Garmin Forerunner 305

Adrian Bennett 3
Reviewed: 04 December 2008

HAD IT A FEW MONTHS AND IT HASNT LET ME DOWN AT ALL

Turn it on and put it into the window before getting kit on, come back and it has satellite lock
Robust, works every time even it harsh wet conditions
battery seems very good
great compatability with a raft of secondary software

none, it may be big but it is functional, I bought this over the 405 purely because it has a bigger screen and is easier to use.

great product, it grows with you as you learn more about the features and information that it can provide. It is a great motivator and helps with tailoring and maintaining training plans. Wouldn't be without it!

theWag
Reviewed: 15 November 2008

QUITE BULKY BUT FUNCTIONALLY EXCELLENT

Far more accurate in my view than the Polar 400SD - I was never convinced with the accuracy of the Polar so I switched.
Personally I find the GPS accuracy to be really good.
Battery life and memory brilliant

Size, shape and looks
Software is not as good as the Polar, really only good for backing up your data, quite poor on the analysis.
Can be slow for GPS to get a fix.

You wouldn't purchase this as a fashion accessory but it is functionally excellent.
Using this instead of the Polar means I have far greater confidence in the instantaneous data and therefore I can push myself further.
The screens are nicely configurable, you can view up to four fields on a single screen.

skyracer
Reviewed: 05 November 2008

PROVIDES REALLY USEFUL INFORMATION SIMPLY

Bought it 6 weeks ago and keeping to the basics i.e. on each run monitoring how far I am going, how fast I am going, average pace per mile at the end of the run and during the run it provides real time pace per mile. After 6 weeks of watching the data I am now using this information to alter my training to run more slowly on longer runs and run more quickly at a certain pace when doing speedwork. Me and a couple of mates who run with me absolutley love it as the data simply informs us and combining this with articles from the magazine helps us to tailor our training.

It can take a while to load up satellites if cloudy / near tall buildings but you get used to this and work round it as the advantages of the data during and at the end of the run are well worth a couple of mins waiting at the start - I use this time to stretch anyway. Haven't started using the other technical elements on the watch yet such as the little man who you can chase so this will be part of the next review.

Price at the moment is cheap and so excellent value for money, wish I'd bought it a few years ago. Watch out for my next review on the little man you can chase !

Paul Tushingham
Reviewed: 19 October 2008

TOP DRAW!!!!!

easy to use and able to pick up the satllites well. easy to see even in the dark, this helps when you are as blind as a bat!!!!

i have not found one yet

i have only just owned this peace of kit and picked it up for £69.97p from Currys. WHAT A RESULT!!!! so please try there or PC World its better than paying £150+

overall - Brilliant

Bumper
Reviewed: 18 October 2008

GREAT PIECE OF KIT, BUT SOFTWEAR NOT THE BEST

Simple to use, easy to set up and then use on the run, simple to upload to a PC

Powerful, so fairly complex, to get all the information the face can become somewhat cluttered

An excellent support tool for your running, with the GPS letting you know EXACTLY how far you've run, how fast, at what heart-rate etc. A variety of training options to use to tailor your run to your goal, and the 'virtual partner' is a great and simple aid to encourage the competitive part of you to run that little bit faster. I have had one or two issues where runs have been linked together (meaning one started in Cheshire and ended 3 days later in the Lake District(!) but I'm sure that was probably due to operator error... Aside form that I have been very pleased with the units performance as a training and measurement tool.