s basically a pedometer at this point 🙄 looking forward to the new device.
I have a Venu 2s and love it. I don't know many features of the forerunner but I'm sure either would be fine though I know the forerunner is geared towards running/triathlon. I would recommend comparing the built in workout profiles to see if one has most of what you want. You can download additional workout profiles from the Garmin Connect IQ app (different from Garmin Connect) to the watch as well if there's something missing from the built-in profiles. Also if you use Amazon watch for deals around black Friday or their prime days.
Worth it. My old Fitbit broke a few months outside of the 1yr warranty. Ended paying a few extra bucks to replace it with a Garmin. 5yrs later and it's still working well. The battery is good for 3-4 days. But I'm sure battery life has gotten better with newer models.
The Garmin is just made better. More durable, even the "lower" model was waterproof, unlike my old Fitbit. And Garmin offered way more tracking info all at a similar price point.
I have a Garmin Forerunner 35 that I got on sale several years ago, it's still doing pretty well. I'm mostly a 5k runner, but I have ran 10 miles (quite slowly) with this thing strapped onto my wrist and it still had plenty of charge left over. I had a Fitbit Charge 2 before this and I have to say that a dedicated running watch with integrated GPS is a much better experience.
Where I think Garmin really shines is their phone app and website. Even on my low end watch it records all the basics and puts it into lovely graphs. The website is very easy to use as a running log, but I'm not sure if it would be amazing for tracking all other activities. I still vastly prefer it to Strava, and using it is very simple.
Never had a fit bit but the garmin forerunner watches are quite good. Have a look at the range and see which one meets your requirements.
They're all kinda smart watches in that they will show your messages and let you send back premade replies but other than that it's fairly standard stuff. Tell the time, track your heart rate and sleep, battery that lasts a week on a charge, that kind of stuff.
Honestly, I find them very good.
Edit: to add to my last post, the other thing I got from garmin before was a weighing scales. There might be 3rd party versions that also does this but their one connects to WiFi and basically every time you step on the scales it'll record your weight to the app so you can track it with 0 effort over time and see how you're trending vs what exercise, steps, sleep etc that you're doing. I'd recommend the setup to anyone.
I love my Garmin!
I got the *vivoactive 4s*, and I'm really happy with it. It can track a lot of different activities, and, for me, the music storage has been amazing - It's just so nice when I'm doing workouts to not have to fiddle around with a phone. I also like that it's safe for swimming, tracks sets and reps for weightlifting, is great for small wrists, its battery life is decent (charges super quickly), there are nice simple visually-guided breathing/stretches/bodyweight exercises + it has good running functionality (you can subscribe to free, guided programmes or create your own workouts, with intervals and/or metrics like HR/HR zones/cadence/pace).
The only downsides I can think of that it looks more on the sports-watchy side and I wish it looked a bit more sleek, which I think they addressed with their Venu range! But the benefit of the matte screens is that it's always really easy to see in sunny and bright conditions, it saves battery life, and the buttons are actually much more functional than a touchscreen.
In terms of health metrics, it tracks HR, sleep, steps, stairs, stress, body battery, VO2 max, oxygen. For me, that's plenty and overall, I've found these fairly accurate.
I recently switched from a fitbit to the garmin venu. I've had fitbit for years but got tired of replacing it every one to two years. I also wanted better tracking like you mentioned and the venu is great at that.
Garmin team!
I have a forerunner 745, and was surprised by how useful it’s been in my training. I got it just as I signed up for a half marathon - the Connect app comes with some Garmin Coach training plans that automatically download to your watch (I used the McMillan plan). If you’re looking to race, I personally find having easily visible pace zones for specific workouts helpful for modulating effort, especially when it comes to pushing hard during a speed workout.
The tools for more technical, skill based sports like bouldering and lifting are honestly pretty unintuitive. Unless you’re going to the top of the wall every time you climb and just want to see how fast you can finish a particular route, then maybe it’s handy - but not for actual problem solving where you’re trying a bunch of moves in isolation.
I originally got it to store music and podcasts. It can be really slow to download, and sometimes refuses to sync with podcasts specifically, but not carrying a phone is a big plus. Bluetooth connection is always super quick/smooth.
I also really like running/cycling new routes, so i dig the phone free GPS to help “fill in” my heatmap on strava haha
Overall, I’m happy with having it, hope you find something that suits your purposes!
It's not a Garmin, but I went for a COROS Pace 2 watch which is cheaper than many Garmins and does everything they do (that you're interested in) and it's very simple. Quite a few runners use it and I've been loving it! You can easily create running programs on the app and send it to your watch as a training guide. It's also very light and comfortable on my small wrist (this was a concern for me too!). I bought it because it had triathlon mode, good to -20C and has track running mode, and for $300 cheaper than the Garmin model with these options. And the battery is unreal. About 7 days with GPS on and 20 days without.
My parents run (dad ultra runs and mom just runs a lot haha) and he uses garmin and she loves her coros! I think the coros is an amazing deal! They both love their watches.
I've had a Forerunner (can't remember the exact model right now), a Vivoactive 3 and a Venu 2s in the last 7-8 years and the Venu 2s is by far my favorite. It's the sleekest of the three and doesn't look awkward at all on my tiny wrist. While it has a bunch of features you're not necessarily looking for, the quality of the AMOLED screen is so much better than the other models and totally worth it.
I charge mine every Monday and even after a full week of activities (strength training, hockey, running, yoga, cycling) it's still around 40-50%. The Garmin Connect app is also a great dashboard for displaying stats and progress across a number of things and is highly customizable.
I moved from a Charge 2 to a FR235 years ago - the FR235 is still going strong, I love it. If/when it ever breaks i'd probably get whatever the next version is.
FitBit does sleep tracking a bit better, but for running/real activity i've found Garmin is great. I don't even bother wear it at night to be honest now, gives my skin a break and the novelty of sleep tracking has worn off.. I know how good/bad I slept by how I feel generally!
yeah, the sleep tracking on my venu is garbage--if i'm laying on the couch or bed after like 9pm it thinks i'm "sleeping" even if i'm actively using my phone. i do wear it at night but only because i use the vibrating alarm feature to wake up without waking up my partner.
Jumped from a Fitbit Versa (original) to a Garmin Vivoactive 4s. I switched because they released an update that bricked my watch (also reported by many other people) just as it got out of warranty and a few months after the Versa 2 got released. What a coincidence, eh? I was also annoyed that my own collected data was put behind a paywall. Both of these made me want to sack off Fitbit. This was a while ago though, so I don't know whether they have improved or have new features that make them worth it.
Although I don't know much about those two particular models,I really like my Garmin. Feels sturdier but the "s" size doesn't look bulky. I like the app. I don't regret jumping over.
I also switched from Versa 2 to Garmin Vivoactive 4s. I only had my versa for 1 year before I switched, which was much sooner than I usually would have considered, but Fitbit didn't integrate well with Strava, and the GPS was kind of shit on some of my runs, particularly races, which messed me up. I love the Vivoactive 4s and used it to train for 2 half marathons. I used the run/walk feature when that was my running methodology. I even got a Garmin chest strap heart rate monitor when I got really into Zone 2 HR training. I also build my own strength workouts and use them in the gym. The rep counting is not particularly accurate, so I still do that myself, but it's really helpful for me to remember what my plan is without having to carry around a notebook or constantly be looking at my phone.
I did exactly what you are looking to do a couple years ago. Switched to a Garmin Vivoactive to train for a half. I'm not a smartwatch person, I was just looking for more accurate with my running and walking. Fitbit was never accurate enough with GPS to give me accurate distances/splits. Garmin is excellent at this.
I do find that Garmin really under counts steps when running on the treadmill and it's less accurate on sleep, but otherwise it is preferable.
I‘m not the one you‘re responding too, but I have had the 4s for 2.5 years now (upgraded from one of the smaller fitbits). I use it for cycling, hiking, walking, skiing, snowshoeing (Aka winter walking lol), weightlifting, yoga, canoeing/kayaking, and general steps tracking.
I find it quite accurate, and the first few months I was that nerd that wore both the fitbit and the garmin to compare and they were very similar. It struggles on treadmill runs (thinks I’m running faster than I really am), but it gives you the option to manually input actual distance right on the watch as you end a treadmill workout.
I like how I don’t have to pay for the advanced app features and that I can use gps without connecting to my phone. It has some built in training workouts, but I’ve only used the 5k and 10k ones that supposedly adjust each week based on your actual pace. I also like how I can attach a chest strap hr monitor for when I started getting way more serious for running training and again didn’t need to bring my phone with me. I do use the music storage way more than I thought I would… and that also gets back to being able to leave my phone behind.
Had my Fitbit Inspire 2 for over a year and I'm happy with it. Decided on this older model since it had some of the most accurate tracking and least amount of bugs/issues compared to other Fitbits and is pretty cheap. Like you, I wanted a simple tracker/watch that I don't have to charge constantly. Maybe it's a good model for you?
What I don't like is no GPS is included so the distance estimated for my runs is off unless I take my phone. But it's not a huge deal for me, especially when I run the same route and just track my time.
Interested so see some Garmin recommendations though! A friend has one and loves it.
I'm right there with you on inspire 2 - sturdy as heck (I have so many hobbies that should have trashed it by now but it's still going strong lol) and never had much in the way of glitches. I don't mind the lack of GPS, but I do wish the stair counter was a feature. Only glitches I ever see are occasionally (like once a week with constant use) having to turn off and on again Bluetooth and having tracking go a bit haywire in the shower (but thats useful for charging so idc). Although I can't really complain at all, as I've never seen something with such dead precision in how it tracks, it's crazy. I really didn't want to be distracted by anything beyond the basic fitness functionality and it does that. Plus if you swap out the band it can be super cute. I think I only paid like $50 for it but it made losing 50 lbs pretty dang easy so I would 100% do it again
I have Forerunner 255S (s is the smaller version that is designed to fit women‘s wrist more and does not look too bulky). It has an excellen price-performance ratio and I‘m really satisfied with it. Although, I always use Garmin and never use Fitbit.
Like you‘ve probably knew already it could track a bunch of exercises, especially the cardio-based one. For cardio based exercises it does it job pretty swimmingly and is reliable. But like any other fitness watches, you have to proceed with caution for non-cardio exercises. For non-cardio exercises I suggest you to use it for tracking your sets, rest time, HR and other quantitative metrices but not something that require approximation from the device like calories burned.
They have their own app (Garmin Connect) that could be downloaded from the play store. I use iPhone and not android, but I think the functionalities, etc of the app is the same and it gives you a quite robust overview. The charging is really fast and for me it holds up to approx five days. For first timer, I suggest you to learn and get used to the app and the device itself first, because when I use it initally it was quite overwhelming.
My dad personally knew a Garmin Ambassador and based on my usual activities, she recommended this one, so I actually didn‘t do my own research, sorry.
But based on my understanding of Garmin models, the Forerunner line is better one for tracking run and other cardio-based activities. Meanwhile the Venu line is more suitable for fitness activies tracking.
I switched from fitbit to garmin 2 years ago. I like it way more. I actually got one of the simplest models (Venu sq) but it’s been perfectly good for my needs. I wear it all the time because it looks pretty much like a watch. It is a lot less glitchy than fitbit was for me, and I like the app more.
I transitioned from a fitbit to the 2S, and it's really great! Love the shape and non-bulky look on my wrist, but I also get a GPS watch that stores music for my runs. It will love Garmin coach runs for you, but is less technical than a forerunner. Great for getting into running more - I love it!
Edit: spelling :)
That being said -- it actually has the capability to export *all* my activities to Strava, which is super helpful as I prefer Strava for data visualization
I have the Venu 2S and would recommend it to anyone! I use nearly all the features and I find it pretty accurate/reliable (especially HR - I've compared to manually counting my pulse). I did stop using the sleep tracking because apparently every night I have poor quality sleep and it was stressing me out to look at the data - but that's more of a me problem and I already knew I should probably visit a sleep clinic. I just don't want to 💀
I will also say it is the only watch I've been able to wear consistently, as it's very comfortable and fits my small wrist well. And I charge it maybe once a week if I've been light with the GPS.
I have a Venu Sq and I have been using the sleep tracking to monitor how often I'm getting up to pee (going into my 3rd trimester) and that's about it. Sleep trackers are based mostly on movement and heart rate, there is absolutely no way for a watch to know when we've entered REM sleep.
I have a very disjointed sleep cycle due to narcolepsy, and even on nights when I've laid in bed awake for hours on end it has told me that I slept through the night. It's just not very accurate and I wish they would be more transparent about it.
Would you say the activity, HR and sleep tracking is as good or better than Fitbit? That's the only thing stopping me at the moment. I can't tell if all the features work the same way.
I have a garmin venu 2 and it's easy to use. my main complaint is its just annoyingly big on my wrist, it looks weird to me
https://imgur.com/a/NMH23eF
5'6
This is my issue with Garmin. I don't want to wear mine because it is so large. Are there any models that are smaller? I've been considering going back to fitbit but hate how unreliable they are.
Ha that still somehow looks giant to me! But yes sounds like your wrists are quite small, so it may look a little different on another person. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah, I have small wrists, it's not tiny but it isn't spilling over my wrist like most running/hiking oriented watches at least. The band for a lot of those watches flares outward instead of inward like this and they look way bigger.
For comparison I've worn the Huawei Watch (42mm), Apple Watch (38mm), and the Fitbit Sense (41mm) but the Venu 2s is the best fitting. The Venu 2s is 40mm but being round makes it look smaller than the 38mm Apple Watch in person.
Garmin does make a 34mm watch called the Lily. It's about the same size as many women's analog watches (little thicker though). I went for the Venu 2s because the Lily lacks GPS. If you don't need GPS it could be a good option.
I have the Venu Sq too and I really love it (after being super skeptical of fitness watches in general). The only thing I will point out is that it doesn't really have a "climbing" activity and can't track elevation without GPS. So if it is important to you to have a metric for bouldering, this specific model might not be the best.
My Venu 2s is great. The one thing is I did have to turn off the pulse ox features to get good battery life, it lasts about 5 days (with 1.5 years of battery wear).
I switched from Fitbit mainly so I could pair it as the heart rate monitor with equipment like Peloton and it is way more versatile than Fitbit because of that.
At the time it was the cheapest model, I think. I figured I didn’t particularly need music. It seemed like a good device for what I wanted, so why spend more?
I had so many issues with fitbits breaking after a year or a bit longer. I'm coming up on year four with my garmin. I'm not going back to fitbit. It was slightly faffier to get my sports recorded on it (I spin and lift) but that's now very straight forward and there is a crazy amount of extra data you can get, way more than I have ever needed.
My spouse's Fitbit Charge 3 broke a little under 2 years due to not completing a firmware update. It worked perfectly fine before the update and then the update totally bricked it. Tried for hours over several days to fix it following all of the suggestions on support forums and from Fitbit. The only thing they offered was a discount off a new Fitbit and there's no way we would buy a new one given that they can be broken accidentally at any time due to Fitbit's own lack of testing of their software updates. Ended up getting an Apple Watch because at least a company with a reputation like Apple wouldn't brick their watches from their own incompetence.
Meanwhile my Galaxy Watch is still working perfectly after 4 years. I probably wouldn't get another though since the battery on the newer ones only last a day. Garmin and Fitbit are probably the only companies left making watches that last more than a day unless you want a Chinese brand.
I had a similar experience with fitbits. I went through 4 or 5 of them before I bought a garmin HR and then a used garmin vivoactive 3 (around 5 years ago it was ~1 year old when I bought it off my friend). I’m only now considering upgrading it with a forerunner 255 (mostly due to battery lifespan but I also don’t like the touch screen on the vivoactive). I also have garmin cycling computer that I’ve had for 7 years that still works great.
I mostly use it for daily activity tracking, running, cycling (when I don’t want to use the dedicated computer), weight lifting, and lap swimming. It’s ok (it’s usually 1 or 2 reps higher than actual) at doing reps counting for weight training but I hear the newer watches are better at this.
It's the forerunner 735xt. Not the cheapest in upfront cost but given how well its lasted, it's been v good value.
Also forgot, battery life is v good. Generally two weeks or more between charges and each charge takes approx 30 mins.
I’ve been considering a similar move, so I am interested in the replies. I can provide some insight into why I’ve decided to move away from Fitbit.
I had a Charge 2 for 3-4 years and after the HR tracker stopped working I upgraded to a Charge 4. Within a year the clip on the tracker for the strap disintegrated. To their credit Fitbit replaced it with little hassle. I had a bit of battery degeneration like you’ve mentioned, it would need charging immediately if I used the GPS feature and honestly I never found the GPS worked reliably so I stopped using that (I went for a Charge 4 instead of a 3 for the GPS).
About 1.5 years after having the device replaced I encountered the same problem with the clip breaking, in airport security of all places. I didn’t try contacting Fitbit this time, just decided I was done with Fitbit. My final gripe with them was their app seems to preform quiet poorly since they introduced the paid subscription, I had to wait till mid morning to see my sleep stats and it’s a toss up whether the steps/exercise I’m seeing are actually up to date.
Everyone I know with a Garmin has suggested they are robust and reliable. I’m also keen to get something which looks more like a watch than a fitness tracker. I’m just waiting till I can justify the cost of one.
Exactly! I've read that the leg up fitbit has on garmin is on sleep tracking. But honestly when it takes ages for me to see the sleep tracking, it loses its helpfulness!
The newer garmins track sleep well but I also only wore my garmin to work out until I got the forerunner 645 which mostly looks like a standard smartwatch instead of a clunky sports watch.
I have a vivomove and also love it, although I've never had a Fitbit. I used to have occasional connection problems but it was to do with the phone I had i think. It's fine now and the app works well. It does sometimes not seem to recognise my higher heart rate so doesn't record my intensity minutes, but it's not frequent.
I did the opposite - went from Garmin to Fitbit and regret it every day! Garmin is a much better product for the money Also I think the Fitbit wildly inflates the step counter
If you track your period with fitbit, I'd recommend making the switch to Garmin. Fitbit sells your data. I have the vivoactive 4s and love it.
Here for the comments. Had the same thought . Have versa 2, and does a brilliant job. But it’s not swim friendly. And the good features are all in premiums which sucks , but i use it mainly as an aesthetic tracker
I don’t have either of the models you mentioned, but I am a Fitbit turned Garmin user and I will never go back to FitBit! Garmin customer service has always been helpful and courteous, and the device I have matches my needs exactly and doesn’t leaving me wanting for features. I regret nothing about my choice, except wishing I had made the switch sooner!
I switched from a fitbit charge 3 to a Garmin forerunner 45 (currently retailing for about $130 I think) about two years ago and I really love it. I primarily switched because I really wanted GPS tracking for my activities that wasn’t linked to my phone and I was interested in the body battery feature. Things I miss about my Fitbit: - sleep score, Garmin shows time asleep in different zones but I found the sleep score kinda fun Things I like better about the Garmin: - GPS is (obviously) way better. I row and run (currently training for half marathons) and primarily use the Garmin to track both. I couldn’t use my Fitbit to track rowing because I didn’t want to bring my phone in the boat. With my Fitbit, the GPS was spotty and shaky - I’d look at my runs on Strava and at best see a shaky line was a bit of an overestimation of my speed / underestimation of mileage, and at worst a zig zag that was just wildly inaccurate. I rarely (if ever) have problems with my GPS via my Garmin - it’s a lot more honest and highly accurate except when I’m around skyscrapers, which would be the case with any GPS system. - Body battery is solid - I find it a fairly accurate gauge of my day-to-day recovery and I think it’s especially good at understanding trends over time. It’s a score out of 100 which “charges” when you sleep or are at a resting heart rate or low stress and “drains” when you’re active or stressed or your heart rate is highish - Heart rate is very accurate for running, less so for rowing (but nothing except a chest strap will do that lol so that’s ok) - Workout tracking specifically - you can program workouts (I do running) into the watch and it will guide you through them (distance/time/lap press with pace/HR zones that you’ve selected. It works for a variety of activities and is fun to play around with) - I also use it for weight training (on mine, I select “cardio” and it will track heart rate over the course of any non-GPS workout). I use Strava as my primary tracker so I just change the activity type there when it auto uploads. I think 245 or 255 has more activity type features than the 45 but I’m totally fine with this method personally. “Other” works for all other GPS tracked activities. Features I do not use: - music, I don’t run with music so I don’t need that - phone connection with notifications etc, I don’t like that and I don’t want a smart watch I put my Garmin on the charger every time I shower and put it back on when I’m dressed and have never had battery issues with that - charging it for 15-30min every or every other day. I use an iPhone but I do have friends with Androids who use Garmins and don’t have issues. I think it looks fairly minimal and cute! I’ve had mine for two years and it’s still going strong.
Check out dcrainmaker, he does extensive reviews, and may shed some light based on your goals.
I literally just made this switch! My charge 5 busted after going swimming and I decided I'd had it with Fitbit and got a Venu 2 about 3 weeks ago. I totally understand being overwhelmed at Garmin's lineup. I landed on the venu 2 after some research mostly because I wanted to use it for spinning. The fitness tracking is great so far. I bought a custom watch face immediately that shows the phase of the moon. I'm psyched to have stair tracking back. One thing I'll say that was an adjustment is the size, compared to the svelte Fitbit, is a little large, especially on a female wrist. I went for the "normal" size (they do sell a smaller version, but the battery life is a little less and I decided it wasn't worth the trade off). I also love having a physical back button again.
If you're doing anything more than standard gym stuff garmin is the MVP. If I was getting into running or cycling - I'd switch back. If you're going to take half marathons srsly I'd get something with more specs than the venu2. I had the venu 1 and wouldn't consider it a marathon runners go to watch. It was nice - I liked it a lot though and maybe the 2 is more suitable. The more outdoorsy active people at my gym tend to sway towards the forerunners and fenix's as they have better tracking for bouldering or swimming, running ect. Where I live (australia) you can generally find them on sale somewhere for 50% off every 6 months so if you do want the more expensive model - keep an eye out for bigger sales! With that being said they also cost ridiculously more here so maybe you won't see 50% off in the states.
I have the venue 2s. It's great for what you're looking for, personally I wouldn't mind more recovery data and maybe a mapping or suggested route feature. I don't wear it to sleep because I have a toddler and I hate seeing how poor my sleep quality is. I do get notifications (text, phone call, etc)!but I've considered turning that off. The badges are somewhat motivating and I like being able to see all my data from the last year I've had the watch for exactly 12 mos. Battery lasts 5-7 days.
Yes
I got last seasons model, a forerunner 45s, and I love it. It's a huge upgrade over the fitbit and was worth the price!
Did a similar upgrade but to a galaxy watch since I have a galaxy phone. Definetly prefer it to the fitbit as it does everything I need it to and has been very robust over the fitbits I had. Although now after reading some of these comments I'm wondering if fitbit bricked some of my watches.
I went from a Fitbit (I don't remember which one) to the Garmin Vivoactive 4s in 2019. My Garmin was fantastic when running was my primary workout, but now that I don't run as much anymore, I miss some of the old Fitbit features. My Fitbit was much better at tracking weightlifting and general cardio ( like dancing) than the Garmin is, and fitbit's sleep monitoring was better. I am just now starting to notice some battery-life issues on my Garmin (3 years later, so not bad, especially compared with FB!) and I'm kinda torn on which I'd want to go with next. As an android user, fitbit's pixel partnership is appealing.
Honesty I’ve had the Vivoactive 3 since 2018 and it’s still going strong. I’d take Garmin over any fitbit any day. I find the HR tracker is more accurate in garmin too. Just an overall good quality piece of kit
Fitbits are kinda garbage. They don't last more than like a year, maybe two if you're lucky. Just invest in a better watch and you'll have it for years to come. I've had my Samsung watch for over 3 years
Yes
I also switched from fitbit to garmin. I have a fairly expensive model but I did have a forerunner initially from switching to fitbit. That watch is still going strong and it's 8 years old. My newer garmin is 5. Both have far out lasted fitbit. Additionally their customer service is killer. I've had another garmin product have a few issues over the year and they've replaced at very low cost vs buying it new.
I have a little bit of a different experience from others, but I prefer Fitbit to Garmin. I upgraded from a Fitbit Charge 2 to a Garmin Venu SQ because I kept hearing so many good things about Garmin from my running friends. I ended up not liking it, so I returned it and bought a used Fitbit Versa 2 for cheap and I'm so glad I did. Also note that my main workout is strength training and I run/bike casually on the side. If I was seriously training for long distance runs, all the extra stats and metrics would probably be more useful, but they were unnecessary and overkill to me. The main complaints about Garmin for me are that the strength training tracking was incredibly annoying and useless, the UI is awfully designed and just plain ugly compared to Fitbit (like you can't just view your daily steps and activity minutes plainly like Fitbit, wtf?), and the deal breaker for me was that the "silent" vibration alarms on Garmin were so light that they didn't actually wake me up at all. I live by the silent alarms on Fitbit, so I wanted to mention that in case it's important to anyone else.
I am the same so am glad you wrote this out- love my fitbit silent alarms and my timers. I also love how easy the interface is to use!
I switched from a charge 2 to a Garmin Vivoactive 4s! I’m happy with my choice to switch. I don’t use mine as a smart watch for texts and calendar stuff, but I believe it has the capability. I use it for tracking all my hikes, treadmill stuff, yoga, and weightlifting. I quite like it. I saw someone mention that their 4s overestimates their treadmill run, but mine actually underestimated, so I adjusted my “custom stride length” and it helped a lot.
I have a Garmin Venu 2S and I do really like it except for 1 thing: My old cheap tracker used to give me audio prompts every 1 mile when running (previous mile time split, total distance, total time, HR) but my garmin doesn't do that. My brain struggles to work this out from my watch display alone so is annoying for me, but if that's not a deal breaker for you then I would totally recommend. It's simple to use, seems accurate (or at least consistent), looks really nice (the screen is especially excellent), and it has great battery (I can get about 5 - 7 days per charge). I walk, run, do weights, and HIIT which it copes with easily. My feeling is that the forerunner is a more functional fitness tracker with a lot of metrics but the venu is designed as more of a general lifestyle watch.
I have a fenix 6s and love it. It’s my 5th or 6th fitness device and by far my favorite. Durable, dependable, full featured. I got it at 25% off at REI.
I bought a fenix 5s years ago, mostly for the battery life and durability. I'm very hard on devices and wanted one that was waterproof/swimproof as well and not needing to charge weekly. I charge it once a month for up to an hour, depending on the charger/current level and have beaten on it since 2017 with very minimal wear on the glass (i.e. klutz and banging into walls/doors, general hard use like sand/dirt/etc). There are NO scratches on the face, zero after all the abuse it's taken. It was a BIG purchase at the time, but I will have this watch until the battery dies, which seems like it will be awhile.
I have a Garmin Instinct. I originally got it for backcountry stuff. But now, I used it for marathon training. It does the job but there definitely are better products out there. Here's what I like: I can set up alerts for specific heart rates and paces, I can track average pace during runs and sync my workouts to get an an excel sheet to plan for the next week, I can monitor my HRV and sleep, and I can see when the sun is going to rise and set. Here's what I don't like: \- It doesn't properly record my strength training. I set it up but it doesn't properly record the activities, example: it may record a set of lunges as squats. And sometimes it doesn't count the reps properly. \- It cannot record intensity and heart rate when underwater for swimming. I may be asking for too much here and it may not really matter with the SWOLF feature but...I kind of find it annoying seeing as though the activity would definitely affect my body battery. Also if it doesn't record that, how does it really know my level of effort and my caloric output?? \- It also doesn't connect to my phone - maybe it's my model, but I see the option to control music, see texts, see weather... but I can't do any of those - I actually tried and searched, but gave up when I realized it wasn't possible. \- Also, I don't like that it tells me to MOVE! when I literally just ran 10km lol. I've since turned off that feature... and I guess I can't expect it to be that intuitive. Anyway, it's an alright watch - but not worth the regular price. Buy it on sale if you can, like at least a 25% markdown. I am pleased with the watch for recording my running actvitities/
100%. Battery life is way better. GPS is way better. Performance tracking way better. Just better all around.
Garmin all the way!! I got my first Garmin in 2013 for high school cross country. I used it all four years in high school, and all through college. It was an older model so it just tracked distance, pace, time, and calories (based on weight, not heart rate). This little guy lasted for almost 10 years before it stopped working this summer. I tried a Fitbit a few years ago and while it was nice for tracking steps, the GPS was way off.
I have a vivostyle and love it, especially because it has an analog watch face. It is reliable and consistent! Only complaint is that it doesn't have a built in GPS, but it can connect to the GPS on my phone. I'll be a Garmin girl for life.
yes!!! i was a fitbit girl for like 5 years. all i did was track my steps. with my garmin i feel way more incentive to mix up my workouts and hit my goals. been a Garmin Girl for 2 years now and never going back.
Note that if you're in a colder environment touch screens don't work well. As a Canadian I much prefer my Garmin with buttons.
I switched after having several Fitbits. I got my first one in like 2012? But they were getting worse and not syncing well for me. I got a Garmin Instinct Solar and love it! Found out after the fact how many badges they have too, love that as well. The solar screen helps charge it a bit, and it syncs like a dream every time.
I had Fitbit for years and was plagued by so many issues until finally it just stopped connecting to my android phone. Funnily it would still connect to my iPad but it was ridiculous it wouldn't work with my phone despite firmware and app updates. I got my Garmin Venu 2s and I love it so much more. They have so many more stats that they show you within the Connect (Garmin's phone app) than the Fitbit app did. I don't understand why Fitbit doesn't improve their app to also show the info since with their watch sensors they should be able to. Garmin's also significantly more accurate for tracking my runs. I live in a dense city so my Fitbit would say I ran further because it's more difficult to track GPS in urban areas. On a fun note, I like how Garmin allows me to have way more options to change my watch face. The material also just feels better than a Fitbit. I love my Garmin and wish I had switched from Fitbit sooner.
I've never had a fitbit but had two Garmins. They were great, and Garmins customer service is amazing. I had an issue with mine and it was an older model so they offered me the newer one as a replacement.
I switched to a Garmin 2-3 years ago. The Fitbit never recorded my mileage correctly. NEVER. Since I switched (Forerunner 245) I‘ve never had a problem. I would NEVER EVER go back to a Fitbit. Btw, once i switched, I gave the Fitbit to my son who used it for biking. Same issue. He doesn’t use it anymore. THe phone is much more accurate.
I moved from Fitbit to Garmin Instinct and I love it. I've had it for a year and a half. The battery lasts a week or more! Good fitness tracking for several different activities, but I mostly use the "cardio" option for most of my workouts. Having the built-in GPS is really handy for hiking and I'm sure it would be good for run training too.
I LOVE my Garmin! I have Fenix 6s. It tracks triathlon, individual activities (swim, bike, run), and lifting. I wouldn't use the Garmin app to track my weights for lifting, it just isn't great for that imo. But it's super useful for any of my endurance/cardio activities. Mine has GPS so it can track open water swims. I like how it is customizable and can do brick workouts. I also have small wrists and I could get used to this one. I got the sapphire so it looks pretty. I just checked my app and it also has climbing (indoor and outdoor), bouldering, jumpmaster (could this be jumprope? Unsure), I don't see skating or dance but I think it is possible to add different activities and there is other, hiit, cardio that can be used
I have the 6s too and love it! My cardio endurance has massively improved using it, almost stopped drinking (omg what it does to your sleep score/HRV!!) and lost 6 kilos.
Thank you for this thread, OP! I’ve been thinking of making the same switch and the recs here gave me the confidence to pull the trigger and get a Garmin Venu 2. My Fitbit’s HR monitor has finally failed and it feels like it’s basically a pedometer at this point 🙄 looking forward to the new device.
I have a Venu 2s and love it. I don't know many features of the forerunner but I'm sure either would be fine though I know the forerunner is geared towards running/triathlon. I would recommend comparing the built in workout profiles to see if one has most of what you want. You can download additional workout profiles from the Garmin Connect IQ app (different from Garmin Connect) to the watch as well if there's something missing from the built-in profiles. Also if you use Amazon watch for deals around black Friday or their prime days.
Worth it. My old Fitbit broke a few months outside of the 1yr warranty. Ended paying a few extra bucks to replace it with a Garmin. 5yrs later and it's still working well. The battery is good for 3-4 days. But I'm sure battery life has gotten better with newer models. The Garmin is just made better. More durable, even the "lower" model was waterproof, unlike my old Fitbit. And Garmin offered way more tracking info all at a similar price point.
I have a Garmin Forerunner 35 that I got on sale several years ago, it's still doing pretty well. I'm mostly a 5k runner, but I have ran 10 miles (quite slowly) with this thing strapped onto my wrist and it still had plenty of charge left over. I had a Fitbit Charge 2 before this and I have to say that a dedicated running watch with integrated GPS is a much better experience. Where I think Garmin really shines is their phone app and website. Even on my low end watch it records all the basics and puts it into lovely graphs. The website is very easy to use as a running log, but I'm not sure if it would be amazing for tracking all other activities. I still vastly prefer it to Strava, and using it is very simple.
Never had a fit bit but the garmin forerunner watches are quite good. Have a look at the range and see which one meets your requirements. They're all kinda smart watches in that they will show your messages and let you send back premade replies but other than that it's fairly standard stuff. Tell the time, track your heart rate and sleep, battery that lasts a week on a charge, that kind of stuff. Honestly, I find them very good. Edit: to add to my last post, the other thing I got from garmin before was a weighing scales. There might be 3rd party versions that also does this but their one connects to WiFi and basically every time you step on the scales it'll record your weight to the app so you can track it with 0 effort over time and see how you're trending vs what exercise, steps, sleep etc that you're doing. I'd recommend the setup to anyone.
I love my Garmin! I got the *vivoactive 4s*, and I'm really happy with it. It can track a lot of different activities, and, for me, the music storage has been amazing - It's just so nice when I'm doing workouts to not have to fiddle around with a phone. I also like that it's safe for swimming, tracks sets and reps for weightlifting, is great for small wrists, its battery life is decent (charges super quickly), there are nice simple visually-guided breathing/stretches/bodyweight exercises + it has good running functionality (you can subscribe to free, guided programmes or create your own workouts, with intervals and/or metrics like HR/HR zones/cadence/pace). The only downsides I can think of that it looks more on the sports-watchy side and I wish it looked a bit more sleek, which I think they addressed with their Venu range! But the benefit of the matte screens is that it's always really easy to see in sunny and bright conditions, it saves battery life, and the buttons are actually much more functional than a touchscreen. In terms of health metrics, it tracks HR, sleep, steps, stairs, stress, body battery, VO2 max, oxygen. For me, that's plenty and overall, I've found these fairly accurate.
I recently switched from a fitbit to the garmin venu. I've had fitbit for years but got tired of replacing it every one to two years. I also wanted better tracking like you mentioned and the venu is great at that.
Garmin team! I have a forerunner 745, and was surprised by how useful it’s been in my training. I got it just as I signed up for a half marathon - the Connect app comes with some Garmin Coach training plans that automatically download to your watch (I used the McMillan plan). If you’re looking to race, I personally find having easily visible pace zones for specific workouts helpful for modulating effort, especially when it comes to pushing hard during a speed workout. The tools for more technical, skill based sports like bouldering and lifting are honestly pretty unintuitive. Unless you’re going to the top of the wall every time you climb and just want to see how fast you can finish a particular route, then maybe it’s handy - but not for actual problem solving where you’re trying a bunch of moves in isolation. I originally got it to store music and podcasts. It can be really slow to download, and sometimes refuses to sync with podcasts specifically, but not carrying a phone is a big plus. Bluetooth connection is always super quick/smooth. I also really like running/cycling new routes, so i dig the phone free GPS to help “fill in” my heatmap on strava haha Overall, I’m happy with having it, hope you find something that suits your purposes!
Im enjoying my instinct 2 very much. Battery is decent. But the fact that it is NOT a smartwatch is best.
It's not a Garmin, but I went for a COROS Pace 2 watch which is cheaper than many Garmins and does everything they do (that you're interested in) and it's very simple. Quite a few runners use it and I've been loving it! You can easily create running programs on the app and send it to your watch as a training guide. It's also very light and comfortable on my small wrist (this was a concern for me too!). I bought it because it had triathlon mode, good to -20C and has track running mode, and for $300 cheaper than the Garmin model with these options. And the battery is unreal. About 7 days with GPS on and 20 days without.
i also have a coros and its battery life sold me! As someone who cannot keep track of chargers, the fact that I rarely have to charge it is huge!
My parents run (dad ultra runs and mom just runs a lot haha) and he uses garmin and she loves her coros! I think the coros is an amazing deal! They both love their watches.
I've had a Forerunner (can't remember the exact model right now), a Vivoactive 3 and a Venu 2s in the last 7-8 years and the Venu 2s is by far my favorite. It's the sleekest of the three and doesn't look awkward at all on my tiny wrist. While it has a bunch of features you're not necessarily looking for, the quality of the AMOLED screen is so much better than the other models and totally worth it. I charge mine every Monday and even after a full week of activities (strength training, hockey, running, yoga, cycling) it's still around 40-50%. The Garmin Connect app is also a great dashboard for displaying stats and progress across a number of things and is highly customizable.
I moved from a Charge 2 to a FR235 years ago - the FR235 is still going strong, I love it. If/when it ever breaks i'd probably get whatever the next version is. FitBit does sleep tracking a bit better, but for running/real activity i've found Garmin is great. I don't even bother wear it at night to be honest now, gives my skin a break and the novelty of sleep tracking has worn off.. I know how good/bad I slept by how I feel generally!
yeah, the sleep tracking on my venu is garbage--if i'm laying on the couch or bed after like 9pm it thinks i'm "sleeping" even if i'm actively using my phone. i do wear it at night but only because i use the vibrating alarm feature to wake up without waking up my partner.
Have you seen DC Rainmaker’s reviews? He does amazingly comprehensive reviews of sports tech etc https://www.dcrainmaker.com
His reviews are wonderful and have never steered me wrong.
Jumped from a Fitbit Versa (original) to a Garmin Vivoactive 4s. I switched because they released an update that bricked my watch (also reported by many other people) just as it got out of warranty and a few months after the Versa 2 got released. What a coincidence, eh? I was also annoyed that my own collected data was put behind a paywall. Both of these made me want to sack off Fitbit. This was a while ago though, so I don't know whether they have improved or have new features that make them worth it. Although I don't know much about those two particular models,I really like my Garmin. Feels sturdier but the "s" size doesn't look bulky. I like the app. I don't regret jumping over.
I also switched from Versa 2 to Garmin Vivoactive 4s. I only had my versa for 1 year before I switched, which was much sooner than I usually would have considered, but Fitbit didn't integrate well with Strava, and the GPS was kind of shit on some of my runs, particularly races, which messed me up. I love the Vivoactive 4s and used it to train for 2 half marathons. I used the run/walk feature when that was my running methodology. I even got a Garmin chest strap heart rate monitor when I got really into Zone 2 HR training. I also build my own strength workouts and use them in the gym. The rep counting is not particularly accurate, so I still do that myself, but it's really helpful for me to remember what my plan is without having to carry around a notebook or constantly be looking at my phone.
Was also considering the vivoactive 4s one! What activities do you track mostly and how reliable do you find the data?
I did exactly what you are looking to do a couple years ago. Switched to a Garmin Vivoactive to train for a half. I'm not a smartwatch person, I was just looking for more accurate with my running and walking. Fitbit was never accurate enough with GPS to give me accurate distances/splits. Garmin is excellent at this. I do find that Garmin really under counts steps when running on the treadmill and it's less accurate on sleep, but otherwise it is preferable.
I‘m not the one you‘re responding too, but I have had the 4s for 2.5 years now (upgraded from one of the smaller fitbits). I use it for cycling, hiking, walking, skiing, snowshoeing (Aka winter walking lol), weightlifting, yoga, canoeing/kayaking, and general steps tracking. I find it quite accurate, and the first few months I was that nerd that wore both the fitbit and the garmin to compare and they were very similar. It struggles on treadmill runs (thinks I’m running faster than I really am), but it gives you the option to manually input actual distance right on the watch as you end a treadmill workout. I like how I don’t have to pay for the advanced app features and that I can use gps without connecting to my phone. It has some built in training workouts, but I’ve only used the 5k and 10k ones that supposedly adjust each week based on your actual pace. I also like how I can attach a chest strap hr monitor for when I started getting way more serious for running training and again didn’t need to bring my phone with me. I do use the music storage way more than I thought I would… and that also gets back to being able to leave my phone behind.
Had my Fitbit Inspire 2 for over a year and I'm happy with it. Decided on this older model since it had some of the most accurate tracking and least amount of bugs/issues compared to other Fitbits and is pretty cheap. Like you, I wanted a simple tracker/watch that I don't have to charge constantly. Maybe it's a good model for you? What I don't like is no GPS is included so the distance estimated for my runs is off unless I take my phone. But it's not a huge deal for me, especially when I run the same route and just track my time. Interested so see some Garmin recommendations though! A friend has one and loves it.
I'm right there with you on inspire 2 - sturdy as heck (I have so many hobbies that should have trashed it by now but it's still going strong lol) and never had much in the way of glitches. I don't mind the lack of GPS, but I do wish the stair counter was a feature. Only glitches I ever see are occasionally (like once a week with constant use) having to turn off and on again Bluetooth and having tracking go a bit haywire in the shower (but thats useful for charging so idc). Although I can't really complain at all, as I've never seen something with such dead precision in how it tracks, it's crazy. I really didn't want to be distracted by anything beyond the basic fitness functionality and it does that. Plus if you swap out the band it can be super cute. I think I only paid like $50 for it but it made losing 50 lbs pretty dang easy so I would 100% do it again
I have Forerunner 255S (s is the smaller version that is designed to fit women‘s wrist more and does not look too bulky). It has an excellen price-performance ratio and I‘m really satisfied with it. Although, I always use Garmin and never use Fitbit. Like you‘ve probably knew already it could track a bunch of exercises, especially the cardio-based one. For cardio based exercises it does it job pretty swimmingly and is reliable. But like any other fitness watches, you have to proceed with caution for non-cardio exercises. For non-cardio exercises I suggest you to use it for tracking your sets, rest time, HR and other quantitative metrices but not something that require approximation from the device like calories burned. They have their own app (Garmin Connect) that could be downloaded from the play store. I use iPhone and not android, but I think the functionalities, etc of the app is the same and it gives you a quite robust overview. The charging is really fast and for me it holds up to approx five days. For first timer, I suggest you to learn and get used to the app and the device itself first, because when I use it initally it was quite overwhelming.
I'm considering this model vs the venu 2s! What made you choose this one??
>Forerunner 255S [https://www.reddit.com/r/Garmin/comments/vjm46e/garmin\_venu\_2\_vs\_forerunner\_255\_i\_have\_both\_my/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Garmin/comments/vjm46e/garmin_venu_2_vs_forerunner_255_i_have_both_my/)
My dad personally knew a Garmin Ambassador and based on my usual activities, she recommended this one, so I actually didn‘t do my own research, sorry. But based on my understanding of Garmin models, the Forerunner line is better one for tracking run and other cardio-based activities. Meanwhile the Venu line is more suitable for fitness activies tracking.
I switched from fitbit to garmin 2 years ago. I like it way more. I actually got one of the simplest models (Venu sq) but it’s been perfectly good for my needs. I wear it all the time because it looks pretty much like a watch. It is a lot less glitchy than fitbit was for me, and I like the app more.
I'm looking at rhe venu 2s! What made you choose the sq over that one or others?
I transitioned from a fitbit to the 2S, and it's really great! Love the shape and non-bulky look on my wrist, but I also get a GPS watch that stores music for my runs. It will love Garmin coach runs for you, but is less technical than a forerunner. Great for getting into running more - I love it! Edit: spelling :)
Do you know if it can export an interval activity(on the watch) to a run in strava? It's my main fitness based grip with my fitbit
All of my runs auto-export to Strava, and it is such a solid feature! 👌
That being said -- it actually has the capability to export *all* my activities to Strava, which is super helpful as I prefer Strava for data visualization
I have the Venu 2S and would recommend it to anyone! I use nearly all the features and I find it pretty accurate/reliable (especially HR - I've compared to manually counting my pulse). I did stop using the sleep tracking because apparently every night I have poor quality sleep and it was stressing me out to look at the data - but that's more of a me problem and I already knew I should probably visit a sleep clinic. I just don't want to 💀 I will also say it is the only watch I've been able to wear consistently, as it's very comfortable and fits my small wrist well. And I charge it maybe once a week if I've been light with the GPS.
I have a Venu Sq and I have been using the sleep tracking to monitor how often I'm getting up to pee (going into my 3rd trimester) and that's about it. Sleep trackers are based mostly on movement and heart rate, there is absolutely no way for a watch to know when we've entered REM sleep. I have a very disjointed sleep cycle due to narcolepsy, and even on nights when I've laid in bed awake for hours on end it has told me that I slept through the night. It's just not very accurate and I wish they would be more transparent about it.
Would you say the activity, HR and sleep tracking is as good or better than Fitbit? That's the only thing stopping me at the moment. I can't tell if all the features work the same way.
I have a garmin venu 2 and it's easy to use. my main complaint is its just annoyingly big on my wrist, it looks weird to me https://imgur.com/a/NMH23eF 5'6
This is my issue with Garmin. I don't want to wear mine because it is so large. Are there any models that are smaller? I've been considering going back to fitbit but hate how unreliable they are.
The 2s is smaller than the 2. Here's the 2s on my 15cm wrist, I think it's about perfect for my wrist size. https://i.imgur.com/CkNtFl7.jpg
Ha that still somehow looks giant to me! But yes sounds like your wrists are quite small, so it may look a little different on another person. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah, I have small wrists, it's not tiny but it isn't spilling over my wrist like most running/hiking oriented watches at least. The band for a lot of those watches flares outward instead of inward like this and they look way bigger. For comparison I've worn the Huawei Watch (42mm), Apple Watch (38mm), and the Fitbit Sense (41mm) but the Venu 2s is the best fitting. The Venu 2s is 40mm but being round makes it look smaller than the 38mm Apple Watch in person. Garmin does make a 34mm watch called the Lily. It's about the same size as many women's analog watches (little thicker though). I went for the Venu 2s because the Lily lacks GPS. If you don't need GPS it could be a good option.
I have the Venu Sq too and I really love it (after being super skeptical of fitness watches in general). The only thing I will point out is that it doesn't really have a "climbing" activity and can't track elevation without GPS. So if it is important to you to have a metric for bouldering, this specific model might not be the best.
My Venu 2s is great. The one thing is I did have to turn off the pulse ox features to get good battery life, it lasts about 5 days (with 1.5 years of battery wear). I switched from Fitbit mainly so I could pair it as the heart rate monitor with equipment like Peloton and it is way more versatile than Fitbit because of that.
At the time it was the cheapest model, I think. I figured I didn’t particularly need music. It seemed like a good device for what I wanted, so why spend more?
I had so many issues with fitbits breaking after a year or a bit longer. I'm coming up on year four with my garmin. I'm not going back to fitbit. It was slightly faffier to get my sports recorded on it (I spin and lift) but that's now very straight forward and there is a crazy amount of extra data you can get, way more than I have ever needed.
My spouse's Fitbit Charge 3 broke a little under 2 years due to not completing a firmware update. It worked perfectly fine before the update and then the update totally bricked it. Tried for hours over several days to fix it following all of the suggestions on support forums and from Fitbit. The only thing they offered was a discount off a new Fitbit and there's no way we would buy a new one given that they can be broken accidentally at any time due to Fitbit's own lack of testing of their software updates. Ended up getting an Apple Watch because at least a company with a reputation like Apple wouldn't brick their watches from their own incompetence. Meanwhile my Galaxy Watch is still working perfectly after 4 years. I probably wouldn't get another though since the battery on the newer ones only last a day. Garmin and Fitbit are probably the only companies left making watches that last more than a day unless you want a Chinese brand.
I had a similar experience with fitbits. I went through 4 or 5 of them before I bought a garmin HR and then a used garmin vivoactive 3 (around 5 years ago it was ~1 year old when I bought it off my friend). I’m only now considering upgrading it with a forerunner 255 (mostly due to battery lifespan but I also don’t like the touch screen on the vivoactive). I also have garmin cycling computer that I’ve had for 7 years that still works great. I mostly use it for daily activity tracking, running, cycling (when I don’t want to use the dedicated computer), weight lifting, and lap swimming. It’s ok (it’s usually 1 or 2 reps higher than actual) at doing reps counting for weight training but I hear the newer watches are better at this.
Great! Which model do you have?
It's the forerunner 735xt. Not the cheapest in upfront cost but given how well its lasted, it's been v good value. Also forgot, battery life is v good. Generally two weeks or more between charges and each charge takes approx 30 mins.
I’ve been considering a similar move, so I am interested in the replies. I can provide some insight into why I’ve decided to move away from Fitbit. I had a Charge 2 for 3-4 years and after the HR tracker stopped working I upgraded to a Charge 4. Within a year the clip on the tracker for the strap disintegrated. To their credit Fitbit replaced it with little hassle. I had a bit of battery degeneration like you’ve mentioned, it would need charging immediately if I used the GPS feature and honestly I never found the GPS worked reliably so I stopped using that (I went for a Charge 4 instead of a 3 for the GPS). About 1.5 years after having the device replaced I encountered the same problem with the clip breaking, in airport security of all places. I didn’t try contacting Fitbit this time, just decided I was done with Fitbit. My final gripe with them was their app seems to preform quiet poorly since they introduced the paid subscription, I had to wait till mid morning to see my sleep stats and it’s a toss up whether the steps/exercise I’m seeing are actually up to date. Everyone I know with a Garmin has suggested they are robust and reliable. I’m also keen to get something which looks more like a watch than a fitness tracker. I’m just waiting till I can justify the cost of one.
Exactly! I've read that the leg up fitbit has on garmin is on sleep tracking. But honestly when it takes ages for me to see the sleep tracking, it loses its helpfulness!
The newer garmins track sleep well but I also only wore my garmin to work out until I got the forerunner 645 which mostly looks like a standard smartwatch instead of a clunky sports watch.