Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 25
 Stick with the 305 - the 405 is TERRIBLE August 4, 2008
Charles B (SF Bay Area, California)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I used the 305 since it came out and was excited to get the 405. Now, several months later, I am back to the 305. A huge disppointment. I can only imagine it was designed by a bunch of engineers who have never actually gone for a run.
The 405 looked great out of the box and playing around with the touch sensitive bezel was cool while I sat at my desk. The three field only display was a bit disappointing and while I could not get the USB wireless connector to work, I figured it was a PC issue (apparently it is a Garmin issue I have since learned).
Here are the key comparisons between the 305 and 405 and why I'd stick with the 305.
(1) GPS Accuracy - For running or walking the accuracy obviously matters a lot. I have seen the 405 off by as much as 15% for a measured mile where the 305 was spot on. My assumption is that to fit the GPS antennas into a smaller form factor they ended up giving away some accuracy. It is incredibly frustrating to be running a 7:30 mile and check your watch to see it shows you at a 10:40 pace.
(2) Information viewing - You are limited to three fields per page and they are harder to see. In order to see your HR you have to tab through a page (by touching the bezel- more on that later). It is not easy to manage while running and if you have to do something like reset your HR monitor you will pretty much need to stop to do it (same goes for any settings adjustment).
(3) Form v function - smaller than the 305, but in reality not by much and a nicer looking watch. Sitting at my desk (or standing in a store) and looking at the watch it will be impressive, and you will enjoy running your finger along the bezeland seeing it change settings, and will also enjoy playing with the touch sensitive bezel. They tried to get fancy as everything is driven by touching the bezel. This works great standing still but is totally unrealistic when you are actually running. Worse yet, the instructions actually warn you that the touch sensitive stuff does not work when it is wet (yes, that includes sweat). I ran with it today (decided to give it one more chance), and could not get the watch to switch to the second screen after a mile. It is insane that this does not work andthat they released the product with this flaw.
My sense is that Garmin rushed this product out the door due to market expectations and a need to get some revenue in the quarter (Garmin stock dropped 18% recently when they delayed their smart phone and I have to imagine they were rushing to get this out the door as well - maybe pulling people off the 405 to try to get the smart phone on track?).
All that said, the Garmin 305 is a great product and if you can get over the fact it is ugly you will find it is not cumbersome to run with. My guess is they will figure out the 405 issues at some point but based on what I have seen, these are HARDWARE issues, so software updates will not fix the problem.
I probably should have been clued into problems with the 405 when I saw some ads for the 305 in magazines this month - they are coming out with new features for the 305 (quick release strap so you can pull it off your wrist and stick it on your bike - funny thing, this is the order that the ad showed - obviously not any triathletes in the Garmin marketing dept....).
 You'll be looking at your wrist instead of the road May 4, 2008
John (New York, NY USA)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
How you would rate the Garmin 405 depends largely on what you will use it for. I bought it mostly to keep track of my pace while on training runs because I find myself losing concentration and slowing down frequently. I have only used the watch a couple of times, but the GPS was very accurate in Central Park and found a satellite signal in the time it takes to stretch (3-4 minutes). I am very impressed by the GPS accuracy as I have seen so many complaints about GPS in NYC. The touch bezel is sensitive to the touch and does not require any real depression (just touch) but it will take some getting used to. The Garmin website does need a lot of work, but I do like the Garmin software that is installed locally which can also sync with Google Earth. The size is very nice for myself, but may still be a little big for a woman or a small wristed man because it does not conform to your wrist the way a normal watch would. It is very stiff around the watch face because of the GPS antenna instead of just having a rubber band. Still it is much closer to a real watch than the 305 and you could get away with wearing it during the day. Overall I love this watch and it does exactly what I need it for. Keeps track of my runs while still allowing me to be lazy about logging my distance and times in journal.
 Won't work wet July 11, 2008
bhaughery (Lancaster, PA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I recently purchased this watch after reading many reviews and waiting three months for second version to arrive. They made some improvements, notably the ability to lock the Bezel wheel. The GPS is everything they said it would be. Despite the complexity of the system I was willing to give it a try and conform it to my needs. Things were working well until my first long run (13m.) The instructions say that when using the bezel wheel you should make sure your hands and the wheel are dry. Try that in the middle of a run! I could not make any adjustments to the functions because there was no dry spot on me. It was completely unresponsive. Don't buy this watch if you sweat when you run and you want to have flexibility with the interface. I went home. boxed it up and returned it. Buttons are better. Note: I was, however,very impressed with Amazon's return policy.
Don't buy - unusable if used during workout August 1, 2008
A. Hichert (Boston, MA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I owned the 205 and 305 before for Marathon training. I would give those two products a 3 or 4 out of 5 stars.
While the 405 has has the better form factor, better looks, and the quickest satellite locking it is UNUSABLE and 1 out of 5 from me. I used it for maybe 50 miles of running so far.
If you are wet the bezel is unusable. I played around with sensitivity but couldn't get it to work: If sensitivity is high it will start acting on its own - if sensitivity is low you cant get it to respond at all.
Sometimes the watch gets so confused when wet that you can't even use the standard buttons either - no start/stop, no lap times.
Garmin, you should be ashamed. Did someone ever take this product out for a run? I will (try to) return it.
Great, when you not running July 29, 2008
C. Giboney (Deployed in Iraq)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
It seems great when you first get it. The wireless downloads and the touch bezel. Once you start actually using it while running, it is a different story. As a couple people have said already, the touch bezel while you are running is horrible. The thing has a mind of its own. Not to mention that is near impossible to get the lap/rest button to work while running. I loved it when I took it out of the box and got it set up. Now after using it for two weeks I am fed up with it. Garmin had a good idea when they made it, it just doesn't function like they say it will.
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