Top 10 GPS Running Watches
( 1 ) Garmin Forerunner 305 |
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Score (Rank) Value: 9.25/10 (1)
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The Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS running watch is an excellent training watch with nearly flawless operation. The display is fully customizable. It has heart rate sampling, distance measuring, and pace calculation. It integrates with your PC via USB that also recharges the watch. The software includes training log updates that are fully automatic. Though initial acquisition of the satellites takes quite some time, once they have been acquired they rarely drop.This watch is very accurate. The display is easy to read and can be completely user-customized. There are readings for heart rate, distance, current pace, average lap pace, average run pace, and several others. One exception to its otherwise stellar accuracy is the elevation readout and pace measurement. It is very simple to upload your workout data to your PC. The Training Center software provides long-term data storage and is easy to use. It is very useful for analyzing and presenting the your data. The maps it shows are not very good though. |
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( 2 ) Garmin Forerunner 405 |
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The Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS running watch is a stylish watch with a very accurate GPS system. It transfers data wirelessly to your PC. A touch-bezel can be tricky to get used to but it eliminates several buttons. The unit allows you to view detailed graphs of your data. Your pace, speed, distance, calories burned and times can all be plotted over time. It can also track pace, elevation and heart rate. It also tracks calories used. The included software allows you to customize and schedule your workouts. You can get workout templates on the Internet. You can review your workout history and view maps of your routes you followed. Garmin Connect is a web application which allows you to upload your data for analyzation and creation of graphs.This watch looks good enough to wear every day. It can be used indoors or out. An optional foot pod is needed indoor to measure speed and distance. You can also use stored data from previous workouts to race against yourself. You can even load data from a friend’s workout to race against them. |
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( 3 ) Garmin Forerunner 205 |
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The Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS running watch has lots of new features. It can import courses, be programmed for advanced workouts and has a virtual partner feature. The 205's interface and reliability is much improved. It is shaped more like a normal wristwatch though it is big. Its face is a little harder to read though. Its strap is made of plastic instead of Velcro and is more comfortable. It can be used for walking, running, biking, and skiing. Its GPS unit is much stronger and more accurate. That means it provides you with more accurate data. The watch has 2 main screens and an activity specific screen that you can customize on the fly. It allows you to mark waypoints so that you can review your logs. The unit has much less lag than previous models though the real-time elevation seems to lag more than other functions. The watch interfaces with a PC via USB. |
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( 4 ) Polar RS800CX |
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The Polar RS800CX GPS running watch is Polar's most recent addition to its line of flexible training tools. Regardless of your sport the RS800CX is an ideal tool to help you maximize your performance. Not only does the device track your speed and distance but it measures your body's response to the effort you expend. The unit allows you to monitor your heart rate and has visual and audio alarms if you exceed or fall below your target. Target heart rate zones can be set automatically or manually giving you more control over your workout. The RS800CX allows more in-depth analyzation as it gathers more detailed information about your workouts than other units, including combining training files from different sports, and then interfaces with the Polar ProTrainer 5 software. It is water resistant to 50 meters and the GPS runs on a single AA battery for up to 30 hours. |
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( 5 ) Polar RS300X G1 |
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The Polar RS300X G1 GPS running watch is a stylish heart rate monitor with GPS technology to provide you with accurate speed and distance information to help you get the most from your workout. The wrist heart rate monitor allows the watch to display your heart rate and it has a visual and audible alarm to notify you if your heart rate goes above or falls below your target zone. The Polar OwnZone feature helps you find your personal training zone and leads you through a warm-up designed around your current physical condition. The RS300X G1 has an alarm with snooze, stopwatch, day and date and dual time zones. It will track your last sixteen workouts. The optional Polar S1 Foot Pod will allow the watch to track your speed and distance during indoor runs. The RS300X G1 is water resistant to 50 meters. You can also upload your training data with the optional Polar Flowlink. |
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( 6 ) Timex Ironman T5J985 |
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The Timex Ironman T5J985 GPS running watch combines heart rate monitoring with GPS location in a stylish unisex watch that attaches to the lightweight GPS receiver and chest strap heart rate monitor. It has the Indiglo night-light technology with the Night Mode feature that lights the dial for three seconds with the push of any button. The T5J985 provides latitude, longitude and altitude and elevation data including ascent and descent rates. It measures your speed in real time, your average speed on a run and the maximum speed you ran. It calculates your pace and gives you your average and best pace. |
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( 7 ) Suunto t3 |
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The Suunto t3 GPS running watch was designed for runners, bikers, skaters, hikers and anyone who participates in a wide variety of outdoor activities. It gives you an inclusive real time report of your heart rate, calorie usage and average heart rate. The Suunto t3 Wristop Computer is easy to set up and use. It has a stopwatch with an interval timer and 50 split laps. It is water resistant up to 100 feet deep and has a 15 workout log memory. When connected with one of the optional Suunto wireless Peripheral Observation Devices (PODs). It also tracks your speed, and distance. The t3 compares your level of exercise with your personal fitness profile to give you your Training Effect (TE) on a scale of one to five. The t3 can tell you what your TE should be, to get the desired level of improvement in aerobic fitness. Also available are foot PODs, bike PODs and a PC POD. |
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( 8 ) Garmin Forerunner 201 |
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The Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS running watch is a good introductory training watch, much like the Forerunner 101 with a PC interface. It is a good product for the money. Oddly enough, it uses a serial port connection instead of USB. The included Training Center software is easy to use but very basic. You can program a virtual partner. It allows you to run intervals and monitors your pace and mileage. There is no heart-rate monitor. The watch suffers from accuracy problems when running in shaded areas. The altitude feature is seriously inaccurate. Though it looks chunky the watch is lightweight. Its backlit face is easy to read both and is waterproof up to 1 meter deep. It has several alarms and a function that automatically pauses the timer when you stop. The watch stores a detailed performance history and provides a summary of your last run. You can store a week's worth of data on calories burned, mileage, and total training time. Its rechargeable lithium-alloy battery lasts approximately 14 hours. |
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( 9 ) Garmin Forerunner 101 |
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The Garmin Forerunner 101 GPS runners watch is a good entry-level GPS training device. It uses two AAA batteries. Though it doesn't have a rechargeable battery or PC connectivity, it is feature rich for it's price. It has an easy-to-read display and an integrated GPS sensor that records data about your speed, distance, and pace. The GPS function can be unreliable though when you are running through trees or tall buildings that block the satellite signal. The watch can also record a map of the route you have taken and allows you to mark intermediate points. It can give you directions back to your starting point. It has a number of alarms for distance, time or pace. You can program interval workouts based on time or distance. There is a virtual partner mode as well. With its Auto Pause function the watch will stop when you do. It can store up to 5,000 laps that can be over any number of workouts. The data can be retrieved by date, week, or month. You can even retrieve data for a specific time period. It will store lap histories for up to two years. |
( 10 ) Garmin Forerunner 301 |
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The Garmin Forerunner 301 running GPS watch monitors and documents your workout speed, distance, and heart rate. All this functionality has been integrated into one compact device. You can also track elevation, pace, and several averages. Accuracy can vary depending on satellite reception. The watch can also be used for biking and hiking. The watch has an excellent distance gauge and has a function for storing mile splits and automatically tagging them. It measures elevation and the steepness of a grade. The logbook software supplied lets you set up a training regimen or use one of the preloaded workouts and download it to the watch. You can plot your course on a map but they aren't detailed and there is no edit feature. There are several Internet sites that let you download your workouts for comparison and analysis. This watch is not suitable for indoor use. Additionally, the unit can suffer from lag that can make it difficult to get accurate readings. The watch isn't waterproof. One serious drawback is the unit’s propensity to crash. Unfortunately there is no reset. The heart rate monitor is unreliable. These running watches GPS are a great value. |
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