Garmin Forerunner 405

Luan Anderson 2
Reviewed: 23 March 2011

I love my garmin 405 and most of the other problems quoted here can be overcome by using it properly.

Tracks my distances accurately.
Battery life is more than fien for long runs.
Logs onto satellites quickly even in cities.
Easy to set screen up so I see the data I want to see easily.
Good size of wrist unit for a woman - the reason I didn't buy an earlier version was the size of the wrist units.
HR monitor addition works well and GPS can be switched off and it can therefore also be used in gym etc.
Garmin response time to the one fault I've had was very quick - under 1 week, therefore my training programme was not impacted much.
Mapping shows my route very accurately.

Bezel is sensitive to touch, but there is an easy solution - LOCK IT! That's why it has this facility and you can still press the buttons to start and stop timer, switch to next item, etc.
When it gets wet there is sometimes a little shorting after I get home and try to look through history etc. It doesn't happen while I'm out running so it's not too much of a problem. Just wait for it to dry for a few mins and it's good to go.
It's NOT waterproof but is shower proof. Don't make the mistake I made of wearing it in the sea! (It broke and I had to get my one necessary exchange for a fee).

Well I really like it. If you use a HR monitor it can really enhance your running to also add the functionality of a good GPS. I work away from home a lot and it's really useful in areas I don't know since I would have to preplan all my runs otherwise. Also, I love being able to go out and do a circular routre and do inetrvals over set distances on route - much less borning than running up and down the same stretch of road.

James Austin 2
Reviewed: 03 March 2011

If this product did what it claims to be able to do it would be fine, the problem is it doesn't.

None

Battery life
GPS accuracy
Garmin customer service

I've experienced major problems with battery life and GPS accuracy in the few months I've had the misfortune to own it.

Battery life
Stated battery life whilst in use is circa 8 hours. Within barely 3 months of use my watch developed a glitch which has halved battery life to 4 hours. I have raised this with Garmin who say they can replace it under warranty. However it would be replaced not with a new non-faulty watch but with another one that someone else has had to return. Not really what you'd expect a few months into ownership of an expensive piece of kit.

Be aware that Garmin's turnaround for returns is up to 10 working days. If you're in the middle of a 16 week marathon training schedule (the very thing for which I bought this watch) then being without it for that long so soon after purchase is rather galling, some might say unacceptable.

GPS accuracy
I've stood around in the cold for over 10 minutes on numerous occasions waiting for this to get a GPS lock. When it does finally lock on the GPS is eccentric if I'm being kind. Trees flummox it, going round corners bemuses it. Within an individual mile of running it can claim my pace varies from under 6min/mile to over 11min/mile. Strange as I thought I was going pretty steady. Review of progress Garmin Connect map can be revealing – instead of sticking to roads and trails it often tells me I've been floating through houses somewhere else entirely.

If you're thinking of getting this watch think long and hard

Stewart Robertson 2
Reviewed: 18 February 2011

great for recording distance - needs better software support that doesn't cost yet more money

great for recording distance

rubbish in the wet if you wnat to use more than one screen

never leave it at home

Iccle Jim
Reviewed: 14 February 2011

Good but the battery is VERY POOR

quick, accurate, lots of features, advanced workouts etc

battery life is very poor, fails during races

good

jane butcher
Reviewed: 09 February 2011

Great gadget but does have little problems

Keep track of where you went, distance, speed, height gains.
Easy to transfer data to computer

Too sensitive - coat sleeve keeps activating the bezel and changing the screen.
If you get water on it / rain then it stops functioning or freezes on GPS screen which I wasn't using
screen small to read when running
Bulky watch - had to cut sleeve in order to get it over watch.
Screen sometimes freezes - have to wait for battery to run out.
strap broke after 1yr
difficult to change screens

I like the idea but get frustrated when the screen freezes or changes when I don't want it to. London marathon another runner bumoed my arm switching it to gps and I couldn't get it back, so know idea pace running or distace