Garmin 405 Question

[Dwight Schr-ute]

So I got a Garmin 405 for my birthday last month and have had a streak of bad luck with it. First, when it came out of the box, I realized that where the band connects to the watch face, the area where the pin holds the band on was stripped out on one side. Needless to say, I repackaged it and sent it back immediately.

I've had the replacement now for 2 weeks now and have put about 20 miles on the bike and about 25 miles running on the thing. Starting Monday morning, the watch just begins to stop randomly with the "Timer Stopped" message popping up on the screen. In the course of 2.5 miles, the time stopped 4 times. This morning, the same thing happened 3 times. It's really annoying because I listen to music at the same time and I feel like I'm constantly listening for the beep and trying to look at the watch since I run before the sun comes up. I always lock the bezel before I start and I figured that there was a slight chance that the watch was hitting my hand, therefore stopping the timer. This morning I put the watch on as tight as I could stand to prevent any "bouncing" and can now say with confidence, that the button isn't being pushed as a result of any impact.

Has anyone else had a similar issue? Is there something that I could do to prevent this in the future? Has anyone had to work with Garmin on any other kind of issue?

[Pheidippides]

The 405 was notorious for issues with the touch bevel and moisture. That may be your issue - I've never had one and can't recall if the start/stop was on the bezel or not. This was the reason they came out with the 410 so fast, and why the 405 is cheaper.

Edit: I have had to work with Garmin customer support on a defect issue once - it was my 610. Top notch service, but ymmv.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

Sorry to bump this again, but I participated in my first running event over the weekend with the Las Vegas Ragnar relay. I went to start my first leg and while waiting for the baton, tried over and over to get the watch to pick up some satellites to no avail. Throughout the weekend, I tried everything I could possibly think of, including a hard reboot and wasn't ever able to find a damn satellite, despite having 4 other people in the car with the same watch that didn't have any issues whatsoever.

I guess it's going back.

[bluegoose]

Time for a 305, I guess. I've had mine for over 2 years and have had very few problems. I've had to do a hard reboot twice, but that fixed the problem immediately. It usually happens when my wife or I have put it on the charger without turning it off first.

[bluegoose]

Sorry to bump this again, but I participated in my first running event over the weekend with the Las Vegas Ragnar relay. I went to start my first leg and while waiting for the baton, tried over and over to get the watch to pick up some satellites to no avail. Throughout the weekend, I tried everything I could possibly think of, including a hard reboot and wasn't ever able to find a damn satellite, despite having 4 other people in the car with the same watch that didn't have any issues whatsoever.

I guess it's going back.

Oh, and i'd love to hear a report of your experience at ragnar. There is a discussion about ragnar going on over in the gym forum.

[kccougar]

So which Garmin should I buy these days? I'm just starting so I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I want most of the standard features, and I also want to use it on my bike.

[Pheidippides]

So which Garmin should I buy these days? I'm just starting so I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I want most of the standard features, and I also want to use it on my bike.

I have a 610 now, but I used to use my 305 before it quit on me (it quit on me after over two years of hard abuse). Liked it just fine. Garmin makes a bike package for it with a cadence sensor and mount. If you both bike and run, it's the way to go. If you just bike, I'm not sure - I'll have to leave that to the others.

[kccougar]

I have a 610 now, but I used to use my 305 before it quit on me (it quit on me after over two years of hard abuse). Liked it just fine. Garmin makes a bike package for it with a cadence sensor and mount. If you both bike and run, it's the way to go. If you just bike, I'm not sure - I'll have to leave that to the others.

Thanks. I will be using it for both biking and running.

[Moliere]

So which Garmin should I buy these days? I'm just starting so I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I want most of the standard features, and I also want to use it on my bike.

I use the 305 and like it just fine. It looked huge online but when I put it on it doesn't feel too big. I'd buy it again if I was looking for one.

[Pheidippides]

I use the 305 and like it just fine. It looked huge online but when I put it on it doesn't feel too big. I'd buy it again if I was looking for one.

It also has the advantage of being relatively inexpensive. The fact that they still make and sell it - even after several years - and that it is the most commonly used Garmin in the marathons I run, should tell you something.

[Moliere]

It also has the advantage of being relatively inexpensive. The fact that they still make and sell it - even after several years - and that it is the most commonly used Garmin in the marathons I run, should tell you something.

Right, I forgot to mention its $300 or so less than the newest model.

[Eddie]

I like the 305 enough that when mine died (I dropped it down a couple of steps on cement) I looked at the other versions and upgrades and bought another 305.

The "adapter" to put in on your bike handle is a little cheesy. It's basically just a chunk of rubber that is the right size to strap the thing to your handlebar instead of your wrist.

But I can't complain - it's pretty easy to make the transition during triathlons.

If I was just getting started, I wouldn't want to spend too much to see how much I like it. And as someone who isn't just getting started - I'm still more than happy with the 305.

[kccougar]

Bummer. it looks like BestBuy doesn't sell the 305. I'm trying to use up a $100 gift card that I have for BestBuy.

[bluegoose]

I still really like my 305 after nearly 3 years of almost-daily use. I've had very few problems with it over the years.

I did replace the wrist band last year with a quick release kit that has a bike adapter. I really like it. It takes 2 seconds to switch from the bike to the wrist strap and is very sturdy. The watch band is velcro and is very comfortable.

I also use it for navigation while out hiking in the backcountry.

The only problem is that the battery life is somewhat limiting in that you only get about 10 hours of data in between charges. Plenty for most events and activities, but it may be a problem this summer for the death ride.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner-Quick-Release-Kit/dp/B000ONDECY/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1326124732&sr=8-13"]Amazon.com: Garmin Forerunner Quick Release Kit: GPS & Navigation@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41225GHNFjL.@@AMEPARAM@@41225GHNFjL[/ame]

[Pheidippides]

I still really like my 305 after nearly 3 years of almost-daily use. I've had very few problems with it over the years.

I did replace the wrist band last year with a quick release kit that has a bike adapter. I really like it. It takes 2 seconds to switch from the bike to the wrist strap and is very sturdy. The watch band is velcro and is very comfortable.

I also use it for navigation while out hiking in the backcountry.

The only problem is that the battery life is somewhat limiting in that you only get about 10 hours of data in between charges. Plenty for most events and activities, but it may be a problem this summer for the death ride.

Amazon.com: Garmin Forerunner Quick Release Kit: GPS & [email]Navigation

Between the two of them, I give the 610 the edge over the 305, but it's a very, very slight edge, and for the cost these days it's hard to beat the 305.