It is official, my Garmin 305 has arrived and it is charging right now. I’d like to thank everyone that weighed in on the blog, Facebook and via email. The feedback was amazing, insightful, and chalk-full of experience.
It came down to the Garmin Forerunner 305 vs. the 405. From the feedback, everyone had positive experiences with the 305 and assured me that it would be all that I would need. As for the 405 it was a mixed bag — there was some feedback that it was amazing along with some feedback that included poor experiences. Through friends of mine I was able to see the 205, 305 and the 405 in person along with gain some insight on comparisons between the 305 and the 405.
As for the cost, I was able to find the Garmin 305 at an avg. price of $200-250 and the 405 was at $350. However, a friend of mine recommended I check Costco and I was able to get it for $159(includes a $40 off discount until Jan .18) and it also included the heart monitor. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. The 5-7 day shipping was free, but I sprung for the extra $3 and got it in 2 days. I couldn’t be more excited to try it out. A number of my running friends use the 305 so I will anxiously be asking them tips/questions. Hopefully, they don’t ban me from running next to them.
The first trial will be Wednesday night during a run with Sports Basement. A post should follow later in the week since this will be my first run with Sports Basement and my first run with the watch. Thanks again for all the input — it helped make the decision much easier since it was based on reliable sources and experience.
Enjoy it! You must have deep pockets to be able to shell out a whole extra $3 for faster delivery. :) Haha. I would have done the same!
The software is fairly easy to use and the interface with the unit is good. I would like to see a little more functionality with the software.
I was quite surprised when I seen all of the stats on the software page after downloading and even configured all of the graphs in any color or order that I wanted.
The downside is that sometimes it is hard to view the screen when sunlight conditions are low and I have to tip my sunglasses to see better.
Very easy setup. I highly recommend this product.
the 305 is lighter, smaller, easier on battery, much cheaper, and offers the same cycling data.
Just curious, do you still use your 305 and what issues did you have with the software if any?