Pros: – The watch is easy to set up out of the box. ANT+ pairing is quick and simple, and the online tools are much improved from previous editions.
- Display is customizable, with up to 4 items per screen with easy scrolling to another screen with different layout and information. You can include pace, heart rate, heart rate map, caloric burn, time, distance and several other options (those are the ones I use).
- Auto-multisport allows for pre-programmed hot swapping between sport modes (i.e. bike to run to “other”) by pressing the lap button.
- The watch also includes a virtual “rabbit” (a.k.a. pace maker) that will simulate a preset pace and tell you how far ahead or behind that pace you are. Awesome in-training motivation!
- The watch also tracks your individual fitness once you enter your height, weight and fitness level. You can even pair it with the Tanita BC-1000 scale and have it automatically update this information wirelessly through that scale. Haven’t tried this myself, but it sounds sweet.
- People complain about OTHER mode being on the options menu, but as someone who also snowboards and windsurfs I appreciate Garmin expanding this watch’s functionality beyond the three triathlete sports (see SWIMMING section below)
- There are several other features and options you can customize here, but those are the primary ones I use.

Cons: – The watch works very well in the trees, but not so much on switchbacks. If you like running or biking switchbacks, the GPS mapping mode does not interpret these very well and will likely cut off some distance on your route. The Forerunner 305 is better in this regard.
- Elevation accuracy has a lot of noise, and goes from mediocre to worthless on your route. This isn’t a big deal for me, as I’m familiar with the elevation of the routes I run, but it would be irritating for serious users of the elevation feature.
- The watch and PC software are not forgiving if you don’t set it up correctly prior to the workout. If you change modes mid-workout outside of the pre-programmed hotswapping it drops any previous data rather than appending the old data to the beginning of your new workout. I found this shortcoming reading other reviews and then testing it myself. Just be sure you set the watch up correctly prior to training and you’ll be fine.

SWIMMERS/TRIATHLETES: Before you read any other reviews, there are some basic facts about GPS and ANT+ technology you have to understand before you set your triathlete expectations about this or any similar watch. GPS and ANT+ signals do not penetrate water effectively. You are not going to find an ANT+ HRM that works well submerged until they upgrade the ANT+ standard, and until the government switches out the orbiting satellites, GPS will simply not work when you are submerged.

That said, if you wear this watch in the back of your swim cap facing the sky, the GPS is a lot more functional. DC Rainmaker does some great testing ([...]) that demonstrates how the 305 and 310XT both fare in GPS tracking using this technique. The short answer is “It actually works pretty darn well.” If you want a good, aquatic HRM, I recommend the FINIS Aqua Pulse ([...]). Garmin did not include a dedicated SWIM mode, because it understood the tech’s aquatic limitations, and before you buy any product you should understand those limitations as well.

All I can say is ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’

I had no end of problems with the 405. The last straw was the trouble I had transferring data to my computer through the ANT system. It would take up to an hour of tinkering to get data to transfer.

I thought that Garmin had resolved this issue with the new 310XT. Well, I am sad to say they have not. I have been trying to upload data for about 45 minutes now, and it just does not work. The web is full of messages from other people with the same situation. There are a million potential ‘fixes’ out there, and I’ve tried many of them.

But really – should it be this hard?

There must be a better product out there somewhere.

Now, the actual review – note, this is the first GPS unit for running that I have used, so I don’t have any basis for comparison. I also haven’t spent too much time with the unit yet, as I wanted to post the above rebate info asap.

The unit is bulky, but light. I immediately swapped out the plastic wristband for one of the velcro bands, which is definitely more comfortable. The touch bezel that seems to be the source of much angst is a little flighty, and I’m still getting used to it. Controls are not immediately intuitive, but one run through the owner’s manual pretty much got me up to speed. The customizable data fields that display during training are really cool. No problems pairing with HRM, acquiring GPS satellites, or pairing with ANT. GPS works as expected.

Two software options are available: Garmin Connect (online) and Garmin Training Center (downloaded from Garmin, installed on your computer). Training Center offers more detailed information and data tools for analyzing your workouts; however, the website is better with street maps (uses Google Maps), so this may be better if you do a lot of street running in a heavily populated area and you want to keep track of your routes. You can use either, or both.