Heads up – Big Garmin sales are out!!! The Garmin Fenix 8 is $250 off, the Forerunner 965 is $150, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 is $249, and a ton of other Garmin gear has substantial discounts! Go check out the full list here!
In the unlikely event the internet or Amazon hasn’t already informed you, today and tomorrow (Monday/Tuesday) is Amazon Prime Day. That means that most (all? Update: Not All, Not Canada) Amazon country properties are doing pretty substantial deals across the board on all sorts products, including yes, sports tech gear. Historically held in July, this year it’s a bit earlier, and historically, Amazon Prime Day has been *VERY* strong for sports tech deals – even eclipsing Black Friday (from an Amazon perspective).
In some ways, for sports tech items it’s timed perfectly. See, typically Black Friday deals are for ‘older’ things, rarely the ‘just announced’ stuff that often comes in the late August to October timeframe (especially cycling trainers, and watches). But with Prime Day being in June, there’s frankly not a lot of ‘just announced’ stuff. Thus, more opportunity for brands to put things on sale for a one-off summer day.
To take advantage of Amazon Prime Days you simply need to be an Amazon Prime member. The good news is that you can sign-up with the free trial and cancel later if you don’t find value in it. Just hit up this giant banner below to do so:
I’ve organized all the best sports technology Amazon Prime Days deals (and a few others I’ve found) below in the tables by category. I’ll be updating them throughout the next two days. Keep in mind not all deals last (in fact, most don’t). So if you see something that’s hot, I’d strongly suggest buy now (and return later if need be).
With that, onto the deals! And thanks for supporting the site via the links below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Enjoy!
Europe Folks Note: This year almost *ALL* of the watch/cycling deals you’ll see in the main lists are available in Europe too! So you can click on those links and it’ll redirect to the correct Europe store. For the most part, the %-off are the same (a first!). I’m also adding in Europe-only/unique deals to the bottom Europe section too.
Watches & Wearables:
This covers anything you can wear that’s watch-like or activity band-like, including sensors. Generally speaking, you’ll mostly find deals here that are on things I’ve written about in the past. So you won’t find a deal on some random non-sports tech watch here, or on socks. Unless the socks have some crazy sensor or something in them.
This is the first major sale for the Apple Watch SE 3, which came out just 2 months ago. It's essentially Apple's 'budget' offering, yet it still has all the same software features as a higher-end Apple Watch Series 11, as long as the hardware permits.
This is the first time we've seen the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on sale, and given it's $100 off, that tends to be the typical sale price for the holidays/Black Friday for the current/just-released version.
This is the activity tracker that both of our oldest daughters have used for years (age 8 & 9), as well as most of their friends now. They/we all like it. Check out my full in-depth review for all my thoughts. That said, the new Bounce 2 came out two months ago, and while my review isn't out yet, it's a far better product. But, quite a bit more too. The TLDR on that review will be that it's the best kids smartwatch/tracker to date (for both parents and kids), but obviously will cost you $100 more.
This is the lowest price we've seen on this to date. The Enduro 3 is simply the Fenix 8 with a MIP/Solar display (but without the scuba or voice calling features). It gets all the Fenix 8 features and updates otherwise.
⚡⚡⚡ This is a fantastic deal. By far the lowest price we've seen this! The Epix Pro has a flashlight which the regular Epix lacks, plus the newer Garmin Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor with ECG support.
⚡⚡⚡ This is a fantastic deal. By far the lowest price we've seen this! The Epix Pro has a flashlight which the regular Epix lacks, plus the newer Garmin Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor with ECG support. Note: Availability on this deal fluctuates, just keep checking back, I'm sure it'll pop back again (it always does).
⚡ If you wanted the battery life of a Fenix MIP series without the cost of a Fenix 8, this is basically your best deal. Plus, unlike the base Fenix 7 series, the Pro series includes the flashlight and Gen5 HR sensor with ECG.
⚡ If you wanted the battery life of a Fenix MIP series without the cost of a Fenix 8, this is basically your best deal. Plus, unlike the base Fenix 7 series, the Pro series includes the flashlight and Gen5 HR sensor with ECG.
⚡ The Fenix 8 keeps getting all the new software features of the Fenix 8 Pro that was launched two months ago. Setting aside that Fenix 8 Pro which gained LTE & Satellite Messaging, this is otherwise the most capable sports watch on the market.
⚡ The Fenix 8 keeps getting all the new software features of the Fenix 8 Pro that was launched two months ago. Setting aside that Fenix 8 Pro which gained LTE & Satellite Messaging, this is otherwise the most capable sports watch on the market.
As a general rule, the Fenix E is the watch that literally nobody is buying, and makes no sense at higher prices. The hardware is simply the Epix Gen 2 with Fenix stamped on it. That watch is going for $400, though I expect we'll see it down to $300 over Black Friday. However, one *KEY* difference with the Fenix E, is that it includes all of the software features of the newer Fenix 8, whereas the Epix Gen 2 doesn't get all the new software features. Otherwise, save your $200.
⚡ This is (by far) the lowest price on the Forerunner 265, which was recently replaced by the Forerunner 570 (but at nearly twice this price). What's fascinating about this sale price, is it's well beyond the usual sale prices for Garmin for this product. This pricing is 100% an Kansas-themed 'Hello!' to COROS and their just released COROS Pace 4 at $249.
The Foreurnner 55 is a great option if you simply don't want to spend a ton, but still want a super-capable runners watch (and general activity/sleep tracking watch). I've heard a lot of you get it for teenagers that run, as a great/inexpensive way to track their runs, and still be a good everyday watch.
This is the lowest price to date on the Forerunner 965, which is logical given the Forerunner 970 came out this past spring (which essentialy adds a flashlight and some other running metrics/features).
The Instinct 3 series came out earlier this year, with both an AMOLED and Solar variants. The big upgrade over the previous editions is the inclusion of the flashlight in all sizes, and a massive ugprade of sports features.
The Instinct 3 series came out earlier this year, and the Solar edition in particular has 'unlimited' battery life in certain scenarios. The big upgrade over the previous editions is the inclusion of the flashlight in all sizes, and a massive ugprade of sports features.
⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen on the newest product in the entire Garmin Holiday 2025 sale lineup. This is basically a blend of a Forerunner 970, Venu 4, and Fenix 8...but super thin. It's argueably one of the best deals here at $599, though, Garmin is still clearly trying to figure out the right pricing to drive purchases.
⚡ This is the first time we've seen the Vivoactive 6 on sale, which is essentially a Venu 4, but without the voice/calling/ECG features (and a few other tidbits). It's probably one of the best deals in Garmin's lineup (sale or otherwise).
Cycling Gear & Trainers:
Got a bike? Then this section is for you. Everything from bike computers to bike lights to trainers, it’s all here. I won’t generally be adding things like brake cables or bike seats here, but if I find a good deal on a cassette to stack on that new direct drive trainer you just bought, I’ll probably list it here.
⚡This is a very solid deal, and is still one of the best bike computers Garmin has ever made, especially when you look at the battery side of things (it lasts far longer than the Edge 1050).
⚡At $249, it's pretty much impossible to beat this deal in terms of bike computers. There's no competitive option that beats it on features/battery/etc at this price, or frankly anywhere near it. Sure, it doesn't have a touchscreen, but it's not as bad as it used to be (I did a stint on it this winter for a week or so, and was fine).
⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 540 Solar to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. And notably, lower than the Edge 540 without solar (which is kinda silly, but hey, win for us!).
This is Garmin's radar without the light, so it's a bit smaller as a result. Same radar tech though, and compatible with Garmin/COROS/Hammerhead/Wahoo bike computers.
This is Garmin's standalone radar+taillight option, and $149 is pretty much the standard sale-price. Even despite all the new radars out there, this remains the most accurate option on the market. Now, only if Garmin would just re-release it with USB-C. C'Mon Garmin...maybe next year?
This is the first time this product has been on sale, since launching last spring. I'd argue it could have used a $100 off sale...but hey...they don't consult me.
Action Cameras & Drones:
Wanna record it? No better way than an action camera. Anything that’s action camera related or drone related you’ll find here. That’s especially true of action camera mounts, which are often found for great deals around the holidays. Same goes with drone and drone accessories. Usually a great time to pick up an extra battery or extra props.
There are no deals currently.
Other Sports & Fitness:
Anything else that’s sports and fitness related that I think is interesting will be here. It may not be super techy – but it’s stuff that most readers will be using in pursuit of their running/cycling/swimming/hiking/whatever.
The Garmin Inded BPM is Garmin's medically certified blood pressure monitor. It integrates directly into your Garmin Connect account. I use it on occasion as a comparison for wearables, and it works just fine (obviously it's already medically certified by the FDA, so I say 'works' here in the sense of usability/functionality/etc...).
⚡ This is the lowest price we've ever seen for this. This is my defacto satellite communicator when out of coverage area, and I've used it on a number of major treks over the past two years when well outside of cellular service, both in a 24x7 tracking mode for friends and family, but also there in case of emergency. Would strongly recommend for anyone doing anything in the wilderness.
This came out last fall, and is the second time this has been discounted, but now to the lowest price to date. The key difference with the new Plus model is that it adds the ability to send photos and voice messenges via satellite. I've used it a bit, and it's pretty cool because it makes it a lot faster to just say something rather than type it out, but the $499 price seemed excessive. $399 makes it slightly more palatable.
European Deals!
What’s that? You’re not in the US and still want a deal? No problem! Note that on Amazon Europe deals, generally speaking, you can order from any Amazon European country site (i.e. Amazon France) and have it shipped within the EU (i.e. Spain). Thus, many times deals are duplicated across the sites. I generally try and just distill it down to one.
Remember these deals refresh each day for the most part, and usually only last a few hours. Jump if you see something you like!
There are no deals currently.
DCR Random Gadget List:
This is basically the mostly totally unrelated gadgets and things I think are cool deals that I’ve likely bought one or five of (you can never have too many, right)? Some of it’s probably photography stuff. Some of it’s random stuff like chargers and battery packs that I use daily, fun camera gear I use to make videos like sliders and turntables, and well…just random things you’ll find around the DCR Cave. It’s all random…but it’s all awesome randomness!
There are no deals currently.
With that – thanks for reading, and for supporting the site via the links above.
Many Garmin products are heavily discounted in Europe (link to amazon.de), including the Instinct Solar at 250 euro or the Forerunner245 at around 165.
Good reminder. I just ordered (on sale, woot!), the Vivofit Jr. 3 to see how it goes with our oldest one. She’s about to turn five and loves her current Disney Mickey one, so not entirely sure I’ll succeed with getting her to be the tester.
Not Amazon related, as we don’t have it here in NZ, but for all the kiwis, check out Noel Leeming – that have the Fenix 6 pro sapphire at half price (724 NZD), which is about 500 USD – sorry Ray, no affiliate link for you I’m afraid! link to noelleeming.co.nz
Ray: I know this may be a weird question, but I was thinking of getting the Fenix watch instead of a bike computer. I’m probably not thinking straight but is there a possibility of using it as such?
The singular downside is simply viewability. Meaning, having it on your wrist means less glanceability to the metrics, especially if mountain biking or such. But, lots of people don’t mind that, or, use it more for recording the ride than constant checking mid-ride. Cheers!
Just keep checking. I missed out on it when it was on a similar (identical?) sale on Black Friday, kept an eye on it, and got it again later in the day. Good luck!
Hi Ronnie – looks like it’s back, or, is close to back. Showing $26 off (instead of $30) at this second. Not sure how important that extra $4 is. As mentioned by Go Get that Deal after you, typically things ebb and flow, so it’ll probably be back at some point (hopefully): link to amzn.to
Actually, looks like the $174 is the RTL510 (not that it matters much in most cases). But yes, I see some people earlier got the RTL515 for $169, but agree, it’s now oscillating between $180 and not available.
Just bought a Fenix 6 Pro (mid-size) for £375.. I’ve been hovering pulling the trigger on a 945 for ages to replace my old Fenix 3 with a slightly smaller form-factor, but at this price I couldn’t resist. The Fenix 6X Pro is down to £425, put I decided I don’t really need the extra battery, size or weight, and the extra £50 bought a few strap options and some of Ray’s favourite charging pucks!
What do you think of the Jabra Active Elite 75t–Prime Day price is $120 down from $180? Was thinking of splurging for the new Vista 2, but worth it? Need them for runs, listening to podcasts, not necessarily highest sound quality.
I have them and at least when running they popped out all the time. It could be just me though. I got replacement eartips from Comply that seem to help. I previously had the Jabra elite sport and they were great but bulky. The sound quality is good and it could just be my ears that are the problem with them falling out.
I have those and compared them to many others and found that the 65t earbuds had a better fit for running than the 75t. Sure, you get ANC with the 75t and they are slimmer but the fit, for me, was not as good. I have the Jaybird Vista Run 1st gen and those are fantastic.
REALLY wish the forerunner 245 dropped a bit more after being out so long. The Vivoactive 4 was a nice drop but not really AS good of a running watch. 45 dropped but also doesn’t measure up and especially with 55 just out and the 55 doesn’t have as good of a screen as the 2+ year old 245. Grrrrrrrr!
Maybe not the price, but the BATTERY drops a LOT now after a year (actually wife had hers just over a year, and now it can’t hold a charge more than 1-2 days now, she’s moved to Coros because of her frustrations with the 245 battery problems, which are shared by many it seems after a firmware update a while back seems to have messed things up)… so although the price may not have dropped, some things about it are dropping, including the appeal, LOL. (Wife bought it expressly for music on-board, which she loved (except that same update, seems to have also caused her earbuds to drop out while running, something she didn’t have problems with in the first year (same earbuds), but when it can’t even keep battery for barely more than a day just over a year old, not even with training, just “daily activity”, that was highly disappointing to the point she looked for something that didn’t even have her most desired feature (she switched from Polar with days of battery life, to the 245, which originally had several days between charges, also, but now….)
And yeah, we tried all the rest processes several times, including with Garmin support, no luck, it just dies at roughly 5%/hr even when not recording any workouts. (And we turned off all the settings that are supposed to help, no luck).
The Fenix 6 Saphhire deal seems really good and I snagged one…only second guessing I would have at this point is whether prices will drop lower after the Fenix 7 is released (and if that’s in the fall vs 2022…I’ve heard rumors about a 2022 release date).
dang I just got the 6s on sale over the weekend & it’s so far a great device. But, a 6 Sapphire for a little over $50 more(with tax) is real tempting. Why couldn’t the 6S sapphire be this price as the 6 might be a bit on the large size for me?
I’ve been waffling between getting a Forerunner 745 and 945. Just gave in and pulled the trigger on the 945. If it looks too big on my skinny wrist, I can always send it back.
Withings body+ is on sale at $69.99 (from $99.99). In the past I’ve seen it down to $49.99 though.
It’s the scale I recommend for people who want maximal “connectivity”. Afaik it has the most open API, exposing all measurements (weight, fat, bone mass, water %, etc) not just weight.
When it comes to accuracy, I’m not an expert, but some users in the TrainerRoad forums said their DEXA scans (measuring body fat) weren’t that far off from what their scale was reporting to them.
The body fat measurement on my Withings Body+ scale isn’t even close to my last DEXA scan, and it sometimes fluctuates by up to 2% day to day (obviously not realistic). For basic weight measurement it’s fine. I recommend the cheaper model without body fat because that feature is worse than useless.
Do you have “athlete mode” turned off? If not – definitely do that. That’s what everyone in the TrainerRoad forums recommends.
But otherwise yeah YMMV, other’s have said it does read close to their DEXA scans, so yours could be defective or (as you said) the technology just isn’t there.
I tried with athlete mode both on and off and it was still inaccurate. And the scale doesn’t even provide a way to adjust the calibration manually. It’s just garbage.
Above is the link to the TrainerRoad forum post. There’s multiple people there who’ve done both and say the numbers are close. The main recommendation I saw there was to turn athlete mode off, but I wonder if they have any more tips.
Ray (and fellow readers), what’s your recommendation on the Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire deal (currently $500 on Amazon) vs the Garmin Forerunner 945 (about $550 on Amazon)?
They both sound like great smart watches, but it’s unclear to me the main difference between the two and which would be considered “better”. Thanks
The Forerunner line is more or less the Fenix line in a plastic shell…nearly identical sensors and software but the Fenix is built to be more rugged.
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The only reason I can come up with to go with the Forerunner 945 over the Fenix 6 sapphire is if you want a slightly lighter watch.
Overall, the Fenix deal is far, far better…normally you’d pay a few hundred more for the Fenix
Hi Ray
I’m from the Netherlands but currently in Curaçao
If I want to buy the fenix sapphire for 499 it ask for 150 additional cost en import fees.
Is that any different if I let someone order from the Netherlands?
Right now I tried to order had to pay 568 euro’s for the femix sapphire 6 which is still good because the cheapest I can find it was 599 but it wil be delivered in the Netherlands in November🤔🙃
So I cancelled. Just order the 599 at amazon which is not even a prime deal and get it in 2 days
Worth the 30 euros;)
Maybe not! , in Aussie Garmin are selling it from their website for this price, and in NZ where I am, a national retailer is selling it for this price, so I think it’s a price point driven by Garmin not Amazon. My guess is clearing overstock before the 7 is launched
Yeah, AUS/NZ is a different animal in terms of pricing.
But in the US, the pricing is very much controlled. In checking a few ‘known’ retailers that will follow MAP (so they don’t get naled with a MAP violation), nobody else is following Amazon here. Which is a good indication that this isn’t a Garmin sale, but an Amazon one.
Meaning, Amazon went out and bought X number of units (probably tens of thousands), at some point over the last Y timeframe, knowing they’d violate map and take the 6-month ban for replenishing *just* the Fenix 6 Sapphire. It’s an obscure and specific enough SKU that it won’t meaningfully impact things, and they’ll keep enough on-hand to sell for the next 6 months too.
It’s plausible that Garmin offered them a deal to take X number of units off their hands, but generally speaking Garmin really only tends to do that after a new product launch (for old products), and usually some time later, since the existing product tends to sell fairly well by itself for many months anyway.
But again, all this is US only. The whole concept of MAP is pretty much illegal in every other country.
Ray, did you review the Withings Body + somewhere that I can’t find? Trying to decide between it and the Index 2. In the Garmin ecosystem, so want consistent connection to Garmin Connect.
No, I don’t think I did. Essentially, it was just a rebrand of the Nokia one, at least, that’s my basic understanding of it. Which of course, was mostly just a rebrand of the latest gen Withings one.
Honestly, it’s all a bit confusing – not helping matters is that there are essentially half a dozen names that are near identical.
Not sure what the better deal is… that 5X Plus at $389 of the 6S at $449: link to amazon.com
I had been looking to trade up from an Apple Watch Series 3 into something that would take care of all of my sporting needs and could also do double duty on backcountry hiking (i.e. with maps)
Thanks for the quick reply! Looks like the only 6S Pro at that price ($499) is the white and rose gold, which I guess I could try to pull off (LOL!)–the black 6S Pro is $640. I’m having a hard time seeing a difference in specs between the 5X Plus and the various flavors of 6.
Honestly, I find the maps pretty useful across the board, but admittedly rarely use the watch maps for cycling. Instead, I use a dedicated bike computer with maps. I use the maps a ton for trail running and such though.
In a nutshell, people have for years used a clever workout of linking up your MyFitnessPal account to both Garmin and Withings. It works for a while, and then it craps itself and you poke at it with a stick for a bit before forgetting about it, and then trying again 4 months later (where it then works again).
When MFP got hacked a few years back, I was pretty frustrated with MFP and the MFP-to-Garmin workaround. It seemed to break all the time and afaik that’s still the case.
I wrote a program to automate the process and include all the supported metrics (MFP only syncs weight).
Eventually I turned it into a subscription app called SmartScaleSync.com. It now supports several other scales and fitness platforms. Ray actually mentions it in his review of the new garmin index scale. I have a few hundred users and people seem satisfied (if that’s not the case – send me an email).
There’s also a few open source projects that exist now on github, so if you have some technical chops you could host a withings to garmin solution yourself.
But as Ray said, out of the box support for connecting the two platforms is non-existent.
Yo Ray
Check out runningxpert.com
Its a Danish site who sell all across Europe. Very cheap prices.
Garmin fenix 6 sapphire 469 euro
Other garmin watches as well very cheap
And its legit.
Nice catch on the Synology NAS – they are not on sale too often. But, for those just getting involved in the Synology ecosystem, know that the last two digits of the model are the release year of the device (the numbers before that are the max number of HDD/SSD that can be accomodated, including attached expansion devices). So, the DS418 is still a fine device, but is 4 years old. As with any other computer – and these NAS devices are computers with their own OS – they will eventially be left behind b/c they will be unable to run a future OS and/or apps (packages in Synology speak). I bought a DS218+ a year ago and it’s great. I’ll need to upgrade around the time I’ll need more disks, so OK for me. But you might think twice about a DSxx18 (or older!) if you want to use it well into the future and/or push the processor-dependent virtual machine / photo management capabilities. I upgraded from a DS110j that is really underpowered (now – yup 2010 model, so 12 y/o), unable to run the latest OS – but is perfectably capable of syncing data over the interwebs from multiple clients.
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Many Garmin products are heavily discounted in Europe (link to amazon.de), including the Instinct Solar at 250 euro or the Forerunner245 at around 165.
Thanks AA!
Just starting on the Euro deals now!
Hey Ray my kids are waiting for your review of the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 to see if they should upgrade.
10 year is on Jr 2 and 7 year old original Jr hand me down from his big brother.
Please have the peanuts put the Junior 3 through it’s paces
Hey Gary!
Good reminder. I just ordered (on sale, woot!), the Vivofit Jr. 3 to see how it goes with our oldest one. She’s about to turn five and loves her current Disney Mickey one, so not entirely sure I’ll succeed with getting her to be the tester.
Cheers!
On Amazon.de: GoPro Hero 8 bundle (incl. headband, shorty tripod and 32 GB SD card) for 279 €
link to smile.amazon.de
Not Amazon related, as we don’t have it here in NZ, but for all the kiwis, check out Noel Leeming – that have the Fenix 6 pro sapphire at half price (724 NZD), which is about 500 USD – sorry Ray, no affiliate link for you I’m afraid!
link to noelleeming.co.nz
Hi Ray,
Naturally I could be wrong, but the Fenix 6 Sapphire edition seems to be a Pro edition with maps and music.
link to buy.garmin.com
link to support.garmin.com
Oh and in Australia, it’s currently half price, down from A$1299 to $649.50
link to buy.garmin.com
Very good catch – thanks, and fixed!!! An amazing deal then!
Ray: I know this may be a weird question, but I was thinking of getting the Fenix watch instead of a bike computer. I’m probably not thinking straight but is there a possibility of using it as such?
Totally normal. Lots of folks do it.
The singular downside is simply viewability. Meaning, having it on your wrist means less glanceability to the metrics, especially if mountain biking or such. But, lots of people don’t mind that, or, use it more for recording the ride than constant checking mid-ride. Cheers!
Garmin has a handlebar mount for Fenix watches so you don’t have to keep it on your wrist. But the screen is still pretty small to use it that way.
link to buy.garmin.com
Prime Day in Canada is postponed due to covid. Yes really.
LOL canada. “No, you CAN’T buy stuff at home from your computer b/c virus something something scary mumble control freak”
thanks for the list
I can’t seem to find the $30 off for the RTL515?
Just keep checking. I missed out on it when it was on a similar (identical?) sale on Black Friday, kept an eye on it, and got it again later in the day. Good luck!
Hi Ronnie – looks like it’s back, or, is close to back. Showing $26 off (instead of $30) at this second. Not sure how important that extra $4 is. As mentioned by Go Get that Deal after you, typically things ebb and flow, so it’ll probably be back at some point (hopefully): link to amzn.to
Same here.. I am seeing a $181 price through your link here in USA.
Actually, looks like the $174 is the RTL510 (not that it matters much in most cases). But yes, I see some people earlier got the RTL515 for $169, but agree, it’s now oscillating between $180 and not available.
I’d keep checking back.
And now the RTL 515 is full price at the Amazon Link :(
Procrastinated on the $20 off wanting the $30 off and now I got nothing off….
Oh well, fun distraction but no reason to buy right now.
FYI, it’s now at $26 off. Do no despair!
Just bought a Fenix 6 Pro (mid-size) for £375.. I’ve been hovering pulling the trigger on a 945 for ages to replace my old Fenix 3 with a slightly smaller form-factor, but at this price I couldn’t resist. The Fenix 6X Pro is down to £425, put I decided I don’t really need the extra battery, size or weight, and the extra £50 bought a few strap options and some of Ray’s favourite charging pucks!
NB – in the UK these are the non-sapphire ones.
Cheers Ray!
Ray,
What do you think of the Jabra Active Elite 75t–Prime Day price is $120 down from $180? Was thinking of splurging for the new Vista 2, but worth it? Need them for runs, listening to podcasts, not necessarily highest sound quality.
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested those ones, so I can’t say there. Sorry!!!
I have them and at least when running they popped out all the time. It could be just me though. I got replacement eartips from Comply that seem to help. I previously had the Jabra elite sport and they were great but bulky. The sound quality is good and it could just be my ears that are the problem with them falling out.
I have those and compared them to many others and found that the 65t earbuds had a better fit for running than the 75t. Sure, you get ANC with the 75t and they are slimmer but the fit, for me, was not as good. I have the Jaybird Vista Run 1st gen and those are fantastic.
Thanks, all.
All the Anker Soundcore wireless earbuds are on the list except the Life Dot 2 – which happen to be the ones I want to buy…
REALLY wish the forerunner 245 dropped a bit more after being out so long. The Vivoactive 4 was a nice drop but not really AS good of a running watch. 45 dropped but also doesn’t measure up and especially with 55 just out and the 55 doesn’t have as good of a screen as the 2+ year old 245. Grrrrrrrr!
Maybe not the price, but the BATTERY drops a LOT now after a year (actually wife had hers just over a year, and now it can’t hold a charge more than 1-2 days now, she’s moved to Coros because of her frustrations with the 245 battery problems, which are shared by many it seems after a firmware update a while back seems to have messed things up)… so although the price may not have dropped, some things about it are dropping, including the appeal, LOL. (Wife bought it expressly for music on-board, which she loved (except that same update, seems to have also caused her earbuds to drop out while running, something she didn’t have problems with in the first year (same earbuds), but when it can’t even keep battery for barely more than a day just over a year old, not even with training, just “daily activity”, that was highly disappointing to the point she looked for something that didn’t even have her most desired feature (she switched from Polar with days of battery life, to the 245, which originally had several days between charges, also, but now….)
And yeah, we tried all the rest processes several times, including with Garmin support, no luck, it just dies at roughly 5%/hr even when not recording any workouts. (And we turned off all the settings that are supposed to help, no luck).
The Fenix 6 Saphhire deal seems really good and I snagged one…only second guessing I would have at this point is whether prices will drop lower after the Fenix 7 is released (and if that’s in the fall vs 2022…I’ve heard rumors about a 2022 release date).
Any thoughts Ray?
Ray,
Your “Product” link for the 1030 Plus goes to your review of the 1030 (Non-Plus).
Thanks Steven – much appreciated!
dang I just got the 6s on sale over the weekend & it’s so far a great device. But, a 6 Sapphire for a little over $50 more(with tax) is real tempting. Why couldn’t the 6S sapphire be this price as the 6 might be a bit on the large size for me?
Wahoo Tickr Fit is 20% off for prime members at checkout
Correction: it is 25% off, as well as the speed and cadence sensor bundle along with some other wahoo products.
Awesome, nice cath, just added in!
I’ve been waffling between getting a Forerunner 745 and 945. Just gave in and pulled the trigger on the 945. If it looks too big on my skinny wrist, I can always send it back.
Withings body+ is on sale at $69.99 (from $99.99). In the past I’ve seen it down to $49.99 though.
It’s the scale I recommend for people who want maximal “connectivity”. Afaik it has the most open API, exposing all measurements (weight, fat, bone mass, water %, etc) not just weight.
When it comes to accuracy, I’m not an expert, but some users in the TrainerRoad forums said their DEXA scans (measuring body fat) weren’t that far off from what their scale was reporting to them.
Nice find! Just added it in!
The body fat measurement on my Withings Body+ scale isn’t even close to my last DEXA scan, and it sometimes fluctuates by up to 2% day to day (obviously not realistic). For basic weight measurement it’s fine. I recommend the cheaper model without body fat because that feature is worse than useless.
Do you have “athlete mode” turned off? If not – definitely do that. That’s what everyone in the TrainerRoad forums recommends.
But otherwise yeah YMMV, other’s have said it does read close to their DEXA scans, so yours could be defective or (as you said) the technology just isn’t there.
I tried with athlete mode both on and off and it was still inaccurate. And the scale doesn’t even provide a way to adjust the calibration manually. It’s just garbage.
Interesting, I’ve never gotten a DEXA scan so I have no idea if mine is accurate or not.
link to trainerroad.com
Above is the link to the TrainerRoad forum post. There’s multiple people there who’ve done both and say the numbers are close. The main recommendation I saw there was to turn athlete mode off, but I wonder if they have any more tips.
Ray (and fellow readers), what’s your recommendation on the Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire deal (currently $500 on Amazon) vs the Garmin Forerunner 945 (about $550 on Amazon)?
They both sound like great smart watches, but it’s unclear to me the main difference between the two and which would be considered “better”. Thanks
The Forerunner line is more or less the Fenix line in a plastic shell…nearly identical sensors and software but the Fenix is built to be more rugged.
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The only reason I can come up with to go with the Forerunner 945 over the Fenix 6 sapphire is if you want a slightly lighter watch.
Overall, the Fenix deal is far, far better…normally you’d pay a few hundred more for the Fenix
Hi Ray
I’m from the Netherlands but currently in Curaçao
If I want to buy the fenix sapphire for 499 it ask for 150 additional cost en import fees.
Is that any different if I let someone order from the Netherlands?
Right now I tried to order had to pay 568 euro’s for the femix sapphire 6 which is still good because the cheapest I can find it was 599 but it wil be delivered in the Netherlands in November🤔🙃
So I cancelled. Just order the 599 at amazon which is not even a prime deal and get it in 2 days
Worth the 30 euros;)
That Fenix 6 Sapphire discount is insane! Is that just an Amazon Prime Day deal?
Indeed, as far as I know, just an Amazon Prime Day deal.
Maybe not! , in Aussie Garmin are selling it from their website for this price, and in NZ where I am, a national retailer is selling it for this price, so I think it’s a price point driven by Garmin not Amazon. My guess is clearing overstock before the 7 is launched
Yeah, AUS/NZ is a different animal in terms of pricing.
But in the US, the pricing is very much controlled. In checking a few ‘known’ retailers that will follow MAP (so they don’t get naled with a MAP violation), nobody else is following Amazon here. Which is a good indication that this isn’t a Garmin sale, but an Amazon one.
Meaning, Amazon went out and bought X number of units (probably tens of thousands), at some point over the last Y timeframe, knowing they’d violate map and take the 6-month ban for replenishing *just* the Fenix 6 Sapphire. It’s an obscure and specific enough SKU that it won’t meaningfully impact things, and they’ll keep enough on-hand to sell for the next 6 months too.
It’s plausible that Garmin offered them a deal to take X number of units off their hands, but generally speaking Garmin really only tends to do that after a new product launch (for old products), and usually some time later, since the existing product tends to sell fairly well by itself for many months anyway.
But again, all this is US only. The whole concept of MAP is pretty much illegal in every other country.
I’m tempted to get the iRobot Roomba 692 floor vac for $199 (normally $299). Prime Day deal.
Not really sports related… ;)
I know! I almost added it to the list (since a Roomba does float around the DCR Cave), but I don’t have that exact model.
Jackery Link not the right battery generator
Everything seems to work there? What are you seeing?
It does look like at some point in the last 90 mins they raised the price slightly by $10 (to $209), but still $90 off.
Ah I get redirected to the UK site as I’m in Ireland.
Redirected here
link to amazon.co.uk
KOM RPV2 Rocker Plate is $300 off – $499 on Amazon
link to amazon.com
Woah, very nice find!
Now it’s $499. :-/
Now it’s not available
I think the Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire (Pro) – $300 off is dead now.
Yeah, I can confirm: Amazon just raised the price on the Fenix 6 Sapphire to $642. A few hours ago it was $499.
6x Sapphire is currently $549 on prime day. 6S Pro is is $500 also
Ray, did you review the Withings Body + somewhere that I can’t find? Trying to decide between it and the Index 2. In the Garmin ecosystem, so want consistent connection to Garmin Connect.
No, I don’t think I did. Essentially, it was just a rebrand of the Nokia one, at least, that’s my basic understanding of it. Which of course, was mostly just a rebrand of the latest gen Withings one.
Honestly, it’s all a bit confusing – not helping matters is that there are essentially half a dozen names that are near identical.
Looks like the 5X Plus is marked down to $389: link to amazon.com.
Not sure what the better deal is… that 5X Plus at $389 of the 6S at $449: link to amazon.com
I had been looking to trade up from an Apple Watch Series 3 into something that would take care of all of my sporting needs and could also do double duty on backcountry hiking (i.e. with maps)
Nice find!
I think at $449, I’d pay the $50 more for the Full 6S Pro at $499, since that gets you maps/music/wifi, which the regular 6S doesn’t have.
Cheers!
Thanks for the quick reply! Looks like the only 6S Pro at that price ($499) is the white and rose gold, which I guess I could try to pull off (LOL!)–the black 6S Pro is $640. I’m having a hard time seeing a difference in specs between the 5X Plus and the various flavors of 6.
What about if the difference between the 6s & the pro was $50 & tax($40 in my case)? Also not into white watches.
Is the mapping useful for cycling and mountain biking? Or is that better feature of trail runners & hikers?
Honestly, I find the maps pretty useful across the board, but admittedly rarely use the watch maps for cycling. Instead, I use a dedicated bike computer with maps. I use the maps a ton for trail running and such though.
Ray,
What is integration like with the Withings Body+ WiFi Scale to Garmin app?
I’d describe it as poor and frustrating. :)
In a nutshell, people have for years used a clever workout of linking up your MyFitnessPal account to both Garmin and Withings. It works for a while, and then it craps itself and you poke at it with a stick for a bit before forgetting about it, and then trying again 4 months later (where it then works again).
:-/
When MFP got hacked a few years back, I was pretty frustrated with MFP and the MFP-to-Garmin workaround. It seemed to break all the time and afaik that’s still the case.
I wrote a program to automate the process and include all the supported metrics (MFP only syncs weight).
Eventually I turned it into a subscription app called SmartScaleSync.com. It now supports several other scales and fitness platforms. Ray actually mentions it in his review of the new garmin index scale. I have a few hundred users and people seem satisfied (if that’s not the case – send me an email).
There’s also a few open source projects that exist now on github, so if you have some technical chops you could host a withings to garmin solution yourself.
But as Ray said, out of the box support for connecting the two platforms is non-existent.
Yo Ray
Check out runningxpert.com
Its a Danish site who sell all across Europe. Very cheap prices.
Garmin fenix 6 sapphire 469 euro
Other garmin watches as well very cheap
And its legit.
Garmin birthday and great discounted item looks like Edge 1030 Plus in the UK
F6S Pro for $400 only in white/rose for me. Black F6S Pro is $470 (for me, US).
Camelbak Podium bottles are on sale. I scooped 4 up the last prime day.
Nice catch on the Synology NAS – they are not on sale too often. But, for those just getting involved in the Synology ecosystem, know that the last two digits of the model are the release year of the device (the numbers before that are the max number of HDD/SSD that can be accomodated, including attached expansion devices). So, the DS418 is still a fine device, but is 4 years old. As with any other computer – and these NAS devices are computers with their own OS – they will eventially be left behind b/c they will be unable to run a future OS and/or apps (packages in Synology speak). I bought a DS218+ a year ago and it’s great. I’ll need to upgrade around the time I’ll need more disks, so OK for me. But you might think twice about a DSxx18 (or older!) if you want to use it well into the future and/or push the processor-dependent virtual machine / photo management capabilities. I upgraded from a DS110j that is really underpowered (now – yup 2010 model, so 12 y/o), unable to run the latest OS – but is perfectably capable of syncing data over the interwebs from multiple clients.