Looking for advice for a new multisport watch. I’m debating between a Garmin Forerunner 965 or a Suunto Vertical 2. Open to other suggestions but these are the two main watches I’m looking at.
I have a Suunto Spartan Trainer from ~2017. It’s a great watch but battery life is starting to get a little short and, obviously, lacks all the modern metrics. It’s also indestructible.
I have a Garmin bike computer, so there is a draw to have all of my activities in the Garmin ecosystem. Plus they have the most comprehensive set of metrics and apps available of anyone.
On the other hand, I feel a bit of loyalty to Suunto since the Spartan has been such a great watch. Seems silly, but it’s there.
Anyway, looking for first-hand experiences with either of these watches, or others. How do Garmin’s hold up over time? TIA!
I have a Garmin Forerunner 935. I bought it in the Fall of 2017 and it is still going strong. Picks up GPS quickly, battery life is still really long. Works with Varia as well which is kinda nice when I’m commuting and don’t use my head unit
I bought a garmin epix gen 2 a year and a half ago and it’s been great. The epix pro gen 2 is still on sale on Amazon for $499. Garmin fenix 8 or 970 ate good options. It depends on your price range, needs, and preferences.
I’ve been looking at the Epix Gen 2, also. I don’t need the mic or other ‘extras’ of the Fenix 8. How is the weight, though? It seems much heavier than the Forerunner.
Good point about the weight. I came from a forerunner 255 and did immediately notice the weight difference. I almost returned it thinking the weight would bother me. But after a few days of wearing it the weight isn’t something I notice and all. And I like metal body. It does everything I need in a watch.
Remove strap from watch, install spring bar to quick turn mount adaptor? Or repurpose old phone? That’s a pretty interesting idea, actually–I wonder if you could create custom ride profiles and just name them ski, hike, etc.
Re: OP, I don’t think the Garmin metrics are worth a pitcher of warm spit unless you have a specific plan for how you’re going to use them (really, not even then.). However, I don’t believe the Vertical (or nearly any other non-Garmin watch) will handle dual-sided power output from Assiomas.
Thanks for the info. Fortunately I have an Edge cycling computer, so it can record the left and power.
Also good point about the metrics. For me, the draw to Garmin is having all of my data in one ecosystem. Yes, I collate everything right now in TrainingPeaks and Intervals, but I feel like there are many features in the Garmin ecosystem that can’t be utilized because it is only aware of my biking activities and not runs, lifting, etc. I’ve also proven (to myself) that I’m not going to bother with the faff of importing them from my current watch.
I have a Forerunner 965, and I’m very happy with it. Does everything I need for swim/bike/run/strength and it has enough battery life for long events. It’s got a plastic housing, but the glass on the face is pretty tough, after 2 years’ constant wear I’ve only got a few light scratches on it.
I used to have a Suunto years ago (I think it was an Ambit?) but when it died I moved to Garmin and I’ll probably stay in their ecosystem now. It’s got everything I need.
In 2025 any smart/sports watch will be fine. I’m one of the dozens of athletes who bought a Wahoo Rival, my wife has had three Apple Watches. We both work out regularly (me: bike & gym, her: running &gym). All of them just work.
I’d definitely consider the Apple Watch if you use an iPhone.
Ecosystems are a factor, but to me it is rather a turnoff. I don’t want to be trapped in one ecosystem even if I am happy now. Think Strava.
Yeah. I agree. I’d say most people don’t use 99% of the features on a Garmin. All of the training metrics are mostly a curiosity given their questionable accuracy.
While I don’t have any first-hand experience with recovery metrics other than RL/GL, it seems this is a very mixed bag and you’d be better off listening to your body.
Ditto for sleep metrics: I watched @dcrainmaker’s segment on Apple’s sleep score and it included a comparison with other devices’ sleep scores … they were all over the place. To me sleep duration (especially long-term averages) are the most important metric to keep an eye on.
Yup. I barely use any features of my Wahoo bike computers either. The Apple Watch has the added advantage that you can extend its functionalities with suitable apps.
Many (like my Wahoo Rival) also have a ceramic bezel, which protects the glass. I find that helpful when I am in the gym. When I work with kettle bells, my watch would sometimes hit the kettle bell’s handle with the bezel. If that were to hit the glass direction, I’d be a bit worried.
Agree. I think the things like RL/GL and Garmin’s training readiness aren’t a bad thing but I see them as a notification to pause and think about how you feel by listening to your body and not a decider of whether to train or not.
For $50 more than the Forerunner 965, I think this is now my leading Garmin candidate. Still very intrigued by the Vertical 2. A little concerned that the Epix Gen 2 Pro is 2 1/2 years old and how much longer it will get new software updates, though, whereas the Vertical 2 is new and Suunto’s update cycle is slower than Garmin’s, which means it should receive software updates and features for a long time.