Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue)
Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue)
- Loaded with serious training features, Forerunner 405CX continuously records your time, distance, pace, calories burned and heart rate.
- And advanced training features will challenge you to step up your pace race against Forerunner’s Virtual Partner
- Forerunner 405CX comes with a flexible, wireless heart rate monitor to help you make the most out of your training.
- With Forerunner 405CX, you can share your locations, advanced workouts and courses wirelessly with other Forerunner 405 users.
- Once you’ve logged the miles, innovative ANT+ wireless technology automatically transfers data to your computer when Forerunner is in range.
The Forerunner 405CX is the evolution of GPS-enabled training. This sleek sport watch tracks your distance, pace and heart rate, then wirelessly sends the data to your PC for later analysis. The 405CX features heart rate-based calorie computation and comes with a second wrist band option suitable for smaller wrists. The evolution of GPS-enabled training. Continuously records your time, distance, pace, calories burned and heart rate. Click to enlarge. Transfer data to your computer when Forerunner is in range–no cables, no hookups. Click to enlarge. Watch Results
Loaded with serious training features, Forerunner 405CX continuously records your time, distance, pace, calories burned and heart rate. Each workout is stored in memory so you can review and analyze the data to see how you’ve improved. And advanced training features will challenge you to step up your pace–race against Forerunner’s Virtual Partner to improve your times, or set up interval workouts
List Price: $ 369.99
Price: $ 369.99
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Great watch for running indoors or outdoors,
After using the Forerunner 305 for over two years, I decided to replace it with the 405cx and am very happy with my decision. But first let me address the main criticism of the 405cx and its predecessor the 405–the bevel and touch system.
Garmin is not Apple, so the bevel and touch are not on par with the scroll wheel on an Ipod or the touch on an iPod Touch–but they still work fine. Granted, if the bevel gets sweaty or I touch it with sweaty fingers (not something unexpected for an exercise watch) it becomes nonresponsive until I wipe off the sweat. But this is not a big deal for me. When I run I simply use auto scroll, which is unaffected by moisture. And if I want to override auto scroll by using a manual touch, it takes only a second to wipe the sweat off the bezel or my fingers. So don’t be discouraged from buying this unit based on the bevel and touch.
While the 305 is a great unit, here is why I like the 405cx better. Note: I use this on an Intel powered Macbook running the latest edition of Leopard without any problems.
1. Although the 405cx is as thick as the 305, it is noticeably smaller and lighter.
2. I like the wireless ANT technology that automatically transfers data rather than having to place the unit in a USB cradle as with the 305 (though doing so is not a big deal), and also effortlessly pairs with my heart rate monitor and foot pod (which must be purchased separately).
3. The 305 has no power save mode, and I inadvertently drained the battery a couple of times when I forgot to turn it off after running or put it in the charger. The 405cx not only has an automatic power save mode, but you can turn off the GPS when running indoors to further save power. With the GPS turned off, barely any power is used. Also, this ability to turn the GPS off makes it easier to use the footpod when running indoors (the 305 first has to search for a satellite signal before realizing you are indoors, and that can take several minutes).
4. I find the bevel and touch system on the 405cx much easier to use than the buttons on the 305 in order to change various features. But I like electronic gadgets, and as I said above, the sweat issue is not a big deal for me.
Here are some tips:
1. Rinse the unit, the heart rate monitor and the strap after each use with plain water.
2. Keep the unit in the charging clip after each use to ensure you always have enough power. A simple touch of the bevel will tell you the percentage of power left. The charging clip can be powered via a USB port on your computer or via an electric outlet using an AC adaptor. The included AC adaptor with the 405cx is very clunky; I use the Apple travel charger for the iPod instead. Make sure the charging clip is properly attached to the unit or you will drain the unit instead of charging it (already happened to me).
3. Although the unit lists three training fields, there are actually four if you have the heart rate monitor–by default only the heart rate shows up in the first field, but you can modify that to include two additional data items.
4. Unlike the 305, where you can move forward and backward between data fields, the 405cx lets you move only forward. Therefore, when I run indoors I turn off my “outdoor only” data fields–grade, elevation, etc.–so that I don’t waste time looking at them.
5. For a first time purchaser to whom cost is important, I would say get the 305. My reasons for switching to the 305 may not be important to you.
6. Buy the new version of the footpod rather than the old version (I have reviewed both on Amazon) for running indoors.
7. I use a Mac software program called Ascent that I think is far superior to Garmin Connect and Garmin Training Center, and unlike the former does not require an internet connection to upload data.
Bottom Line: I have had this unit for three weeks and run over 100 miles both indoors on a treadmill and outdoors in all kinds of weather–light rain, cool nights, and hot humid days. I really like this unit. Due to the bevel and touch issues I would have rated it 4 ½ stars if I could, but since there are no ½ star ratings I gave it 5 stars despite those issues because for me they are negligible compared to the rich features on the 405cx. If you are a serious runner, you will love this unit.
Update July 22, 2009: I have now been using this for about six weeks and logged over 200 miles. In that time I have had the bevel lock up due to sweat only twice: once in the gym and once outside. The point is that this is even less of a problem than I thought, and should not discourage you from buying this unit.
A more serious issue is with the ANT technology. Sometimes I will get a message on my laptop that the transfer of data to the laptop from the…
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|Miles ahead of the rest,
I really did my homework in choosing a fitness watch with heart rate monitor. I ordered competing models from Garmin, Timex, Polar, and Suunto, to look them over closely and compare. Then I sent them all back but this one.
Someone pointed out that this Garmin watch is a little on the clunky side – that’s true. I have a small wrist,and the watch part of it is long and flat and doesn’t really fit nicely. They had to pack the GPS receiver inside the band. But no matter – with the band strapped tight, it stays put, and it’s not so huge that people would say “What’s that thing on her wrist?” It still looks like a watch. A funky sort of a watch maybe, but not a television set or anything.
I think you need to decide if you want GPS or not. I decided that yes, I really wanted GPS to measure my distance, because I run and jog and hike and travel quite a bit, so my routes are always changing. In my ideal world, I’d be able to pop up a map on my PC and see my route, and have a table showing all my workouts and how many miles they total, in running, biking, etc. I could finally answer the folks at the running store when they ask how many miles are on my running shoes.
I ended up with this Garmin, far and away the best choice for just what I wanted. All the other GPS solutions were separate strap-on-the-arm ones that contain AAA batteries that need to be replaced every 12 hours of operation – ouch, costly. Even with rechargables, it would be a hassle to be always taking them out, plugging them into the charger, putting them back in the arm-band-GPS unit. The watch on those other devices was just a receiver for the arm-unit. Granted, it meant that their watches could be a little smaller … I really liked the design of the Timex the best, and the Polar was small too. But who wants to carry a clunky thing around their arm? That’s one more thing to pack or lose, more batteries to buy and fuss with, more parts to break… forget it.
I also was swayed heavily by the Garmin software and tight integration with the PC and mapping software. None of the other brands, as of this writing (January 2010) had anything near as easy. Polar excels at fitness tracking, but not the mapping part. Timex and others require third-party mapping solutions that you have to manually upload and integrate with. Only Garmin had a simple plug-and-play solution. Plug in their little included USB “ANT Stick” (like a little thumb drive), and bring the watch near, and it automatically receives the data the watch stored from your workouts, loads it into your Garmin fitness/mapping program, and you can see all your stats and your routes etc.
I also liked that this unit is one of the few that tracks altitude, so you know not only how many miles, but how much total up and down you went (cumulative). It can display the data on a chart with any paramets you set, for example you can see the actual altitudes of your run along your route. That is so cool!
Other people trashed this unit because the bezel-touch operation is a hassle. One guy made the point that he just locks the screen into a view before his run starts, so he doesn’t hassle with the touch thing going haywire. That is the perfect solution, and it’s what I did too.
So with this Garmin watch, you only have to remember two pieces: the watch, and the charger. The charger clips right onto the watch to rejuice the battery inside. It ships with conversion plugs for international outlets.
Here’s a tip that isn’t clear from Garmin’s specs: the GPS can be turned on or off. With the GPS on all the time, the watch will run out of juice after about 8 hours and will need to be recharged. With the GPS off, it lasts… I’m guessing at least a week (I haven’t let it go that far). It works like a normal watch, tells date and time, etc. Heart rate monitor. Etc.
I was worried that this watch wouldn’t work if you, say, went out in the morning for a hike, stopped for lunch, continued hiking… 8 hours wouldn’t be enough. The simple solution is to turn off GPS when you don’t need it, and your battery will last as long as you need it.
So, if you can afford it, this one is the only way to go, if you want GPS. I’ve had it a month, after handling all the others, reading their manuals, etc., and settling on this one. I’m super happy with it and love Garmin. Next generation will be even better, when they fix the bezel issue and get the watch to be even more watch-looking, but this is miles ahead of the competition as is.
** Update – I’ve now had this model for almost a year, and still think it is fantastic. A few things I learned – the battery lasts about 2 weeks when the GPS is turned off. The link to mapping software works great, I have a year’s worth of running/biking stats and I can click on any single run to see the route. Since I travel a…
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