Garmin Forerunner 405

Mikey
Reviewed: 26 July 2011

A REASONABLE GPS, HRM AND SPORTS WATCH COMBINED, BUT...

Decent display size and fonts.
Wireless upload to the PC with ANT+.
Less geeky looking than the 305.
Smaller than the forerunner 305.

Many people on the Garmin forum have reported problems, particularly with the version 2,7 firmware.
No facility to bulk erase workouts. Have to erase them one by one or reset the watch to factory settings .
Possibly shorter battery life than ForeRunner 305.

I got my Forerunner 405 to replace my 305 when the chest strap went belly up.
I found the 405's bezel-based menu system a bit tricky to get used to but then again I also found the multi-button system on the 305 a bit of a faff.
On my first few runs with it I still took the 305 too in case I made a mess of the settings for the new watch.
I'm not always convinced about the accuracy of the GPS on the 405. When I first used it, I'd tend to set off as soon as it switched to the training screen, indicating that it had acquired the satellites. Whenever I did that, the training data would often have quite large positional errors - of the order of tens of metres. I noticed that as my run progressed, these errors wold tend to reduce until they were close to zero as to make no difference. Now, I monitor the satellite display ujntil the device clearly shows an acceptible level of accuracy.
I should also point out that the Garmin forums are alive with people complaining that the v2.7 firmware has screwed their watch. Unfortunately, Garmin have been tight lipped about shipping any upgrade or indeed downgrade. A thing that will no doubt have tarnished their reputation in the eyes of many.
I'm perfectly happy with mine, even with the V2.7 firmware. However, having witnessed Garmin's silence on the issue, I'd have to say that I wouldn't be able to recommend the product until they have laid these these issues to rest.

SteveReidRunner
Reviewed: 11 July 2011

Really good, but too much tech?

Great size, works well from a gps point of view, good battery life

touch bezel is unnecessary technology, strap broke, annoyed by the need for a ant stick to upload my runs

Good bit of kit, but I've heard the 110 is better

mackfly
Reviewed: 17 May 2011

small accurate unit but lots of poor design

-picks up satellite very quickly far better than 205-305
nice compact size
-accurate
- good accesories eg hrm, bike cadence

touch bezell is useless when wet or sweating, this maen you have to lock the screen which only then allows you to view limited information when running.
wireless data transfer is pointless as you have to plug it into a usb to charge.

trip15
Reviewed: 25 March 2011

Annoying and fiddly

Small. Tells the time.

Bezel works well when the weather is perfectly dry and you do not have long sleeves or are sweaty. Otherwise, forget it. You can lock the bezel but are then fixed with the 3-field display (4 on the 305) that you have selected. Fast satellite find is at the expense of accuracy. Start/stop and lap buttons do not have a positive feel and are sometimes hard to operate.

This is more a watch with GPS than a serious GPS running device. This is not a successor to the 305 but a completely different beast aimed, perhaps, at the low-mileage, fair-weather runner. If you are looking for a serious replacement to the 305 try the 310xt. Used my 405 for 6 months (then only because it was a gift) then gave up and bought a 310xt.

Kevan James
Reviewed: 24 March 2011

Good, informative, use anywhere!

Wrist watch size, functional, accessories.

Poor battery life!

Use mine twice everyday, but charge the battery daily! After activating the GPS, lock the screen, this will ensure you see the desired information during your session, as you can still start and stop the unit!