Garmin Forerunner 405 Review

I’ve had my Garmin Forerunner 405 for about 4 months now, so I thought I’d give a little review on it.

Overall, I love having a GPS for my runs. I am a type-A person, so I really appreciate knowing exactly how far I’ve gone and my pace for each mile. I wear it all the time for my runs outside, and I think I would miss it if I didn’t have it now—especially that I’ve gotten used to it.

At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to drop $180 on a running watch (although I have seen them for about $130 now), but I had been considering it for 2 years, so I finally just bit the bullet. I knew I would use it, and I wouldn’t let it go to waste.

Initially I read a lot of reviews about the various Garmin Forerunner products. I didn’t really consider other brands because I’d heard such positive things about Garmin products. I have to admit, I mostly chose the 405 model because of its appearance. it seemed sleeker and less bulky than some of the other models. I ended up purchasing my watch online through a website/company I had never heard of, but they offered free shipping (and they shipped to Alaska), so I was happy with that.

This is the first GPS watch I’ve ever had, so I don’t have a lot to compare it to, but these are some of the highlights.

Pros:

– picks up a signal very quickly (I usually only have to wait about 15-30 seconds for a signal, and I can get a signal inside if I’m close enough to a window. I’ve heard this is a problem in some of the other models.)

– smaller and less bulky than some of the other models

– more stylish (in my opinion) than some of the other models

– menu and settings make sense

– easy to read screen (there is a back-light for dark conditions)

Cons:

– bezel (The silver round part that is used to navigate between screens—like an iPod, but it can be difficult to use. I still get frustrated using the bezel even after a few months, but I knew this prior to purchasing it.)