The Garmin Forerunner 235 is my current watch.
I bought it in October 2016, just after I finished my first half marathon.
I considered both the FitBit Surge and an Apple Watch beforehand. But after more research I decided I didn't want a watch with a bunch of apps on it. I just wanted GPS to track my runs and bike rides.
Then, I went to Best Buy because I wanted to buy it immediately and the closest store to my house that carried the FitBit was indeed Best Buy.
When I went into the store, I found the smartwatch section and was kind of underwhelmed by the look of the Fitbit Surge.
I was a little disappointed trying to convince myself it actually looked better than I thought it did. You know, trying to psyche myself up about it.
But then I saw the Garmin section, and holy crap those were some sweet looking watches. Why hadn't I heard about these or even considered them before?
I almost bought one in that moment, but decided to go back home and do more research.
I watched videos, went to watch comparison sites, you name it.
I ultimately decided, obviously, to go with the Garmin Forerunner 235.
Here are a few reasons why I love my watch
- It's got a big watch face
- The display is always on and doesn't turn off
- The battery lasts nearly a full week on one charge. Way better than most other smart watches.
- The band is super cozy
- You can make the face light or dark
- It tracks runs and bike rides with GPS and syncs with the Garmin iPhone app, which syncs to Strava. I've used Strava for all of my running/riding for a few years and wanted a way to automate that.
- It doesn't look like a giant fitness tracker
- It lets me know if I've not moved much in the last hour or so, but in a subtle way
- I get push notifications to my watch from my phone if I choose. Sometimes it's nice and sometimes it's annoying.