Garmin 010-02156-05 Forerunner 45, 42mm Easy-to-use GPS Running Watch with Coach Free Training Plan Support, Black

Given the proliferation of fitness trackers these days, it was difficult deciding which one to get. My primary requirements :1. accurate heart rate monitor (walking, running biking. Not planning to wear it while swimming). Accuracy is important to ensure maintaining correct heart rate depending on the goal eg fat burn vs cardio.2. accurate standalone GPS to measure distances3. decent step counter4. buttons, not touchscreen (to be able to operate by touch eg while biking). Buttons feel solid.5. able to provide almost all functionality without requiring a smartphone or app ( privacy)this is the review after wearing the FR45 almost continuously for 4 weeks, only taking it off while showering or charging. the FR45 meets all these requirements. the Garmin Connect has a windows application, which can sync directly with the watch over USB. it does require setting up an account with an email address, but no other information is gathered. I am able to use this app to view historical data, trends etc without having to use the smartphone app.Additional benefits:1. the sleep monitor is surprisingly accurate, and somewhat eye-opening in terms of understanding the sleep cycle every night. I think it can drive better sleeping habits2. stated battery life is 7 days without using GPS. I'm able to get about 6 days, using GPS for about 2-3 hours during that period3. If one is so inclined, your profile can be connected to apps like MyFitnessPal to track your calorie intake and get a view of overall calorie input and output. I don't use it4. the Stress and 'Body battery' indicators are fun to see (not sure how accurate/useful)5. you can participate in group activities, challenges etc6. you can track all useful information (distance, HR, stress level, calories, steps etc) easily on the watch itself, though it might be somewhat small to look at7. display works well in most situations, even direct sunlight. there is a backlight button, for very lowlight situations8. Garmin Connect windows app provides a very nice clean interface, and a helpful dashboard to be able to see daily and historical info and trends. there is a lot more in there that I'm not using at this time.9. looks nice.Others have reporting issues with the wristband, i did feel a bit of itching and irritation in the beginning, probably because i wore to too tight, but am able to adjust to it by switching wrists daily and not wearing it too tightly.Some things that could be better:1. the heart rate counter has trouble keeping up with rapid changes. for eg, if I go from walking to running on the treadmill, the watch takes anywhere from 30s to 2 mins to catch up with the new HR. Same with slowing down. This is probably the biggest issue I've faced, but can get used to it. when it does catch up though, its accurate to within 1-2 heartbeats (compared with finger oximeter, treadmill monitor)2. GPS can sometimes take frustratingly long to get active. Syncing frequently seems to solve this issue (i only sync with the laptop once every 5-6 days, so maybe this might be just a problem for me3. step tracker is a bit iffy, I'll usually wake up on the morning with about 100-200 steps in the counter (basically arm movements seem to trigger it). brushing teeth can also give you some steps :) not a big issue, just discount about 400-500 steps from your daily count to account for these conditions.Overall, I'm very satisfied with this purchase, and feels like this would be solid performer for years to come, or at least until the battery gives out.

This watch is perfect for my needs. I run but not marathons. I lift but I'm not a bodybuilder. There are options to track almost any kind of workout you can think of. It tracks steps and sleep and pulse automatically. The GPS is accurate and consistent. This is a great watch for people who take care of themselves but aren't fanatics about it andb especially if they like to charge things up. The watch can do much more than what I have listed below, but here's what stands out to me:Pros:-built IN HR monitor-workout mode: choose from run, treadmill, bike, walk, cardio, or add your own activity-the app allows you to add workouts you didn't track on the watch, e.g., yoga, etc.-Not too big, not too small-choose from different watch faces-choose which widgets the watch displays and in what order (weather, smart notifications, steps, etc.)-smart notifications from your phone (if you're into that)-you can calibrate it if you're using a treadmill (for example, you run 5 miles on the treadmill, but the watch estimates 3.8. Before you save the workout, you can adjust the distance to match the treadmill display. If you forget to do it before you save it on the watch, you can do it later in the app, though the data will not adjust and you'll end up with the correct distance but a big black spot at the end). This is a manual adjustment - you don't need any special Bluetooth enabled treadmill or anything like that.Cons:-face has somewhat small print, certain displays can be hard to read-body battery is inconsistent. It's just a made up thing anyway so not a big deal but doesn't seem to make sense. A good night of sleep should "charge your battery" but often the nights I feel most rested it tells me that my battery is very low.-watch battery doesn't seem to have a warning. I occasionally forget to charge it and don't remember until it's completely dead and the watch is off. Would be nice to get a low battery warning.