This product has been discontinued by the manufacturer. It's been replaced by the Garmin Forerunner 645/645 Music, you may want to check out that review instead.
The Garmin Forerunner 610 represents the next generation running watch from Garmin. The watch builds on many areas that the FR405 and FR410 carved out – including a slim profile and advanced workout features. But it also adds a number of heavily requested features, including some functions that had long been cut out of other Forerunner models. Even more, it’s the first Garmin touch screen running watch. But is a running watch the right place for a touch screen? And does this next version of the Forerunner meet the needs of the vast runner demographic? Well, stick around and I’ll explain.
Like all my reviews, they tend to be pretty in depth (perhaps overly so) – but that’s just my trademark DC Rainmaker way of doing things. Think of them more like reference guides than quick and easy summaries. I try and cover every conceivable thing you might do with the device and then poke at it a bit more. My goal is to leave no stone unturned – both the good and the bad.
Because I want to be transparent about my reviews – Garmin sent me the Forerunner 610 for a period of 45 days as a trial unit. Once that period has elapsed, I send the whole package to the folks in Kansas. Simple as that. Sorta like hiking in wilderness trails – leave only footprints. If you find my review useful, you can use any of the Amazon links from this page to help support future reviews.
Lastly, at the end of the day keep in mind I’m just like any other regular athlete out there. I write these reviews because I’m inherently a curious person with a technology background, and thus I try and be as complete as I can. But, if I’ve missed something or if you spot something that doesn’t quite jive – just let me know and I’ll be happy to get it all sorted out. Also, because the technology world constantly changes, I try and go back and update these reviews as new features and functionality are added – or if bugs are fixed.
So – with that intro, let’s get into things.
Unboxing:
Once you’ve got the Forerunner 610 box in your posession it’ll be time to crack it open. Interestingly, Garmin has changed up their standard packaging with the FR610, opting for a black box instead of the more traditional blue-colored ones
From there we’ll go ahead and get all the pieces laid out on the table. The pieces are all individually wrapped in some plastic bags, so I’ll walk through them one by one after this.
After you’ve removed the plastic bags, here’s the end resultant:
Let’s get the less exciting pieces out of the way first (save the best for last, right?). For that, we’ll dive into the power block. This connects to the charging cable and allows you to charge the watch without a computer’s USB port. It’ll also charge any other USB gadget you happen to have. The US version comes only with the US power clip, so if you’re elsewhere in the world you’ll need additional power clips or a standard adapter.
Next we have the even less exciting manuals and CD’s. It’s largely just a pile of paper stuff that you’ll probably never read.
Then we’ve got the ANT+ USB stick. This is where it starts gettin’ good! This USB stick wirelessly communicates with the FR610 via ANT+ and downloads your workouts. It works quite some distance away (a few rooms away). We’ll talk about it more later on.
Then we have the latest edition of the premium soft strap heart rate strap. There are two versions of the FR610 – one comes with the heart rate strap, and one doesn’t. This is the strap you’ll get if you get the bundle with the HR strap. I’ll talk more about the strap options later on in significant detail.
Now…the good parts! First up – the charging cable. You’ll notice that it has changed from watches of the past. Instead of being the FR310XT/FR405/FR410 dual-prong style clip or the FR110/FR210 quad-prong clip, they’ve moved to a magnetic latch style system.
This new charging clip uses small internal magnets to secure itself against the back of the watch. In many ways it’s actually kinda like the Timex Global Trainer charging clip where it straddles both edges of the watch (except that one lacks the magnets).
I asked the Garmin team why exactly the change from the previous charging cables. They said that one of the issues they found with the previous clips is that while they worked for most folks, they found that if the charging cable/watch got accidentally moved then the charging could be disrupted – leaving folks without a charged watch at runtime. The new clip using the magnets ensures that even if it gets bumped, it will still hang on and charge the watch.
Outside of the charging clip, we’ve got the watch itself. The back is metallic (and magnetic), and the front is glass that’s slightly inset to (hopefully) prevent glass cracking issues like the FR310XT and the Nike+ Sportwatch have occasionally seen.
On the sides you have three physical buttons. The left hand side is the power/light button, that also doubles to trigger connection to the Tanita BC-1000 scale.
On the right you have your standard start/stop and lap/reset buttons.
Then you have two touch screen buttons that are near the edge of the screen. On the bottom of the watch where you see the three blue lines, this acts as a way to toggle the menu and home screen.
And to the left at the 9’oclock position you have what would be a blue arrow that essentially performs both confirmation and ‘back’ functions within the menu’s. On mine the button isn’t visible, but it’s still functional. It looks just like a little blue triangle on retail units.
Finally, the band itself is a slimmer black band, similar to that on the FR110/FR210 and much nicer than the older and thicker FR405/FR410. It’s also interchangeable with a fabric soft strap accessory that you can purchase.
Size Comparisons:
The FR610 decreases the size from the FR405/FR410’s primarily through a thinner watch body and strap. It doesn’t appreciably change the actual watch diameter. Personally, I think this is fine. The FR610 manages to allow you to squeeze in four concurrent fields (compared to three with the FR405/FR410), all while maintaining roughly the same size. I think if you went any smaller you’d have to sacrifice either information or readability.
Comparing it to other Garmin units, you’ll see that the majority of modern Forerunner units have pretty much the same watch face size now. The one exception being the multisport focused FR310XT (orange one), which maintains a larger profile (and far more features).
Looking from left to right, the watches are the FR60, FR110 (FR210 is identical body), FR405 (FR410 is identical body), FR610 and finally the FR310XT.
The area you most notice the sizes is in thickness, where you can see the bulk of the FR405/FR410 and the FR310XT rising above:
In general though, you’ll see most of the watches have now stabilized in the size department.
Initial Setup:
The initial setup process has been further reduced with each new Garmin that’s been released. It used to be that there were about 10 Monty Python style questions it would ask you. Now it’s down to just a handful, mostly used to ensure you’re not stuck with a watch reading out a display in Ellinika. Cause that would just be Greek to me…
After you answer time format, gender and a few others, then you’ll be all set and ready to gather satellite reception. I found the FR610 incredibly quick when it came to reception – even faster than my FR310XT. The first time after turning it on it took maybe 20 seconds to find satellites. Then subsequent times upon turning it on were always less than 10 seconds. The FR610 uses Garmin’s Hotfix technology to remember where you were last time and thus be able to remember where the corresponding satellites were that it needs to talk to.
Once you’ve completed initial setup, the last item would be pairing any additional ANT+ sensors you might have. For example, depending on if you bought the FR610 package with the heart rate strap, you’d want to pair that piece. Additionally, if you bought a separate footpod for indoor treadmill use – you’d want to pair that too. And finally, if you have an ANT+ bike speed/cadence sensor – you guessed it, you’d want to pair that as well.
With that – we’re ready to get on outside!
The Touchscreen:
Before we go for a run though, let’s talk about the biggest change to the watch – which is the new touch screen. The FR610 builds on technology used in the newly released Edge 800 cycling computer which now includes a touch screen display. These screens are unlike your typical phone touch screen though, and are designed to handle everything from rain to gloves. You may remember some of the videos I put together as part of the Edge 800 touch screen review (linked above). I decided to do some of those same tests to see how it fared. First up though, is a quick video to let you get the feel for the touch screen. As you can see, it works pretty well. Sure there’s a few times where either I or the touch screen made a mistake – but in general I didn’t have many issues.
Here’s the first video just showing some general use wandering in/around the various menus:
Garmin Forerunner 610 Touch Screen Demonstration
Of course, the most common question is how does it perform with gloves? Well, no problem – here’s three pairs of gloves. I would have done this in one take, but I simply lacked the ability to get one of the pairs of gloves off in a timely manner. No retakes here, just the way it is. The first pair of gloves you’ll see is a common $1.00 cheap glove that you’ll find at every running expo in the world. Also happens to be my go-to gloves virtually all fall and winter. Then I’ll transition into a stiffer glove that I primarily use for cycling. And finally…I go into the giant mitten. Yes, a mitten.
Garmin Forerunner 610 Touch Screen Glove Test
As you can see, I generally didn’t have any problems. Also keep in mind that once you start your run, there really isn’t too much of a reason to wander aimlessly through the menus. You’ll primarily just be swiping left/right to change already configured display pages.
Finally, last but not least is how water affects it. This evening during my run in the 84*F weather I got plenty soaked, much of that water ending up on the FR610. In general it didn’t affect use of the watch. However, I figure there’s no better test than simply taking it into the shower with direct water pressure and using the touch screen. So here ya go – with water cascading down onto the watch and actively using the touch screen without issue:
Using the Forerunner 610 in simulated ‘heavy rain’ conditions.
All in all I found the touch screen to generally work as expected. While one can certainly debate the merit of having a touch screen at all, I didn’t find it to detract from the watch. Previously I found the older touch bezel design of the FR405/FR410 to take away from the watch’s functionality. In the case of the FR610, it all seemed to flow pretty well.
Running:
With running being the main focus of the FR610, it’s time we got out and ran with it! After you turn it on you’ll either be at the menu screen or the main training screen, depending on how much touching you were doing while you were turning it on. Here’s what the main menu looks like:
One of the first things you’ll want to do is to pick out your data fields. For me personally, I use Heart Rate, Pace, Distance and Time.
With the FR610 you can have up to four different pages of data, each with up to four fields (or as few as one field). This is an increase from the previous 3 fields on the FR405/FR410.
As you run, the data is not only displayed, but also recorded for later analysis. Everything from pace to distance to heart rate to elevation, and even running cadence if you have a footpod, is recorded.
In addition to configuring data that you can glance at you can also configure the FR610 to simply beep/display/vibrate at you should you run afoul of your pre-determined goals. These are called ‘alerts’, and with the FR610 you can setup alerts for distance, heart rate, time, calories or cadence.
In addition to the alerts I just noted, they’ve added a new feature – which is the ‘Run/Walk’ alerts. What this enables you to do is to follow one of the many run racing plans that have you running for a set period of time (such as 10 minutes), and then walk for another set period of time (1 minute).
You can configure both the run and walk times from any number between 00:00 and 59:59. It’ll simply alternate back and forth and beep/vibrate/display a warning as you hit the run/walk intervals. Note that you cannot specify a distance, only a time.
On my long run tonight I actually used this feature to remind me to intake both nutrition/hydration but also to do some drills I had to do every 10 minutes. While a typical time alert would also work, this is better in that it reminded me essentially twice – once at the beginning of my nutrition period, and again by time I should be done. Pretty useful stuff, even if I’m not using it for its intended purpose.
Another commonly used feature of past Garmins is the Virtual Partner functionality. This feature allows you to set a specific pace (i.e. 8:30/mile) and then it’ll show you how far ahead/behind you are relative to that given pace. You can customize the speed/paces for both bike and run. It uses a little stick figure man to represent both you…and the pacer:
However, a new addition to the FR610 is the Virtual Racer functionality. This takes the simple pacer concept a step forward and allows you to race against your previous runs. For example, if you ran a specific 10K course last week in 45 minutes, it’ll have the little stick figure man run your 45 minute pace, while you try to just barely edge him out at 44:30. You can select any previous run from the list:
But it gets even better in that you can download any activity from Garmin Connect to the unit and race against that. For example – you want to head to the Boston Marathon and beat your friends exact time from last year? No problem, just download his workout from Garmin Connect onto your watch, and then attempt to best him as you virtually run ahead or (as it may be), behind him.
In addition to pacing you can download any workout you create from Garmin Training Center to the FR610 as well. This allows you to create some pretty complex workouts on the computer and then quickly transfer them to the watch to execute:
Once the ANT+ agent transfers them to your watch, you’ll be good to go!
Of course, if you don’t want the complexity of Garmin Training Center you can simply create basic interval workouts on the watch itself. You just define key pieces like work and rest intervals and you’ll be good to go.
Speaking of resting… If you run in the city quite a bit, you’ll probably end up using the Auto Pause feature. This functionality automatically pauses your run when you come to a stop – or fall below a given threshold speed. While you’ll want to be careful in using this functionality in a race (because the real clock doesn’t stop), it’s an easy way to keep from forgetting to start your watch again after that stoplight.
[Updated Section]: In addition to the watch monitoring your run it can also act as a guide when you’re lost. It does this through the navigation and saved locations area. It does not unfortunately however have standard Garmin Courses functionality. This functionality allowed you to download breadcrumb style routes to the watch to follow along.
The functionality is slightly different on the FR610 compared to previous Garmin watches. Instead of offering a straight course following option it offers that functionality within the confines of the Virtual Racer component. Meaning, there is no separate courses functionality like most Garmin watches. While you can download courses from Garmin Connect and other sources, you cannot follow them with the little compass/breadcrumb. You can however still choose to track back to start – allowing you to navigate back to the start of an activity.
Navigation itself is from current location directly to a saved location. Saved locations must be entered in on the watch itself. Once you’ve chosen a previously saved location (or create a new one on the watch with lat/long), then you’ll be available to follow along with the compass on the unit. It’s not quite like a car GPS, but rather more boy-scout-esque. But it gets the job done.
Lastly, you can go ahead and create waypoints for specific locations – such as common places like ‘Home’ or ‘Where I parked my car’. That way if all else fails on a run gone wrong, you can simply tell the Garmin to get ya back home.
One final newly added area I want to cover is the re-introduction of 1-second recording mode. Back in the FR305 days you as a user had the option to either record activity data using Smart Recording mode, or 1-second recording mode. In Smart Recording mode it would attempt to reduce the recording storage needed and take samples every 3-6 seconds (on average). Whereas in 1-second recording mode (known as 1s), it simply recorded data points every second.
After the FR305, that option went away. 1s mode was only available if you connected an ANT+ cycling power meter. This lead to a lot of problems for folks that were only recording heart rate data and ended up with files that often had very few actual data points in it due to Smart Recording removing many of those data points.
Well, I’m happy to tell you the option is now back!
Yup, you can now turn on 1s recording mode for the watch as a whole and all activities will be recorded at the 1-second interval. If you open up the raw files, you can see the 1-second recording is indeed now in effect:
Hopefully we’ll see this ported back to other Garmin units via a firmware update, I know both myself and many others would love to see that.
Backlight:
The FR610 includes a high contrast backlight that is easily readable. You can change how long you’d like the backlight to display once tapping the power/light button:
I prefer the backlight setting of ‘Stays on’, as typically if I’m running at night I just want it to be on when I glance down. As you can see below, it’s plenty bright:
Heart Rate Training and Calories:
One of the most popular areas aside from using the GPS functionality is the ability to record one’s heart rate while exercising. The FR610 uses an ANT+ enabled heart rate strap that wirelessly transmits your heart rate to the watch itself. Depending on whether you buy the FR610 bundle with the strap or without you’ll have the ability to do that automatically. Here’s what the strap looks like:
Once you’ve got the strap on, you’ll want to go ahead and pair it. It only takes a second for it to find your strap. After pairing it’ll remember your specific strap forever, and won’t pickup other people’s straps – so you don’t have to worry about interference:
While exercising you can setup either heart rate alerts or heart rate zones if you so choose. You can also display your heart rate in a variety of ways, from instant display to averages or zones. Or you can simply record the data for later evaluation. This data is then transmitted to Garmin Connect as part of your activity file:
By knowing your heart rate, the FR610 can determine your calorie burn by utilizing 2nd generation Firstbeat technology. Firstbeat is a method to evaluate your heart rate and determine caloric burn based on known parameters about you including age, weight, height and fitness level. With this information it can estimate calorie burn for your activity.
This is then shown on the display of the watch (and an alert can be setup when you reach a given level), and is also transmitted to Garmin Connect for record keeping purposes:
The FR610 includes a screen lock that you can unlock simply by swiping after you tap the screen. Essentially it works just like an iPhone/iPod would. The screen lock is activated when the watch goes into power save mode. You cannot however activate it yourself.
But unlike the iPhone it includes a cute little animation that shows a runner ‘evolving’ from crawling to runner, and eventually to collapsing again. Nice touch!
Using the watch…as a day to day watch:
The FR610 can be used as a day to day watch as well, and given its size – it fits quite nicely. I personally found the previous generation FR405/FR410’s too bulky for that. But this one has been holding down the camp on my wrist constantly now. In normal time mode it simply displays the date and time:
You can also create an alarm, should you have a reason you want to wake up (not sure why you’d want to interrupt your sleep though…):
Cycling:
To be clear upfront, this watch is primarily designed for the running crowd. But Garmin added in a number of features to make the cycling piece work just fine if you happen to swing both ways. One of the biggest changes you’ll notice over past Forerunner watches is that virtually every menu setting has a separate area for both cycling and running. Meaning they no longer have to share many of the same settings. You can see this below as an example in one area where you set training pages for both bike and run separately:
In addition to all of the running features noted above, the FR610 also includes support for ANT+ speed/cadence sensors that allow you to gather speed information while indoors on a trainer (or outside if you’d like), as well as cadence information about how many times the crank arm rotates per minute (RPM).
This of course requires an additional accessory, the roughly $35 GSC-10 (or any ANT+ compatible speed/cadence combo sensor). The sensor looks like this:
I’ll talk more about the sensor in a bit.
In addition to displaying speed/cadence sensor data, you can configure an entirely different set of data page views for just the bike. This is pretty cool as it allows you to quickly swap back and forth without re-inventing the wheel data-field wise. For example, while I’m riding I may be interested in both speed and cadence on one page, but more than two metrics on another. You can mix and match just like you can on the running side.
Of course there comes the question of where exactly to place the unit. Some folks prefer the simplicity of their wrist, but personally I like to have it mounted on the bike itself – mostly because that way I don’t have to constantly turn my wrist to see the data.
In that case Garmin sells a cheap little rubber mount kit that wraps around your bikes handlebars. This works well whether it’s a road bike, mountain bike, or even a beach cruiser. You can see the rubber mount kit here:
And here I’ve got it wrapped around the bars:
And finally, with the watch placed on the mount – just like you’d place it on your wrist:
Note that because you have to wrap it around the rubber mount just like your wrist, it’s not super conducive to quick removal in places like a triathlon – so that’s something you might want to keep in mind.
Speaking of triathlons – if you happen to have a triathlon bike, you can still use the same rubber mount, except you may have to get creative about where you mount it. For that there’s a few companies that make small arms that you can move watches onto. FSA and UCM are companies that come to mind. I quickly grabbed a slightly larger version of that mount, so it didn’t quite fit in between my aerobars (long about 2mm), so for the purposes of this photo I have it mounted to the side. But it gives you an idea on the options there:
As you can see, you’ve got a few options on a time trial bike. In an ideal world Garmin would have created a quick release attachment kit for it that locks into the existing FR310XT and Edge 500/800 mounting systems…but, ya can’t win em’ all.
Side Note: Multisport mode/options:
Just as an ancillary note to the triathlon/cycling pieces above, it should be noted that the FR610 does not have a multisport mode like the FR305 and FR310XT do. This means that you can’t do a swim-bike-run recorded event on a single file (including or excluding transitions). Now they have improved this slightly over the alternative of ‘nothing’ by allowing you to quickly swap between running and cycling mode merely by holding the lap/reset button down to display a change sport dialog box:
Swimming:
Despite the very protective looking metallic design, the Garmin Forerunner 610 is actually only waterproofed to IPX7 standards. This means that it can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. It also means that it’s not designed for active swimming on your wrist with constant pounding against the water. The Garmin manual on page 39 warns against explicitly this task:
I’ve previously killed IPX7 Garmin Forerunner watches due to wearing them on my wrist during an indoor swim (in less than 20 minutes). If you’re looking for a fully waterproofed solution you’ll want to aim towards the FR310XT instead, which offers complete waterproofing down to 50 meters.
Now, just because it’s IPX7 doesn’t mean it can’t go out and play in the rain. In fact, it’s more than fine in both the rain and casual water submersion (as you saw earlier with the shower video). For example, I plunked it down in my bathtub for just under 10 minutes – and it came out just fine and dandy:
If you’re looking to use the watch in a triathlon to measure the swim, you should leverage the swim cap method in order to gather accurate distance without killing the watch in the process. Also, for more fun with IPX7 bathtub immersion of expensive gadgets, see this post.
Tanita Weight Scale Compatibility:
Like most of the modern Forerunner and Edge devices that Garmin has created lately, the FR610 supports ANT+ enabled scales. At the moment, the only entrant into that category is the Tanita BC-1000 scale. This scale measures your weight, body fat and hydration levels and then wirelessly transmits it to the waiting Garmin FR610.
To trigger the two devices you simply hold the power button on the FR610 for a brief moment and it’ll go out and search for its ANT+ enabled scale friend. Once it’s found the scale the BC-1000 will begin blinking, indicating its ready for you to step on.
Within about 5-7 seconds the scale completes the reading and transmits it back to the watch, where it appears on the screen:
In addition to appearing on the FR610 screen, it then transmits that data to Garmin Connect the next time you upload data from your watch. Once you’ve logged into Garmin Connect online, you’ll see your metrics within the health section:
The two products together offer a fairly seamless way of gathering the data and tracking it within Garmin Connect.
Accuracy and Satellite Chip:
While I intend to put together a full accuracy report in the coming 4-6 weeks of all the new GPS fitness watch models out there (similar to before with precisely measured routes and varied conditions), I will say that I’ve seen no issues with satellite reception or accuracy on the FR610. I’ve run on trails with fairly wooded tree areas on winding paths and it never dropped reception or produce weird paths showing loss of accuracy.
The satellite chip itself is the the SiRF SiRFstarIV with the Instant Fix II technology, which makes the satellite acquisition process even faster than previous generations. As I noted earlier, I’m finding that I can get satellite reception after turning on in less than 10 seconds in some cases. Incredibly quick.
Fitness Equipment (Gym) Compatibility:
While I don’t have a piece of gym equipment in my place that is ANT+ compatible, I have shown off this capability a bit in the past in previous posts. What this functionality allows you to do is to link-up with ANT+ enabled gym equipment (typically Spin bikes and treadmills) and have it automatically and wirelessly transmit your performance data to the watch.
For example, on a spin bike it would transmit speed/cadence and even power (watts) – depending on the model. Note that it will record power, but won’t display it on the watch itself. I demo’d a bit of this at Interbike this past year with the FR60 – one of the few watches that supports this functionality.
While the number of gyms that have this equipment is incredibly small, it is pretty cool if you happen to stumble on it. Here’s more information from my overview this past fall. Additionally, I spent some time at a local Gym using the FR610 to play with equipment there. For more information, see that post.
Accessories:
There are a number of accessories that can be purchased with the FR610 to extend its functionality. Here’s a brief overview of all the options:
Running Footpod:
The footpod allows you to gather pace, distance and cadence data while both indoors or outdoors. For example, if you’re running on a treadmill this would be required as GPS won’t show you moving. Outdoors it’s useful if your route takes you through a tunnel where you’d lose GPS reception.
The foot pod easily snaps right onto your shoelaces in a matter of a few seconds. After which you’ll want to calibrate it on a track to ensure the highest level of accuracy. I’ve found however that after correctly calibrating the footpod, I can actually get both GPS and footpod data to align exactly. Pretty impressive.
If you plan to hook up the Garmin FR610 to your bike, you’re going to want to pickup the speed/cadence sensor kit to get speed, distance cadence while indoors on a trainer (and cadence outdoors). The good news here is that these kits are relatively inexpensive (compared to the foot pod anyway), and they’re also fully compatible with every other Garmin fitness devices.
This means that if you already have one for a different Garmin device – you’re good to go. And if you get one now, and eventually upgrade your Garmin watch, then you’re still good to go. The speed/cadence kit can be picked up for about $35.
Heart Rate Strap:
Garmin introduced a slightly new heart rate strap with the Edge 800 – and that same strap has been carried through to the FR210, FR410 and now the FR610. This new strap aims to reduce many of the spiking/dropout problems of some of the previous straps. And based on my testing over the past 6 months – it does a pretty good job of this. It’s reduced those problems for me by about 95%. There’s still an occasional spike – but mostly they’re gone.
This new strap looks like this:
However, be aware – there are still two older (more common) types out there, which compared, look like this:
If you buy the bundled FR610 kit, you’ll get the fancy new strap 2010 automagically. You can also pickup the 2010 premium version individually.
One non-Garmin accessory that integrates with the FR610 is the Tanita BC-1000 Wireless ANT+ Weight Scale. This scale uses the ANT+ protocol to communicate with the FR610, allowing it to wirelessly record your weight and body fat readings, which are then transmitted to Garmin Connect.
The FR610 includes software that helps you analyze your activity after you’ve completed it. Initially you’ll need to pair your FR610 with your computer using the ANT+ USB stick that’s included in the box.
The pairing process only takes a second though and simply requires you to confirm the pairing on both the computer (PC or Mac) and the watch:
Once that’s done it’ll automatically synchronize your workouts to your computer and to Garmin Connect (though you can disable the Garmin Connect piece if you choose).
Additionally, this same avenue is used for firmware updates – which occur usually a few times per year for most Garmin watches. This allows them to deliver both bug fixes and feature enhancements.
Once you’ve synchronized your watch, the data will be available on Garmin Connect to analyze:
Garmin Connect (free):
Garmin Connect is Garmin’s free web-based portal that allows you to manage and track all of your Garmin activity data. Whether that be a run, a bike ride…or even flying in a plane. If a Garmin created it – then you can pretty much see it on Garmin Connect. Once your activity is uploaded, it’ll be available for detailed analysis here:
From here you can then scroll down and drill into many different metrics such as pace, heart rate, elevation and cadence:
In addition to the overview of each activity you can replay the activity, as if it were a short video:
The site also includes a larger calendar view that you can use to track your activities over time. From here you can also switch to list view, if you just want a simple list of all your activities.
Garmin Connect has a number of other easy to use features such as setting up goals, tracking health information (as you saw in the Tanita Scale section earlier) and creating reports. Perhaps the most useful aspect of Garmin Connect is the millions of activity files up there that you can search – allowing you to find routes anywhere in the world that you’ve travelled. That’s how on a recent trip to the country of Jordan I found a workable cycling route…just by searching Garmin Connect.
In general Garmin Connect is targeted towards more casual users, whereas some of the next products I discuss are focused towards those wanting more analysis capabilities.
Training Peaks (3rd Party):
Training Peaks is one of the largest 3rd party software options. They have two versions, one is free and one is subscription based. Regardless of whether you pay, the entirety of Training Peaks is a website (except the device agent software you can install to upload files). I use Training Peaks as my primary method of tracking my training efforts. The major reason for TP over Garmin Connect is the advanced analytics. Additionally, it provides a completely seamless conduit between myself and my coach – something that my other software favorite (Sport Tracks) can’t do.
While at the time of this writing Training Peaks doesn’t officially support the FR610 yet, it still works just fine. I was able to simply select the watch from the right-side dropdown and it automatically grabbed the .TCX file to upload to Training Peaks (the FR610 creates both a .TCX and .FIT files, for backwards compatibility with older applications).
From there I was able to log-in and see my run without any issues at all:
If you’re looking for very advanced analytics in a web based form, there’s really no other option out there today that has as many features as TP and is completely web based.
SportTracks:
Another non-Garmin option is SportTracks. SportTracks is a Windows only client application that allows you incredibly in depth analysis of your workouts. Perhaps one of the biggest strengths though of SportTracks is the ability to allow community developers to extend the application with plug-ins. As a result, there’s a ton of totally cool functionality that’s been added over the years (some for a fee). SportTracks as an application has a free-mode with some limitations, and a paid mode for $35.
Because the FR610 exports out both .TCX and .FIT files, SportTracks has no problem consuming these files today:
Once imported, the files act just like any other activity within SportTracks – allowing you to slice and dice the data as you see fit:
If you’ve got a Windows based PC, I definitely encourage you to check it out (free or otherwise).
Summary:
The FR610 represents an update to the previous generation running focused FR405 and FR410 – but omits the troublesome touch bezel that both of those watches had. The primary selling point of this series of device is the slim ‘watch-like’ design – effectively reducing the wrist footprint of the larger (and slightly more capable) FR305 and FR310XT. With the FR610 maintaining that smaller form factor and moving to a much cleaner touch screen interface – it makes for a very compelling running watch.
When comparing the FR610 though to other running focused watches like the FR110 and FR210 though, you see a dramatic difference in features and functionality. The FR110 and FR210 watches are designed for folks that want a simplified GPS-based running experience that essentially just tells you how far, how fast, how long. Whereas the FR610 aims to offer advanced features like workouts, intervals and heavily customizable data fields.
To me perhaps one of the biggest (yet least noted) features is the re-inclusion of 1-second recording mode. This has been a huge pain point for many Garmin users since it was removed after the FR305 back some years ago now. I love the fact that they’ve listened and re-introduced this – and hope to see it return in the firmware for other watches.
So looking at who I’d recommend this watch for, you’ve got a few different categories:
1) The Triathlete: While the FR610 is certainly a great watch for the run leg, and a ‘good’ unit for the bike leg, I’d strongly recommend looking instead at the multisport FR310XT. Yes, it’s a bit bulkier – but when it comes to the water (that’d be the first leg of the triathlon), there’s really only one option today in the Garmin lineup that’s completely waterproofed. I know a lot of folks (including myself) were expecting this to be the FR310XT replacement, which it’s definitely not. I don’t have a timeline for that unfortunately – but I’d be very surprised if we had to wait until next year – given the competition. Given that tri season is upon us though – I’d just recommend picking up the FR310XT and not looking back.
[October 2011 update: The FR910XT was introduced as the new best of breed tri watch.]
2) The Casual Runner: The casual runner will be happy with either the FR610 (this watch), or the cheaper FR210. In general the FR210 is probably a better entry level watch – but both devices are simplified enough where you’d be comfortable either way.
3) The Advanced Runner: The FR610 is really aimed at this market. If you were previously considering the FR405 or FR410 – just ignore those two now and go with the FR610 – you’ll be quite happy.
4) The Cyclist: You want the Edge series of devices, check out the Edge 500 – it’s the best bet here. If you want a crossover device, than go with the FR310XT. While the FR610 does have cycling functions – it’s twice the price of the Edge 500. Compared to the FR310XT, it’s the same price. The FR310XT has more cycling functions than the FR610.
A) One bundle for $349 will include the watch, USB ANT+ stick, charging cable and the exciting manuals.
B) The other bundle for $399 will include the watch and the ANT+ soft premium heart rate strap, along with all the other goodies that come with the cheaper version.
Given the $50 price differential, if you plan to buy the HR strap at any point – it’s best to save the $5 and pick it up ahead of time. If cash is short though, you can always buy any ANT+ HR strap later on (including the new 2010 premium edition one – just see accessories above).
As for availability, the watch will be available in ‘very limited quantities’ at both the London and Boston Marathon expo’s this weekend. Beyond that it won’t be until May 6th that it’s widely available.
Comparison Chart:
Over time this comparison chart has slowly grown. Your best bet is to simply click it and view it in all its full screen glory. The goal here being to compare the most popular GPS based running watches that I’ve reviewed thus far.
Note: I’ve also gone ahead and uploaded the manual in PDF form, until Garmin is able to add it to their site. You can download it here.
Pro’s and Con’s:
Finally, no review would be complete without the infamous pro’s and con’s section:
Pro’s:
– A GPS watch…that looks like a regular watch
– Adds 1-second recording option for all workouts
– Adds Run/Walk reminder feature (which can be used for all sorts of other things, like nutrition)
– Adds Virtual Racer feature, ability to race past performances/others
– Accurately tracks distance, heart rate, pace and a ton of other metrics
– Ability to change data fields at any time by simply pressing and holding data field
– Touchscreen works as advertised – no issues
– Connects to ANT+ foot pods and speed/cadence sensors for indoor workouts
– Connects to ANT+ weight scales and gym equipment
– Works as a normal watch (time/date/alarms) when not being used for fitness
– Wirelessly downloads workouts via ANT+ to computer
Con’s:
– Battery life is still limited at 8 hours
– Doesn’t support ANT+ power meters (cycling)
– Not fully waterproofed for swimming
– Lack of standard ‘course’ download and follow/review option
– Changed charging connector (some might see this as benefit, but I’m not convinced)
As always, thanks for reading, I appreciate it. If you have any questions – feel free to post them below, I try to answer as often as possible. Thanks!
Found this review useful? Here’s how you can help support future reviews with just a single click! Read on…
Hopefully you found this review useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
I’ve partnered with Clever Training to offer all DC Rainmaker readers an exclusive 10% discount across the board on all products (except clearance items). You can pickup the Garmin FR610 either with or without HR strap (and accessories). Then receive 10% off of everything in your cart by adding code DCR10BTF at checkout. By doing so, you not only support the site (and all the work I do here) – but you also get a sweet discount. And, since this item is more than $75, you get free US shipping as well.
Additionally, you can also use Amazon to purchase the unit or accessories (though, no discount on either from Amazon). Or, anything else you pickup on Amazon helps support the site as well (socks, laundry detergent, cowbells). If you’re outside the US, I’ve got links to all of the major individual country Amazon stores on the sidebar towards the top. Though, Clever Training also ships most places too and you get the 10% discount.
As you’ve seen throughout the review there are numerous compatible accessories for the unit. I’ve consolidated them all into the below chart, with additional information (full posts) available on some of the accessories to the far right. Also, everything here is verified by me – so if it’s on the list, you’ll know it’ll work. And as you can see, I mix and match accessories based on compatibility – so if a compatible accessory is available at a lower price below, you can grab that instead.
Finally, I’ve written up a ton of helpful guides around using most of the major fitness devices, which you may find useful in getting started with the devices. These guides are all listed on this page here. Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
If you’re seeing corrosion on your unit (not all people see the skin reaction, which causes the corrosion), Garmin will happily swap out your unit for free. Even if you bought it the day the units came out. Just ring them out. They stopped making the metal backed ones about 18 months ago.
For satellites, if you’re getting extreme slowness, go ahead and do a soft reset (no data loss), and that usually fixes things.
Refurbished units may still have a metal back unless they changed in the last few weeks. Don’t know if there is a process to get a referb without a metal back
Hi. Thank you for a quite exceptional review. Comprehensive but not verbose.
I currently have the 410 which after 2 and a half years use is increasingly erratic with its pace accuracy despite resetting. So…two questions: what is the anticipated useable lifespan of the 610, and secondly – I have the soft wrist strap on the 410 as my wrist is so tiny. Does the 610 come with a strap as it doesn’t appear to be in the boxed packaging? Once again, many thanks for your diligent report. Pam
The FR610 doesn’t have a specific lifespan. For pace accuracy on your FR410, that does sound like a hard reset would fix it – are you sure you did that versus a soft reset?
As for the FR610, it doesn’t come with a soft strap.
Gosh – quick response thanks! The reset I did was recommended by Garmin product support ie press and hold and delete all history which felt pretty hard to me. Be interesting to know the average time used before replacements as I guess it sounds like upgrading to newer models occurs before the lifetime effectiveness is reached? The strap is a real negative though – why on earth would they not incorporate that? Surely it wipes out a whole potential base of users?! Pam
How is the Virtual Racer feature different from doing a “Course” on, e.g., the 310XT? If I look at the Virtual Partner, the map or the elevation profile there, I compare myself to the exact performance of when the course was created, don’t I?
Thanks for another great review. A couple of questions: 1. How many hours can the watch record at 1s intervals before its full? 2. How does it stack up as an everyday watch?
Okay, I was holding out for an upgrade to the 310xt. I’ve been using a FR 305 but wanted something smaller/prettier. I’m happy with the 305, just interested in something smaller. Would you advise waiting on an updated 310 (maybe 1-2 months) or go ahead and buy a 310 now?
As always, awesome review Ray! As a fellow nerd, I appreciate the details. One simple question: does the watch function as an everyday watch – can it display time, date, etc. without a GPS fix?
As a triathlete, I was really hoping the next offering would be something multi-sport aimed, if for no other reason then to drive the 310xt’s price down.
Not sure what Garmin is doing with so many similar running watches on the market now. 110-210-410-610 the line is blurry where each one is better than the other (especially with the almost-new 410)
It’s so awesome that I was able to read your in depth review on the day of announcement. I’d otherwise be clamoring for more info (and wasting a lot of time trying to find it) on the Internet. I’m planning on ordering one. It has everything that I wanted (well, except for being waterproof). Great job Ray, you rock! Thanks to Garmin for being smart and sending you one early enough to have your review ready!! Keep the great info coming!! 🙂
I just received my 310XT today from Amazon. Was going to leave it in the box in case the new Garmin was going to be a updated version. In which case I would have returned it and waited for the new one.
Oh man! Great review but as many others already wrote. was really hoping for an update to the 310xt! Hopefully someone can offer some insight into when that refresh might be coming to a blogger near us? thanks as always!
just wondering, can the watch be locked so the touch screen becomes inoperative when running? if so, how does that work?
I’m concerned that when running it would be easy for the screens to get all messed up just through some accidental touch from a sleeve, or a knock from another runner.
one thing that has got me before with the 320XT is that I’ve accidently locked the screen and at the time I’ve had a mind blank as how to unlock it, this has really messed up my runs when trying for five minutes trying to unlock.
the other thing that concerns me, I guess that if the front panel breaks the watch is a finished and it’s a full rma? two years ago I had a bad fall on the bike part of a triathlon and my 310xt ended up with a chipped screen on the corner, lucky for me it’s still water proof and working. How shock proof is this thing?
Definitely glad to see 1 second recording back 😀 Keeping my fingers crossed that they provide firmware upgrades for the Edge series to do the same as that’s by far my largest complaint with the 800!
Very thorough review. I’m glad you had the opportunity to review the product prior to launch and I hope Garmin will continue providing you this opportunity.
Any insight for future releases of Garmin Forerunners? All the pros for this watch have a hard time justifying the negative waterproofing, fix that and support cycle meters and this would be a great tri watch.
In regards to pricing UK Garmin made the following post: “The London Marathon Expo will be exclusively selling a limited number of the first Forerunner 610’s to arrive in the country (£359) and will also take pre-orders on the stand #230 Halls N1-N8.” link to garmin.blogs.com
I love your blog and your in-depth reviews. Thank you for putting so much time into them. Actually I bought the 310XT a few months ago after thoroughly reading your recommendations. Thank you!
I must say I am very disappointed with the new 610… I see no reason why I should upgrade from my 410. Just as I saw no reason to upgrade to the 800 from the 705. BIG question… is Garmin running out of ideas on how to innovate their products. Seems like the new products are just cosmetics changes with marginal improvements… Just my opinion.
On remark… you note on you feature comparison that the 410 does not have the virtual pacer, but it does have it. Or does Virtual Racer mean something completely different? If so, what is the difference?
Based on DCR’s tight-lipped 45-day trial period with the FR610, he likely wouldn’t be able to tell us IF he had a 310XT replacement in his possession, or knew of one coming up.
If only he could tell us somehow.
DCR: blink once for “it’s coming soon” and blink twice for “don’t hold your breath”
So it’s basically a touchscreen 410 with Tanita integration? Big deal…Garmin needs to worry more about fixing all the folks stranded with bugs on the 410/405cx/405.
Great review. Question: What is the difference/advantage in 1 sec recording vs. smart recording for the average runner? Is 1 sec recording more accurate with distance, HR, or calories?
nooo… where the new multisport/triathlon watch that was announced? this is simply a running-watch…. (in the market there are also 110-210-410…… so similar…). Triathlete have to wait 2012? thanks
I’ll add another voice to the choir asking for 1s recording, virtual racer and the run/walk alerts in a firmware update on the 310XT, but I won’t be holding my breath.
I’d also second the “blink once for yes, twice for no” on the question about a 310XT refresh.
Ok Ray, your commenters have chosen my next occupation – stalking you so I can tell everyone what you’re demoing! I figure since you live near me I can just stake out a spot on one of your training routes and try to grab spy shots of your wrists as you speed by. Then I’ll upload them and tell everyone and be a hero!!!
Just kidding. But it does raise a question re: your NDAs. How paranoid do you get running around with these things that someone might see a new gadget that hasn’t been announced yet and tell the world?
One more thought: if Garmin is unwilling to give out certain upgrades (1s, racer, alerts) in a free firmware update, I’m sure there is a large community of 310XT users who would pay for a firmware update that included such things. Thoughts?
Also, will you be using the 610 for run workouts going forward? Sticking with the 210?
Great review as always! I’ve got a question about the magnetic back. Would you have the chance to check if the Forerunner 610 affects a compass when held at the thumb, i.e. some 5-8 cm from the watch? If it does, it would be a showstopper for orienteers interested in this watch – except for that it looks great with the 1s mode and loosing the touch bezel.
It would be useful to know which GPS chipset is inside this – the only watches using the newer, lower powered and more accurate one are the 110 and 210. I’m assuming the 610 is – but please can you clarify?
I wonder why Garmin hasn’t integrated footpod calibration with the GPS? It seems like such an obvious thing to do and would be really handy when you don’t have a well defined calibration course available.
Ray, your reviews are fantastic and most appreciated.
Seems like Garmin gave up some screen space for that black outer ring? Maybe there’s a good reason or it has something to do with the touchscreen technology.
I’m much shorter than you Ray and I use the 410 as an everyday watch at times. I love it.
Hey Ray, huge congrats on being referenced as the go-to review of the 610 on Engadget. And I quote: “It’s available now on Garmin’s site, though we suggest you hardcore runners check out DC Rainmaker’s review below: it’s everything you wanted to know about the 610 but were afraid to ask, including comparison shots with other Forerunners and a glove test.”
I read that site everyday. I’m sure you read it often too. It’s the best tech blog I know of and to be referenced there is pretty awesome, so congratulations!
Excellent, thorough review! Thank you. I currently own the 405 and while I love the features and functionality for my training I do wish the profile was a bit slimmer. It might work for some as an everyday watch but it becomes quite a fashion statement piece for a 5’3″ woman:-) Looking forward to upgrading in the not-too-distant future!
Touchscreen…”no issues”? Except that clearly you had to multi/repeat press in the video. They just swapped the bezel/button nav for touchscreen…big deal. Would’ve been MUCH more impressive with less bezel area and more screen. Or better yet…fix the broken firmware for the 410/405 owners.
uhh..am I seeing things…was the coverage of the lock feature there before..opps if it was, looks pretty good…I’m just wondering now how you enable the lock? 🙂
and to the person going on about Garmin firmware issues, I’ve never ever had any issues with Garmin firmware, on either the 400 series or my 310xt…odd that 😉
Thanks for the review! I’m a 405 user who was hoping for longer battery life in the new model, particularly as my watch battery has lost some of its life (5hrs or so now).
Or, better yet, a removable/replaceable battery.
As another poster noted, a barometric altimeter would be nice. Current model’s elevation info is unreliable.
I also have heard the 610 has some sort of “training effect” feature that evaluates workout intensity. Any word on that?
I guess those that want a bit more battery life need to stick with the giant xt series. Drat.
Thanks all for the comments and questions thus far! I’ve just added a bunch of sections in response to many of the questions listed here. A little later on tonight I’ll round up any outstanding questions and get them all answered. In the meantime, here’s the newly added sections/information:
1) Using watch as regular watch/day to day use 2) Screen Lock 3) Showering with FR610 (water/rain simulation) 4) Clarification/corection on courses feature 5) Pricing and availability information 6) Satellite Chip and Reception
1. It seems that the display numbers are larger? Perhaps adding comparable display shots for each model side by side would be helpful.
2. If I do not lock the bezel sometimes clothing will cause the bezel to register a selection especially when wet on my 410. I imagine the pressure sensitive screen has eliminated this problem. Have you found anything that causes unwanted selections being made aside from a fat finger. Will a stylus work? Not that I would use one on the watch, just curious. Ha Ha
Thanks again for stopping by. Since there’s already about 68 comments, I’ll just go ahead and aim to answer any outstanding questions that weren’t answered through some of the updates I noted a short bit ago.
RE: Virtual Racer diff from Course on FR310XT
In this case, the course on a FR310XT shows you directional information, whereas Virtual Racer does not.
RE: How long can it record
The FR610 can hold 180 hours of activity…so more than enough time to find a computer. 🙂
RE: Day to day watch
Yup, no issues there at all – been on my wrist constantly as a normal watch. See section added above.
RE: ANT driver for Linux
Check out the guys at GoldenCheetah.org
RE: Screen locking
See the new Screen Lock section I added above. I haven’t had it accidentally swipped unlocked, but I also haven’t had any super-cold weather with it yet. Given the swipping simply controls data views (and not stop/start), at worst if it was under clothing you might be on a different page than you expected.
RE: Upgrade from FR410
In general I agree – I don’t see a compelling reason to upgrade from the fairly new FR410 (or for that matter, really even the FR405). Now, if you’re in the market for a new watch on either of those two fronts – then I’d highly suggest FR610 over FR405/CX/410.
RE: Training Effect Feature
I plan to add a section on this in a few days – just need a bit more data on the watch to make sense of it and have it show useful information.
RE: Stalking me on a run to find the latest toys
In general you’ll have to run pretty fast. 😉 Well, except long runs in the heat, in which case you can probably just about walk.
RE: Magnetic compass variation
I’ll dig up a compass and test it out!
RE: Making it compatible with Withings WiFi Scale
While I’d love that, I don’t see that happening. Tanita and Garmin are partners via ANT+, and Withings could be considered a competitor. Plus, honestly, the Withings Scale sorta bypasses the need for the FR610 as a conduit for the weight data.
RE: MiCoach Foot Pod
As long as it has the ANT+ logo on the back, you’ll be good to go!
RE: Difference between US/Pacific/Europe
Typically it’s just the power adapter that’s different.
RE: My wrist size
It’s ‘athletic skinny’. My fiancee (5’2″) put it on and it’s not too bad, much slimmer than the FR405. I’ll try and get a picture with her on it over the next couple days.
RE: Timex Update
I don’t have anything to share at this time. Sorry!
RE: Display Number size
The display numbers are basically the same as the other watches. I’ll try and get some comparable shots put together.
=======
Finally…regarding a FR310XT replacement:
While I certainly hoped just as much as anyone else that we’d see one announced, it looks like the focus is on running at the moment. There are certainly rumors around a tri product for later – but nothing I’d bank on for right now. I don’t have any Garmin FR310XT replacement product in my position (I wish I did)…sorry! No winks required! Also, the 45 day period I typically have the product for is inclusive into May. I haven’t had the watch (FR610) all but a few days now.
Your reviews are outstanding, thank you so much. I now know I should just stick it out with my 310XT, as exciting as it would have been to get gussied up with something new for race season. Hopefully there’ll be a new version of the 310xt some time soon. Thanks again!
Finally a good enough replacement once my 2yr old 405 goes out of commission. Thanks for the review Ray. PS: miCoach products will work with Garmin, fyi.
One question regarding multisport use: is it possible to use Forerunner 610 for other activities than running and cycling, i.e. for inline skating or skiing?
Great review, as usual! And excellent timing. I happened to check the Runners World site last night before looking at my RSS feeds (where you are) and saw they had a “first look” posted – I read it, found it wholly unsatisfying, and told my husband “I’ll wait for the DCRainmaker review” – only had to wait until I opened my feed reader!
Every time I convince myself I don’t need one item, something else comes out and stokes the gear lust. 🙂 I’m still using a really old Forerunner (the rectangular one, maybe 105) for races, but am now tempted by the 610.
Thanks for another excellent review! I’ve purchased my 310xt based on your review of it and also how I found this site.
Just a comment though – in the comparison chart, you’ve said the 310xt doesn’t work as a day watch. Maybe that can be changed to “technically possible” – turn GPS off, and set one of the run displays to 1 field, time of day and there you go.
I have not done a lengthy test of how long it lasts in that mode but I know it would be days (as I’ve tried and failed to kill the battery that way).
Are there two different types of vibration for under speed/over speed, like there are two different tones? I use the pace alarms quite a bit in my own customized workouts and wonder how they handled that condition, if they did. I wouldn’t mind turning off the beeping during my runs.
“Here is the big news for multisport athletes: The Forerunner 610 can be used with an external battery that is solar charged to charge the watch when you are not near power for multi-day activities.”
Well that’s…new. And hopefully a sign of things to come.
Great review, as usual! I was interested by the Nike+ Sportwatch GPS, and I will wait for the depth review, but I think that the forerunner 610 will replace my old Polar S625X
Jason – Thanks for posting this info. Very interested to see price/size/wt of this option… “Here is the big news for multisport athletes: The Forerunner 610 can be used with an external battery that is solar charged to charge the watch when you are not near power for multi-day activities.”
DCRainmaker, big Thanks for your review and responsiveness to comments! You might contact Garmin and say you think they forgot to ship everyting since your external solar battery is missing. 🙂
Thanks for posting this Jason. Very interesting. I wonder what the price/size/wt/performance of this will be…
“Here is the big news for multisport athletes: The Forerunner 610 can be used with an external battery that is solar charged to charge the watch when you are not near power for multi-day activities.”
DC – Bigttime thanks for the great review and responsiveness to comments. Maybe you should try contacting Garmin and say they must have forgot something in your shipment, as you can’t find the external battery and solar charger. 🙂
I am in love with your reviews. I’m a full fledged geek and read alot of tech reviews but yours are always a pleasure to read from beginning to end.
One question. On the FR210 you see the watch as a removable disk and can download the fit files directly from the watch. Is this possible on the FR610 as well, or do you need the ant stick?
Looks like the external battery is from the company powertraveller, model powermonkey explorer. They have a garmin kit that they say adds 20 hrs of use to the Garmin edge 800. Fairly small and light (90 x 45 x 38mm/3.5×1.75×1.5in and weighs 83g/2.9oz). Price from garmin is 70GBP ($114USD). This battery also works with the Garmin forerunner 110.
Here’s a review of the explorer kit with pics (sans garmin attachments). link to fittechnica.com
Wow, what an amazing new piece of training equipment!
I’m happy I purchased the 310xt, it seems like a better watch for running and cycling.
Touch screen is certainly interesting…I’d kill to try it but I wouldn’t spend the money to buy it probably.
Thanks for the great review! I saw that it was announced on Facebook on Garmin’s page so I immediately came here and waddaya know, you already posted a review! Great Stuff!
Thanks for the comments! Here’s a few answers to additional quetsions.
RE: Fields available for customization
Yes, you can customize with tons of data fields – pretty much the same as the other high end watches.
RE: Other sports (like skating)
Absolutely! You can switch to ‘cycling’ mode to get MPH (instead of minutes/mile) and it’ll work perfectly. I certainly plan to use mine skiing.
RE: Fabric Band
I’ve ordered the band today and it should arrive in a few days. I’ll update the review then with additional comments on it.
RE: Using FR310XT as day to day watch
True, though you’d have to charge it just about everday. Plus, it currently exceeds my geekfactor (a hard bar to beat!). 😉
RE: Vibration Alerts
No, just one vibrate alert level.
RE: External Battery pack
I’ve ordered that as well, should arrive when the strap arrives. Will include comments on that as well. And best of all, it works with all Garmin units.
RE: Giveaway a FR610
Hmm….
RE: Vibrate alert each KM
Yes, you could setup a distance alert or autolap for kilometers at any distance.
RE: Shutdown FR610
Yes, you can completely power it off, simply hold the power button for a few seconds and it will fully shutoff the unit.
RE: FR610 and data sync/removable disk
It does not show up as a mass storage device like the FR210. It uses the ANT+ agent and that places the files in the ANT Agent directory, but you do need the stick.
RE: Battery lasting in everyday mode
It lasts 4 weeks in ‘everyday’ mode.
====== Regarding the FR310XT Replacement, I asked Garmin today about it specifically. I asked – these are exact quotes:
DCRainmaker: “Is it accurate to say there are no plans for a FR310XT successor this season?”
Garmin: “We have thousands of engineers working on developing new products, and the Forerunner 610 is the top of the line within our GPS enabled watch market. While we are proud to showcase the 610 as our Spring release, we will always continue to innovate”.
It appears Garmin very carefully walked around the wording of ‘Spring’ (as opposed to my very specific wording of ‘Season’, which jives with some interesting stuff I’ve seen elsewhere posted using the wording of April/May’.
Linux support: There is an unofficial Linux driver for ANT+ at link to forums.garmin.com This driver works with the 405, and I think it also works with the 410. Ray, can you test whether this driver works with the 610?
Weight: According to Garmin’s website, the 610 weighs 2.54 oz, which is heavier than the 405/410 which weigh 2.11 oz. This seem strange as the 610 is smaller. Can you verify this?
Hello, Always fantastic reviews, Thank you!!! my question about Garmin Forerunner 610: do you think will be here glass cracking issues as with the FR310XT , I am still cray ……. Thank you Best regards Emmanouil Psaradakis Talos Cycling Team Chania-Crete email:psaras61@gmail.com
“It appears Garmin very carefully walked around the wording of ‘Spring’ (as opposed to my very specific wording of ‘Season’, which jives with some interesting stuff I’ve seen elsewhere posted using the wording of April/May’.”
So we go from 410 to 610, where is the 510? This leads me to believe that the “upgrade” to the 310 will be the “future” 510. I would’t be surprised to see it coming to “light” in a couple of months. I will be waiting for it. I love large screens.
Ok, only one kind of vibration alert. Too bad, It would be nice if it buzzed twice when you’re too slow, and once when you’re too fast.
Did they leave in all of the features from the 405/410, like the audible pace alarms from custom workouts? I assume there is no reason to take out the features that I’ve become accustomed to using.
Looks like .FIT would make it compatible with Endomondo as well! Good stuff!!
Say, do you have any idea if an updated version of the 310XT will come out? It seems like the entire sports product line except the 310XT has been renewed during 2010/2011.
Maybe it’s now time for the multisporters to get rid of the huge case…
Hi! Great in depth reviews. I’m a sort of beginner in running, I ran my first halfmarathon last year. I want to take training to next level with some gps device. I thought the FR 305 would be ok, but it’s kind an old device. Should I go for 310xt or new FR 610? Since I like to ride bike as well, I wouldn’t have to buy a computer for bike, if I’d have on of these devices… Thank’s.
I think this is improved a bit. There’s a very slight bezel which should just barely keep it above the pavement. Certainly far better than the Nike+ I just cracked…(or the FR310XT).
RE: 310XT Everyday battery
Cool! Good to know, thanks for the heads up!
RE: Updated FR310XT
See my above comments (in red) in response to other comments.
RE: SirfIV chip
Yes, I confirmed that with Garmin yesterday – they confirmed also that it is indeed the same chip at the FR210.
RE: Guiding home compass
Yes that’s there when tracking back, but the standalone ‘courses’ concept is not.
RE: FR310XT or FR610, or FR305
The FR305 is still a great watch – and one of the reasons it’s still selling incredibly well. As a runner-only the FR305 offers basically everything the FR310XT does. And for the most part everything the FR610 does. All three watches are fairly advanced. I’d almost consider looking at the FR210 for a simpler watch (and cheaper) that really appeals towards running but offers a cycling mode ‘just in case’.
Does anyone know if all Forerunners sold in the US come standard with UK 3-Pin adapters?
The reason I ask is that I’m seriously thinking of pre-ordering the 610 through one of the US online stores. I need to be sure that it comes with the UK adapter before proceeding.
I’m in Singapore and it’s a lot cheaper to buy from the US than UK.
On the external solar pack. You can do this now with pretty much anything that charges with 5v and less than 2 amps. I am charging my 210 now with the powermonkey solar panel. Anything that charges via USB will work as this unit has an adapter to USB and can either be connected to the compact solar panel or an external battery pack. This has nothing to do with the 610 as far as I can tell. If they actually made a cable that fit the 610 then that would be different, but as of now you just plug in the included cable for the watch with the adapter to the charger via USB. Hope thats helpful
Just want to say THANK YOU for these reviews you do! You’re seriouly so much better than the owners manual. I set up my 410 with your help, thank you!!
I’ve since lost my brand spankin’ new 410 to my newly hooked on running, daughter. I’ve no doubt she will put it to great use. If I get into NYCM, I’ll spring for the 610.
Again, your reviews are just awesome, thank you so much!
Many thanks for the excellent in-depth reviews that you do!
Could you please do some FR610 accuracy tests in lane 1 of an outdoor running track, and while running through some “urban canyons” (city streets with tall buildings on both sides)?
I have found that my 305 loses accuracy in these two situations. When I run 1 mile in lane 1 of a track (4×440 yards), the 305 reports a distance of 1.02-1.04 miles, and the pace it displays is too fast by as much as 20-25 sec per mile. It also loses signal and records a longer distance/faster pace in the urban canyons.
Great review. I am excited to get this watch. I actually was upgrading my FR405 a week ago to the FR410, got the watch, ran with it and saw the FR610 was coming out. Thankfully Pacers let me return it. I will get the FR610 as soon as it comes out. I wish they would hurry. I am watchless!
Jiminy Cricket, You know how big the outdoor track is, right? 😉 Why do you need a GPS watch to measure that distance?
As for pacing accuracy, are you using lap pace or instantaneous pace? Lap pace averages over more data points and is more stable. Instantaneous pace varies quite a bit and is therefore misleading, especially when running on a hilly course.
I use the foot pod for all of my pace and distance data gathering. Once calibrated correctly, the foot pod is quite accurate. I never found the GPS to be that accurate.
I like to capture the cadence number, something you won’t get from a satellite. I have started to see cadence numbers of over 95 in some interval sessions so I can see that I am finally getting some better leg turnover.
The Training Effect is the same thing that Suunto introduced in their devices (eg. suunto t6d) a couple of yrs ago. Suunto was working on that with a company called First Beat technologies and was using their algorithm in their training evaluation SW. Apparently, a couple of months ago, Suunto decided to walk away from the license agreement with First Beat and First Beat is now providing their algorithm to Garmin.
Ray, great review and great service and dedication to your readers. Thanks!
One question regarding the virtual training partner feature. If you record and replay and compete against your previous self, is that only time-based, i.e. averaging the speed of the previous run and showing that as your opponent. Or does it playback the pace of your previous run specific to each section of the run. That makes a difference when climbing hills or generally on runs where there are fast and slow stretches.
Again, thanks for all your efforts doing this unprecedented level of in-depth testing,
The lane 1 track length is 440 yards (an “Imperial” measurement, not metric). I don’t need the 305 for distance measurement, but would like to have accurate pace for tempo runs and intervals on the track.
As for pace, I do use lap pace, not instantaneous pace. Except for the track, I have found the GPS to be extremely accurate.
I also have a foot pod, and with calibration it is better on the track than the 305 if I maintain the same stride rate/length when doing my workout that I used when calibrating the pod. However, on the road, my stride rate/length tend to vary (hills), which makes the foot pod less accurate than GPS. Thus, I tend to use the GPS all the time, and hope to find the 610 is more accurate in the two situations I mentioned.
Jiminy, Thanks for more information on your situation. Maybe I should give the GPS another try. I’m surprised that you have found it so accurate. Do you run in the open a lot? Do you run under trees or near tall buildings?
I run in New York City, usually in Central Park, so I am under trees. When I run around the edge of Manhattan, there are tall buildings around which interfere with the signal. I remember looking at the GPS track on Google maps and just laughing that the track had me in the river or running across the deck of a ship.
I guess I have just come to accept the slight inaccuracies of the foot pod. Is there any way to tweak the distance measurements in Garmin Training Center?
I have found the foot pod to be way off when running indoors on a small 200m track. Outdoors, in road races, it is usually within a hundredth of a mile, per mile.
I have compared the lap pace from my 405 w/foot pod to the pace displayed by a high quality Woodway treadmill, and I have seen them align to within a second. I hope the Woodway people build accurate treadmlls. 🙂
Anyway, I’m excited about getting the 610. I’m a little bummed that it looks like I will have to wait 5-8 weeks to get the watch. I’ll keep plugging along with the 405. I think I have 1600 miles on it.
Nearly all of my running is in the open, no continuous tree coverage, and not in urban canyons. I have measured the courses that I regularly run in Google Earth, imported and compared my 305 tracks to GE measurements, and find that the 305 is right on the GE tracks.
This was not the case with many earlier models of Garmin GPS. Before the SirfStar IV receiver chip, the GPS distance could be off as much as 10% from the true distance (as measured using online mapping software). Except for running on the track and in urban canyons, I am extremely happy with 305 accuracy.
I don’t know of any distance or GPS track tweaks you can make in Training Center; it can only report what it uploads from the GPS. SportTracks does have the ability to modify the GPS track (delete and move track points), and also has a plug-in that corrects GPS elevations, giving ascent and descent numbers that seem to be reasonable. You might try it with some of your run tracks.
I look forward to hearing about your experiences with the 610.
Jiminy, Thanks for the telling me about SportTracks. Unfortunately, it is a Windows only program, as far as I can tell. I’m a Mac user. I do have a Windows machine, a Lenovo T500 laptop, which has just stopped booting, so, I’m down on Windows machines this week. I barely used the machine and now it’s a brick.
I reread part of the review here and see that DCRainMaker says that he was able to get the foot pod and GPS to align perfectly. That’s pretty cool.
When do you think you’ll get your 610? Are you on the pre-order list? I heard they were selling some watches in Boston but only had 25 of them so they were snatched up quickly. A friend tried to get me one but failed.
I’m in no rush to buy the 610. I’d like to see if DC Rainmaker is able to perform the two accuracy tests that I requested, and review the results before I make a final purchase decision.
Today I ran at the track and used my foot pod with my 305 instead of the GPS. Starting out, while I did my warmup at a 10:00 min pace, the foot pod gave excellent distance/pace info.
Following the warmup, I ran a quarter mile lap much faster (9:00 pace), and at the faster pace (different stride rate/length?) the foot pod accuracy was worse than the GPS is on the track. After I recalibrated at the faster pace, it was again very accurate (with one exception, noted below). This leads me to conclude that I must keep a record of the calibration factor for each pace I wish to run, and then change to that factor whenever my planned workout pace changes.
For some reason, at one point during the workout, the foot pod briefly lost connection with the 305, but resynchronized after about 30 seconds. This dropout resulted in a loss of about .05 mile of run distance. Have you had this experience with your foot pod?
Thank you so much for posting these reviews. Is the heart rate strap for the 110 compatible to the 610 or would I have to buy a new one? I started with the Garmin 110 but as I become a more “serious” runner, I find the 110’s features lacking.
Thanks so much for the review, after reading it I bought the 610 at the London Marathon Expo. The only issue I’ve had is if I set the training fields up to show % HRR or % max HR I don’t get a reading even though I’ve set up my min and max HR. Any chance you could try yours with these fields activated and see if you get a reading.
Jiminy, I haven’t noticed any dropouts from the foot pod when using it with my 405. I think a 30 second dropout would be pretty obvious to see in Garmin Training Center.
I’m willing to also try the accuracy tests on the track, once I get the watch. I do track workouts every week.
Looking at the final retail packing of the US ones, it does not come with the UK plug – only the little american piece. That said, I believe Garmin will sell you the little US adapter piece for it for probably nothing.
Hi Anon- RE: Power Pack
Fwiw, I ordered one last week to test out…though oddly now to think about it, it hasn’t come in yet..will update once it does.
Hi Jiminy- RE: Accuracy tests
I plan to do accuracy tests for all new Spring 2011 watches, though I’m waiting a bit for all of them to reach market (i.e. both the Polar and Timex variants). Will definitely include the track test, as I haven’t done that in the past and that sounds like a great one!
Keep in mind the FR305 GPS chip is far older than these chips, and in my experiance – not nearly as accurate.
Hi Mariano- RE: Sound Volume
You cannot change the sound on the FR610 – but with the vibrate feature, you almost don’t need it. Whenever an interval starts it will vibrate – so you don’t miss it. One of my favorite FR310XT/FR610 features!
Hi Jan- RE: Compass
It arrives tomorrow – will let ya know shortly!
Hi Atilano/Others RE: FR310 Replacement
See my earlier comments above in red (in the comments section). Thanks!
Hi Ondratej- RE: Training Effect
Thanks for the links! Good stuff for those that are interested.
Hi Dominik- RE: Virtual Training Partner Playback
Hmm, I’ll try that later today on my run and clarify.
Hi Anon- RE: Heart Rate Strap
They’re all compatible with each other. So if you’ve got the FR110 ones, you’re completely good to go! I have a large pile of them and interchange them all the time, no issues.
Hi CJ- RE: %HR %Max HR Missin
Just tossed on the strap to ensure both work, they do. Though, you have to have BOTH your resting HR and Max HR set within either running and cycling, and be in that setting to see them. What firmware does your watch have?
I’m beginning to think more seriously about buying a 610 sooner rather than later.
Last night I replaced the battery in my foot pod to see if that cleared up the dropout problem I reported. It seemed to, but another issue came to light in my workout this morning: bad cadence numbers.
As I was running this morning, looking at the cadence display on the 305 (not average cadence, or lap cadence), I saw it start out in the 90-92 rpm range for about 45 seconds, then drop down to 45 rpm for a while, then jump back up to 90, back down to lower numbers, back up to 90+/-, on and on through the workout. I recalibrated a couple of times to see if that fixed then problem, but it did not. Interestingly enough, the distance readout was correct. The cadence graphs in GTC and SportTracks show this very clearly, and the pace graph also shows a lot of fluctuation.
I’ve submitted a support request to Garmin and expect an initial response early next week. Wonder if this is an issue with my 305, and the way it is analyzing the cadence data it is getting from the foot pod?
Thanks for offering to run the 610 accuracy tests on the track. 🙂
It came in early today from Amazon. 🙂 I picked up a cheap Silva Starter compass, just like I had in Boyscouts.
My testing found that if it was under an inch from the FR610 then it would be affected. It depended slightly on what angle it was to the compass – meaning if you came from below the compass you were at an inch, but in front of the needle it was more like half-an-inch before it affected it.
Hope this helps!
Hi Jiminy- RE: The footpod piece
I’ve actually got that on my list to ask the Garmin folks to provide a bit of clarification on how head unit versions of the software has changed relative to the footpod itself. Will let ya know.
Hey. Great review. I’d be interested in your thoughts on the Nike sportwatch gps. Am looking at getting a gps watch in the next few months and at this point it’s a toss up between the 610 and the Nike. Your review is a big help. Cheers from Australia.
sorry for my english// You have most fully reviews for all garmin sport equipment-is realy great work. But can i ask about this choice why Garmin only? why not a Polar or Suunto production too.Is it possible to make a fight between a leaders:Polar rs800cx vs. Suunto t6d and Garmin fr310/410/610? i looking for vibtation function for HRM GPS watch(i can’t run without music more then 3-5K)-is a only option to get notification! which watch can give me this option exept fr310&fr610? How accurate is GPS altimeter-i just live in mountainous area? thank you for all best regards from Jerusalem-Israel
I will be honest: This is the first I have seen of your site. After having the 405cx for less than a year it was taken back today due to battery issues and “dying” during my first duathlon last weekend. I am struggling between the 305 (such a great price!) and the 210 and have found your site to be a gold mine of information. Thank you!
Thanks for checking for me, after a bit more playing around I realised that it didn’t think I’d set a max HR because the default value happened to be my max HR, having changed it to another value then back again I’m getting a reading now.
Jan I’m also an Orienteer and wore my 610 for four events over the Easter weekend and didn’t have any problems, I wear it on my right wrist and use a thumb compass on my left hand.
Great Reviews. If you already answered this question I apoligize but I didn’t see it.
Will the 310xt record my routes so I can run them again? Friends have told me some of their older Garmin watches would display a map route for previous runs and even tell them when to turn. If not, can I download maps from Garmin connect or something?
Last, are all the people bashing the 310 on the internet just upset because they haven’t taken the time to understand the watch? Because some people are really upset. Thanks for your time in advance. i really enjoy all your reviews.
I have the 305 and wanted to get one of the newer releases. I use it mostly for running and always had Garmin, but, would you recommend other brands like Timex or Polar?
Hello from Germany, i´ve a question to the forerunner 610, a friend of me will buy the forerunner 610 in usa. now my question, is it possible to use it in german menue or is only english language possible?
I just lost my 405 (don’t ask me how). Do I get the 410 or the 610? hmmmmmm.
I am a triathlete too. I have a 310XT, but my BF mooched it when he got a quarq and his 305 couldn’t hack it and I have a 705. I was anxiously awaiting a new release of the 310xt before I sprung for a new one. A little birdie from Garmin hinted that it may be bundled with their new pedal based power system which is likely to be released for interbike in Sept. Any thoughts on that?
Anon: Thank you so much for posting these reviews. Is the heart rate strap for the 110 compatible to the 610 or would I have to buy a new one? I started with the Garmin 110 but as I become a more “serious” runner, I find the 110’s features lacking.
Hi Anon- RE: Heart Rate Strap
They’re all compatible with each other. So if you’ve got the FR110 ones, you’re completely good to go! I have a large pile of them and interchange them all the time, no issues.
Hi, I am a new FR owner. Great article.
Just to follow up on Anon’s question, are we talking the HR sensor part being compatible? To me, the term “strap” could mean just the fabric part or fabric+sensor. TIA
Does the 610 have the ability to display my actual pace aside from the lap pace? I’d like to be able to speed up an see how fast I’m going at that instance. The 210 had that function.
The search for the most accurate device (gps or footpod) does not seem to be that important to me. I don’t feel I would run faster if I had a device with 100% accuracy all of the time. The devices might be off just like our bodies might be on a good or a bad day.
During a race, my body is the device I count on to give me accurate feedback whether I’m going too fast or can push a little harder.
In my opinion, a good training plan and determination to follow it are the keys to fast and safe running. As the owner of a FR60, I don’t feel the need to recalibrate as I switch pace/cadence/stride lenght as I don’t think 85% or 100% accuracy should make a difference on my performance in a race.
What is your opinion on the importance of a device accuracy to your long term running performance?
Hi! I am curious about the possibility to change the “pace zones”. You know these 10 zones for pace (or speed)? It would be great to change the paces for each zone and even better to rename the zones. Any chance to do this with the 610? Thanks and regards, Björn
Hi, could I just confirm that in order to save a location, you do not need to actually physically go to that location, but can simply enter the appropriate latitude and longitude?
Where are these things anyway? I pre- ordered weeks ago, & garmin’s site still say’s that order processing is 5-8 weeks. It is now 05/06/11 & still no sign or word?
Yeah, Ray do you have any word on if or why the 610s got delayed? I pre-ordered and it said to be shipped May 9th.. now it says June 4th. Boooo.. A little info from Garmin would be nice. thanks and GREAT review!
Thank you for this review, great information. Any idea if the 610 will give a calorie estimate when used with gps off (indoors) and without foot pod? Thank you.
Check out my Nike+ Review here, which was just after the FR610 review- link to dcrainmaker.com
I include lots of comparisons there.
Hi Tim- RE: Battery Life
It’s about 8-10 hours of active use, and 3-4 weeks of non-use.
Hi Pavel- RE: Other watches
I do review other watches, but I simply only have time to focus on the ones that I think are the best out there. I do have the RS800CX in the queue, but it’s after the RCX5 and some others. No problems with GPS altimeter, as Garmin Connect will overwrite the data with real elevation data by default anyway.
Hi Amanda- Thanks!
Hi CJ- Enjoy!
Hi Anon/Will- RE: Recording routes to run again
Yes, the FR610 in Virtual Racer mode can do this. As for the FR310XT, in general, yes, most of them are. 😉
Hi Fernan- RE: FR305 vs everything
The FR305 is a great running watch for the price. If you have the cash, for a running watch I’m finding you really can’t beat the FR610. Just loving it day to day as my running watch.
Hi Ondrej- RE: GPS recording time
Your limiter with the FR610 is the battery, not the memory. They do make an external battery pack though that will solve this problem for you. Mine hasn’t quite arrived yet though, backordered.
RE: Transferring to Google Maps
Yes, Garmin Connect allows you to export out GPX format.
Hi Karl- RE: German Menu
Yes, you can switch to German Menu’s from the US edition.
Hi Michelle- RE: FR610 or FR410
FR610, hands down, no questions.
Hi Anon- RE: HR straps or fabric compatible
Actually, they’re both compatible, you can interchange them however you’d like. The snaps are the same. The key part of the new strap that’s important though is the fabric part, due to the sensor design. The plastic pod part is the same.
Hi Anon- RE: Wife seperate on runs recorded
It will upload to the same Garmin Connect account by default, but you can upload the runs seperately, manually to seperate accounts.
Hi Anon- RE: Power Save Mode
The day of the week is displayed on top, then the time with seconds in the middle, and then the day and month below.
Hi Anon- RE: Availability-
According to Garmin’s blog on Thursday, it’s now shipping to stores – it’s unclear how far back they’re backlogged though:
It’s quite useful if you want to measure progress over time. For me, when running, pace is the most useful metric I have – everything else can vary on the day. My body may feel like garbage one day, but actually be running fast – or vice versa.
Hi Bjorn- RE: Pace Zones
These are changed within Garmin Training Center, both renaming and changing pace associated with each one.
Hi Ian- RE: Lat/Long location save
No, you can enter it in manually.
Hi paul- RE: What does it do when being charged
At the moment with a wall charger it goes into charging mode. Apparently with the special charging unit you can still use it – but I don’t have it yet to try out. Hopefully it’ll arrive soon.
Hi Anon/Joey/Harry- RE: Pre-order
See above note from Garmin. I’ll hit up Garmin again this week and try and get more detail.
Hi Jon- RE: Calorie Estimates w/o GPS and footpod
Yes, with the HR strap it will using Firstbeat. See the calorie post below: link to dcrainmaker.com
Not so crazy about how you deceive us and say you send the watches back after 45 days. Clearly you do not, since you have them all on your rolling pin–even when the reviews between Garmin 110 and 610 are over a year apart. Certainly you would not buy each one on your own, since there would be no point in having, say the 110 if you have the 210. There is nothing wrong with Garmin letting you keep the watch–you are merely reviewing fitness watches, not bond ratings. C’mon.
Actually, I do buy them all. I do this to be able to support and assist folks in reviews like this. By folks supporting the site using the Amazon links, this helps make this (and other efforts like the watch giveaways) possible.
Hi and thanks for the comment at me. But what you said seems very close to what I was trying to express. Progress over time is indeed what it’s all about. But it is not measured over your instant pace. It’s about being faster and/or running with less effort. Do you agree that on a bad day you should not push your limits even if you’re running slower than your target at high heart rate? Besides, everyone that assumes the device is innacurate do know the run distance. Thus, over time, you wouldn’t need a technological device to check your progress. I see instant pace as more of a motivational tool (more so with GPS lag), definitely a motivational training tool. But shouldn’t need to be 100% accurate to be useful.
Julio here. Great review…looks like time for me to upgrade. Q: My 305 came with the HR monitor…is this compatibl with the 305 or do In need to upgrade. I remember the instructions saying the HRM was good only for the 305…
What an awesome review! I sometimes change fields during my run. Did you find it was easier or more difficult to navigate the menus while on the move? My intitial thought is the touch screen would make navigation frustrating while running.
Hello dcrainmaker, Great site and lots of info! I have some quick questions to ask:
I am looking at buying a Garmin GPS watch to help track my runs. I want my data to be as accurate as possible.
This will be my first gps watch. I can afford the 305 now, but I would have to save up a little bit for the 610. The 305 is such a great deal. I read your reviews. However, it is May 2011. Is the 305 really worth buying now (4+ years later)? I thought I read somewhere on the site where you said that the 305 may not be as accurate anymore since it contains an older gps chip. How does the accuracy vary between the 305 and the new 610?
I am not very interested in the in-between models that Gamins offers, b/c they tend to lack many features and are still expensive. If I got the 610, I would at least know I would be getting everything! So at this point in 2011, should I go new? Or old?
Hi, Thanks very much for your interesting review! I was just wondering about a feature I consider vital for a professional athlete: heart rate functionalities. Do you think FR 610 is comparable to a Polar in this reguard (e.g. the coming soon RCX5)? or does it lag behind? I would love to see a comparison between these two. Thanks. Luis
I just traded my forerunner 410 for the 610 and here is my comparison:
410 vs 610 – faster sat fix – touchscreen works much better then bezel – 4 data fields a page – VIBRATION ALERT (my main switching reason) – Much better watch form factor, 410 is lot preformed as a watch making it bulky. 610 actually feels like you put on a watch, like a watch suppose to. – 1 second recording rocks, makes a smoother actual pace as well. – ability to edit and create complex workouts without the use of a computer!
I’m a big fan of you blog so I was really surprised I didn’t knew of this feature before I got the watch. The ability to create complex workouts on the watch itself is GREAT! I’m a complex workout use and make workouts for every day on my training plan. But it’s nice to be able to edit or ad a extra step. I’m guessing you don’t use complex workouts that much ray. Think if you did you would written quite a bit about this new feature.
My current firmware update wishlist: – Ability to disable time page during workout. – Ability to read battery status as percentage, we like numbers not battery bar graphs!!!
In future hoping for: – Pace Zone support, currently unable to change zones and they seem very pointless. Rather would have it just like hearth rate zones …. 2.3 2.5 3.0 etc.
Hmm, I need to double-check that – I’m 99% sure that they are. Will try tomorrow.
Hi Fernando- RE: Training
For me, I train about 95% of the time against HR, as opposed to pace – so I’m already doing that. If I have a bad HR day, my pace suffers…and vice versa. Only closer to race day and really only for paced-races (i.e. a Marathon at a specific time goal) do I switch over to doing repeats at a very specific pace. After all, when it comes to race day, if I want to hit a given time goal, I need to be able to run that pace – regardless of what my HR wants to do.
Hi William/Julio- RE: HR Strap
Yes, the one with the FR305 is fully compatible with the FR610.
Hi Jordan- RE: Accuracy
The chips have evolved between the FR305 and the FR610. I’m planning on comparing them both later this spring as far as accuracy goes. Long-run wise though, you’re fine. It’s really in deep trees, etc.. where the FR610 and the newer chips shine, due to being able to track better in less ideal conditions. Personally, I love the FR610 and if you can afford it – go with it! Otherwise, the FR305 is still a great watch, especially for the money.
Hi Anon- RE: HR features between FR610 and RCX5
Having both currently, I can comment a bit. Lag-wise on HR you’re looking at about 1-2 seconds. When I wear them both at the same time, both watches show virtually identical 99.99% of the time. When I review the RCX5 I’ll try and do a little video showing the two – remind me on that review if I forget and I’ll add it though.
The major difference when it comes to Polar vs Garmin on HR isn’t the reading/recording/displaying, but rather the calorie calculation work that Polar has patened. It’s a bit more advanced.
Hi MadRunningBlog- RE: Complex workouts
My workouts are fairly complex…but I tend to generally just write them down. 😉 I know, old school, but it just makes it easier sometimes. 🙂
Completely agree RE HR zones definitions though, useless.
Thanks for the comments though!
Hi Anon- RE: Shutdown
Yes, both can be fully shut down.
Hi Thomas- RE: Price drop
I wouldn’t expect to see it drop price anytime soon. You’ll see small Amazon fluctuations probably in early summer…but nothing so soon given how high of demand it’s in.
Rainmaker — I recently came across your blog, great stuff to read as I am a bit of a tech junkie. We (Myotest) have a break-through application specific to the middle to long distance runner called the RunCheck stride analysis. It is a new portable technology to quantify many parameters associated with the run stride, relating to economy. If you are interested to be the 1st to review, please let me know. Scott Damman, Myotest — Durango, CO.
Hi, amazing review! thanks. When do you plan to post a comparison btw 610 and Polar RCX5? Am I right in saying that the Polar GPS sensor has to be applied to shoe lace, while the Garmin GPS is built-in on the main unit? Thanks. Pablo
Could you please specify what is the time interval before the watch goes into power saving mode and locks the screen? The screen lock is important for me as I do skating and have my arms on my back often.
This is probably too much, but could you maybe try putting your arms on your back, move a little and see what happens? Do the screen buttons get pressed? Does it unlock?
Hi Scott- Thanks for the heads up – shoot me an e-mail on the sidebar and I’d be happy to check it out.
Hi Pablo- RE: RCX5 vs FR610
Soon, though at the moment the beta RCX5 device I have isn’t able to upload data, so I’m in a bit of a holding pattern there. I suspect we may now be looking closer to the first week of June.
The Polar GPS sensor is meant to be worn on your arm via the included arm band. There isn’t any form of shoe GPS sensor, just a shoe footpod for indoor use (treadmill).
Hi Marek- RE: Timeout
Sorry, I think there may be some confusion. The unit only goes into power saving mode if an activity isn’t in use. If you’re actively recording, it’ll stay in that mode until it runs out of battery. Once in screenlock the time is display, this occurs after approx 3 minutes, swipping the screen delays that (or buttons). Unlike just requires a swipe. But again – this won’t happen if you’re actively in an activity.
Found another unmentioned feature which is something most of the gps watch + footpod owners would love to have.
With the 610 you can set the footpod to be used together with GPS. The 610 can use the footpod to calculate current pace while using GPS for all other data like distance, avg etc.
that’s a great review and I’m really excited with all the specs of this watch, but for me it is important the track functionality I wonder if it is possible to upload tracks to the watch from other devices or from the web so as to follow them with the compass. You say you can download courses from Garmin Connect and other sources, but you cannot follow them with the little compass/breadcrumb; so, what’s the use? The track back to start, leads you directly to the start point or undoes the whole track?
Thanks anon…hoping mine is here in time for my 1/2 on Saturday. I think I’m a little crazy getting the 610 rather than the 305. I really hope it’s worth it. They seem so similar for an unseasoned runner like myself. Rainmaker, someone asked you which was better. I’m assuming you were vague because it’s your job to promote both. My husband is a fan of the high tech, I just want something to get the job done. He won this time, but I have a feeling DC, that if it really came down to it you might just say the lower price is a better deal. I sure do hope I’m happy with the results. Also hope I can figure out all of the uses so I can make the most of it. I’m sure this review will be helpful in that endeavor. Thank you!
I recently purchased a 610 to replace my 405. One of the fields I like is the average lap field to show me my average time per mile over a given distance be it 10km, half marathon or marathon. on my 405 you got to menu, settings, data fields, and choose time – avg lap. On my 610 I followed the same sort of process but when running, the field showed 0:00 all the time rather than updating every mile. Any suggestions as to what I might have done wrong?
Hi everybody, I am getting my 610 Saturday or Monday and while waiting I had a look at forums.garmin.com. There are quite a few discussions about big problems with the accuracy of the 610-gps unit. What experience do you have (if you already own a 610, of course…;-))?
Greeting, I am in a 5 5 woman at 175 lbs looking to lose about 30 lbs in the next 4 mths. I am currently deployed (I’m active duty military) and I have some downtime. I am a casual runner at best; I only run for about 30 minutes three times a week; however I do other various forms of cardio when I’m not running. I recently purchased a suunto m4 and I am very unhappy with my purchase. There isn’t enough functionality but I love the training coach. Is there a feature on this watch that acts as a personal trainer? I want something to tell me how hard to work and for how long and tell me how long I have been in the prescribed HR zones. Does this watch do that? Or do you know something besides the M4/M5 that does?
The 610 has the Training Effect feature that should tell you how hard you are working in a scale from 1.0 to 5.0.
The creators of Training Effect (FirstBeat) also sells a software called Firstbeat Athlete that analizes your training data and makes a training plan for you that auto-adjusts based on what you have done the previous days. You can try it for two weeks for free.
Indeed, the graph is now gone (just re-validated that).
Hi Xavier- RE: Track functionality
You can indeed do track functionality, but only within the confines of the Virtual Racer component.
Hi Tif- RE: FR305 or FR610
Oh, I’ve always said that both are great – and also always say that if you’re on a budget the FR305 does just about everything the FR610 does at 1/3rd the price. The FR610 is all about looking good (and some minor feature enhancements). If fashion or day to day use isn’t of concern, then absolutely save the cash and go with the FR305. Enjoy!
Hi Elliott- RE: Avg Lap issue
Hmm, that’s a bit odd – sounds like bug – have you updated the firmware to 2.20?
Hi Bjorn (and Anon): RE: Accuracy posts
I’ve seen the thread on the Forums, which it present is a single user having issues with what may be a defective unit. Additionally, there are some comments from a few users about ‘jaggies’ or tiny little GPS track blips showing up that cause a single data point (1-second) to be plotted about 10-20 feet off a track in some random locations. For my recent 2:00hr run, I had 6 of these data points (out of 7,200). At most we’re talking a hundred feet extra (if that) in my case out of 16+ miles, well within accuracy of GPS. I agree there’s an oddity (probably a little bug) there, but I disagree that it’s an issue to worry about. That thread (posted above by another commenter) is probably the best place to follow and continue the discussion.
Hi Shavonne- RE: Training Coach
As Inkar noted, you could use the Training Effect to provide some level of guidance – but in some ways you might be better off looking at some of the free training plans (like the ones on Hal Higdon’s site for different distance), to guide you a bit more.
Thanks Inkar!
And thanks everone for reading and supporting the blog! -Ray
The software version says 2.20 on the watch. Have changed the setting to average pace – do you think this will give me my average minutes per mile over the course of my marathon (on sunday)? will ne software be updated automatically through ant+?
I have been using a Suunto T6D for a year. It saves every heart beat and respective inter-beat-interval (IBI) for up to a million beats. This data can be exported to an Excel file for later analysis. It helps with assessing heart condition (i.e. detect heart murmur, etc) during endurance sports and when sleeping.
Does the Forerunner capture IBI? I do like the virtual partner and running cadence features of the Garmin.
These are not available on the Suunto. But I do wear the T6D as a daily watch. I also run with an iPhone and the excellent RunMeter app captures GPS based routes and can be setup to send out email updates to spouce/friends with pace, location, etc so they know how I am doing and when I need them to pick me up. The route information can then be loaded into the Suunto movescount web site and merged with watch data. Only drawback is having to start and stop two devices. The runmeter can be controlled using the earphone control switch which helps.
Thanks for the review! I probably will wait for an updated 310XT as I like a larger display and water resistance.
Got the watch yestday and took it out this morning. Great watch, only issue is I can’t get it to connect to the ANT+ stick. Has anyone else had this issue? My settings on the watch are set to on for data transfer and inital pairing. The stick is working on the computer. Any info would help. Thanks!!
DC – how can I tell if I have the current premium heart rate monitor or the newest premium heart rate monitor? From the pictures you posted it looks like the in the newest version you have a buckle and the older premium you unsnap one of the monitors connections. Is that right? Are the part numbers different? Thanks – I have tried searching Garmin’s website with no success.
thanks for great review of this one and also of the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch. I am a Nike+ addict, though I am in my first full marathon training now (done few halfs over last two years) and thinking of trying out some triathlons next year and Nike seems to be too basic for this.
I was very convinced about going for Nike+ GPS Sportwatch, but reading your reviews for both, the great possibility of preparing my workouts on computer and loading them in the Garmin watch … Thanks to the comments of other readers, I realized that one can actually load Garmin data to Nike+ (even though they don’t have public API, so who knows how long is this going to be possible).
One update on your Pros and Cons – I tested the 210 for my friends magazine few months ago and the charging cable slightly moved and stopped charging. I was truly upset, when my watch ran out of battery after 15 minutes of a 10 miler … So I can understand that it can be a complication for someone owning more Garmin watches, but I would generally consider this a positive upgrade.
Ray, thank you for all the great work, I will make sure to order my GPS watch through your links once I finally decice.
Yes, using ‘average pace’ will show you your average minutes/mile pace over the course of the entire race. It’s perfect for what you want. Btw, check out this post for a bit more detail:
No, Garmin does not publically show your IBI numbers. It does actually use that via FirstBeat to determine calorie calcs, but doesn’t record it anywhere.
Hi Anon- RE: ANT+ Stick Unhappy
I saw it happen once – try powering down the watch (hold upper left button for a few seconds), and then turning back on and setting back up initial pairing. Also, ensure that ANT+ agent software is in pairing mode (right click, pairing=enabled).
Hi Kraig- RE: Premium vs Newest Premium
The easiest way to tell is that the little plastic pod snaps into the center of the fabric band, and you use the plastic clip to put it around yourselves. The older one the plastic pod is what you use to snap it around yourself.
Hi Barborka-
Thanks for the comments, and I agree with your notes. I’ve gotten more use to the charging clip and in general think it does perform better.
Awesome reviews. More questions answered on this site than the rest of the internet put together.I am a keen runner, but also do a lot of cycling/mountain biking and the occasional triathlon/Ironman event it looks like the 310Xt is what will suit me best. My only concern is that the consensus seems to be that the altimeter isn’t worth much and as I do a lot of trail/fellrunning I would ideally like a barometric altimeter. Do you think there is any chance the new version of the 310XT will have an improved altimeter or barometric altimeter or is there a different device you would recommend.
Just read your awesome review on Forerunner 610. Congratulations!!
How could they remove standard course funcionality? It is great for MTB races. With that function the 610 was all I wanted: -It would have followed course with the little compass -It looks like a regular watch (better than 410) -It adds 1-second recording option (better than 410) -Touchscreen (better than 410)
Do you think Garmin is considering to launch a new/similar 610 with this compass function again? I think it is worth waiting.
I run, swim (could use the swim cap method) and would love to download routes for MTB into the watch and follow them with the compass. Plus I wanted a “normal size” watch to wear every day.
Probably asking for perfection, but I like to dream…
In your experience, when will we see a GPS-integrated watch… -With a normal size (like the Forerunner 610) -Totally waterproof (like the Timex Global Trainer), but able to receive the heart rate signal (like Polar T-31) and GPS data while in the wrist (“openwater swim mode” like 310XT) -With 12 hours battery autonomy (like Timex Global Trainer) -And a compass function to follow a route downloaded in the watch (like most of the new devices except 610)???
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![IMG_9568A[8]](https://media.dcrainmaker.com/images/2011/04/garmin-forerunner-610-in-depth-review-134.jpg "IMG_9568A[8]")
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I would love to see the 1s recording option coming to the Edge 500 indeed… That would be great.
Great review again.
However, my experience of the 610 is a faulty HRM, very slow satellite connection and bad corrosion on the back.
For the HR strap, you should look at some of these tips here: link to dcrainmaker.com
If you’re seeing corrosion on your unit (not all people see the skin reaction, which causes the corrosion), Garmin will happily swap out your unit for free. Even if you bought it the day the units came out. Just ring them out. They stopped making the metal backed ones about 18 months ago.
For satellites, if you’re getting extreme slowness, go ahead and do a soft reset (no data loss), and that usually fixes things.
Refurbished units may still have a metal back unless they changed in the last few weeks. Don’t know if there is a process to get a referb without a metal back
I was wrong. Just had mine fixed and obviously didn’t have time to look at it carefully, it a plastic back that is painted to look the metal. Sorry
Hi. Thank you for a quite exceptional review. Comprehensive but not verbose.
I currently have the 410 which after 2 and a half years use is increasingly erratic with its pace accuracy despite resetting. So…two questions: what is the anticipated useable lifespan of the 610, and secondly – I have the soft wrist strap on the 410 as my wrist is so tiny. Does the 610 come with a strap as it doesn’t appear to be in the boxed packaging? Once again, many thanks for your diligent report. Pam
The FR610 doesn’t have a specific lifespan. For pace accuracy on your FR410, that does sound like a hard reset would fix it – are you sure you did that versus a soft reset?
As for the FR610, it doesn’t come with a soft strap.
Gosh – quick response thanks! The reset I did was recommended by Garmin product support ie press and hold and delete all history which felt pretty hard to me. Be interesting to know the average time used before replacements as I guess it sounds like upgrading to newer models occurs before the lifetime effectiveness is reached? The strap is a real negative though – why on earth would they not incorporate that? Surely it wipes out a whole potential base of users?! Pam
Sorry, just to be clear though – while the fabric strap isn’t in the box, you can buy it separately: link to buy.garmin.com
Great read!
How is the Virtual Racer feature different from doing a “Course” on, e.g., the 310XT? If I look at the Virtual Partner, the map or the elevation profile there, I compare myself to the exact performance of when the course was created, don’t I?
Thanks for another great review.
A couple of questions:
1. How many hours can the watch record at 1s intervals before its full?
2. How does it stack up as an everyday watch?
Availability?
How about an update to the 310XT, is there something on the way?
Okay, I was holding out for an upgrade to the 310xt. I’ve been using a FR 305 but wanted something smaller/prettier. I’m happy with the 305, just interested in something smaller. Would you advise waiting on an updated 310 (maybe 1-2 months) or go ahead and buy a 310 now?
Thanks for your great website!
Amazing review Ray! Garmin sure does have a fruend to count on when it comes to in depth and analysis of their products! Cheers!
nice test ! very tempting this new Garmin…
As always, awesome review Ray! As a fellow nerd, I appreciate the details.
One simple question: does the watch function as an everyday watch – can it display time, date, etc. without a GPS fix?
As a triathlete, I was really hoping the next offering would be something multi-sport aimed, if for no other reason then to drive the 310xt’s price down.
Not sure what Garmin is doing with so many similar running watches on the market now. 110-210-410-610 the line is blurry where each one is better than the other (especially with the almost-new 410)
I would only wish that Garmin creates a driver for ANT on Linux, it is getting boring and frustrating.
First, thanks for yet another great review. Second, how it will be priced?
Thanks for the review Ray. Thorough as always. A little disappointed though, was hoping for a 310XT refresh. Maybe that’s still to come.
It’s so awesome that I was able to read your in depth review on the day of announcement. I’d otherwise be clamoring for more info (and wasting a lot of time trying to find it) on the Internet. I’m planning on ordering one. It has everything that I wanted (well, except for being waterproof). Great job Ray, you rock! Thanks to Garmin for being smart and sending you one early enough to have your review ready!! Keep the great info coming!! 🙂
I just received my 310XT today from Amazon. Was going to leave it in the box in case the new Garmin was going to be a updated version. In which case I would have returned it and waited for the new one.
Looks like I will be opening the box now….
Great review! Love the precision but did I miss pricing?
Oh man!
Great review but as many others already wrote. was really hoping for an update to the 310xt!
Hopefully someone can offer some insight into when that refresh might be coming to a blogger near us?
thanks as always!
hey Ray,
just wondering, can the watch be locked so the touch screen becomes inoperative when running?
if so, how does that work?
I’m concerned that when running it would be easy for the screens to get all messed up just through some accidental touch from a sleeve, or a knock from another runner.
one thing that has got me before with the 320XT is that I’ve accidently locked the screen and at the time I’ve had a mind blank as how to unlock it, this has really messed up my runs when trying for five minutes trying to unlock.
the other thing that concerns me, I guess that if the front panel breaks the watch is a finished and it’s a full rma? two years ago I had a bad fall on the bike part of a triathlon and my 310xt ended up with a chipped screen on the corner, lucky for me it’s still water proof and working. How shock proof is this thing?
cheers and thanks for the review!
Great review….very excited to see what Timex comes out with, and if they listended to your suggestions…
Currently own a 310XT..if the new timex hasn’t improved, will keep my Garmin for another season!
Definitely glad to see 1 second recording back 😀 Keeping my fingers crossed that they provide firmware upgrades for the Edge series to do the same as that’s by far my largest complaint with the 800!
Still no barometric altitude meter. Little reason to upgrade my 410 then. Had they finally included that, I woul have bought it in a heartbeat.
Very thorough review. I’m glad you had the opportunity to review the product prior to launch and I hope Garmin will continue providing you this opportunity.
Any insight for future releases of Garmin Forerunners? All the pros for this watch have a hard time justifying the negative waterproofing, fix that and support cycle meters and this would be a great tri watch.
In regards to pricing UK Garmin made the following post:
“The London Marathon Expo will be exclusively selling a limited number of the first Forerunner 610’s to arrive in the country (£359) and will also take pre-orders on the stand #230 Halls N1-N8.”
link to garmin.blogs.com
I think that converts to about $590.
I love your blog and your in-depth reviews. Thank you for putting so much time into them. Actually I bought the 310XT a few months ago after thoroughly reading your recommendations. Thank you!
Hello Ray, great work.
I must say I am very disappointed with the new 610… I see no reason why I should upgrade from my 410.
Just as I saw no reason to upgrade to the 800 from the 705.
BIG question… is Garmin running out of ideas on how to innovate their products. Seems like the new products are just cosmetics changes with marginal improvements… Just my opinion.
On remark… you note on you feature comparison that the 410 does not have the virtual pacer, but it does have it. Or does Virtual Racer mean something completely different? If so, what is the difference?
Thanks for the great work and keep going !!!!
Based on DCR’s tight-lipped 45-day trial period with the FR610, he likely wouldn’t be able to tell us IF he had a 310XT replacement in his possession, or knew of one coming up.
If only he could tell us somehow.
DCR: blink once for “it’s coming soon” and blink twice for “don’t hold your breath”
Another great review, Ray! Hope you can keep ’em coming!
So it’s basically a touchscreen 410 with Tanita integration? Big deal…Garmin needs to worry more about fixing all the folks stranded with bugs on the 410/405cx/405.
Just spoke to Garmin CS and the 610 will be available sometime in Q2; did not have any more information than that so looks like weeks to months away.
New to your site. Great review. When the 405 dies, I’ll be going for this one. Thanks!
Disappointed, but not surprising. Looks like the 310XT can last for at least a year before any potential replacement will appear from Garmin.
Great review….I was hoping to see you comment on the new training effect feature.
Great review. Question:
What is the difference/advantage in 1 sec recording vs. smart recording for the average runner? Is 1 sec recording more accurate with distance, HR, or calories?
nooo… where the new multisport/triathlon watch that was announced? this is simply a running-watch…. (in the market there are also 110-210-410…… so similar…).
Triathlete have to wait 2012?
thanks
Thanks Ray! Great review.
I’ll add another voice to the choir asking for 1s recording, virtual racer and the run/walk alerts in a firmware update on the 310XT, but I won’t be holding my breath.
I’d also second the “blink once for yes, twice for no” on the question about a 310XT refresh.
Ok Ray, your commenters have chosen my next occupation – stalking you so I can tell everyone what you’re demoing! I figure since you live near me I can just stake out a spot on one of your training routes and try to grab spy shots of your wrists as you speed by. Then I’ll upload them and tell everyone and be a hero!!!
Just kidding. But it does raise a question re: your NDAs. How paranoid do you get running around with these things that someone might see a new gadget that hasn’t been announced yet and tell the world?
One more thought: if Garmin is unwilling to give out certain upgrades (1s, racer, alerts) in a free firmware update, I’m sure there is a large community of 310XT users who would pay for a firmware update that included such things. Thoughts?
Also, will you be using the 610 for run workouts going forward? Sticking with the 210?
Thanks Ray. Great post. Appreciate the effort you put into it.
Hi again, on the Garmin website they mention a feature called “Training Effect.” What’s that all about? Did you have a chance to experiment w/ it?
guess i’m getting the 210, this one is too expensive
Great review Ray. I want one. ‘cept I’ll need to wait for my 405 to break (again).
Great review as always! I’ve got a question about the magnetic back. Would you have the chance to check if the Forerunner 610 affects a compass when held at the thumb, i.e. some 5-8 cm from the watch? If it does, it would be a showstopper for orienteers interested in this watch – except for that it looks great with the 1s mode and loosing the touch bezel.
Dude, you are big time now…you got the nod on engadget.com! Great review as always… =)
Updated Pricing Information:
link to buy.garmin.com
w/out heart rate monitor:
Available: 2nd Quarter, 2011
Part Number: 010-00947-00
Suggested Retail Price: $ 349.99 USD
w/ heart rate monitor:
Available: 2nd Quarter, 2011
Part Number: 010-00947-10
Suggested Retail Price: $ 399.99 USD
any thoughts on making compatible with Whithing’s WiFi Enabled Scale?
Also, since it looks similar, will my old Adidas MiCoach Foot Pod and Heart Monitor work with the 610?
Do we have a price point on this yet?
Great review – thanks!
Any idea yet what the difference between the US/Pacific/Europe version is?
It would be useful to know which GPS chipset is inside this – the only watches using the newer, lower powered and more accurate one are the 110 and 210. I’m assuming the 610 is – but please can you clarify?
Great review!
1. GPS chipset?
2. Accuracy?
Thumbs up
I wonder why Garmin hasn’t integrated footpod calibration with the GPS? It seems like such an obvious thing to do and would be really handy when you don’t have a well defined calibration course available.
Excellent review of the Garmin 610. Helpful, as I buy it an know it’s strengths or weaknesses. Thank you.
Ray, your reviews are fantastic and most appreciated.
Seems like Garmin gave up some screen space for that black outer ring? Maybe there’s a good reason or it has something to do with the touchscreen technology.
I’m much shorter than you Ray and I use the 410 as an everyday watch at times. I love it.
Hey Ray, huge congrats on being referenced as the go-to review of the 610 on Engadget. And I quote: “It’s available now on Garmin’s site, though we suggest you hardcore runners check out DC Rainmaker’s review below: it’s everything you wanted to know about the 610 but were afraid to ask, including comparison shots with other Forerunners and a glove test.”
I read that site everyday. I’m sure you read it often too. It’s the best tech blog I know of and to be referenced there is pretty awesome, so congratulations!
Excellent, thorough review! Thank you. I currently own the 405 and while I love the features and functionality for my training I do wish the profile was a bit slimmer. It might work for some as an everyday watch but it becomes quite a fashion statement piece for a 5’3″ woman:-) Looking forward to upgrading in the not-too-distant future!
This comment has been removed by the author.
Touchscreen…”no issues”? Except that clearly you had to multi/repeat press in the video. They just swapped the bezel/button nav for touchscreen…big deal. Would’ve been MUCH more impressive with less bezel area and more screen. Or better yet…fix the broken firmware for the 410/405 owners.
If you don’t mind my asking, exactly how big is your wrist? (I’m assuming that’s your wrist in the photos e.g., IMG_0473.)
uhh..am I seeing things…was the coverage of the lock feature there before..opps if it was, looks pretty good…I’m just wondering now how you enable the lock? 🙂
and to the person going on about Garmin firmware issues, I’ve never ever had any issues with Garmin firmware, on either the 400 series or my 310xt…odd that 😉
Very informative review! Thanks very much!
Just posted a link to your review on my FB Page.
Thanks again!
link to facebook.com
any news on timex? will they release a new global trainer with gps and footpod capabilities?
Great review Ray – although like many others I was hoping it would be a 310xt update. Announcement faux pas?
Thanks for the review! I’m a 405 user who was hoping for longer battery life in the new model, particularly as my watch battery has lost some of its life (5hrs or so now).
Or, better yet, a removable/replaceable battery.
As another poster noted, a barometric altimeter would be nice. Current model’s elevation info is unreliable.
I also have heard the 610 has some sort of “training effect” feature that evaluates workout intensity. Any word on that?
I guess those that want a bit more battery life need to stick with the giant xt series. Drat.
Thanks all for the comments and questions thus far! I’ve just added a bunch of sections in response to many of the questions listed here. A little later on tonight I’ll round up any outstanding questions and get them all answered. In the meantime, here’s the newly added sections/information:
1) Using watch as regular watch/day to day use
2) Screen Lock
3) Showering with FR610 (water/rain simulation)
4) Clarification/corection on courses feature
5) Pricing and availability information
6) Satellite Chip and Reception
Thanks!
Thanks rainmaker for the responses and the lack of response 😉
I would say the quiet might be a “blink once” for have patience on the new 310xt
Great review! Two Questions.
1. It seems that the display numbers are larger? Perhaps adding comparable display shots for each model side by side would be helpful.
2. If I do not lock the bezel sometimes clothing will cause the bezel to register a selection especially when wet on my 410. I imagine the pressure sensitive screen has eliminated this problem. Have you found anything that causes unwanted selections being made aside from a fat finger. Will a stylus work? Not that I would use one on the watch, just curious. Ha Ha
I refer people to your reviews even ahead of the manufacturers web site and literature. You go deeper! Another awesome review.
As always Ray, Great review. Keep up the good work.
Hi All-
Thanks again for stopping by. Since there’s already about 68 comments, I’ll just go ahead and aim to answer any outstanding questions that weren’t answered through some of the updates I noted a short bit ago.
RE: Virtual Racer diff from Course on FR310XT
In this case, the course on a FR310XT shows you directional information, whereas Virtual Racer does not.
RE: How long can it record
The FR610 can hold 180 hours of activity…so more than enough time to find a computer. 🙂
RE: Day to day watch
Yup, no issues there at all – been on my wrist constantly as a normal watch. See section added above.
RE: ANT driver for Linux
Check out the guys at GoldenCheetah.org
RE: Screen locking
See the new Screen Lock section I added above. I haven’t had it accidentally swipped unlocked, but I also haven’t had any super-cold weather with it yet. Given the swipping simply controls data views (and not stop/start), at worst if it was under clothing you might be on a different page than you expected.
RE: Upgrade from FR410
In general I agree – I don’t see a compelling reason to upgrade from the fairly new FR410 (or for that matter, really even the FR405). Now, if you’re in the market for a new watch on either of those two fronts – then I’d highly suggest FR610 over FR405/CX/410.
RE: Training Effect Feature
I plan to add a section on this in a few days – just need a bit more data on the watch to make sense of it and have it show useful information.
RE: Stalking me on a run to find the latest toys
In general you’ll have to run pretty fast. 😉 Well, except long runs in the heat, in which case you can probably just about walk.
RE: Magnetic compass variation
I’ll dig up a compass and test it out!
RE: Making it compatible with Withings WiFi Scale
While I’d love that, I don’t see that happening. Tanita and Garmin are partners via ANT+, and Withings could be considered a competitor. Plus, honestly, the Withings Scale sorta bypasses the need for the FR610 as a conduit for the weight data.
RE: MiCoach Foot Pod
As long as it has the ANT+ logo on the back, you’ll be good to go!
RE: Difference between US/Pacific/Europe
Typically it’s just the power adapter that’s different.
RE: My wrist size
It’s ‘athletic skinny’. My fiancee (5’2″) put it on and it’s not too bad, much slimmer than the FR405. I’ll try and get a picture with her on it over the next couple days.
RE: Timex Update
I don’t have anything to share at this time. Sorry!
RE: Display Number size
The display numbers are basically the same as the other watches. I’ll try and get some comparable shots put together.
=======
Finally…regarding a FR310XT replacement:
While I certainly hoped just as much as anyone else that we’d see one announced, it looks like the focus is on running at the moment. There are certainly rumors around a tri product for later – but nothing I’d bank on for right now. I don’t have any Garmin FR310XT replacement product in my position (I wish I did)…sorry! No winks required! Also, the 45 day period I typically have the product for is inclusive into May. I haven’t had the watch (FR610) all but a few days now.
Thanks again everyone!
Your reviews are outstanding, thank you so much. I now know I should just stick it out with my 310XT, as exciting as it would have been to get gussied up with something new for race season. Hopefully there’ll be a new version of the 310xt some time soon.
Thanks again!
Finally a good enough replacement once my 2yr old 405 goes out of commission. Thanks for the review Ray. PS: miCoach products will work with Garmin, fyi.
does it have all the same data fields available for the customizable view?
Thanks for this great review!
One question regarding multisport use: is it possible to use Forerunner 610 for other activities than running and cycling, i.e. for inline skating or skiing?
Great review, as usual! And excellent timing. I happened to check the Runners World site last night before looking at my RSS feeds (where you are) and saw they had a “first look” posted – I read it, found it wholly unsatisfying, and told my husband “I’ll wait for the DCRainmaker review” – only had to wait until I opened my feed reader!
Every time I convince myself I don’t need one item, something else comes out and stokes the gear lust. 🙂 I’m still using a really old Forerunner (the rectangular one, maybe 105) for races, but am now tempted by the 610.
Nice review, thanks for all of your work.
Do you know if the fabric wrist band from the 405 will also fit the 610?
Thanks for another excellent review! I’ve purchased my 310xt based on your review of it and also how I found this site.
Just a comment though – in the comparison chart, you’ve said the 310xt doesn’t work as a day watch. Maybe that can be changed to “technically possible” – turn GPS off, and set one of the run displays to 1 field, time of day and there you go.
I have not done a lengthy test of how long it lasts in that mode but I know it would be days (as I’ve tried and failed to kill the battery that way).
Are there two different types of vibration for under speed/over speed, like there are two different tones? I use the pace alarms quite a bit in my own customized workouts and wonder how they handled that condition, if they did. I wouldn’t mind turning off the beeping during my runs.
Thanks for the review, you’re always really helpful.
I’ve just noticed an interesting snippet here:
link to heartratewatchcompany.com
“Here is the big news for multisport athletes: The Forerunner 610 can be used with an external battery that is solar charged to charge the watch when you are not near power for multi-day activities.”
Well that’s…new. And hopefully a sign of things to come.
DC,
Now that you have gotten us all used to giveaways on your site, are you going to run one for the 610 too?
Astoundingly fast job on the review. Garmin put out their press release y’day and you put out a review!
D
Hi. GREAT review. I have a simple question that I couldnt find in you review.
Does it have the possibility to alert me by VIBRATION every kilometer (lap)?
Great review, as usual!
I was interested by the Nike+ Sportwatch GPS, and I will wait for the depth review, but I think that the forerunner 610 will replace my old Polar S625X
Jérôme from France
Can the 610 be shutdown entirely to conserve battery/while traveling/etc. like the 410?
Jason – Thanks for posting this info. Very interested to see price/size/wt of this option…
“Here is the big news for multisport athletes: The Forerunner 610 can be used with an external battery that is solar charged to charge the watch when you are not near power for multi-day activities.”
DCRainmaker, big Thanks for your review and responsiveness to comments! You might contact Garmin and say you think they forgot to ship everyting since your external solar battery is missing. 🙂
Excellent review. Well written. Fantastic depth, plenty of photos & screen shots. Two thumbs up. icerabbit
Thanks for posting this Jason. Very interesting. I wonder what the price/size/wt/performance of this will be…
“Here is the big news for multisport athletes: The Forerunner 610 can be used with an external battery that is solar charged to charge the watch when you are not near power for multi-day activities.”
DC – Bigttime thanks for the great review and responsiveness to comments. Maybe you should try contacting Garmin and say they must have forgot something in your shipment, as you can’t find the external battery and solar charger. 🙂
I am in love with your reviews. I’m a full fledged geek and read alot of tech reviews but yours are always a pleasure to read from beginning to end.
One question. On the FR210 you see the watch as a removable disk and can download the fit files directly from the watch. Is this possible on the FR610 as well, or do you need the ant stick?
Looks like the external battery is from the company powertraveller, model powermonkey explorer. They have a garmin kit that they say adds 20 hrs of use to the Garmin edge 800. Fairly small and light (90 x 45 x 38mm/3.5×1.75×1.5in and weighs 83g/2.9oz). Price from garmin is 70GBP ($114USD). This battery also works with the Garmin forerunner 110.
Here’s a review of the explorer kit with pics (sans garmin attachments).
link to fittechnica.com
How does the battery last in “every day” mode? (i.e. when you are just using it as a watch?)
Wow, what an amazing new piece of training equipment!
I’m happy I purchased the 310xt, it seems like a better watch for running and cycling.
Touch screen is certainly interesting…I’d kill to try it but I wouldn’t spend the money to buy it probably.
Thanks for the great review! I saw that it was announced on Facebook on Garmin’s page so I immediately came here and waddaya know, you already posted a review! Great Stuff!
Hi All-
Thanks for the comments! Here’s a few answers to additional quetsions.
RE: Fields available for customization
Yes, you can customize with tons of data fields – pretty much the same as the other high end watches.
RE: Other sports (like skating)
Absolutely! You can switch to ‘cycling’ mode to get MPH (instead of minutes/mile) and it’ll work perfectly. I certainly plan to use mine skiing.
RE: Fabric Band
I’ve ordered the band today and it should arrive in a few days. I’ll update the review then with additional comments on it.
RE: Using FR310XT as day to day watch
True, though you’d have to charge it just about everday. Plus, it currently exceeds my geekfactor (a hard bar to beat!). 😉
RE: Vibration Alerts
No, just one vibrate alert level.
RE: External Battery pack
I’ve ordered that as well, should arrive when the strap arrives. Will include comments on that as well. And best of all, it works with all Garmin units.
RE: Giveaway a FR610
Hmm….
RE: Vibrate alert each KM
Yes, you could setup a distance alert or autolap for kilometers at any distance.
RE: Shutdown FR610
Yes, you can completely power it off, simply hold the power button for a few seconds and it will fully shutoff the unit.
RE: FR610 and data sync/removable disk
It does not show up as a mass storage device like the FR210. It uses the ANT+ agent and that places the files in the ANT Agent directory, but you do need the stick.
RE: Battery lasting in everyday mode
It lasts 4 weeks in ‘everyday’ mode.
======
Regarding the FR310XT Replacement, I asked Garmin today about it specifically. I asked – these are exact quotes:
DCRainmaker: “Is it accurate to say there are no plans for a FR310XT successor this season?”
Garmin: “We have thousands of engineers working on developing new products, and the Forerunner 610 is the top of the line within our GPS enabled watch market. While we are proud to showcase the 610 as our Spring release, we will always continue to innovate”.
It appears Garmin very carefully walked around the wording of ‘Spring’ (as opposed to my very specific wording of ‘Season’, which jives with some interesting stuff I’ve seen elsewhere posted using the wording of April/May’.
Thanks all!
Linux support:
There is an unofficial Linux driver for ANT+ at
link to forums.garmin.com
This driver works with the 405, and I think it also works with the 410.
Ray, can you test whether this driver works with the 610?
Weight:
According to Garmin’s website, the 610 weighs 2.54 oz, which is heavier than the 405/410 which weigh 2.11 oz. This seem strange as the 610 is smaller. Can you verify this?
Hello,
Always fantastic reviews, Thank you!!!
my question about Garmin Forerunner 610: do you think will be here glass cracking issues as with the FR310XT ,
I am still cray …….
Thank you
Best regards
Emmanouil Psaradakis
Talos Cycling Team
Chania-Crete
email:psaras61@gmail.com
“It appears Garmin very carefully walked around the wording of ‘Spring’ (as opposed to my very specific wording of ‘Season’, which jives with some interesting stuff I’ve seen elsewhere posted using the wording of April/May’.”
I think Mr Maker just blinked ;o)
regarding 310xt as everyday watch.
I was able to get 4 days out of one charge.
So we go from 410 to 610, where is the 510? This leads me to believe that the “upgrade” to the 310 will be the “future” 510. I would’t be surprised to see it coming to “light” in a couple of months. I will be waiting for it. I love large screens.
Thanks for answering the additional questions.
Ok, only one kind of vibration alert. Too bad, It would be nice if it buzzed twice when you’re too slow, and once when you’re too fast.
Did they leave in all of the features from the 405/410, like the audible pace alarms from custom workouts? I assume there is no reason to take out the features that I’ve become accustomed to using.
Looks like .FIT would make it compatible with Endomondo as well! Good stuff!!
Say, do you have any idea if an updated version of the 310XT will come out? It seems like the entire sports product line except the 310XT has been renewed during 2010/2011.
Maybe it’s now time for the multisporters to get rid of the huge case…
Nice shoot again !
Are you sure about the sirfIV chip ?
Is it the same chip in the 210 ?
You said there is no compass anymore, but is the guiding part (not the back home) but the /training/courses still there ?
Hi! Great in depth reviews. I’m a sort of beginner in running, I ran my first halfmarathon last year. I want to take training to next level with some gps device. I thought the FR 305 would be ok, but it’s kind an old device. Should I go for 310xt or new FR 610? Since I like to ride bike as well, I wouldn’t have to buy a computer for bike, if I’d have on of these devices… Thank’s.
Hello-
RE: Glass cracking
I think this is improved a bit. There’s a very slight bezel which should just barely keep it above the pavement. Certainly far better than the Nike+ I just cracked…(or the FR310XT).
RE: 310XT Everyday battery
Cool! Good to know, thanks for the heads up!
RE: Updated FR310XT
See my above comments (in red) in response to other comments.
RE: SirfIV chip
Yes, I confirmed that with Garmin yesterday – they confirmed also that it is indeed the same chip at the FR210.
RE: Guiding home compass
Yes that’s there when tracking back, but the standalone ‘courses’ concept is not.
RE: FR310XT or FR610, or FR305
The FR305 is still a great watch – and one of the reasons it’s still selling incredibly well. As a runner-only the FR305 offers basically everything the FR310XT does. And for the most part everything the FR610 does. All three watches are fairly advanced. I’d almost consider looking at the FR210 for a simpler watch (and cheaper) that really appeals towards running but offers a cycling mode ‘just in case’.
Thanks all!
Does anyone know if all Forerunners sold in the US come standard with UK 3-Pin adapters?
The reason I ask is that I’m seriously thinking of pre-ordering the 610 through one of the US online stores. I need to be sure that it comes with the UK adapter before proceeding.
I’m in Singapore and it’s a lot cheaper to buy from the US than UK.
Many thanks.
On the external solar pack. You can do this now with pretty much anything that charges with 5v and less than 2 amps. I am charging my 210 now with the powermonkey solar panel. Anything that charges via USB will work as this unit has an adapter to USB and can either be connected to the compact solar panel or an external battery pack. This has nothing to do with the 610 as far as I can tell. If they actually made a cable that fit the 610 then that would be different, but as of now you just plug in the included cable for the watch with the adapter to the charger via USB. Hope thats helpful
Just want to say THANK YOU for these reviews you do! You’re seriouly so much better than the owners manual. I set up my 410 with your help, thank you!!
I’ve since lost my brand spankin’ new 410 to my newly hooked on running, daughter. I’ve no doubt she will put it to great use. If I get into NYCM, I’ll spring for the 610.
Again, your reviews are just awesome, thank you so much!
~Samantha
Thanks! You’ve really helped me in my decision and it looks like I’m going for it.
Many thanks for the excellent in-depth reviews that you do!
Could you please do some FR610 accuracy tests in lane 1 of an outdoor running track, and while running through some “urban canyons” (city streets with tall buildings on both sides)?
I have found that my 305 loses accuracy in these two situations. When I run 1 mile in lane 1 of a track (4×440 yards), the 305 reports a distance of 1.02-1.04 miles, and the pace it displays is too fast by as much as 20-25 sec per mile. It also loses signal and records a longer distance/faster pace in the urban canyons.
Thanks for the great work!
Great review. I am excited to get this watch. I actually was upgrading my FR405 a week ago to the FR410, got the watch, ran with it and saw the FR610 was coming out. Thankfully Pacers let me return it. I will get the FR610 as soon as it comes out. I wish they would hurry. I am watchless!
Great review, as always.
I use the interval training function on my 410. Unfortunately the sound is very low and I sometimes miss the start of a new interval.
Is the 610’s sound any louder?
Thanks again for all updates and answers to questions! Did you manage to dig up a compass and test out if the watch influences on a compass yet?
Great, when will it available? Any idea if there is something new coming on the FR 310 category?
Jiminy Cricket,
You know how big the outdoor track is, right? 😉 Why do you need a GPS watch to measure that distance?
As for pacing accuracy, are you using lap pace or instantaneous pace? Lap pace averages over more data points and is more stable. Instantaneous pace varies quite a bit and is therefore misleading, especially when running on a hilly course.
I use the foot pod for all of my pace and distance data gathering. Once calibrated correctly, the foot pod is quite accurate. I never found the GPS to be that accurate.
I like to capture the cadence number, something you won’t get from a satellite. I have started to see cadence numbers of over 95 in some interval sessions so I can see that I am finally getting some better leg turnover.
The Training Effect is the same thing that Suunto introduced in their devices (eg. suunto t6d) a couple of yrs ago. Suunto was working on that with a company called First Beat technologies and was using their algorithm in their training evaluation SW. Apparently, a couple of months ago, Suunto decided to walk away from the license agreement with First Beat and First Beat is now providing their algorithm to Garmin.
More on EPOC and Training Effect here: link to pulseperf.com
Ray, great review and great service and dedication to your readers. Thanks!
One question regarding the virtual training partner feature. If you record and replay and compete against your previous self, is that only time-based, i.e. averaging the speed of the previous run and showing that as your opponent. Or does it playback the pace of your previous run specific to each section of the run.
That makes a difference when climbing hills or generally on runs where there are fast and slow stretches.
Again, thanks for all your efforts doing this unprecedented level of in-depth testing,
Dominik
Larry,
Thanks for the suggestions.
The lane 1 track length is 440 yards (an “Imperial” measurement, not metric). I don’t need the 305 for distance measurement, but would like to have accurate pace for tempo runs and intervals on the track.
As for pace, I do use lap pace, not instantaneous pace. Except for the track, I have found the GPS to be extremely accurate.
I also have a foot pod, and with calibration it is better on the track than the 305 if I maintain the same stride rate/length when doing my workout that I used when calibrating the pod. However, on the road, my stride rate/length tend to vary (hills), which makes the foot pod less accurate than GPS. Thus, I tend to use the GPS all the time, and hope to find the 610 is more accurate in the two situations I mentioned.
Thanks again!
Jiminy,
Thanks for more information on your situation. Maybe I should give the GPS another try. I’m surprised that you have found it so accurate. Do you run in the open a lot? Do you run under trees or near tall buildings?
I run in New York City, usually in Central Park, so I am under trees. When I run around the edge of Manhattan, there are tall buildings around which interfere with the signal. I remember looking at the GPS track on Google maps and just laughing that the track had me in the river or running across the deck of a ship.
I guess I have just come to accept the slight inaccuracies of the foot pod. Is there any way to tweak the distance measurements in Garmin Training Center?
I have found the foot pod to be way off when running indoors on a small 200m track. Outdoors, in road races, it is usually within a hundredth of a mile, per mile.
I have compared the lap pace from my 405 w/foot pod to the pace displayed by a high quality Woodway treadmill, and I have seen them align to within a second. I hope the Woodway people build accurate treadmlls. 🙂
Anyway, I’m excited about getting the 610. I’m a little bummed that it looks like I will have to wait 5-8 weeks to get the watch. I’ll keep plugging along with the 405. I think I have 1600 miles on it.
Please post your experiences with the 610.
Larry
Larry,
Nearly all of my running is in the open, no continuous tree coverage, and not in urban canyons. I have measured the courses that I regularly run in Google Earth, imported and compared my 305 tracks to GE measurements, and find that the 305 is right on the GE tracks.
This was not the case with many earlier models of Garmin GPS. Before the SirfStar IV receiver chip, the GPS distance could be off as much as 10% from the true distance (as measured using online mapping software). Except for running on the track and in urban canyons, I am extremely happy with 305 accuracy.
I don’t know of any distance or GPS track tweaks you can make in Training Center; it can only report what it uploads from the GPS. SportTracks does have the ability to modify the GPS track (delete and move track points), and also has a plug-in that corrects GPS elevations, giving ascent and descent numbers that seem to be reasonable. You might try it with some of your run tracks.
I look forward to hearing about your experiences with the 610.
Jiminy
Jiminy,
Thanks for the telling me about SportTracks. Unfortunately, it is a Windows only program, as far as I can tell. I’m a Mac user. I do have a Windows machine, a Lenovo T500 laptop, which has just stopped booting, so, I’m down on Windows machines this week. I barely used the machine and now it’s a brick.
I reread part of the review here and see that DCRainMaker says that he was able to get the foot pod and GPS to align perfectly. That’s pretty cool.
When do you think you’ll get your 610? Are you on the pre-order list? I heard they were selling some watches in Boston but only had 25 of them so they were snatched up quickly. A friend tried to get me one but failed.
Larry
Excellent review.
Thinking I need to go to the store to play with both the 610 and 310, to see which I like better. Of course, if I win, it won’t matter…
Great review. I do love my FR 305 but would consider changing.
Thanks for your help
Larry,
I’m in no rush to buy the 610. I’d like to see if DC Rainmaker is able to perform the two accuracy tests that I requested, and review the results before I make a final purchase decision.
Today I ran at the track and used my foot pod with my 305 instead of the GPS. Starting out, while I did my warmup at a 10:00 min pace, the foot pod gave excellent distance/pace info.
Following the warmup, I ran a quarter mile lap much faster (9:00 pace), and at the faster pace (different stride rate/length?) the foot pod accuracy was worse than the GPS is on the track. After I recalibrated at the faster pace, it was again very accurate (with one exception, noted below). This leads me to conclude that I must keep a record of the calibration factor for each pace I wish to run, and then change to that factor whenever my planned workout pace changes.
For some reason, at one point during the workout, the foot pod briefly lost connection with the 305, but resynchronized after about 30 seconds. This dropout resulted in a loss of about .05 mile of run distance. Have you had this experience with your foot pod?
Thanks!
Jiminy
Thank you so much for posting these reviews. Is the heart rate strap for the 110 compatible to the 610 or would I have to buy a new one? I started with the Garmin 110 but as I become a more “serious” runner, I find the 110’s features lacking.
Thanks so much for the review, after reading it I bought the 610 at the London Marathon Expo. The only issue I’ve had is if I set the training fields up to show % HRR or % max HR I don’t get a reading even though I’ve set up my min and max HR. Any chance you could try yours with these fields activated and see if you get a reading.
Cheers
Jiminy,
I haven’t noticed any dropouts from the foot pod when using it with my 405. I think a 30 second dropout would be pretty obvious to see in Garmin Training Center.
I’m willing to also try the accuracy tests on the track, once I get the watch. I do track workouts every week.
Now, all I need is the watch! I can’t wait.
Larry
Hi Jamie-
RE: Power Adapter Plugs
Looking at the final retail packing of the US ones, it does not come with the UK plug – only the little american piece. That said, I believe Garmin will sell you the little US adapter piece for it for probably nothing.
Hi Anon-
RE: Power Pack
Fwiw, I ordered one last week to test out…though oddly now to think about it, it hasn’t come in yet..will update once it does.
Hi Jiminy-
RE: Accuracy tests
I plan to do accuracy tests for all new Spring 2011 watches, though I’m waiting a bit for all of them to reach market (i.e. both the Polar and Timex variants). Will definitely include the track test, as I haven’t done that in the past and that sounds like a great one!
Keep in mind the FR305 GPS chip is far older than these chips, and in my experiance – not nearly as accurate.
Hi Mariano-
RE: Sound Volume
You cannot change the sound on the FR610 – but with the vibrate feature, you almost don’t need it. Whenever an interval starts it will vibrate – so you don’t miss it. One of my favorite FR310XT/FR610 features!
Hi Jan-
RE: Compass
It arrives tomorrow – will let ya know shortly!
Hi Atilano/Others
RE: FR310 Replacement
See my earlier comments above in red (in the comments section). Thanks!
Hi Ondratej-
RE: Training Effect
Thanks for the links! Good stuff for those that are interested.
Hi Dominik-
RE: Virtual Training Partner Playback
Hmm, I’ll try that later today on my run and clarify.
Hi Anon-
RE: Heart Rate Strap
They’re all compatible with each other. So if you’ve got the FR110 ones, you’re completely good to go! I have a large pile of them and interchange them all the time, no issues.
Hi CJ-
RE: %HR %Max HR Missin
Just tossed on the strap to ensure both work, they do. Though, you have to have BOTH your resting HR and Max HR set within either running and cycling, and be in that setting to see them. What firmware does your watch have?
Thanks all!
Larry,
I’m beginning to think more seriously about buying a 610 sooner rather than later.
Last night I replaced the battery in my foot pod to see if that cleared up the dropout problem I reported. It seemed to, but another issue came to light in my workout this morning: bad cadence numbers.
As I was running this morning, looking at the cadence display on the 305 (not average cadence, or lap cadence), I saw it start out in the 90-92 rpm range for about 45 seconds, then drop down to 45 rpm for a while, then jump back up to 90, back down to lower numbers, back up to 90+/-, on and on through the workout. I recalibrated a couple of times to see if that fixed then problem, but it did not. Interestingly enough, the distance readout was correct. The cadence graphs in GTC and SportTracks show this very clearly, and the pace graph also shows a lot of fluctuation.
I’ve submitted a support request to Garmin and expect an initial response early next week. Wonder if this is an issue with my 305, and the way it is analyzing the cadence data it is getting from the foot pod?
Thanks for offering to run the 610 accuracy tests on the track. 🙂
Jiminy
Hi Jan-
RE: Compass
It came in early today from Amazon. 🙂 I picked up a cheap Silva Starter compass, just like I had in Boyscouts.
My testing found that if it was under an inch from the FR610 then it would be affected. It depended slightly on what angle it was to the compass – meaning if you came from below the compass you were at an inch, but in front of the needle it was more like half-an-inch before it affected it.
Hope this helps!
Hi Jiminy-
RE: The footpod piece
I’ve actually got that on my list to ask the Garmin folks to provide a bit of clarification on how head unit versions of the software has changed relative to the footpod itself. Will let ya know.
I’ve been using the Polar 625X for years, I love being able to analyze the data on the computer.
I recently borrowed my buddies FR 305 cause I wanted to see what speeds I could hit skiing. 52.3 MPH by the way.
I liked they way it give additional data without any type of pods or transmitters.
Also being a techy, I’m seeing what else is out there. The FR 610 is soon to come.
Wow great review. Looks like I need to upgrade from my trusty but rusty Forerunner 305.
Hey. Great review. I’d be interested in your thoughts on the Nike sportwatch gps. Am looking at getting a gps watch in the next few months and at this point it’s a toss up between the 610 and the Nike. Your review is a big help. Cheers from Australia.
Hello there, I am an avid runner and just recently decided to purchase a GPS system. Is this the one for a beginner?
What is the battery life?
sorry for my english//
You have most fully reviews for all garmin sport equipment-is realy great work.
But can i ask about this choice why Garmin only? why not a Polar or Suunto production too.Is it possible to make a fight between a leaders:Polar rs800cx vs. Suunto t6d and Garmin fr310/410/610?
i looking for vibtation function for HRM GPS watch(i can’t run without music more then 3-5K)-is a only option to get notification! which watch can give me this option exept fr310&fr610? How accurate is GPS altimeter-i just live in mountainous area?
thank you for all
best regards from Jerusalem-Israel
I will be honest: This is the first I have seen of your site. After having the 405cx for less than a year it was taken back today due to battery issues and “dying” during my first duathlon last weekend. I am struggling between the 305 (such a great price!) and the 210 and have found your site to be a gold mine of information. Thank you!
Thanks for checking for me, after a bit more playing around I realised that it didn’t think I’d set a max HR because the default value happened to be my max HR, having changed it to another value then back again I’m getting a reading now.
Jan I’m also an Orienteer and wore my 610 for four events over the Easter weekend and didn’t have any problems, I wear it on my right wrist and use a thumb compass on my left hand.
Great Reviews. If you already answered this question I apoligize but I didn’t see it.
Will the 310xt record my routes so I can run them again? Friends have told me some of their older Garmin watches would display a map route for previous runs and even tell them when to turn. If not, can I download maps from Garmin connect or something?
Last, are all the people bashing the 310 on the internet just upset because they haven’t taken the time to understand the watch? Because some people are really upset. Thanks for your time in advance. i really enjoy all your reviews.
Will.
Great work man and really helpful…
I have the 305 and wanted to get one of the newer releases. I use it mostly for running and always had Garmin, but, would you recommend other brands like Timex or Polar?
Thanks a lot! Fernan
Hi Rainmaker,
I resolved my foot pod problem by doing a hard reset on the 305. Now I get consistent cadence readouts with no sudden drops in rpm 🙂
Jiminy
Nice review! Thanks 🙂
I have a few questions,
I want to use Forerunner for recording walking trips or hiking. Is there possibility to set longer periods of record GPS, for longer recording time?
Is it possible to use recorded GPS points for storing trip in Maps applications e.g. Google maps?
Thanks.
Hello from Germany,
i´ve a question to the forerunner 610, a friend of me will buy the forerunner 610 in usa. now my question, is it possible to use it in german menue or is only english language possible?
thank you for information, please send me your answer to rene_perugia@hotmail.de
bye from germany, bavaria, regensburg
Karl-Heinz
I just lost my 405 (don’t ask me how). Do I get the 410 or the 610? hmmmmmm.
I am a triathlete too. I have a 310XT, but my BF mooched it when he got a quarq and his 305 couldn’t hack it and I have a 705. I was anxiously awaiting a new release of the 310xt before I sprung for a new one. A little birdie from Garmin hinted that it may be bundled with their new pedal based power system which is likely to be released for interbike in Sept. Any thoughts on that?
Anon: Thank you so much for posting these reviews. Is the heart rate strap for the 110 compatible to the 610 or would I have to buy a new one? I started with the Garmin 110 but as I become a more “serious” runner, I find the 110’s features lacking.
Hi Anon-
RE: Heart Rate Strap
They’re all compatible with each other. So if you’ve got the FR110 ones, you’re completely good to go! I have a large pile of them and interchange them all the time, no issues.
Hi, I am a new FR owner. Great article.
Just to follow up on Anon’s question, are we talking the HR sensor part being compatible? To me, the term “strap” could mean just the fabric part or fabric+sensor. TIA
Great Review – fantastic detail.
Wife and I would like to share the watch. Is there a way to keep our runs separate in the Garmin Comnect website?
Hi,
What features are available on the FR610 when the power save mode is engaged? I was told that previous FR models (405, etc) don’t display the date?
Many thanks.
Can I wear the 610 with a suit?
Thank you.
I spoke to roadrunner sports today and they said the date for availability had been pushed back to May 30th–FYI
yes, also pushed back May delivery to first week of June for the UK.
Does the 610 have the ability to display my actual pace aside from the lap pace? I’d like to be able to speed up an see how fast I’m going at that instance. The 210 had that function.
The search for the most accurate device (gps or footpod) does not seem to be that important to me.
I don’t feel I would run faster if I had a device with 100% accuracy all of the time. The devices might be off just like our bodies might be on a good or a bad day.
During a race, my body is the device I count on to give me accurate feedback whether I’m going too fast or can push a little harder.
In my opinion, a good training plan and determination to follow it are the keys to fast and safe running. As the owner of a FR60, I don’t feel the need to recalibrate as I switch pace/cadence/stride lenght as I don’t think 85% or 100% accuracy should make a difference on my performance in a race.
What is your opinion on the importance of a device accuracy to your long term running performance?
Great review ! Thank you very much.
Hi!
I am curious about the possibility to change the “pace zones”. You know these 10 zones for pace (or speed)?
It would be great to change the paces for each zone and even better to rename the zones.
Any chance to do this with the 610?
Thanks and regards,
Björn
Hi, could I just confirm that in order to save a location, you do not need to actually physically go to that location, but can simply enter the appropriate latitude and longitude?
Hi DC,
What a great review! Thanks so much for doing all that work.
Question/comment: What does the 610 do when being charged? Can you use the watch as per normal?
If so, you could loosen the band and wear the charging clip while running and plug it into an external Lion cell phone charging battery.
That would allow the 610 to stay alive in long ultras.
Alas, even if you made a custom clip to connect to the 405 when running this idea can’t work because the watch doesn’t function at all when charging.
So can you confirm the watch does the same (dumb) thing when charging? And if so, please tell garmin to fix it 😉
Thanks again for your great reviews!
-paul
Where are these things anyway? I pre- ordered weeks ago, & garmin’s site still say’s that order processing is 5-8 weeks. It is now 05/06/11 & still no sign or word?
Yeah, Ray do you have any word on if or why the 610s got delayed? I pre-ordered and it said to be shipped May 9th.. now it says June 4th. Boooo.. A little info from Garmin would be nice. thanks and GREAT review!
Thank you for this review, great information. Any idea if the 610 will give a calorie estimate when used with gps off (indoors) and without foot pod? Thank you.
Garmin website sucks. I preordered the 610 4weeks ago and they haven’t done crap to update to their website. WTF Garmin?????
Hi All-
Anon-
RE: Nike+ Watch and comparisons-
Check out my Nike+ Review here, which was just after the FR610 review-
link to dcrainmaker.com
I include lots of comparisons there.
Hi Tim-
RE: Battery Life
It’s about 8-10 hours of active use, and 3-4 weeks of non-use.
Hi Pavel-
RE: Other watches
I do review other watches, but I simply only have time to focus on the ones that I think are the best out there. I do have the RS800CX in the queue, but it’s after the RCX5 and some others. No problems with GPS altimeter, as Garmin Connect will overwrite the data with real elevation data by default anyway.
Hi Amanda-
Thanks!
Hi CJ-
Enjoy!
Hi Anon/Will-
RE: Recording routes to run again
Yes, the FR610 in Virtual Racer mode can do this. As for the FR310XT, in general, yes, most of them are. 😉
Hi Fernan-
RE: FR305 vs everything
The FR305 is a great running watch for the price. If you have the cash, for a running watch I’m finding you really can’t beat the FR610. Just loving it day to day as my running watch.
Hi Ondrej-
RE: GPS recording time
Your limiter with the FR610 is the battery, not the memory. They do make an external battery pack though that will solve this problem for you. Mine hasn’t quite arrived yet though, backordered.
RE: Transferring to Google Maps
Yes, Garmin Connect allows you to export out GPX format.
Hi Karl-
RE: German Menu
Yes, you can switch to German Menu’s from the US edition.
Hi Michelle-
RE: FR610 or FR410
FR610, hands down, no questions.
Hi Anon-
RE: HR straps or fabric compatible
Actually, they’re both compatible, you can interchange them however you’d like. The snaps are the same. The key part of the new strap that’s important though is the fabric part, due to the sensor design. The plastic pod part is the same.
Hi Anon-
RE: Wife seperate on runs recorded
It will upload to the same Garmin Connect account by default, but you can upload the runs seperately, manually to seperate accounts.
Hi Anon-
RE: Power Save Mode
The day of the week is displayed on top, then the time with seconds in the middle, and then the day and month below.
Hi Anon-
RE: Availability-
According to Garmin’s blog on Thursday, it’s now shipping to stores – it’s unclear how far back they’re backlogged though:
link to garmin.blogs.com
Hi YR-
RE: Actual pace displayed
Yes, by default actual pace is displayed.
Hi Fernando-
RE: Device accuracy
It’s quite useful if you want to measure progress over time. For me, when running, pace is the most useful metric I have – everything else can vary on the day. My body may feel like garbage one day, but actually be running fast – or vice versa.
Hi Bjorn-
RE: Pace Zones
These are changed within Garmin Training Center, both renaming and changing pace associated with each one.
Hi Ian-
RE: Lat/Long location save
No, you can enter it in manually.
Hi paul-
RE: What does it do when being charged
At the moment with a wall charger it goes into charging mode. Apparently with the special charging unit you can still use it – but I don’t have it yet to try out. Hopefully it’ll arrive soon.
Hi Anon/Joey/Harry-
RE: Pre-order
See above note from Garmin. I’ll hit up Garmin again this week and try and get more detail.
Hi Jon-
RE: Calorie Estimates w/o GPS and footpod
Yes, with the HR strap it will using Firstbeat. See the calorie post below:
link to dcrainmaker.com
Thanks all!
Your reviews are fantastic!
Not so crazy about how you deceive us and say you send the watches back after 45 days. Clearly you do not, since you have them all on your rolling pin–even when the reviews between Garmin 110 and 610 are over a year apart. Certainly you would not buy each one on your own, since there would be no point in having, say the 110 if you have the 210. There is nothing wrong with Garmin letting you keep the watch–you are merely reviewing fitness watches, not bond ratings. C’mon.
Hi David-
Actually, I do buy them all. I do this to be able to support and assist folks in reviews like this. By folks supporting the site using the Amazon links, this helps make this (and other efforts like the watch giveaways) possible.
Thanks for your support!
-Ray
Whew! For a second there I thought Sherlock Holmes had caught you.
Hi Bjorn-
RE: Pace Zones
These are changed within Garmin Training Center, both renaming and changing pace associated with each one.
Thanks! And are the settings really synchronized with the 610? Because with my 310XT these setting are not transferred to the watch 🙁
Hi and thanks for the comment at me. But what you said seems very close to what I was trying to express.
Progress over time is indeed what it’s all about. But it is not measured over your instant pace. It’s about being faster and/or running with less effort. Do you agree that on a bad day you should not push your limits even if you’re running slower than your target at high heart rate? Besides, everyone that assumes the device is innacurate do know the run distance. Thus, over time, you wouldn’t need a technological device to check your progress.
I see instant pace as more of a motivational tool (more so with GPS lag), definitely a motivational training tool. But shouldn’t need to be 100% accurate to be useful.
Julio here.
Great review…looks like time for me to upgrade. Q: My 305 came with the HR monitor…is this compatibl with the 305 or do In need to upgrade. I remember the instructions saying the HRM was good only for the 305…
What an awesome review!
I sometimes change fields during my run. Did you find it was easier or more difficult to navigate the menus while on the move? My intitial thought is the touch screen would make navigation frustrating while running.
Hello dcrainmaker,
Great site and lots of info!
I have some quick questions to ask:
I am looking at buying a Garmin GPS watch to help track my runs. I want my data to be as accurate as possible.
This will be my first gps watch. I can afford the 305 now, but I would have to save up a little bit for the 610. The 305 is such a great deal. I read your reviews. However, it is May 2011. Is the 305 really worth buying now (4+ years later)? I thought I read somewhere on the site where you said that the 305 may not be as accurate anymore since it contains an older gps chip. How does the accuracy vary between the 305 and the new 610?
I am not very interested in the in-between models that Gamins offers, b/c they tend to lack many features and are still expensive. If I got the 610, I would at least know I would be getting everything! So at this point in 2011, should I go new? Or old?
Thanks for your future help!
Hi, Thanks very much for your interesting review! I was just wondering about a feature I consider vital for a professional athlete: heart rate functionalities. Do you think FR 610 is comparable to a Polar in this reguard (e.g. the coming soon RCX5)? or does it lag behind? I would love to see a comparison between these two. Thanks. Luis
@ Jordan: if you are interested, I am selling my 305 on amazon for $110 w/o the hrm. It is used, I bought in Feb 10.
link to amazon.com
I just traded my forerunner 410 for the 610 and here is my comparison:
410 vs 610
– faster sat fix
– touchscreen works much better then bezel
– 4 data fields a page
– VIBRATION ALERT (my main switching reason)
– Much better watch form factor, 410 is lot preformed as a watch making it bulky. 610 actually feels like you put on a watch, like a watch suppose to.
– 1 second recording rocks, makes a smoother actual pace as well.
– ability to edit and create complex workouts without the use of a computer!
I’m a big fan of you blog so I was really surprised I didn’t knew of this feature before I got the watch. The ability to create complex workouts on the watch itself is GREAT! I’m a complex workout use and make workouts for every day on my training plan. But it’s nice to be able to edit or ad a extra step. I’m guessing you don’t use complex workouts that much ray. Think if you did you would written quite a bit about this new feature.
My current firmware update wishlist:
– Ability to disable time page during workout.
– Ability to read battery status as percentage, we like numbers not battery bar graphs!!!
In future hoping for:
– Pace Zone support, currently unable to change zones and they seem very pointless. Rather would have it just like hearth rate zones …. 2.3 2.5 3.0 etc.
Rainmaker: Great review!
Question: The Garmin 410 can be completely shut down using an option in the Settings menu. Can the 610 also be completely shut down?
Any idea on how long it will take for the price on this watch to come down atleast 20 or 30 dollars?
Hi Bjorn-
RE: Sync with FR610
Hmm, I need to double-check that – I’m 99% sure that they are. Will try tomorrow.
Hi Fernando-
RE: Training
For me, I train about 95% of the time against HR, as opposed to pace – so I’m already doing that. If I have a bad HR day, my pace suffers…and vice versa. Only closer to race day and really only for paced-races (i.e. a Marathon at a specific time goal) do I switch over to doing repeats at a very specific pace. After all, when it comes to race day, if I want to hit a given time goal, I need to be able to run that pace – regardless of what my HR wants to do.
Hi William/Julio-
RE: HR Strap
Yes, the one with the FR305 is fully compatible with the FR610.
Hi Jordan-
RE: Accuracy
The chips have evolved between the FR305 and the FR610. I’m planning on comparing them both later this spring as far as accuracy goes. Long-run wise though, you’re fine. It’s really in deep trees, etc.. where the FR610 and the newer chips shine, due to being able to track better in less ideal conditions. Personally, I love the FR610 and if you can afford it – go with it! Otherwise, the FR305 is still a great watch, especially for the money.
Hi Anon-
RE: HR features between FR610 and RCX5
Having both currently, I can comment a bit. Lag-wise on HR you’re looking at about 1-2 seconds. When I wear them both at the same time, both watches show virtually identical 99.99% of the time. When I review the RCX5 I’ll try and do a little video showing the two – remind me on that review if I forget and I’ll add it though.
The major difference when it comes to Polar vs Garmin on HR isn’t the reading/recording/displaying, but rather the calorie calculation work that Polar has patened. It’s a bit more advanced.
Hi MadRunningBlog-
RE: Complex workouts
My workouts are fairly complex…but I tend to generally just write them down. 😉 I know, old school, but it just makes it easier sometimes. 🙂
Completely agree RE HR zones definitions though, useless.
Thanks for the comments though!
Hi Anon-
RE: Shutdown
Yes, both can be fully shut down.
Hi Thomas-
RE: Price drop
I wouldn’t expect to see it drop price anytime soon. You’ll see small Amazon fluctuations probably in early summer…but nothing so soon given how high of demand it’s in.
Thanks all!
Rainmaker — I recently came across your blog, great stuff to read as I am a bit of a tech junkie. We (Myotest) have a break-through application specific to the middle to long distance runner called the RunCheck stride analysis. It is a new portable technology to quantify many parameters associated with the run stride, relating to economy. If you are interested to be the 1st to review, please let me know. Scott Damman, Myotest — Durango, CO.
Hi, amazing review! thanks.
When do you plan to post a comparison btw 610 and Polar RCX5? Am I right in saying that the Polar GPS sensor has to be applied to shoe lace, while the Garmin GPS is built-in on the main unit? Thanks. Pablo
Could you please specify what is the time interval before the watch goes into power saving mode and locks the screen? The screen lock is important for me as I do skating and have my arms on my back often.
This is probably too much, but could you maybe try putting your arms on your back, move a little and see what happens? Do the screen buttons get pressed? Does it unlock?
Thanks a million.
Hi Scott-
Thanks for the heads up – shoot me an e-mail on the sidebar and I’d be happy to check it out.
Hi Pablo-
RE: RCX5 vs FR610
Soon, though at the moment the beta RCX5 device I have isn’t able to upload data, so I’m in a bit of a holding pattern there. I suspect we may now be looking closer to the first week of June.
The Polar GPS sensor is meant to be worn on your arm via the included arm band. There isn’t any form of shoe GPS sensor, just a shoe footpod for indoor use (treadmill).
Hi Marek-
RE: Timeout
Sorry, I think there may be some confusion. The unit only goes into power saving mode if an activity isn’t in use. If you’re actively recording, it’ll stay in that mode until it runs out of battery. Once in screenlock the time is display, this occurs after approx 3 minutes, swipping the screen delays that (or buttons). Unlike just requires a swipe. But again – this won’t happen if you’re actively in an activity.
Thanks all!
Found another unmentioned feature which is something most of the gps watch + footpod owners would love to have.
With the 610 you can set the footpod to be used together with GPS. The 610 can use the footpod to calculate current pace while using GPS for all other data like distance, avg etc.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Great review. I am just afraid that Garmin dropped the HR Graph data field that existed on the 405. Is it really gone ?
that’s a great review and I’m really excited with all the specs of this watch, but for me it is important the track functionality
I wonder if it is possible to upload tracks to the watch from other devices or from the web so as to follow them with the compass.
You say you can download courses from Garmin Connect and other sources, but you cannot follow them with the little compass/breadcrumb; so, what’s the use?
The track back to start, leads you directly to the start point or undoes the whole track?
610 in stock at city sports with free next day
link to citysports.com
Thanks anon…hoping mine is here in time for my 1/2 on Saturday. I think I’m a little crazy getting the 610 rather than the 305. I really hope it’s worth it. They seem so similar for an unseasoned runner like myself. Rainmaker, someone asked you which was better. I’m assuming you were vague because it’s your job to promote both. My husband is a fan of the high tech, I just want something to get the job done. He won this time, but I have a feeling DC, that if it really came down to it you might just say the lower price is a better deal. I sure do hope I’m happy with the results. Also hope I can figure out all of the uses so I can make the most of it. I’m sure this review will be helpful in that endeavor. Thank you!
I recently purchased a 610 to replace my 405.
One of the fields I like is the average lap field to show me my average time per mile over a given distance be it 10km, half marathon or marathon.
on my 405 you got to menu, settings, data fields, and choose time – avg lap.
On my 610 I followed the same sort of process but when running, the field showed 0:00 all the time rather than updating every mile. Any suggestions as to what I might have done wrong?
Hi everybody,
I am getting my 610 Saturday or Monday and while waiting I had a look at forums.garmin.com. There are quite a few discussions about big problems with the accuracy of the 610-gps unit. What experience do you have (if you already own a 610, of course…;-))?
Greeting, I am in a 5 5 woman at 175 lbs looking to lose about 30 lbs in the next 4 mths. I am currently deployed (I’m active duty military) and I have some downtime. I am a casual runner at best; I only run for about 30 minutes three times a week; however I do other various forms of cardio when I’m not running. I recently purchased a suunto m4 and I am very unhappy with my purchase. There isn’t enough functionality but I love the training coach. Is there a feature on this watch that acts as a personal trainer? I want something to tell me how hard to work and for how long and tell me how long I have been in the prescribed HR zones. Does this watch do that? Or do you know something besides the M4/M5 that does?
gps problems??? Nooooo, please say it isn’t so!
Hey Shavonne,
The 610 has the Training Effect feature that should tell you how hard you are working in a scale from 1.0 to 5.0.
The creators of Training Effect (FirstBeat) also sells a software called Firstbeat Athlete that analizes your training data and makes a training plan for you that auto-adjusts based on what you have done the previous days. You can try it for two weeks for free.
For problems with the GPS see here:
link to garmin610problems.blogspot.com
and here…
link to forums.garmin.com
Hi MadRunningBlog-
RE: Footpod alt uses
Correct indeed, all valuable.
Hi Anon-
RE: HR Graph
Indeed, the graph is now gone (just re-validated that).
Hi Xavier-
RE: Track functionality
You can indeed do track functionality, but only within the confines of the Virtual Racer component.
Hi Tif-
RE: FR305 or FR610
Oh, I’ve always said that both are great – and also always say that if you’re on a budget the FR305 does just about everything the FR610 does at 1/3rd the price. The FR610 is all about looking good (and some minor feature enhancements). If fashion or day to day use isn’t of concern, then absolutely save the cash and go with the FR305. Enjoy!
Hi Elliott-
RE: Avg Lap issue
Hmm, that’s a bit odd – sounds like bug – have you updated the firmware to 2.20?
Hi Bjorn (and Anon):
RE: Accuracy posts
I’ve seen the thread on the Forums, which it present is a single user having issues with what may be a defective unit. Additionally, there are some comments from a few users about ‘jaggies’ or tiny little GPS track blips showing up that cause a single data point (1-second) to be plotted about 10-20 feet off a track in some random locations. For my recent 2:00hr run, I had 6 of these data points (out of 7,200). At most we’re talking a hundred feet extra (if that) in my case out of 16+ miles, well within accuracy of GPS. I agree there’s an oddity (probably a little bug) there, but I disagree that it’s an issue to worry about. That thread (posted above by another commenter) is probably the best place to follow and continue the discussion.
Hi Shavonne-
RE: Training Coach
As Inkar noted, you could use the Training Effect to provide some level of guidance – but in some ways you might be better off looking at some of the free training plans (like the ones on Hal Higdon’s site for different distance), to guide you a bit more.
Thanks Inkar!
And thanks everone for reading and supporting the blog!
-Ray
The software version says 2.20 on the watch.
Have changed the setting to average pace – do you think this will give me my average minutes per mile over the course of my marathon (on sunday)?
will ne software be updated automatically through ant+?
I have been using a Suunto T6D for a year. It saves every heart beat and respective inter-beat-interval (IBI) for up to a million beats. This data can be exported to an Excel file for later analysis. It helps with assessing heart condition (i.e. detect heart murmur, etc) during endurance sports and when sleeping.
Does the Forerunner capture IBI? I do like the virtual partner and running cadence features of the Garmin.
These are not available on the Suunto. But I do wear the T6D as a daily watch. I also run with an iPhone and the excellent RunMeter app captures GPS based routes and can be setup to send out email updates to spouce/friends with pace, location, etc so they know how I am doing and when I need them to pick me up. The route information can then be loaded into the Suunto movescount web site and merged with watch data. Only drawback is having to start and stop two devices. The runmeter can be controlled using the earphone control switch which helps.
Thanks for the review! I probably will wait for an updated 310XT as I like a larger display and water resistance.
Got the watch yestday and took it out this morning. Great watch, only issue is I can’t get it to connect to the ANT+ stick. Has anyone else had this issue? My settings on the watch are set to on for data transfer and inital pairing. The stick is working on the computer. Any info would help. Thanks!!
DC – how can I tell if I have the current premium heart rate monitor or the newest premium heart rate monitor? From the pictures you posted it looks like the in the newest version you have a buckle and the older premium you unsnap one of the monitors connections. Is that right? Are the part numbers different? Thanks – I have tried searching Garmin’s website with no success.
Hi there Ray,
thanks for great review of this one and also of the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch. I am a Nike+ addict, though I am in my first full marathon training now (done few halfs over last two years) and thinking of trying out some triathlons next year and Nike seems to be too basic for this.
I was very convinced about going for Nike+ GPS Sportwatch, but reading your reviews for both, the great possibility of preparing my workouts on computer and loading them in the Garmin watch … Thanks to the comments of other readers, I realized that one can actually load Garmin data to Nike+ (even though they don’t have public API, so who knows how long is this going to be possible).
One update on your Pros and Cons – I tested the 210 for my friends magazine few months ago and the charging cable slightly moved and stopped charging. I was truly upset, when my watch ran out of battery after 15 minutes of a 10 miler … So I can understand that it can be a complication for someone owning more Garmin watches, but I would generally consider this a positive upgrade.
Ray, thank you for all the great work, I will make sure to order my GPS watch through your links once I finally decice.
Good luck, you are great at what you are doing!
Barborkas
Hi Elliott-
RE: Avg Pace
Yes, using ‘average pace’ will show you your average minutes/mile pace over the course of the entire race. It’s perfect for what you want. Btw, check out this post for a bit more detail:
link to dcrainmaker.com
Hi Sunny-
RE: IBI
No, Garmin does not publically show your IBI numbers. It does actually use that via FirstBeat to determine calorie calcs, but doesn’t record it anywhere.
Hi Anon-
RE: ANT+ Stick Unhappy
I saw it happen once – try powering down the watch (hold upper left button for a few seconds), and then turning back on and setting back up initial pairing. Also, ensure that ANT+ agent software is in pairing mode (right click, pairing=enabled).
Hi Kraig-
RE: Premium vs Newest Premium
The easiest way to tell is that the little plastic pod snaps into the center of the fabric band, and you use the plastic clip to put it around yourselves. The older one the plastic pod is what you use to snap it around yourself.
Hi Barborka-
Thanks for the comments, and I agree with your notes. I’ve gotten more use to the charging clip and in general think it does perform better.
Thanks Everyone!
-Ray
Merci ! Très intéressant 🙂
Thanks!
Just saw this: link to buy.garmin.com – a longer strap. Wish they did this for the 310XT, I just “made” a nice long fabric strap for mine
Awesome reviews. More questions answered on this site than the rest of the internet put together.I am a keen runner, but also do a lot of cycling/mountain biking and the occasional triathlon/Ironman event it looks like the 310Xt is what will suit me best. My only concern is that the consensus seems to be that the altimeter isn’t worth much and as I do a lot of trail/fellrunning I would ideally like a barometric altimeter. Do you think there is any chance the new version of the 310XT will have an improved altimeter or barometric altimeter or is there a different device you would recommend.
Hi Rainmaker!
Just read your awesome review on Forerunner 610. Congratulations!!
How could they remove standard course funcionality? It is great for MTB races. With that function the 610 was all I wanted:
-It would have followed course with the little compass
-It looks like a regular watch (better than 410)
-It adds 1-second recording option (better than 410)
-Touchscreen (better than 410)
Do you think Garmin is considering to launch a new/similar 610 with this compass function again?
I think it is worth waiting.
I run, swim (could use the swim cap method) and would love to download routes for MTB into the watch and follow them with the compass. Plus I wanted a “normal size” watch to wear every day.
Thanks!!!
Francisco
francisco.marrubio@gmail.com
It seems that there is people not very happy with the fr610 GPS accuracy (link to garmin610problems.blogspot.com), did you find those problems?
Probably asking for perfection, but I like to dream…
In your experience, when will we see a GPS-integrated watch…
-With a normal size (like the Forerunner 610)
-Totally waterproof (like the Timex Global Trainer), but able to receive the heart rate signal (like Polar T-31) and GPS data while in the wrist (“openwater swim mode” like 310XT)
-With 12 hours battery autonomy (like Timex Global Trainer)
-And a compass function to follow a route downloaded in the watch (like most of the new devices except 610)???
One year? Maybe less?
Thanks!!!