Garmin 405 Question

[BigPiney]

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.

Now is not the time to be buying one. They are $70 more than when I bought my 2.

[kccougar]

Now is not the time to be buying one. They are $70 more than when I bought my 2.

I wondered about that. I was surprised to see the 305 around $200 because I was under the impression they were much less expensive.

[BigPiney]

I wondered about that. I was surprised to see the 305 around $200 because I was under the impression they were much less expensive.

I got mine for around 135 or so. A couple of years apart.

[Pheidippides]

Now is not the time to be buying one. They are $70 more than when I bought my 2.

Huh. I bought one for under 150 a year ago.

[BigPiney]

Huh. I bought one for under 150 a year ago.

Correct. They are around 200 on Amazon right now. For some reason the price is high right now.

[Joe Public]

Has anyone else had a similar issue?

My 301 has five years on it and is still going strong. I have had no trouble with it, and the battery still holds a very good charge. Like others have mentioned, the 405 seems to have been an anomaly in an otherwise high-quality line of Garmin running watches.

[PaloAltoCougar]

After 4+ years of faithful service our 305's are showing signs of giving up the ghost (the low battery signal comes on less than two hours after a fresh charge, and they've conked out after 3-4 hours occasionally). Garmin has discontinued the 305, and it's unclear what the current equivalent would be. We don't care about swimming, but it has to have a heart monitor and be good for both cycling and running. Any recommendations? I'm currently leaning toward the 310xt.

[Pheidippides]

After 4+ years of faithful service our 305's are showing signs of giving up the ghost (the low battery signal comes on less than two hours after a fresh charge, and they've conked out after 3-4 hours occasionally). Garmin has discontinued the 305, and it's unclear what the current equivalent would be. We don't care about swimming, but it has to have a heart monitor and be good for both cycling and running. Any recommendations? I'm currently leaning toward the 310xt.

I don't think the new 620 does cycling, so the 310xt or the 910xt (which is what I have) would be my recommendations.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I don't think the new 620 does cycling, so the 310xt or the 910xt (which is what I have) would be my recommendations.

Thanks. It looks like the primary advantage of the 910 relates to swimming, on which I can pass. 310 it is!

[BrutusBuckeye]

After 4+ years of faithful service our 305's are showing signs of giving up the ghost (the low battery signal comes on less than two hours after a fresh charge, and they've conked out after 3-4 hours occasionally). Garmin has discontinued the 305, and it's unclear what the current equivalent would be. We don't care about swimming, but it has to have a heart monitor and be good for both cycling and running. Any recommendations? I'm currently leaning toward the 310xt.

I've got the 310xt and I've been happy with it for both biking and running. It seems to be a solid piece of equipment and I haven't had any troubles with it. I sometimes wish I had a larger screen that comes with some of the other computers, but I like the versatility of it. I'm not sure what the 910xt does that the 310xt doesn't, but for simply tracking rides and runs, the 310xt is a good buy.

[bluegoose]

After 4+ years of faithful service our 305's are showing signs of giving up the ghost (the low battery signal comes on less than two hours after a fresh charge, and they've conked out after 3-4 hours occasionally). Garmin has discontinued the 305, and it's unclear what the current equivalent would be. We don't care about swimming, but it has to have a heart monitor and be good for both cycling and running. Any recommendations? I'm currently leaning toward the 310xt.

I think I got mine about the same time as you and it is also now on life support. I get the low battery signal after about an hour, and it is usually dead by 2 hours. It's been a great watch and I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of it, using it probably 4-5 times per week since I got it.

The 310xt is only $160 right now on amazon, 189 with a HR strap. Does anyone know if the straps are interchangeable? Can I use my old strap from the 305 with a 310, or do I need to get a new strap?

[bluegoose]

The 310xt is only $160 right now on amazon, 189 with a HR strap. Does anyone know if the straps are interchangeable? Can I use my old strap from the 305 with a 310, or do I need to get a new strap?

I found the answer to this question. Yes, the old305 straps are compatible with the 310 and are actually preferred by many to the newer 310 straps. Some people have had some trouble downloading the HR data to the computer but for me that's not a huge problem as I rarely download to garmin connect anymore.

[BrutusBuckeye]

Some people have had some trouble downloading the HR data to the computer but for me that's not a huge problem as I rarely download to garmin connect anymore.

I'm not sure if it's my computer or my device, but I have to jump through some hoops to get my device to upload to Garmin Connect. It doesn't occur automatically like I thought it would. I also run into some difficulties when uploading to Strava. Many times I end up having to download the activity in a certain format and then uploading the file to Strava. It's not a huge deal, but it can become tedious.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Helpful comments, everyone. I'll be ordering the 310xt later today. And Brutus, we've had issues uploading to Garmin Connect and Strava as well, although it's been fine lately. After getting the latest version of Communicator and then rebooting the computer, it usually works, but it has been frustrating.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I used the 310xt for the first time this morning and it worked fine. It's essentially the same thing as the 305, although it looks a little sportier. I especially like the wireless uploading. It started transferring as soon as I entered the room after my morning ride, and the charging clip works better than the 305's cradle. My 305's heart monitor strap works just fine with the 310; it paired up instantly without my doing anything. I got the 310 through Amazon for $160; very satisfied.