I bought this watch to train for, and participate in, my first Ironman. My Apple Watch in exercise mode won't last the entire Ironman event and I needed a watch that would. Beyond that simple requirement, here is what I found after using the Garmin Forerunner for the past month:
- I use TrainingPeaks to perform scheduled workouts. I sync the run and bike workouts (not swim) directly with the watch. Each day's workout is ready for me when I am ready to start. Then during the workout, it will tell me what to do (when each interval starts / counts down the time, what pace to maintain, what interval is next, when rest periods start / counts down the time, etc.). I don't have to remember the workout sequence and times, as it does it all for me. I just do what the watch tells me to do. TrainingPeaks is really well integrated with Garmin Connect and the watch.
- The swim watch face is much easier to read and to use in the water than the Apple watch (and I've had trouble with the Apple watch touch screen in the water - doesn't register a tap). The Garmin buttons start/stop intervals easily and more swim information is available real-time on the Garmin.
- The sleep, stress and "body battery" functions are nice ways to keep tabs on my overall readiness to do the next day's workouts. More generally, the amount of data available both in Garmin Connect and in TrainingPeaks is terrific.
Some other observations:
I don't have any issues with the buttons on my watch (as another reviewer did). They work as intended and seem well designed. The overall quality of the watch is excellent.
- If you are a runner, this watch is much lighter than the Fenix series.
- I can wear the Garmin watch for days without recharging, which allows me to collect sleep information.
- I plan to use the maps and navigation/routing features when I start hiking again this winter. The number of sports and data on each sport is broader and deeper than what is on the Apple watch. These are nice features.
- I like that I can pair a heart rate chest strap to this watch for better accuracy; I can't do that, or if possible haven't done that, on the Apple watch.
- I like the Apple Watch wrist strap better; the Garmin strap is more traditional and harder to put on / take off.
- I really like the Apple Watch for many of its best features, and probably would not be wearing the Garmin at all but for the training need. Still, I now enjoy wearing the Garmin. In fact, I've started wearing both (fashionistas be damned).
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This Item  Garmin Forerunner 945, Premium GPS Running/Triathlon Smartwatch with Music, Black - 010-02063-00 |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -35% $324.95 List: $499.99 | -28% $429.99 List: $599.99 | -20% $399.99 List: $499.99 | $399.99 | -25% $299.99 List: $399.99 | -5% $569.99 List: $599.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| For working out | ||||||
| Accuracy | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sleep tracking | ||||||
| Mobile App | ||||||
| Sold By | Loyal Firm | Tech-Boutique | Amazon.com | Tech-Boutique | Amazon.com | Safe 'N Quick |
| size | 2.3 | One Size | One Size | One Size | 41 MM | — |
| display size | 1.2 inches | 1.2 inches | 1.3 inches | 1.2 inches | 1.1 inches | 1.4 inches |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth, GPS | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB | Bluetooth, USB | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, USB | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB |
| supported applications | Heart Rate Monitor, GPS, Contacts | — | GPS | GPS | GPS | GPS |
| input interface | dial | buttons | buttons, touch screen | buttons | buttons | touch screen, buttons |
| wireless standard | bluetooth | bluetooth | — | — | — | bluetooth |
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A paranoid schizophrenic's worst nightmare.
It tracks everything about you and broadcast it to the internet. If you cool with that, then its a lot of fun.Tldr; its great. All the features work so well. I do use a chest strap heart rate monitor during my heavy workouts, but the one built in is just fine for daily and sleeping. Sleep tracking is pretty good, its picked up pretty accurately for me, and i work nights, so my schedule sucks. You have to set your sleep tracking time from 00:01 to 23:59 for it to pick up day sleeping. Battery is amazing if you turn off everything. I keep heart rate, pulse ox, and activity tracking running 24hrs, and i can go a few days before it hits 40%.First off, I bought a refurbished/used 945. I was anxious to see if any scratches or issues. None at all, watch is in perfect condition with all the packaging and parts. Now to the watch.It is amazing. I recently got back into working out, and wanted a way to measure my metrics, to see if I'm making progress. It does that amazingly well. I use zwift for cycling, and wanted a way to track my time off the bike. It does everything, and it tells me how im feeling, amd its spot on. When my body battery hits 9, i know i feel like a 9. Its like it gets me, and i have something that knows how i feel lolThe sleep tracking is a big selling point for me because i work nights, and my sleep schedule is just so bad, i needed a visual way to display to others so they believe me. It does do that, but you need to put in a little effort to keep the results accurate. First if you sleep during day for night shift, you want to change the sleep window to encompass the entire day to "watch" for signs of sleep: 00:01(to sleep) to 23:59(wake up). This will allow you to fall asleep at any time. However, it only tracks one sleep event, so if you end up falling back asleep later, it will alter the original time's wake up, to this new wake up, and instead of being a cumulative 7hrs, it will count the awake time between, and come up with a total of say 15hrs. It will display the awake time during the sleep, but i like my times to show the actual hours of sleep, so i edit it to add in the correct time. Not sure if thats correct or not, but i dont know another way.The workout tracking is so cool. It has nearly every sport, and if you go into connect iq app, you can download more. You can also create your own. The data screens for the workouts are so customizable, you can change anything to how you want. When i run, i like to have the 6 field layout with all the quick info: timer, heart rate, cadence, pace, and distance. For cycling, i have all that plus my power meter connects and i have that data as well.It keeps tally of everything you do, and gives you a body battery score. I found this to be extremely accurate. When its a high number, i do feel good, and when its a low number, i definitely feel exhausted. Its a good measure of your fatigue, and that helps you rest knowing you are following your plan without regret.I really like how Garmin Connect app connects to other apps. So many workout apps are an island to themselves with the data they collect. Garmin shares with everything, and doesnt cost a subscription. Get the watch, join the garmin ecosystem. Its great.I ordered cheapo pack of watch band colors. To get the original band off, you need to use 2 tiny star tools to twist them off. Blue locktite secures the threads. Take the original band off, the put the crossbar back on. The new watch bands clip on to it, and make swapping different colors easy.The battery life is kind of a different story. Its really what do you want to compromise? If you want gps on all the time, expect the be recharging by the afternoon. If you turn everything off, including heartrate, pulse ox, activity tracking, gps, it will last quite a few days. I have tested it out fully. You should really make a good decision to what you put on the watch face. Having all the up to date metrics displayed 24/7 will be the biggest drain to your battery. I put mostly weather and step tracking on my watch face, because it doesnt update every second. That saves a ton of battery. Even having the second hand displayed drains battery. Most of the good watch faces you download will tell you that, and its very true. During workouts, i havent had issues with the battery even getting close to dying during an hour long workout with gps and connected to hr strap. I do my workout, and never worry about the battery. Maybe if you were doing ultra distance that takes over a day, i wouldnt worry. Its good, especially for all it does.The phone controls work well. Its conveniet to see who is calling, and i wear my headphones a lot, to just hit the button on the watch to connect me to the call without ever pulling out my phone. I can use simple customizable messages to reply to texts. Anything else and i need to break out my phone for that.All in all 10/10 experience. I hope the devolpment for the sleep tracking continues to get better, but this thing rocks
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2022
Tldr; its great. All the features work so well. I do use a chest strap heart rate monitor during my heavy workouts, but the one built in is just fine for daily and sleeping. Sleep tracking is pretty good, its picked up pretty accurately for me, and i work nights, so my schedule sucks. You have to set your sleep tracking time from 00:01 to 23:59 for it to pick up day sleeping. Battery is amazing if you turn off everything. I keep heart rate, pulse ox, and activity tracking running 24hrs, and i can go a few days before it hits 40%.
First off, I bought a refurbished/used 945. I was anxious to see if any scratches or issues. None at all, watch is in perfect condition with all the packaging and parts. Now to the watch.
It is amazing. I recently got back into working out, and wanted a way to measure my metrics, to see if I'm making progress. It does that amazingly well. I use zwift for cycling, and wanted a way to track my time off the bike. It does everything, and it tells me how im feeling, amd its spot on. When my body battery hits 9, i know i feel like a 9. Its like it gets me, and i have something that knows how i feel lol
The sleep tracking is a big selling point for me because i work nights, and my sleep schedule is just so bad, i needed a visual way to display to others so they believe me. It does do that, but you need to put in a little effort to keep the results accurate. First if you sleep during day for night shift, you want to change the sleep window to encompass the entire day to "watch" for signs of sleep: 00:01(to sleep) to 23:59(wake up). This will allow you to fall asleep at any time. However, it only tracks one sleep event, so if you end up falling back asleep later, it will alter the original time's wake up, to this new wake up, and instead of being a cumulative 7hrs, it will count the awake time between, and come up with a total of say 15hrs. It will display the awake time during the sleep, but i like my times to show the actual hours of sleep, so i edit it to add in the correct time. Not sure if thats correct or not, but i dont know another way.
The workout tracking is so cool. It has nearly every sport, and if you go into connect iq app, you can download more. You can also create your own. The data screens for the workouts are so customizable, you can change anything to how you want. When i run, i like to have the 6 field layout with all the quick info: timer, heart rate, cadence, pace, and distance. For cycling, i have all that plus my power meter connects and i have that data as well.
It keeps tally of everything you do, and gives you a body battery score. I found this to be extremely accurate. When its a high number, i do feel good, and when its a low number, i definitely feel exhausted. Its a good measure of your fatigue, and that helps you rest knowing you are following your plan without regret.
I really like how Garmin Connect app connects to other apps. So many workout apps are an island to themselves with the data they collect. Garmin shares with everything, and doesnt cost a subscription. Get the watch, join the garmin ecosystem. Its great.
I ordered cheapo pack of watch band colors. To get the original band off, you need to use 2 tiny star tools to twist them off. Blue locktite secures the threads. Take the original band off, the put the crossbar back on. The new watch bands clip on to it, and make swapping different colors easy.
The battery life is kind of a different story. Its really what do you want to compromise? If you want gps on all the time, expect the be recharging by the afternoon. If you turn everything off, including heartrate, pulse ox, activity tracking, gps, it will last quite a few days. I have tested it out fully. You should really make a good decision to what you put on the watch face. Having all the up to date metrics displayed 24/7 will be the biggest drain to your battery. I put mostly weather and step tracking on my watch face, because it doesnt update every second. That saves a ton of battery. Even having the second hand displayed drains battery. Most of the good watch faces you download will tell you that, and its very true. During workouts, i havent had issues with the battery even getting close to dying during an hour long workout with gps and connected to hr strap. I do my workout, and never worry about the battery. Maybe if you were doing ultra distance that takes over a day, i wouldnt worry. Its good, especially for all it does.
The phone controls work well. Its conveniet to see who is calling, and i wear my headphones a lot, to just hit the button on the watch to connect me to the call without ever pulling out my phone. I can use simple customizable messages to reply to texts. Anything else and i need to break out my phone for that.
All in all 10/10 experience. I hope the devolpment for the sleep tracking continues to get better, but this thing rocks
Color: BlackPattern: SmartwatchVerified Purchase
A paranoid schizophrenic's worst nightmare.
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2022
It tracks everything about you and broadcast it to the internet. If you cool with that, then its a lot of fun.Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2022
Tldr; its great. All the features work so well. I do use a chest strap heart rate monitor during my heavy workouts, but the one built in is just fine for daily and sleeping. Sleep tracking is pretty good, its picked up pretty accurately for me, and i work nights, so my schedule sucks. You have to set your sleep tracking time from 00:01 to 23:59 for it to pick up day sleeping. Battery is amazing if you turn off everything. I keep heart rate, pulse ox, and activity tracking running 24hrs, and i can go a few days before it hits 40%.
First off, I bought a refurbished/used 945. I was anxious to see if any scratches or issues. None at all, watch is in perfect condition with all the packaging and parts. Now to the watch.
It is amazing. I recently got back into working out, and wanted a way to measure my metrics, to see if I'm making progress. It does that amazingly well. I use zwift for cycling, and wanted a way to track my time off the bike. It does everything, and it tells me how im feeling, amd its spot on. When my body battery hits 9, i know i feel like a 9. Its like it gets me, and i have something that knows how i feel lol
The sleep tracking is a big selling point for me because i work nights, and my sleep schedule is just so bad, i needed a visual way to display to others so they believe me. It does do that, but you need to put in a little effort to keep the results accurate. First if you sleep during day for night shift, you want to change the sleep window to encompass the entire day to "watch" for signs of sleep: 00:01(to sleep) to 23:59(wake up). This will allow you to fall asleep at any time. However, it only tracks one sleep event, so if you end up falling back asleep later, it will alter the original time's wake up, to this new wake up, and instead of being a cumulative 7hrs, it will count the awake time between, and come up with a total of say 15hrs. It will display the awake time during the sleep, but i like my times to show the actual hours of sleep, so i edit it to add in the correct time. Not sure if thats correct or not, but i dont know another way.
The workout tracking is so cool. It has nearly every sport, and if you go into connect iq app, you can download more. You can also create your own. The data screens for the workouts are so customizable, you can change anything to how you want. When i run, i like to have the 6 field layout with all the quick info: timer, heart rate, cadence, pace, and distance. For cycling, i have all that plus my power meter connects and i have that data as well.
It keeps tally of everything you do, and gives you a body battery score. I found this to be extremely accurate. When its a high number, i do feel good, and when its a low number, i definitely feel exhausted. Its a good measure of your fatigue, and that helps you rest knowing you are following your plan without regret.
I really like how Garmin Connect app connects to other apps. So many workout apps are an island to themselves with the data they collect. Garmin shares with everything, and doesnt cost a subscription. Get the watch, join the garmin ecosystem. Its great.
I ordered cheapo pack of watch band colors. To get the original band off, you need to use 2 tiny star tools to twist them off. Blue locktite secures the threads. Take the original band off, the put the crossbar back on. The new watch bands clip on to it, and make swapping different colors easy.
The battery life is kind of a different story. Its really what do you want to compromise? If you want gps on all the time, expect the be recharging by the afternoon. If you turn everything off, including heartrate, pulse ox, activity tracking, gps, it will last quite a few days. I have tested it out fully. You should really make a good decision to what you put on the watch face. Having all the up to date metrics displayed 24/7 will be the biggest drain to your battery. I put mostly weather and step tracking on my watch face, because it doesnt update every second. That saves a ton of battery. Even having the second hand displayed drains battery. Most of the good watch faces you download will tell you that, and its very true. During workouts, i havent had issues with the battery even getting close to dying during an hour long workout with gps and connected to hr strap. I do my workout, and never worry about the battery. Maybe if you were doing ultra distance that takes over a day, i wouldnt worry. Its good, especially for all it does.
The phone controls work well. Its conveniet to see who is calling, and i wear my headphones a lot, to just hit the button on the watch to connect me to the call without ever pulling out my phone. I can use simple customizable messages to reply to texts. Anything else and i need to break out my phone for that.
All in all 10/10 experience. I hope the devolpment for the sleep tracking continues to get better, but this thing rocks
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Maria
Ótimo
Reviewed in Brazil on April 12, 2024Color: BlackPattern: SmartwatchVerified Purchase
Maria
Reviewed in Brazil on April 12, 2024
Chegou super rápido, antes do prazo até. Produto original.
Images in this review
Pebbles
NOT ALL FEATURES AVAILABLE FOR CANADIANS!!!
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2021Color: BlackPattern: SmartwatchVerified Purchase
Pebbles
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2021
Please note it’s my first garmin and coming from a Fitbit versa 2, and I had a few expectations based on a few things I came across when looking into getting a garmin. I am not buying it for diving running skiing golfing etc. I am buying it because I just wanted a smart watch and I wanted it customizable. The price point wasn’t an issue. I just felt fed up with the lacking features of Fitbit. And through some basic research I found out that garmin had lots of features and was highly customizable.
IF YOU ARE IN CANADA LIKE ME, KNOW THAT A HUGE SELLING FEATURE “GARMIN PAY” IS CRAP 😂 unless you have the lowest credit ratings and have crappy credit cards. Nothing is supported on garmin pay. None of the major banks credit cards work. I have “9” premium cards. And none of them are supported. Also, American Express credit cards are not even possible on the watch. THIS WAS A MAJOR LET DOWN and while I own this watch now, it is definitely not a watch I’ll be recommending to anyone I know. Most of the cards are USA.
With that complaint out of the way. The watch.
Well. Set up was easy enough. You can do it all with just your iPhone and wifi. The watch makes you make a few basic selections like language etc.
Once set up. You hop over to the app. There’s two apps you’ll need. Garmin connect and connect IQ (you can start setting these apps up before your watch arrives. Some steps you’ll obviously skip but if you were waiting for your order you can start setting it up before you get it)
MAPS. Yes. You’ll probably have read people complain about maps from Asia. It does come with maps of Canada. However. Finding them on your watch is the challenge. If it’s your first garmin watch like me. Hop over to YouTube. That can help you navigate your watch menus. There are SO MANY menus on the watch. I am finding most times I just randomly push buttons until I happen to find it. There’s just so many features.
You can plot courses. However. Based on a video I watched you may or may not be able to send them to your watch. The screen on the app says it sent. But nothing shows up. According to the expert in the video. You need your computer and the charging cable to manually send the course files into the right folder. I have not done this yet but I was expecting better ease of making courses and sending them to the watch. This was actually one feature I was counting on. So I’m quite disappointed ill need to sit at home and use a computer to do this. This also means YOU CANNOT PLOT A COURSE WHILE OUT ON YOUR WALK/RUNS! So another selling feature that garmin brags about that isn’t possible to use except at home.
I’m in Canada. And my temperature settings on the app says DEGREES CELSIUS. On my watch it says it correctly. But when it’s recording a run. The stats are listed as degrees Fahrenheit and the course is in KM and my settings says MILES. so there’s definitely a push to have AMERICAN measurements and the watch struggles to apply the correct Canadian settings to everything.
Watch faces are numerous. You can have many options unpaid. I found exactly what I had been wanting (I had Fitbit versa 2 but the reason I wanted garmin was to be able to customize the watch face. For me. This is huge. I want the stats I want. At all times. Not what Fitbit thinks is important such as active minutes.) and I mostly wanted a watch face that stays visible. At all times. Where as on my Fitbit it only shows my watch face when I tilt the watch towards me. Otherwise it defaults to an ugly simple watch screen that Fitbit determined was GOOD which it wasn’t. So on this I’m super happy.
The straps are super springy. Whatever material it is made of. It’s high quality and it’s comfortable. I forget I’m wearing this watch. It’s not heavy either. I liked that the watch comes with an extra band ring. I think it was intended to be a spare in case your band breaks. But I actually placed it on the watch so that I could have double bands. The last thing I want is to lose my $800+ watch!
I haven’t tried it in salt water yet. But it definitely works in the shower and bubble baths with bath salts.
The heart rate monitor definitely works. It detected mine spiking moments after I enjoyed a coffee. It beeped and vibrated letting me know. Something Fitbit never detected. I am aware my heart spikes and races at times. I can feel it. But normally the smart watches don’t detect it or alert me properly. Garmin one did.
The straps are super long. But note that I’m on the anorexic side of slim and the watch strap just perfectly wraps my bony wrist and doesn’t peek out past the watch. There’s lots of buckle notches so if you’re not skinny it will fit you as well. Interesting as most watches I need to change out the bands to size small or get generic ones to make the band smaller fit.
GPS is super accurate. I walked to work now recently from a bus stop that leaves me further from work. But gets me to work closer to the start time so I am not sitting around at work 1 hr 20 mins before shift starts. I was always baffled about the route I walked. To get there. But after yesterday’s walk with gps. I was able to see the exact path I walked. And BAM now it makes sense. I tried it tracking the path from home to the nearest train station. It was so accurate it even plotted my trip up two flights of stairs. The winding around the stairs was mapped. I was super impressed.
I think I will super like the accuracy of the gps mapping on walks. But I just wished it was able to be sent over to the watch by using my iPhone.
It doesn’t come with a screen protector. Which I feel. It doesn’t even need one based on the quality of the watch materials but I did buy a few just in case. Application was simply and easy.
(Pack of 4) Tempered Glass Screen Protector for Garmin Forerunner 945, Akwox [0.3mm 2.5D High Definition 9H] Premium Clear Screen Protector for Garmin Forerunner 945 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07T4FLX4H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NX28Z1BV14FHG1S5HH95?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I got this one. It was the cheapest one I could find. I wasn’t picky just wanted a glass type protector. The install was so easy just drop it onto the watch face and press down one finger in the middle of the watch. No air bubbles. I’ve never had a more easy install.
Oh. And the battery is rechargeable. And I am told we can’t change it out ourselves. Something to keep in mind cuz I go through my battery within 24 hrs. So most batteries are for 300 charges. This would mean once a year I’d need a new rechargeable battery. There’s no mention in the manual about where or how much a new battery is.
It does charge super fast. About 30 mins and it’s fully charged from dead. And it warns you at 10% that the watch is almost dead (super helpful)
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PETER
Great running watch
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2021Color: BlackPattern: SmartwatchVerified Purchase
VK
Was always in my bucket list -- Thanks Garmin for India region maps!
Reviewed in India on September 12, 2021Color: BlackPattern: SmartwatchVerified Purchase
martin
Easy to use multi-function HRM
Reviewed in Singapore on October 15, 2021Color: BlackPattern: SmartwatchVerified Purchase
