Budget GPS watches, About time

hot to trot

Pardon the pun but about time for manufacturers to put out a basic running watch that will give important details without breaking the bank..Would suit most beginners and many who like to be as gadget independent as possible?
What do you think ??

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-321--14430-0,00.html?cm_mmc=NL-TrainingExtra-_-1002432-_-08072012-_-%2499-GPS-Watches

Krusty_Clown

These have been out for a while. They are knocked out Chinese jobs, that some of the bigger companies have started re-badging (Timex, New Balance). Not sure about quality control/manufacturing integrity (but this is also true of the Garmins). Best to take a look at the Amazon.com user reviews to get a broad feel for the kind of feedback that users have. Here's DC Rainmaker's review of the Soleus 1.0. He rates it very highly as an introductory level watch. Some things you need to know though:

1) You cannot upload data to a computer afterwards
2) It displays a type of real-time pace only (rolling average, no average pace).
3) No intervals or advanced workouts. More 'stop and go' type functionality.
4) Little customization, other than switching between speed/pace and choosing some pre-defined auto-lap distances.

But if you just want something to track your distance while you are running (and approximate pace) and are on a tight budget, sounds like just the job. I'd imagine as more Chinese companies start making these, they'll get even cheaper. A word of warning: there is a Soleus 2.0, which supports downloading data (and I'm sure Timex/New Balance will start selling these eventually) but it is supposed to be an awful buggy watch (according to DC), so probably best to stick with the principle that simpler is better. it may be a struggle to find them in Europe at that kind of price too. GPS-based electronics seem to earn a hefty price jump over here and I would recommend shopping locally, so if you have problems, you can return it, if necessary.

opus

Spot this one occasionally on the MemoryC.com newsletter but no idea how good/bad it is, price does (€109.50) look appealing though.

GPS Fitness Training Watch with Heart Rate

I've bought various computer stuff from them in the past & they're very good to deal with & based in Kildare to boot.

sconhome

hot to trot wrote: »

Pardon the pun but about time for manufacturers to put out a basic running watch that will give important details without breaking the bank..Would suit most beginners and many who like to be as gadget independent as possible?
What do you think ??

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-321--14430-0,00.html?cm_mmc=NL-TrainingExtra-_-1002432-_-08072012-_-%2499-GPS-Watches

We're finding them a very popular alternative to the Garmin Forerunner110 which doesn't do current pace (just an average pace per lap). The Soleus is a little more tricky to get the hang of initially but the reports are good.

Krusty_Clown

amphkingwest wrote: »

We're finding them a very popular alternative to the Garmin Forerunner110 which doesn't do current pace (just an average pace per lap). The Soleus is a little more tricky to get the hang of initially but the reports are good.

How much do you sell them for? Do you get many returns?

hot to trot

Yes Krusty, thats exactly it. But if you wanted to do the fancy stuff you would probably get a more reliable garmin type.

Id love to get one of these for my teenage daughter who hasnt a clue how far she is going and what pace she is doing and similarly many beginners might just find this super in preference to carrying the large iphone to monitor run keeper apps etc.

If anyone has direct experience , would love to hear how you got on with it .

sconhome

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

How much do you sell them for? Do you get many returns?

Soleus 1.0 is €120.

There have been no returns. A couple of people in looking for a run through of how to use the watch, but that's expected, the same happens with Polar & Garmin.

I'll check the last 6 months of Soleus vs Garmin FR110 to put 'no returns' in perspective re quantities.

snookerwidow

Hi

I am looking for a recommendation for a birthday present - not necessarily stuck to a low budget - but need some info on which would be the best watch to get.

Person would be very into cycling, also would do 10km runs and wants to introduce some swimming so I guess triathlon type watch. Main function that they are into is the uploading of routes/maps etc - - I guess this is probably standard with any gps watch. Can somebody recommend a watch for me?

thanks in advance

Krusty_Clown

amphkingwest wrote: »

Soleus 1.0 is €120.

There have been no returns. A couple of people in looking for a run through of how to use the watch, but that's expected, the same happens with Polar & Garmin.

I'll check the last 6 months of Soleus vs Garmin FR110 to put 'no returns' in perspective re quantities.

Sounds decent enough, as long as it comes with a 1 year warranty (which I presume it does). The only downside is not being able to upload your runs to a computer and analyze them after you've completed your workout.

sconhome

I agree with you KC however a lot of the runners we find looking at the basic units have no interest in uploading or analysis, they are simply after the easiest pace guide possible.

The Soleus 2.0 gives you the upload features for about the same price as the FR110 and we would favour the Garmin 110 / 210 range for this price range.

1 year warranty on Soleus.

Looking back we've had x2 of the FR110 returned for fogging (Garmin problem, I hear) against 0 Soleus over the same period and basically the same volume of sales (in Galway). However, Garmin Ireland do a straight exchange for warranty goods and we can release a replacement immediately from stock, no delays.

I had one FR60 warranty return recently which was exchanged by GI for a brand new FR70. Needless to say, a very happy customer.

Krusty_Clown

snookerwidow wrote: »

Hi

I am looking for a recommendation for a birthday present - not necessarily stuck to a low budget - but need some info on which would be the best watch to get.

Person would be very into cycling, also would do 10km runs and wants to introduce some swimming so I guess triathlon type watch. Main function that they are into is the uploading of routes/maps etc - - I guess this is probably standard with any gps watch. Can somebody recommend a watch for me?

thanks in advance

The Soleus 1.0 does not do uploading of routes/maps. While the Soleus 2.0 does have this functionality, the watch isn't highly recommended. If you want to buy something that is suitable for swimming, then that limits the number of models you can look at. Have a look at:
Timex Ironman GPS Global Trainer
Garmin Forerunner 310xt
Garmin Forerunner 910xt
Amphkingwest: Is there a Polar equivalent? (don't really know the Polar range).

If you're willing to skip the swimming functionality, then there's a far greater range to choose from.

snookerwidow

Thanks Krusty, much appreciated I will have a look at those now. I guess we could probably skip the swimming if needs be - the cycling and running would be more of a priority

Krusty_Clown

snookerwidow wrote: »

Thanks Krusty, much appreciated I will have a look at those now. I guess we could probably skip the swimming if needs be - the cycling and running would be more of a priority

If you're ok with missing out on the swimming functionality, then there's a wide range of models that would suit. It really comes down to budget.

Have a look at:
Forerunner 210
Forerunner 310xt
Forerunner 405(cx)
Forerunner 410
Forerunner 610
Forerunner 910xt
Timex Run Trainer
Timex Global Trainer

All will save your route on the watch and allow you to upload it afterwards for further analysis. In terms of routing (e.g. uploading routes, rather than doing GPS turn by turn navigation (which none of the watches will do), only the following watches offer that feature comprehensively:
Forerunner 310xt
Forerunner 910xt
But to be honest, that functionality is very flaky at best, so it shouldn't be a reason to choose one watch over another. The other watches offer more simple routing (but still just as flaky!).

snookerwidow

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

If you're ok with missing out on the swimming functionality, then there's a wide range of models that would suit. It really comes down to budget.

Have a look at:
Forerunner 210
Forerunner 310xt
Forerunner 405(cx)
Forerunner 410
Forerunner 610
Forerunner 910xt
Timex Run Trainer
Timex Global Trainer

All will save your route on the watch and allow you to upload it afterwards for further analysis. In terms of routing (e.g. uploading routes, rather than doing GPS turn by turn navigation (which none of the watches will do), only the following watches offer that feature comprehensively:
Forerunner 310xt
Forerunner 910xt
But to be honest, that functionality is very flaky at best, so it shouldn't be a reason to choose one watch over another. The other watches offer more simple routing (but still just as flaky!).

Thanks for all that Krusty, seems to be the forerunner mainly? - budget wise, we are doing a collection but probably looking at €300 - €350? . In terms of where to purchase in Dublin/Meath would you have any recommendations? for now I like the look of the Timex Global trainer or if I get all funds in maybe the 910 xt.

Krusty_Clown

snookerwidow wrote: »

Thanks for all that Krusty, seems to be the forerunner mainly? - budget wise, we are doing a collection but probably looking at €300 - €350? . In terms of where to purchase in Dublin/Meath would you have any recommendations? for now I like the look of the Timex Global trainer or if I get all funds in maybe the 910 xt.

The 910xt would be the 'cool kid on the block', but would be just outside your budget (€367 delivered from Amazon.co.uk). The Forerunner 310xt is the smaller brother (also does swimming) and would be well within budget, so you could throw in the Heart Rate monitor strap and bike kit etc..

In terms of where to buy, I'd take a look at Amazon.co.uk for online purchases, but if you want to buy in a bricks and mortar, then AmphibianKing will look after you, or Wheelworx. Not sure about any locations in Meath.

snookerwidow

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

The 910xt would be the 'cool kid on the block', but would be just outside your budget (€367 delivered from Amazon.co.uk). The Forerunner 310xt is the smaller brother (also does swimming) and would be well within budget, so you could throw in the Heart Rate monitor strap and bike kit etc..

In terms of where to buy, I'd take a look at Amazon.co.uk for online purchases, but if you want to buy in a bricks and mortar, then AmphibianKing will look after you, or Wheelworx. Not sure about any locations in Meath.

Great stuff Krusty thanks for all the advice very much appreciated!

rom

I have used a motoactv during the last week (during getting a replacement 610) and it locks on sat very quick. I did that hotfix thing on my 610 but it seems to take 2-3 mins to lock in an open area where motoactv take 10 secs. How long should it take. It takes about the same time as my old 405.

Krusty_Clown

rom wrote: »

I have used a motoactv during the last week (during getting a replacement 610) and it locks on sat very quick. I did that hotfix thing on my 610 but it seems to take 2-3 mins to lock in an open area where motoactv take 10 secs. How long should it take. It takes about the same time as my old 405.

My 910 takes around 20-30 seconds (at a guess). How do you find the Motoactv? How long are you getting out of the battery?

snookerwidow

Krusty

sorry for annoying you again can you have a look at this link and see what you think - is this the same spec as the amazon one? - it seems pretty cheap?

http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/5747/

rom

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

My 910 takes around 20-30 seconds (at a guess). How do you find the Motoactv? How long are you getting out of the battery?

With the latest s/w update the battery should last 8 hrs on the motoactv

price wise is best value for entry level other than garmin's

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MOTOACTV-Sports-Watch-Player/dp/B007C1KKW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345041536&sr=8-1&keywords=Motoactv

1. Ensure you get the gromits with it should you want to go bluetooth for the headphones it won't be waterproof in the earphone jack port in the rain.

2. They use some silly format which you can convert to tcx or whatever but it loses autolap times when i do that. but you can read them off the motorola portal.

3. It works fine with any ant+ HRM so but any one you want and you don't need the bluetooth LE one that is over twice the price.

4. Its not great for interval training as I have not found a way to do interval laps aka the lap button on the garmin.

5. The display uses a lot of battery when its on.

I used it for about two weeks. If it did the lap feature then it would do most things I need compared to my 610 (which was getting replaced at the time)

wifi upload of activites is very nice. Its a tad bulky but for 110 euro its a much better value for money than the garmin 110 which I have too.

and it links with sats faster than my garmin 405/110 or 610 that i have used always which is something that is a big plus when its a day like today.

rom

snookerwidow wrote: »

Krusty

sorry for annoying you again can you have a look at this link and see what you think - is this the same spec as the amazon one? - it seems pretty cheap?

http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/5747/

Some places sell garmin's with others without heart rate monitor. tbh I would only buy one with or as sometimes but it separately as it can be cheaper to buy them separately.

Krusty_Clown

snookerwidow wrote: »

Krusty

sorry for annoying you again can you have a look at this link and see what you think - is this the same spec as the amazon one? - it seems pretty cheap?

http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/5747/

That is exactly it, and in comparison to Amazon.co.uk seems to be a pretty good price (£50 cheaper), as long as delivery isn't prohibitive (or even better, if delivery is free). As rom pointed out, it doesn't come with a heart rate monitoring strap, but that is something that can be purchased (if necessary) at a later date.

Krusty_Clown

rom wrote: »

With the latest s/w update the battery should last 8 hrs on the motoactv

I wasn't interested in 'should', I was interested in how long it actually lasted you, given that you had borrowed one. The theoretical numbers rarely reflect actual usage, whether it's Garmin, Motorolla, Timex or Nike. Wifi updating would be great..

snookerwidow

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

That is exactly it, and in comparison to Amazon.co.uk seems to be a pretty good price (£50 cheaper), as long as delivery isn't prohibitive (or even better, if delivery is free). As rom pointed out, it doesn't come with a heart rate monitoring strap, but that is something that can be purchased (if necessary) at a later date.

Thanks Krusty

rom

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I wasn't interested in 'should', I was interested in how long it actually lasted you, given that you had borrowed one. The theoretical numbers rarely reflect actual usage, whether it's Garmin, Motorolla, Timex or Nike. Wifi updating would be great..

I agree totally. I did a 2hr 45 run with it and battery was still like 40% or so with per sec recording and no display timeout. If I was to change that the workout screen timeout (go dark) and every 3 sec recording I'd say it would break 5 hrs no problem. I didn't have music playing also but was using it a ANT+ Garmin HRM.

laurach

Was looking at getting http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrasport-GPS-Navrun-500-Heart-Rate/dp/B003XII6YS/ref=pd_ys_iyr_img on Amazon which seems to be a watch that has been available in German market for quite a while and has 4* review on German Amazon site. Anybody come across it or have an opinion?
It seems to have a decent feature set for the price. I haven't had a GPS or HRM watch before so would be very interested in peoples opinions.

snookerwidow

Hi I just wanted to post an update

http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/5747/

purchased this €348 all in last Thursday - it arrived from UK first thing Monday morning via dhl (priority delivery) - excellent service and very reasonable price. Thanks for all the help on this thread