Garmin Fenix 5X - Initial Impressions

[Wyoming Shooter]

I've been using the Garmin Fenix 5X https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/560327 for about a month. I am impressed. Two features stand out for me: the integrated heart rate monitor and full color mapping. Although I enjoy my "traditional" watches (e.g. Sinn UX), the Fenix 5X will likely supplant all others.

On the upside, this is a great watch if you're into fitness of most any sort. This thing tracks "activities" from bicycling to trail running to golf. The user can access a variety of reports using the "Connect App" on a phone or tablet. Most cool, and useful.

The GPS nav feature is also outstanding. I can do pretty much everything on the Garmin Fenix 5X that I do on a full-size GPS. Think saving current location, navigating to a destination, back tracking, etc. I have read on the interweb that it's possible to download additional (e.g. topo) maps to the Fenix 5X. I've not tried that.

In addition to the above, the Fenix 5X does all the stuff that "smart watches" do - alarms, text message alerts, etc.

The watch seems to hold a charge well. Charging is done by a proprietary cord. I assume this was necessary to make the watch water proof.

On the downside, the thing is expensive - about $700. It's also a bit bulky. I've caught it and banged it around a bit. No signs of damage thus far though.

For further info, I suggest DC Rainmaker's vids on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dc+rainmaker+fenix+5.

From the Big Empty, ELN.

[Gray222]

I pre-ordered mine and so far I am really liking all of the features. Phone connectivity is very good and overall level of function is superb.

I have a Fenix 5 Sapphire with chest heart rate.

[TAZ]

I bought a Fenix 3 HR when the prices dropped after the announcement of the 5. I will concur with the above opinions. It's replaced my Apple Watch and Seamaster as my EDC. Great set of features and I can get about a week of charge using various fitness apps at least 5 days a week. 3 of those using GPS to track my cardio walk/jog/waddle activities.

Haven't tried to actually navigate with it yet.

[NH Shooter]

From the name of the product I couldn't figure out if it was a GPS or a flashlight...

[Casey]

I've had my Fenix 5 Sapphire since early April, and I love the thing. I was back and forth on getting this or an Apple Watch, and I think I made the right call. Sure, you can do more from the Apple Watch in terms of responding to notifications, but all I really want from a smartwatch right now is to know whether or not I need to take my phone out of my pocket, and the Fenix handles that just fine. Granted, the two devices are in very different categories. The fitness tracking capabilities of the Fenix are phenomenal, and based on many reviews I've seen, the accuracy of its tracking blows the Apple Watch out of the water. A few high points:

Outstanding battery life. I'm spending about an hour each day doing some kind of outdoor activity, be it running or walking, and using the GPS for that plus regular daily wear, and I easily get a week on a single charge.

Tons of custom watch faces. I still haven't found the perfect one, but there are some very good options out there, and they usually have enough customization of data fields to keep me happy. Oh, and the watch face is constant-on, unlike the Apple Watch, so I don't have to worry about tilting it every time I want to see what time it is.

Fairly intuitive menu system. Once you figure out how to navigate through the UI, it becomes pretty easy to do whatever you want to do. And the menus are context aware, which is nice. In other words, when you're using a widget like the HRM, hitting the menu button jumps to the HRM settings rather than forcing you to scroll through all the menu options to find the settings for that particular widget.

Lots of external sensor options. I use mine as a standalone HRM when I'm just walking around the neighborhood, but I pair it with a Garmin Tri external HRM when running, which gives me access to tons of data. Almost all of that is overkill for someone just a couple months into Couch to 5k, but still...

[Drang]

Is the 5 as big as than the 3? (Or even bigger??? :eek:) I was looking at a 3 and a Forerunner 235, for the fitness tracking and the fact that they can use the Garmin app that turns your watch into a shot timer. But the 3 is big enough to be one of those crew-served watches the young kids that can't tell time using an analog clock like to wear. :rolleyes:

[Gray222]

Is the 5 as big as than the 3? (Or even bigger??? :eek:) I was looking at a 3 and a Forerunner 235, for the fitness tracking and the fact that they can use the Garmin app that turns your watch into a shot timer. But the 3 is big enough to be one of those crew-served watches the young kids that can't tell time using an analog clock like to wear. :rolleyes:

The 5 can be bought in three different sizes. The standard size is 47mm which is a good size for what it is.

I'll probably be buying my wife the 5s as she liked the size for her petite frame.

Watch faces: I got the WF4Cool watchface. It's simple and shows heart rate directly on the screen. Colors adjustable and allows for a few other things in the full version which is only 2.5eu, which I haven't bought yet...

[Casey]

Is the 5 as big as than the 3? (Or even bigger??? :eek:) I was looking at a 3 and a Forerunner 235, for the fitness tracking and the fact that they can use the Garmin app that turns your watch into a shot timer. But the 3 is big enough to be one of those crew-served watches the young kids that can't tell time using an analog clock like to wear. :rolleyes:
My understanding is the 5X is the same size as the 3, while the 5 has a similar screen size but a more compact case, and the 5S is a fair bit smaller.

vm - I tried out the WF4Cool face. It's alright. My go-to right now is SC8, which packs a bit more data on the screen (including seconds, which is nice).

I forgot to mention one other thing I really like. The adjustment holes in the band are spaced much closer together than most watches I've seen, which is nice, as it allows for fine tuning the fit. Most watches I've had are inevitably too tight or too loose... the Fenix gets it just right. Hopefully, there will be some aftermarket bands available before too long, because Garmin's price on OEM bands is outrageous.

I also neglected to mention my only dislike, which is that the watch is thick enough that it does not fit comfortably under the cuff of any of my dress shirts. Not the end of the world; if I'm wearing a dress shirt, I really should be wearing a nice watch. But it is marginally annoying.

[Gray222]

I tried the SC7 and 8 before going to this watchface. I wanted specific things, like heart rate day/date and large font time.

If I find a better one I'll post.

[YVK]

Can somebody post a pic on a wrist just to get an idea of size? I am considering this one, dunno 47 or 51.

Anyone knows the difference between Fenix and Chronos?

Also, how water proof is it? I swim several times a week.

[Gray222]

Can somebody post a pic on a wrist just to get an idea of size? I am considering this one, dunno 47 or 51.

Anyone knows the difference between Fenix and Chronos?

Also, how water proof is it? I swim several times a week.

http://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/waterrating

The 5 is rated to 100-meters, I've showered with mine and no issues.

The 47 will probably be better suited for everyday life unless you are 6'2+ 250lb+.

[Wyoming Shooter]

Thanks Casey and Voodoo Man for your thoughts. Although the fitness/mapping/smart watch continues to evolve, the Garmin 5X is the best thing available right now. The Garmin forums https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?632-fenix-5X are another valuable source of intel. Best from the Big Empty, ELN.

[Gray222]

Thanks Casey and Voodoo Man for your thoughts. Although the fitness/mapping/smart watch continues to evolve, the Garmin 5X is the best thing available right now. The Garmin forums https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?632-fenix-5X are another valuable source of intel. Best from the Big Empty, ELN.

I have a buddy who bought his fenix 3 when it first came out, still has it. It's all banged up and he doesn't want to upgrade, specifically because it works so well and is so durable. Even though the Fenix 5 is so much better and feature packed, he said he's perfectly content with the 3.

I think that, given what I am seeing right now, the 5 sapphire which I bought will probably be on my wrist for a long time to come...

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

My understanding is the 5X is the same size as the 3, while the 5 has a similar screen size but a more compact case, and the 5S is a fair bit smaller.

vm - I tried out the WF4Cool face. It's alright. My go-to right now is SC8, which packs a bit more data on the screen (including seconds, which is nice).

I forgot to mention one other thing I really like. The adjustment holes in the band are spaced much closer together than most watches I've seen, which is nice, as it allows for fine tuning the fit. Most watches I've had are inevitably too tight or too loose... the Fenix gets it just right. Hopefully, there will be some aftermarket bands available before too long, because Garmin's price on OEM bands is outrageous.

I also neglected to mention my only dislike, which is that the watch is thick enough that it does not fit comfortably under the cuff of any of my dress shirts. Not the end of the world; if I'm wearing a dress shirt, I really should be wearing a nice watch. But it is marginally annoying.

Casey I bought this > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J0SB4L6/ref=psdc_11591904011_t1_B01EHSMIW8 set of 6 bands from Amazon for $19.95 (prime member) a month ago & they fit my needs. They also have a set of two for $9.95 (YMMV), agreed re. under a dress shirt & no doubt the OEM band price is absurd, quick clasp or not.

Started w/ a Garmin 405 yrs. ago for logging my mileage on runs + it's durability during range, training, matches & still have 1 as a backup to my current F3. The ability to change faces, monitor text/emails etc. w/out pulling out my ghey phone suits my needs, *especially* @ the range, so I'll keep running this F3 until Garmin replaces the 5 series.

Someone mentioned the Garmin Forums earlier, agreed as it's a VG source for issue disc. or new apps. I also like the Garmin Connect app for tracking both my running & shooting data, this coming from a senior cat that has too many log books from the old days.

[Gray222]

Started using the Nofrills watchface. I like it more that the W4fcool one I had previously. This one seems to provide more for free.

https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/03030574-3c6e-484a-9bd8-ce2ca0249651%3Ftab%3Dreviews%26criteria%3Drating%2 6ascending%3Dfalse%26displayCurrentVersion%3Dfalse&ved=0ahUKEwiaoo26idfUAhUGjz4KHbrKDasQFggsMAE&usg=AFQjCNH0yzfrBgYviYPrDspf5MwMj5NRKw

[TAZ]

Can somebody post a pic on a wrist just to get an idea of size? I am considering this one, dunno 47 or 51.

Anyone knows the difference between Fenix and Chronos?

Also, how water proof is it? I swim several times a week.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170624/ffcaee2de46f4e38b6fa67cab469bc01.jpg

Fenix 3 HR. Don't have a 5 to compare to.

[TAZ]

Started using the Nofrills watchface. I like it more that the W4fcool one I had previously. This one seems to provide more for free.

https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/03030574-3c6e-484a-9bd8-ce2ca0249651%3Ftab%3Dreviews%26criteria%3Drating%2 6ascending%3Dfalse%26displayCurrentVersion%3Dfalse&ved=0ahUKEwiaoo26idfUAhUGjz4KHbrKDasQFggsMAE&usg=AFQjCNH0yzfrBgYviYPrDspf5MwMj5NRKw

Using this as well, but it's making my 3HR very laggy. Button pushes have like a second delay till they are executed.

[Gray222]

Using this as well, but it's making my 3HR very laggy. Button pushes have like a second delay till they are executed.

From what I can find it says that this has back round processes (the time background meter) which some watches cannot support well.

My F5 has no lag.

[YVK]

Fenix 3 HR. Don't have a 5 to compare to.

Thank you. It ain't small for sure. 47 indeed is a better size, methinks.

[TAZ]

Thank you. It ain't small for sure. 47 indeed is a better size, methinks.

I have pretty small wrists. Here is a pic with a quarter for reference. Didn't think about that earlier. Try to go someplace like an REI that has inventory to try. I thought it was going to be too big, but haven't found it a problem and I wear it 24/7.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170625/2878b9ce2f0c5be74736594d07df859e.jpg

[Mike C]

I've been using the Garmin Fenix 5X https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/560327 for about a month. I am impressed. Two features stand out for me: the integrated heart rate monitor and full color mapping. Although I enjoy my "traditional" watches (e.g. Sinn UX), the Fenix 5X will likely supplant all others.

On the upside, this is a great watch if you're into fitness of most any sort. This thing tracks "activities" from bicycling to trail running to golf. The user can access a variety of reports using the "Connect App" on a phone or tablet. Most cool, and useful.

The GPS nav feature is also outstanding. I can do pretty much everything on the Garmin Fenix 5X that I do on a full-size GPS. Think saving current location, navigating to a destination, back tracking, etc. I have read on the interweb that it's possible to download additional (e.g. topo) maps to the Fenix 5X. I've not tried that.

In addition to the above, the Fenix 5X does all the stuff that "smart watches" do - alarms, text message alerts, etc.

The watch seems to hold a charge well. Charging is done by a proprietary cord. I assume this was necessary to make the watch water proof.

On the downside, the thing is expensive - about $700. It's also a bit bulky. I've caught it and banged it around a bit. No signs of damage thus far though.

For further info, I suggest DC Rainmaker's vids on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dc+rainmaker+fenix+5.

From the Big Empty, ELN.

Thanks for this, I've been looking it this watch pretty hard. I've been using an old ass 405 for so long waiting for something like the 5x. It's been a long time coming for the upgrade.

[BillSWPA]

Is the battery in the 5x replaceable when it starts to deteriorate?


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[Gray222]

Is the battery in the 5x replaceable when it starts to deteriorate?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Doubt that will be an issue as there are guys with F3's who have no such issues with their watches...

[Chance]

How well does it track anaerobic exercise? The two FitBits I have irritatingly lose my heart rate at times. Also, how well does the shot timer work?

[Gray222]

How well does it track anaerobic exercise? The two FitBits I have irritatingly lose my heart rate at times. Also, how well does the shot timer work?

The HRM chest band works the best.

I've done some HIIT type of work with just the watch, as long as it's tight it'll keep the heart rate fairly well.

[Casey]

Casey I bought this > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J0SB4L6/ref=psdc_11591904011_t1_B01EHSMIW8 set of 6 bands from Amazon for $19.95 (prime member) a month ago & they fit my needs. They also have a set of two for $9.95 (YMMV), agreed re. under a dress shirt & no doubt the OEM band price is absurd, quick clasp or not.
Appreciate the heads-up, but the 5 uses a smaller band than the 5x/3, so those are a no-go. There are a couple aftermarket options popping up now for the five. I bit the bullet and ordered the leather band from Garmin; the black band it came with (there was a lime one in the box, too) is enough for 80% of my needs. I just wanted something slightly dressier for work.


Started using the Nofrills watchface. I like it more that the W4fcool one I had previously. This one seems to provide more for free.
SC8 is where it's at.
http://imageshack.com/a/img922/7551/HxrzFy.jpg

[Gray222]

SC8 is where it's at.
http://imageshack.com/a/img922/7551/HxrzFy.jpg

That does look pretty good.

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

17583

[BillSWPA]

Doubt that will be an issue as there are guys with F3's who have no such issues with their watches...

While I appreciate the information about the longevity of Garmin's batteries, lithium ions do deteriorate over time. Knowing whether the battery is replaceable would be helpful if anyone has that information. Thanks!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drang]

Also, how well does the shot timer work?
The Fenix 5 is not listed as a compatible device for the shot timer. (https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/e9ef9cd0-08bd-4739-bc04-89209c0c233e;jsessionid=C607B79ED968506C287B979C7B BCC373)

[Chance]

The Fenix 5 is not listed as a compatible device for the shot timer. (https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/e9ef9cd0-08bd-4739-bc04-89209c0c233e;jsessionid=C607B79ED968506C287B979C7B BCC373)

Maybe they haven't updated the list? Sounds like it just uses the accelerometer.

[Mike C]

Do maps work with the 42mm? 51mm is a touch too big for me. Everything I've found so far says no.

[GRV]

Do maps work with the 42mm? 51mm is a touch too big for me. Everything I've found so far says no.

Everything I've read so far says emphatically no. It looks to me like the limiting factor is the storage, with the 5 having only 64 MB and the 5x having 16 GB.

[Mike C]

Thanks dove. I guess I'll have to live with a frisbee attached to my wrist after all.

[GRV]

I have one on the way, mostly for the timing features.

I'm not doing any running or swimming right now. From what I'm reading, it seems like a lot of the activity tracking features are centered around aerobic distance based exercises like those, e.g. the training load feature seems to need regular vo2max estimates to function properly. Is anyone doing any strength training with one? I'm having a hard time understanding if there's a reasonable strength training workflow for it beyond manually using the stopwatch/countdown/interval timers. I'd be willing to try a chest strap HRM if that'd offer something interesting.

Also, is there anyone tracking shooting stuff with it: dryfire, livefire, matches? I guess I could vaguely see some utility to having my dryfire and livefire sessions timed and plotted on a calendar or something. I could maybe see some room for more interesting tracking of USPSA, but I'm grasping at straws here. I saw someone mentioned a shot timer too.

[martin_j001]

Just snagged one of these myself and have been very happy with it. Upgraded from a FitBit Blaze.

[Notorious E.O.C.]

How well does it track anaerobic exercise? The two FitBits I have irritatingly lose my heart rate at times.

I have the Garmin FR235, which also has an optical heart rate sensor. I believe it's the previous generation of the one in the newer Fenixes (Fenii?). When I first got it (last May), I did a few test runs with both it and my Suunto with HRM strap. Heart rate measurements on the optical sensor were within a couple of beats per minute of the HRM. The optical sensor was on about a 5-second delay in picking up changes.

I've seen it lose my heartbeat maybe twice in normal sitting around the house. It's never happened on a run or bike ride. However, as my drag exceeds my speed even on good days, I may not be the best test case.

[Magsz]

Ive been running "smart watches" and fitness trackers since fitbit came out with their first product.

At first, I thought that having integrated heart rate (charge HR) was a necessary feature and something that I would get great use out. As time went on and my workout's became more of an integrated part of my lifestyle I stopped caring. The fitbit had WAY better activity tracking features than the Garmin which I very quickly found out was absolutely useless. Im not a runner, if I was, this thing would be gold but I dont run. I found the "activity tracking" to be absolutely terrible on the garmin and the heart rate while mostly accurate was useless to me. I dont workout to hit target heart rates and whatever metrics I might find with the data are again, useless. If anyone wants to chime in and advise as to what they're actually tracking and why the data is important I'm all ears as im curious to see how other people are using their devices.

The heart rate feature on the Garmin has soured me a little bit. A buddy of mine has a standard fenix 3 and his battery life is measured in weeks, not the measly five days I get out of my watch. I bought this as a durable watch to wear at work and as an "outdoorsy" watch i find it to be absolutely useless considering the battery life is so short. Should i ever find myself out in the wilderness for whatever reason without access to a charger, the watch as a survival implement is not going to work as the battery life is way too short.

In short, I basically use the watch as well, a watch and a pedometer. The rest of it to me is useless and eventually, once i can sell my fenix 3 HR, i will be downgrading to a fenix 3 when i can find one at a reasonable price point.

Ah, after a year of use, ive gone through one band so far which isnt bad. The HR model with its sapphire screen and ion bonded (nitrided) bezel has held up extremely well. Its definitely a durable watch, i just wish the battery life wasnt so bad.

[Chance]

The Fenix 3HR is a Prime Day sale. $385 (https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Fenix-3-HR-Gray/dp/B01A5HIQ7Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1499770935&sr=8-2&keywords=fenix+3hr&linkCode=ll1&tag=pistolforum-20&linkId=33fed1cef4b780ab1aff4091b0e7dd40)

[GRV]

Ive been running "smart watches" and fitness trackers since fitbit came out with their first product.

At first, I thought that having integrated heart rate (charge HR) was a necessary feature and something that I would get great use out. As time went on and my workout's became more of an integrated part of my lifestyle I stopped caring. The fitbit had WAY better activity tracking features than the Garmin which I very quickly found out was absolutely useless. Im not a runner, if I was, this thing would be gold but I dont run. I found the "activity tracking" to be absolutely terrible on the garmin and the heart rate while mostly accurate was useless to me. I dont workout to hit target heart rates and whatever metrics I might find with the data are again, useless. If anyone wants to chime in and advise as to what they're actually tracking and why the data is important I'm all ears as im curious to see how other people are using their devices.

The heart rate feature on the Garmin has soured me a little bit. A buddy of mine has a standard fenix 3 and his battery life is measured in weeks, not the measly five days I get out of my watch. I bought this as a durable watch to wear at work and as an "outdoorsy" watch i find it to be absolutely useless considering the battery life is so short. Should i ever find myself out in the wilderness for whatever reason without access to a charger, the watch as a survival implement is not going to work as the battery life is way too short.

In short, I basically use the watch as well, a watch and a pedometer. The rest of it to me is useless and eventually, once i can sell my fenix 3 HR, i will be downgrading to a fenix 3 when i can find one at a reasonable price point.

Ah, after a year of use, ive gone through one band so far which isnt bad. The HR model with its sapphire screen and ion bonded (nitrided) bezel has held up extremely well. Its definitely a durable watch, i just wish the battery life wasnt so bad.

Here's a list of features that I want in a watch, some more important than others:
- Durable
- Water resistant enough for swimming
- Stopwatch, readily accessible
- Countdown timer, readily accessible, easily set (without digging through menus like on the Core), hours minutes and seconds all individually settable
- *** Vibration alert for countdown timer, alarms, etc.
- Interval timer
- Always-on display
- Battery life at least multiple days
- Automatic DST
- Automatic time setting (GPS, atomic, internet, etc.)
- Smartphone notifications w/ vibe (willing to waffle on this as it totally changes the name of the game, but highly desirable)
- Aesthetic preferences: black, negative display, big round face, closer to the Core the better

I did a lot of digging looking for the above. The Casio GD-350 was the only normal watch I could find which came close, and that still has to sacrifice on a few of those. The Garmin Fenix series nails all of these in spades, and I'm not sure there are any other smart watches that do, especially not non-Garmin watches. Really, my only complaint is the battery, as I'd prefer something with normal-watch battery life, say a year. But, I'm wiling to trade that for the smartphone notifications.

Now that I have the Fenix, I'm enjoying it and finding some uses for the other features. I have a dryfire mode setup to show me the elapsed time, the timer, and it buzzes me every 10 minutes. It's cool that my dryfire time, workouts, etc. are all being logged somewhere automatically in a more easily processed format than my training journal here. I could have continued to live with just the stopwatch and countdown timers for these things, but the luxury is nice.

At some point I'll be running and swimming again, at which point I think it's obvious the Fenix shines.

I wish the fluffy features were more relevant to strength training. The Garmin community seems to think "training" "workout" "exercise" and so on all basically mean "running". This is pervasive throughout the device, even down to how it calculates recovery HR, and doubly so for the training metrics. Again, I don't need anything more that stopwatch, countdown, and interval timers with vibe for strength training, but it'd have been nice to make more use out of a $700 "fitness" watch.

I'm having fun with the steps, sleep tracking, and 24x7 heart rate...Ultimately I don't know what I'm going to do with any of that or how long that interest will last. I'm hoping to use the Move! indicator to keep a little more active at work, and I'm interested in people's claims about resting heart rate trends and health/stress. I think the sleep and HR stuff is cool, but even if it can tell you you're sick or stressed or not sleeping enough, it's not clear to me what function that has. I'd probably already know that from the way I feel. But, I'm still interested in it from a proprioception angle.

At the end of the day, I'm a bit surprised that if you want some relatively simple timing features, you need to buy a.......$700 smart device? I felt like an idiot googling "wrist timer", because apparently that's not what watches are. If someone know of other devices that have all the features I listed, let me know. I'm happy with the Fenix, and part of the reason for buying it was certainly the cool factor. Additionally, I'm interested in experimenting with programming it for certain things and leveraging the mapping features. So, I probably would have bought one eventually either way, but it still confuses me that I couldn't find any meaningful competitors to it on my very simple base feature desires alone.