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I feel somewhat dirty to ask this but will anyway, I'm about to click buy on a triathlon watch and wondered if anyone had any views on the 2 above?
In truth, I don't need a tri watch but an future proofing a bit. I do want a new running watch as my FR35 is so slow to pick up GPS at the moment and so want a watch with GLONASS. In my head, if I'm going to spend £250 on a FR235 (cheapest Garmin watch with GLONASS) then I might as well add another £40 for a triathlon watch in the 735xt as I do see me doing tri's at some point in the next few years. Obviously I then think that if I'm buying a tri watch I should at least consider a Fenix 5 at £375 as it's meant to be the daddy of tri watches.
Anyway, too much waffle, is a Fenix 5 worth another £130 over a FR735xt? Is there anything I'll particularly miss if I save myself a few quid?
DC Rainmaker would be your friend here:
Really good reviews showing pros and cons of the watches.
To chuck it out there, have you considered the 920xt? I know its older but I picked up one few years ago and its been fine and quite bullet proof since even surviving some MTB crashes, has glonass (although glonass satellite pick up is slower than just GPS) plus it has a quick release kit which I dont think the 5 or 735 have, allows me to wear it on my wrist when swimming, running, MTB and even snowboarding and for road cycling drop it on my out front mount.
I’ve seen the 235 as low as £120 recently. Must be a replacement on the horizon.
Standard fenix is a pretty big bulky watch.
I've just upgraded from a Fenix 3 to a Fenix 5S (the dinky version). The smaller form factor is so much more comfortable on my little girly wrists, plus it's a lot quicker to load courses etc. It also supports running power.
I have heard good things about the 735, but as ever, the DC Rainmaker product comparison is the best tool to help evaluate.
For me, wrist based HR is only really useful for resting measurement, as you can see below from where I wore both watches to run home, Fenix 3 with a chest strap, 5 with the optical wrist sensor, the chest results are far superior. Thus while it's nice to still have HR if I forget my strap, I wont generally be relying on the optical sensor while training.
Cheers, Rich
i have a 920xt. had it almost 4 yrs and its brill. i would echo that the qr kit is really handy for a bike ride too. i cant think i could possibly imagine, let alone need any more metrics than it provides.
I’ve got mixed views on Garmin to be honest... when they work they are as good as almost anything but they do seem to be a bit flaky. On the plus side, their warranty service is very good.
I’m on my second 735XT as the first one just died. It was replaced with a brand new one within a week so no complaints there. I’ve not tried the Fenix but the 735XT is damn good, functions-wise. It sits quite low too so doesn’t get in the way of a wetsuit.
I think it’s as good as anything out there, perhaps not as daily-wear looking as a Fenix but it depends what you want from it.