Garmin Forerunner 301 Review

Craig Smith — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:22:04 +0000

Click Here To Learn More About The Garmin Forerunner 301

Specifications

Dimensions: 3.26 x 1.71 x 0.7 inches (8.28 x 4.35 x 1.8 cm)
Display: 1.44 x 0.92 inches (3.65 x 2.34 cm)
Resolution: 100 x 64 pixels
Weight: 2.75 oz (78 g)
Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life: 15 hours, typical
Water resistant: yes (IPX7)
GPS-enabled: yes
High-sensitivity receiver: no
RoHS version available: yes
Lap history: 5,000 laps
Waypoints/favorites/locations: 100
Routes: 10
Heart rate monitor: yes
Bike speed/cadence sensor: no
Foot pod: no
Automatic sync: no
Garmin Connect™ compatible: yes

Garmin Training Center compatible: yes
Virtual Partner: yes
Courses: no
Auto Pause: yes
Auto Lap: yes
Auto Scroll: yes
Multi-sport: yes
Advanced workouts: yes
Simple workouts: yes
Pace alert: yes
Time/distance alert: yes
Vibration alert: no
Interval training: yes
Customizable screen(s): yes
Unit-to-unit transfer: no
Sport watch: no

Pros

Easy to use
Intuitive menus
USB PC interface
Good for biking
Reliable GPS

Cons

Erratic heart rate monitor
Poor battery life

Review

The Garmin Forerunner 301 GPS watch is a small GPS enabled watch that gives all levels of runners a variety of different tools to monitor and track the overall progress of their workout. It has its own virtual personal trainer and a coded heart rate monitor. Plus, the device can be used for a variety of different sports.

The Forerunner 301 has dimensions of 3.26″ x 1.71″ x 0.7″. It has a display size of 1.44″ x 0.92″, with a display resolution of 100 x 64 pixels. It weighs 2.75 ounces and the battery can last for up to 15 hours.

The heart monitor of the Forerunner 301 will consistently track your overall heart rate during your workout, so that you can determine the overall quality of your workout. The device will show you what your current heart rate is, and the overall range of beats per minute, in order to provide you with the most detailed information possible.

The Forerunner 301 can be used for a wide variety of sports. You can easily press the mode button to switch between the different activities that you will be doing. The great thing about this particular feature is that you can switch between the different sports without having to reset, making the device ideal for runners, hikers, swimmers, and cyclists. The Forerunner 301 can even be used for triathlon training.

The Forerunner 301 will plan, store and evaluate data from your different workouts through the use of their available online community. Using the Garmin connect you can quickly upload the information on your workouts and find route mapping information. You can also share the different training routes that you have identified with other runners, helping to improve the overall workout that you are receiving.

The Garmin Forerunner 301 is small, easy to use, and has many different tools to help you take your workout to the next level. That being said, some of the common drawbacks include that the heart rate monitor can be erratic at times and if you are in area where it is hard to receive a satellite signal then the device could have trouble tracking properly. Overall, the Garmin Forerunner 301 is a useful and versatile device and is worth some serious thought.