Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
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Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
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Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Nobody commented yet…
I’m wondering what wheelchair support is now available in the new watch is that now a real thing? Can I really measure wheelchair movement arm pushes, sport rolls too?
Thanks as always, Ray!
Any news on whether the new features will be added to the epix non-pro?
No clarity yet on which watches will get it, but for this being likely near-term, I’d expect that both Epix & Fenix 7 lineups will be considered equal between pro/non-pro alike.
I’m currently wearing a Venu Sq2 but find myself being more and more active these days so features like HRV status, training effect, recovery time, and performance condition are looking more and more useful. I snowboard 4-6x a week during season but lately have been ramping up on hiking, road biking, mountain biking, running, and gym-going.
I’m at a loss for the best fit for my needs since I’m still no triathlete. The Forerunner 255 looks like a great value proposition that hits most of my desires; the 955 and 265 are upgraded picks with touchscreen familiarity and a couple of added features; the Epix and Fenix lines are expensive but would be better for snowboarding and hiking; the Venu 3 has added the workout benefit, recovery time, and more HRV data compared to my current Sq2; or I could just invest in a cycling computer (I do already own a HR chest strap).
Do you have any advice or insight? Thank you so much for the detailed reviews, they’re excellent!
I’m Venu 2 user and I did (and perhaps still do) like the watch but I would not recommend it to anyone but very casual users. The thing is the watch is far from being cheap yet it lacks so many features that are available on similarly priced (or even cheaper) watches from Garmin. Also, its support was rather short and very few useful features have been introduced since the launch. Compared to Forerunner (or even Instinct) series this is very disappointing.
All I want is features from Forerunner with calling support Venu 3 has in Venu series design style. But Garmin does not deliver. You can either have a nice looking casual Venu watch or more sporty Forerunner watch. Epix is too bulky, heavy and way too expensive.
Hello in general what do you think is a better for your buck?
Venu 3 vs 265 forerunner??
My general use, 5k, 10k runs, Orange Theory HIIT workouts, swimming, hiking and biking. Can Apple Music work with Garmin watches. I am a iPhone person and family. Currently I have an Apple Watch and never had a Garmin.
Any info would be great, I did watch the reviews of Venu 3 and Forerunner 265.
Thanks!!
Generally a FR265 then, if you’re not likely to use the audio/etc features of the Venu 3. The FR265 has far more sport features.