Garmin - fēnix 6 - Pro Solar Edition

I've used several generations of the Garmin Fenix for resort skiing, backcountry skiing, and Nordic skiing in extremely cold temperatures without issue. They'd be fine in very cold weather, but it's also important to note because you're exerting yourself and it's on your wrist, they're actually probably a lot warmer than the air temperature, so they'll be more than fine.

there's more of us out there than you realize. I'm actually realizing the reason I got the fenix was to have the smallest sports tracker with the highest battery (woman with small wrists) and the best screen (Amoled is visible, wehre MIP is lmost invistible) But I'm finding the overnight data from garmin to be less and less useful or even mentally healthy, so I'm going back to using my analogs more and more. And they are prettier.

Get a garmin Fenix, doesnt really matter which model as long as it's not ancient, off eBay

All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct

Good comparison! I'll add that my fenix shows exercise demonstrations on the watch. I use it a lot

The only time that I had issues with a Garmin watch they replaced the watch well over the warrant. I got a forerunner that lasted a lot (6 years?) and then I gave it to a friend. I'm sporting an almost 5 year old fenix and I got it second hand. The watches they make are sturdy

This is my perspective as someone who uses Whoop and wears an SMP or a Speedy that I rotate according to how I feel. Also, I've tried Oura, and liked it, but it wasn't for me. And I have an AW Ultra that I use when running and hiking, and this is after a few years of using a Garmin Fenix. Most people think of Whoop as simply a fitness tracker, which it is, but it is much more. What seperates Whoop from other things is how it shows you the impact of your behaviors. Yes, I think Whoop was less than honest about their upgrade policy with the new 5.0 and MG release, but I still can't find anything like it. The "magic" of Whoop is that it allows you to pre-select certain behaviors that will appear in a daily journal. Each morning you take 30 seconds to check yes or no on these items, e.g. Did you consume added sugar yesterday? Did you eat a late meal? There are endless options. As times goes on, Whoop continues to show you how these behaviors are impacting your sleep so that you discover how far before bed you should stop eating, or what's the latest time of the day you can drink caffeine without it impacting your sleep (even though you may think it doesn't because you fall asleep quickly). I'm not trying to sound like an advertisement for Whoop, but I think most people evaluate Whoop without knowing what it really does. So when I run or hike I use my Ultra for reasons that don't overlap with Whoop. But the rest of the day, when wearing my SMP or Speedy, or when I sleep, I wear Whoop because it is providing overall health insights that I find valuable and have led to lifestyle changes that I may not have made otherwise--even as a person in great shape who works out six days a week.

I have a Fenix and its very complete but also not the cheapest

Just a few weeks since my switch, but still in love. ;) 90% of "how the watch works" just suites perfekt to me and my usage. I am just missing a view things like, control spotify via watch or the sync of the focus modi.

Fenix/Epix are the same, Forerunner 9xx has 99% same functions but a bit lighter and not as tall, but only available in one size

Its the Fenix without speaker/mic and without diving features, but better overall performance as tradeoff (longer battery life, MIP screen, better solar charging, more lightweight...)

The charger on the Garmin was one of those nightmare features. Had many times where I woke to a dead or low powered Fenix because someone had sneezed several houses down the road and my connection to the charger had moved slightly, stopping my Fenix from charging. Not sure who designed this charger, but it was the worse design ever. Made worse by the fact that the charging point on the back of the Fenix slowly worsened over time with sweat from workouts. I had to buy a rubber stopper to cover it. Very annoying design flaw.

garmin epix/fenix no complaints

Might just depend on the amount you want to spend vs what you are going to get out of it. You could get a less expensive Garmin like a Venu Sq ($100-$150 refurb) that gives you body battery, sleep score, steps, heart rate, etc. The standard run of health metrics that can help with recovery and measuring general activity. I wear a gamin daily and do a lot of weight training. I can confirm that it doesn't do well at measuring anything related to lifting. You'll get a standard heart rate increase, but even intense weightlifting sessions aren't able to trigger the auto activity sensor. I still appreciate the data though. but you don't need a $1,000 Fenix to get helpful data. That is the one thing I wish I would have known before buying a Fenix.

You can't go wrong. There are features that the newest Fenix (or Epic pro) have that the others don't. So if you care about ecg monitoring that might change the model you are looking at.

For most a garmin a more than enough and that battery is a huge win. I went from galaxy watch to fenix and would not go back. Sounds like we are aligned :-)

I've had two versions of the Garmin Fenix now. The first lasted me 6 years, and I've had the second for 1 or so. I love it. It has a lot of versatility for activities, and the Garmin ecosystem (bike computer, heart rate monitor, etc.) is nice to plug into. I chose the Fenix because I do a lot of swimming in addition to cycling, but they have other models that are great too. It does great routing for hiking and running. It's a really dynamic device!

Get a chest strap for triathlons, one that works in water. The 965/Fenix/Epix are the same or minimal difference. The latest are the Fenix 8 nad forerunner 970. Get what looks good to you, because features are 99.9% the same. Also Fenix is a big bigger

I have the Fenix and would highly recommend it as well, but watch out for the size. I bought one that was big and wish I had gotten the smaller one.

Holly wall of text. Switch to Garmin. You'll get over the data issue and will never look back. The forerunner series are the best bang for buck and the Fenix range are brilliant if money is not a factor, but it all depends how active you plan to be.

I've used several generations of the Garmin Fenix for resort skiing, backcountry skiing, and Nordic skiing in extremely cold temperatures without issue. They'd be fine in very cold weather, but it's also important to note because you're exerting yourself and it's on your wrist, they're actually probably a lot warmer than the air temperature, so they'll be more than fine.

My Fenix 6 is over 3 years old. Oceans. Running. Sweating. Golfing (sunscreen). Dropped. Absolutely robust. It's my workout and sleeping watch.

I've been impressed as well. I'm a triathlete and ultra runner. I use it for running, biking, and swimming. I've found it more accurate than my Garmin Fenix especially when swimming. I do use my Garmin during events just bc I need that battery life but during training it suits me well. I can run for 3 hours with headphones connected and cell service (I don't carry my phone) and have battery left.

Yeah I mean none of them are perfect but I do think Garmin has been best so far.

Also consider the venue X1 as it is even newer with latest version of the elevate sensor. I like my Fenix 6 so if you have the money spare then Fenix 7 or 8 might be good for you too. As one of their flagship model that's not a premium / luxury build it's pretty good too. If you are likely to get into longer distances then iirc there is the enduro that's a longer lasting and slimmer version of instinct or Fenix from Garmin. It's not far off those two models in terms of features I think.

Looks at Garmin Connect 24hour HR monitoring data over many years of owning Garmins. Now I am confused, what is this HR data I am seeing on Connect from My Fenix 6 and before that the Vivosport I had? If it is not 24h HR monitoring then what is it? Totally confused, perhaps OP can come back and explain this to me. The way 24hr HR data over several years is not 24hr HR monitoring?? Perhaps the Op means it is not testing for AFib or other heart conditiions that TBH no watch can do no matter what their marketing management twonks claim in the website sales pages.

Good choice! I also enjoy the availability of the connectivity but now opt out of the constant notifications. Also why I went with regular Fenix as opposed to the pro. The disconnect is good. Everything I was worried about with the switch from Apple to Garmin ended up being what I appreciate. Apple does many things better but Garmin is for me.

My Fenix is perfect for me. I want to download and have it guide me on a bike ride or a run. I like to know how far/fast I'm going. I like being able to see my texts and decline calls, but I don't want to send messages or talk from my watch. I don't want to charge my watch more than every ~7-10 days. I don't care that much about accurate HR, sleep, etc... but having those things accurate-ish is ok with me.

I got a fénix 6 that works great. Will sell it to ya for $250. In great condition. I use fénix 7 w whoop and it's great. Lmk

Garmin is better for cycling. More accurate gps (get a speed sensor to connect to it also), get a hr strap to connect to it, it is def better for elevation as well. Garmin can also be connected to a power meter eventually, if you want to go there. Battery life will be much better. Mine lasts 15 days of no gps, or several days with an hour or so of running each day. It is a Phoenix 6 solar, so other models won't last as long, but I'd wager you don't have to charge them everyday like an Apple Watch.

I have an AWU3 and just grabbed a Fenix8. How do you mix their use? Do you use the garmin for sleep? If not, how does that change your training load? I had a fenix6pro that I used for a couple 50k's, and I want to get back into doing them. That's why I picked up the 8.

I would suggest any Fenix or even any forerunner over any vivoactive or venu of you're serious about training. Sure you can get by with most basic stuff on those watches but if you get serious about training or want better features you'll have wanted at least a forerunner model

Im not an Apple Watch expert, so let me know if I'm wrong with the following: In my experience, Garmin's mapping abilities are more robust. For instance, I can create custom maps on CalTopo and upload them to my Garmin, and it works seamlessly. I don't need any additional apps, and I have full trail detail including ascents/descents, any campsites or points of interest, etc. I can also stitch together multiple activities for multi-day hikes easily. Even the AllTrails "Send to Garmin" feature is super convenient. For instance if I'm going to a national park this weekend, I can upload all of the trails I'm interested in hiking in just a few clicks, sync my watch, and I'm good to go. These types of features and more (along with battery life obviously) sold me on the Fenix. In the backcountry subreddits I see a lot of lamentations about the AW's lack of mapping abilities.

My experience is that I owned a Fenix 6 for 2 years then upgraded to a Fenix 8 last year. I broke my ankle in March but continued wearing my Garmin during what turned out to be roughly 6 months of rehab and healing. I realized at a certain point that my Garmin was constantly disappointed in me because I was so sedentary during this time. I bought an Apple Watch ultra 2 open box about a month ago and I've been loving it for where I'm at in life. It motivates me to just move every day and close my rings. I still have the Garmin and might switch back once I start training seriously again but in the mean time I'm very happy with the AW. It's more gentle with me and doesn't treat me like an athlete

I'm partial to the garmin Fenix series mostly of cost and utility. The solar version may suit well if your backpacking over several days and need gps. They're also pretty bullet proof, taken multiple hits while mountain biking and it's still going strong

If you just want to use it for golf, S70. If you want to use it for everything, the AWU. If you want better battery life, with a little less of everything but focused on more than golf, Fenix. I have the S70 and AWU. I only use the S70 on the course, and the AWU for everything else simply because I like the focus better on the S70 and I use the garmin sensors. You will probably have to pay a sub for the gold functionality of a S70 on the AWU, so you have to see if it's worth it.

Look for a Garmin Fenix 6, 7, or 8. The Fenix 6 does everything you are looking for.

I would say the app " Hevy" for the gym if you like inputting sets and weight is the best one. You can make your own splits but if you want to make more than 5 splits you have to pay. Which let's be honest anyone who is seriously training doesn't need that. Progressive overload is king. Also in regards to running programs you can also now customize work outs in the Apple workout app. I have both Garmin Fenix and Apple Watch Ultra . I use the ultra for work . But my Fenix for working out and running . I couldn't get away from the programming of Garmin . Also the physical button presses while doing activities is just more guaranteed.

Yeah I feel like apple sleep tracking is similar to its specificity with fitness tracking. Instead of in depth (and maybe somewhat disappointing data) it gives you the positive fluff version to encourage general day to day health. I compared whoop vs. AW vs Fenix and Apple was the only one that just skipped my mini awake times. Found that strange

Know a guy who has used his twice for 100k and both times its died around 60km in. Not the speediest runner but easily makes cut off. The gps in it is shocking too, he would routinely get more distance and elevation on almost any run I've done the whole full smart watch in the past and happily have gone back to a fenix now. Im good with seeing notifications and being able to answer calls. Happily run disconnected from my phone and contact

I've used Apple Watches since the first waterproof one - series 3? - no issues. I found my Garmin fenix 6 was terrible for laps, I'm currently on an ultra (1) and it's fine. I sometimes end up on an odd length but usually ok.

This is what I did. I bought the Fenix with the intention on switching completely, but I realized that I missed a lot of things about my AW. So now my AW is my daily wear and also for occasional shorter runs, walks, etc. I use the Fenix for hiking, diving, long activities, etc.

I was in the same dilema 3 weeks ago, i dont run that much i go to the gym surfing windsurfing hiking etc. i dont dive but im in the water a lot). Tried both of the on. 970 is lighter and more slik. I went with the fenix after all as i like the rugged look and since i spend a lot of time in the water i thiugh it was a good idea to get something water certified lets say. For you maybe 970 would be the right choice!!

Ok, just hear me out for one second before you think I'm crazy. The red light on the Fenix line is AMAZING. I use it every single night multiple times as it makes walking around at night super easy and not at all straining on the eyes. Honestly, it might be my "I'm not giving up this watch for e.g. an Apple watch, ever" feature. The Tactix light is green. I have no idea how well that'll work at night. But I absolutely LOVE the red light.