# Smart watch - fitness tracking



## Dan Ferris (5 Aug 2019)

sorry in advance if this is in the wrong place. 

I’m looking for some opinions on the below watches. Through my health insurance i can get all either discounted or they pay for the device if I hit a certain number of activity points. 

I’ll be using the watch for running, swimming, indoor gym (classes and kettlebell style workouts). For cycling I shall continue to use my Garmin computer. I’ll also likely wear it during the day for general fitness / step tracking. Smart functionality I’m a little unsure about at the moment. 

The options I have is a Garmin forerunner or vivoactive 3 or an Apple Watch series 4. 

All have varying plus and negatives to them from reading the reviews - has anyone any experience for using either the Garmin or apple devices for the activities I mentioned above?


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## si_c (5 Aug 2019)

Which Forerunner are you looking at - there are quite a few!

I've got a Forerunner 35, does step counting, sleep tracking and the usual fitness gubbins. It's pretty much the most basic of the forerunner series - it doesn't do swim tracking or gym based activities for example. In terms of how it works I'm very happy, not had a single issue with it and the battery life has been pretty much spot on - I get about a 5 days of moderate use and activity tracking. It integrates very well with the other garmin devices that I have - so that's a consideration.


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## Dan Ferris (5 Aug 2019)

Yes sorry - the Forerunner 235, I should have mentioned!


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## vickster (5 Aug 2019)

Presumably you have an iPhone compatible with the watch and don’t intend to ever move to Android?


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## nickAKA (5 Aug 2019)

The Vivoactive 3. It's multi-sport, it won't look out of place anywhere and you've already got a Garmin so happy days. Not much to choose between the two Garmins but I don't think the forerunner does swimming so that would rule it out?


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## tom73 (5 Aug 2019)

Apple watch all day long simple, easy to use and sync and proved to be as accurate as you can get. Use it daily for tacking and at the gym without issue. Don't go swimming but my mate go's and has no problems. Auto workout is useful too if you forgetting to start it saved me a few times.


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## Drago (5 Aug 2019)

Vivoactive 3. 

Great performer, genuinely robust, looks good, and is keenly priced because you're not paying for some pretentious trendy brand name.


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## numbnuts (5 Aug 2019)

Vivoactive 3 + 3


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## dodgy (5 Aug 2019)

Don't forget, the Apple Watch 5 is probably out in September.
I have recently bought an Apple Watch 4, on a bit of an impulse if I'm being honest. But I've been really surprised by the data/metrics it can record, sleep tracking is the big surprise, I'm starting to get a detailed insight to my habits now and I'm trying to improve.

The Garmins were recently very highly discounted, probably better value overall there.


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## tom73 (5 Aug 2019)

@dodgy is right you really can drill into the numbers. Not forgetting watch OS 6 is due soon adding even more features. 
Even with possible new watch coming the 4 and even the 3 are still cracking bits of kit.


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## nickAKA (6 Aug 2019)

I discounted the apple on battery life tbh. Seems to be a similar drain to the Garmins when in full GPS mode but day-to-day it eats power. Not an issue if you only wear it whilst exercising of course...


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## Mo1959 (6 Aug 2019)

nickAKA said:


> I discounted the apple on battery life tbh. Seems to be a similar drain to the Garmins when in full GPS mode but day-to-day it eats power. Not an issue if you only wear it whilst exercising of course...


This is what put me off them too. Very poor battery life. I have the Garmin Forerunner 935 which can be used for multi sports including swimming plus does the sleep and continual heart rate monitoring. I wear it 24/7 and, even using gps for two or three runs it lasts about a week.


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## stoatsngroats (6 Aug 2019)

I find AW4 battery life good enough for a day, and charge at breakfast time. It takes half an hour. I use the activities frequently. You’ll need an iPhone too.


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## tom73 (6 Aug 2019)

Battery life is not a problem last's all day long and more if you set it up right.


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## dodgy (6 Aug 2019)

I get three full days out of my Apple watch 4, that's with everything on and recording usually one bike ride and wearing 24x7 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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## huwsparky (8 Aug 2019)

Of them the Vioactive 3 all day every day.


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## Dan Ferris (9 Aug 2019)

Thank you everyone for your responses - much appreciated and helped me make a decision on the Garmin.


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## Threevok (9 Aug 2019)

Dan Ferris said:


> Thank you everyone for your responses - much appreciated and helped me make a decision on the Garmin.



Let us know how you get on with it

I'm interested in one myself


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## Tenkaykev (10 Aug 2019)

A bit late to this but I have the 235 and it's a great running watch that does step counting, phone alerts etc. 
The limitation is that there are only two activities on the watch, "Run" and "Other" so if you want to record any activities other than running you have to change the description in Garmin Connect.
The Vivoactive 3 doesn't have this limitation and is the watch that I'd buy now if I needed to replace my 235


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## Dan Ferris (11 Aug 2019)

Threevok said:


> Let us know how you get on with it
> 
> I'm interested in one myself



I ended up going for the 735XT. Really impressive bit of kit. Highly recommended. Thanks all for your help


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## nickAKA (27 Aug 2019)

I've just 'upgraded' my V1 vivoctive for a slightly less-ancient V2 vivoactive HR 

The original V1 cost me about £50 off ebay a couple of years ago, the replacement the princely sum of £43... I was always rather sceptical of the wrist-based HR but if I wear it reasonably tight it seems within the arc of the chest HR strap.

It's a bit tatty but I wear it for cycling & running so who cares, and at the price nobody's going to shed many tears if it incurs further damage. The charger is infinitely superior to the old magnetic cradle affair which was a hateful contraption... Added features too! I'm quite chuffed with it, can you tell?


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## si_c (27 Aug 2019)

nickAKA said:


> I've just 'upgraded' my V1 vivoctive for a slightly less-ancient V2 vivoactive HR
> 
> The original V1 cost me about £50 off ebay a couple of years ago, the replacement the princely sum of £43... I was always rather sceptical of the wrist-based HR but if I wear it reasonably tight it seems within the arc of the chest HR strap.
> 
> It's a bit tatty but I wear it for cycling & running so who cares, and at the price nobody's going to shed many tears if it incurs further damage. The charger is infinitely superior to the old magnetic cradle affair which was a hateful contraption... Added features too! I'm quite chuffed with it, can you tell?


That's broadly what I found - for day to day wearing I don't have it that tight - it's close enough to track my RHR that I'm happy and when doing activities I tighten the strap a notch or two which puts it within 2-3bpm of my HR strap - again close enough for most things.


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## Milkfloat (27 Aug 2019)

A bit late to help the OP, but assuming anyone else is with Vitality the rest of this post may be of interest. By going with the Apple Watch you are incentivised to pay for it via your workouts, with the Garmin you just get a straight discount which may not be as cheap as buying direct from elsewhere. The Vivoactive 3 is about to be replaced by the 4, but is still a good all round smartwatch. The forerunners are far more running orientated and give you some great insights into your running, but not always other sports. In general Vitality seem to have been a bit better with points tracking over the last year, but previously they were shocking. I spent a lot of time getting missing points added and fighting their crap app in order to pay for my apple Watch and get my free Starbucks / cinema tickets


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## BigMeatball (27 Aug 2019)

another alternative I'm reading good comments/reviews about is the polar vantage m

https://www.polar.com/uk-en/vantage/m


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (30 Aug 2019)

A bit late to the party and a bit left field, TomTom Spark 3 Cardio.(there's also a spark basic, a spark MUSIC and a spark Music/cardio) They're no longer available but still supported and reasonably priced vs pretty much every other watch that will do the same things.

My main reason for buying, was it counts distance/lengths/strokes in the pool + has a great outdoor freestyle GPS mode that records my SUP outings/Hydro assault course sessions etc. But also works just fine outside running/walking ,on the bike, indoors on bike and in the gym


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## iancity (6 Sep 2019)

Whole load of new Garmin smart watches out today (Vivoactive I think), with more to come (Vivomove). Check Dc Rainmaker for the latest on them.


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