My Love/Hate Relationship with a Garmin Forerunner 305

Much to my excitement, as a Christmas present in 2006, I received a Garmin Forerunner 305. I immediately charged the battery and proceeded to decipher the instruction booklet. I couldn’t wait to use it!

For one year I’ve had a love/hate relationship with this gadget. There were times when I had to leave it outside in my backyard for at least 10 minutes before using it, as it would take that long to pick up a satellite, and sometimes I’d leave it outside up to 15 minutes and then it would ask… “are you indoors now”?

I have called the Garmin Support Center a few times, and the tech would ask me questions about the software and would invariably say, “press this button, and that button” or “have you downloaded the most recent software”, etc. but the stupid gadget would just continue to work whenever it wanted. Never did they ask me to send it in for inspection.

The unit never worked as intended, such as "go outside, turn gadget on, wait 30-60 seconds, and press start and hit the road" .... Never!

What I loved about it:
Let me tell you that when the stupid gadget worked, it was just wonderful to use because it measured the speed, distance, pace and the total calories burned while running or walking

What I loved best is that it kept track of my pace. In fact, one is able to set it at a desired pace, and the gadget will beep when you go over/under it. I’ve never used the heart monitor (although I seriously should), but I hear from my running club members who own a 305, that it isn’t very accurate.

The fact that I often run by myself, it is unthinkable for me not have my little Garmin partner to tell me how I’m doing, it’s a great motivator, I tell you.

Why I hated it:
This particular piece was unreliable, and I just couldn’t get out the door and use it as the adverts claim it does. Another time the gadget completely froze on me and wouldn’t turn on. Had to call Garmin to ask how to unlock it (after 20 minutes on the phone we managed to get it to turn on).

Finally, about a month ago, I went for a long run with my running club, and the gadget just quit measuring the distance and only the timer worked. That was the end of it, from there on, it never picked up the satellites!

I Ditched the Old-Lemon - Got a New Unit!:
Of course, Dec. 24, 2007 rolled in and the one-year warranty expired on the lemon, and because I had been traveling, I didn‘t send it in time to have it repaired it for free. I have a marathon coming up on January 13, 2008 and dreaded the thought of going into it without a gadget to measure my pace, etc.

Totally disgusted with my Garmin 305, a few days ago I walked into REI and requested a GARMIN 205 (since I never use the heart monitor part). While waiting for my unit, I asked the saleslady for suggestions how to get the lemon repaired by Garmin. I happened to have it in my purse, and I showed her how the gadget didn’t pick up the satellites. She asked where we bought it, and I said I didn’t know where my husband purchased it from (we didn‘t get it at REI). Turns out my husband has been a REI co-op member for the last 10 years, and so, they took my old Garmin 305 and exchanged it for a brand new unit!

Love Rekindled!:
Again, with much anticipation I opened the box, took out the Garmin, cradle (charger), the mini-USB port and plugged it up. It takes 3 hours to fully charge the battery.

Once fully charged we went out for a test run. I strapped the new gadget to my wrist, turned it on, the satellite-seeking bar started the move, and bingo! In about 30 seconds the satellites were fully loaded and I was ready to go! There is no configuration required, it’s basically a “start” and "go" operation. Of course, for more advanced features, configuration is required.

My new Garmin 305 passed the test with flying colors!:
The gadget has worked beautifully for the last 3 runs. The terrain included running through a thick-tree cover trail, downtown Houston (many tall buildings) and the neighborhood. So far it has performed as it is supposed to.

Buyer Beware!
It’s now obvious that the unit I received as a gift a year ago, was a lemon. The original purchase price for the lemon was highly discounted at $249, when everyone else, including REI was selling it for $399. My husband purchased it form Buydig.com, and they claim that they sell only brand-new, factory-sealed items, but could this one have been a refurbished item? I will never find out, but the fact is the unit never performed as intended, and as a consumer I failed to exercise my warranty and demand an exchange or have it repaired, until it was too late.

The Garmin Forerunner 305 - Nuts and Bolts:

~ Size: Physical size: 2.1" (W) x .7" (H) x 2.7" (D). Since I have a small wrist, the gadget looks huge on me, and on very long runs, I’ll end up with a little bruise on my wrist; something I’m willing to live with in exchange for a running partner who’s there to help me the entire way.

~Weight: 2.72 oz

~ GPS Receiver: This gadget tracks all my moves (when I stop, it stops recording) with a super-sensitive GPS that even works on tree-covered trails and near tall buildings (a must when running in downtown Houston).

~ Wireless Heart Monitor: I haven’t tried it yet… I may update this review after a test run with the strap on.

~ Battery: the gadget has a rechargeable internal lithium ion, with a typical duration of 10 hours, although I will estimate it to be more like 8 hours.

~ Waterproof gadget: for those that do triathlons, you’ll find that this gadget is submersible to three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Although, my running mate who got caught in a downpour for about 1 hour, said the gadget’s displays were garbled afterwards and had to send it in for repairs.

~Alerts: You can set them according to goals and it’ll beep at: Time, Distance, Pace and Heart Rate. Your choice.

~Screens: the 305 has three Timer Pages (screens), and you can keep up to 12 data fields in storage, for immediate feedback. Using the Main Menu, you can set up simple or advanced workouts, view your stored data, save locations in memory or customize the gadget to meet your training needs. You can also set up your personal profile, such as age, gender and weight so that it calculates calories correctly.

~ Multi-sport capability: the 305 lets you keep track of three sports, such as running, biking, walking or other (skiing, perhaps?). You must know, however, that there is one more gadget required for biking, and it is sold separately. I only use my Garmin for running and walking.

What else came in the box?:
~ A software CD for the Training Center is included. Once you’ve installed this software, you can download your running history (with the included USB cable) into the Training Center. You will receive a detailed post-workout analysis on the PC.

This software also lets you tailor your workouts to meet specific goals and objectives. I have not fully taken advantage of this program, except for downloading my runs and keeping track of them, but there are other features in the software that can help you design your own training.

~ A Heart Rate Monitor strap is included:

- Physical size (WxHxD): 13.7" (W) x 1.4" (H) x 0.5" (D)
- Transmission range: approximately (9.8ft)
- Battery: 3 years (1 hour per day)/CR2032 (3 volts)
- Weight: .74 oz (21 grams.

~ One mini-USB port and cable

~ Cradle (charger)

~ A quick User’s Guide

~ Owner’s Manual

Summary:

I can’t believe I waited so long to have that old lemon replaced. Now that I have a new Garmin, I am so happy with its performance, I don’t know how I’ll ever train without it. I’m in love again, and I don’t think I will hate this particular unit (fingers crossed!).

Recommend the Garmin 305?
Absolutely! However, if you feel you don’t need a heart monitor strap, then save yourself $100 bucks and purchase the Garmin 205, it offers the same features as the 305, minus the heart monitor.

From my experience with the first gadget being a lemon and the second one great, I’d advice you to purchase it only from a reputable retailer that has a solid and fair exchange/refund policy in place!

It was incredible that REI was willing to take my lemon, and exchange it for a brand-new unit; this says a lot about them! Getting the second unit from REI offers me the peace of mind of knowing that they’ll stand by any product they sell and exchange it or give me my money back if it fails. This is a huge plus, considering that the Garmin Support Center isn’t all that helpful, at least not in my experience.

I give the Garmin 305 4-stars, but give the Garmin Support Center 2-stars for the fact that customer support is rather poor. Shame!