- Zone training: heart rate zone training, supports five heart rate zones
- Enhanced touch bezel interface
- Training and motivational features: Virtual Partner, courses, workouts and goals
- Water resistant:yes (IPX7)
If you purchase a device like this for all it does, don't expect to grasp 'all it does' in the first ten minutes. Perhaps that's why some get frustrated. Then they come to Amazon to vent and punish Garmin because they thought operating a Range Rover would be the same as operating a tricycle. If you don't want to have to learn anything, then purchase a device that doesn't do as much for you to have to learn. Timex offers a basic heart rate watch for under $50. You'll be up and running in seconds.
I won't go over everything the GF410 does, but I'll share my experience from set-up to upload. If you're thinking about Polar & Suunto, keep reading.
SET-UP
The 410 is a very features-packed, high-quality, stylized device that is mostly easy to use. The touch bezel *is* different, but it's easy to make sense of when you understand the simple idea. In less than one hour, I was able to flow. The watch even guides you through a brief operational tutorial before you can use it. Garmin has done all they can to make it easy to understand something forward and different whilst still functional. However, it's just not too practical. As you circle the watch, your finger blocks the options that come up.
Sign up on Garmin Connect, enter your info & Garmin computes your heart rate zones. (It helps if you already know your resting rate. There is an Android app for that) Within a few minutes, I was able to build a heart-rate-based work-out interval from warm-up to V02max. (You can look up heart rate interval training on YouTube if the idea is new to you.) You can also set up speed and distance intervals. The site holds your hand. However, most folks probably won't know what to do with the specific heart rate info feedback. The graphs require a professional or special training to do anything with.
If you're unfamiliar with interval training (for speed, distance or heart rate), go to YouTube & look up "Polar Sport Zones".
I ran into a bump whilst installing ANT. Apparently, some computers need an additional Windows file to run the program. In case ANT won't download, the file you might need is vcredist_x86. It doesn't make anything run in the background or install a start-up. It's just some component which allows for ANT technology, apparently. Everything else, smooth sailing. Without any prodding, ANT will transfer any new data between watch & computer within seconds.
As for the hardware, it's a much higher quality product than anything from Polar or Suunto. Even the design & detail of the wrist strap is impressive. Garmin throws in 2 extra cloth straps and the tools to install them. The box includes two additional charger plug-ins for foreign electrical outlets. The chest strap is soft material. The entire package feels really high-end, polished & complete.
ON THE ROAD
Everything worked as planned. Having used the 305 before, I was impressed with how quickly the 410 acquires satellites, even whilst indoors, downstairs. The 410 took me through my custom work out w/o a hitch. I came home and, by the time I'd hydrated & cleaned-up, everything was uploaded and graphed online. No peripherals, no cables, nothing to turn on or click. BAD ASS!
I do have a couple of minor gripes. Unlike the 310xt, the 410 doesn't offer vibrating feedback. You can set alarms to remind you to hydrate or eat during a long run, but those alarms are only audible. So, if you're listening to music, you won't hear them. Nothing major, but would be nice to have.
I usually program my run on the website. Programming on the watch itself simply makes no sense to me.
I found the battery life to be rather good. I'd logged 6 hours of runs, w/the light on for 2, and was left with a 76% charge. I don't need to charge it every night, as some say. Fortunately, the unit can be turned completely off when not in use. This makes all the difference. I'd rather have a battery I can recharge once or twice a week whilst sleeping, than to have to ship it off for new batteries every year.
COMPARISON: POLAR
Polars are known for their detailed heart rate feedback programs. The 410 collects much of the same information and 'Connect' displays plenty of feedback as well. You can always plug your information into other sites for even more detail. Polars use foot pods to track distance & pace instead of GPS. The pod is large & must be calibrated for each pair of shoes. That's a pain. It does, however, offer cadence feedback, but Garmin offers a smaller foot pod that does so as well. Of course, some Polars offer GPS add-ons. The closest competition to the 410, however, is the RS800x. It doesn't offer GPS add-on. Some Polars require a $44 FlowLink device to transfer workouts. A bit of a rip-off when ANT, USB cable, WiFi & bluetooth are free. Polar's RS800x, like the RS300x SD, feels substantially cheaper than the 410. On both Polars, the screens are very dim, offer no contrast or contrast settings, the backlights are a joke and the buttons are cheap. Polars just feel really dated and chintzy. Polar has poor customer service as well. I'm 'speaking' from personal experience.
COMPARISON: SUUNTO
I've never owned a Suunto, but they seem to be more geared for those traversing mountains with their altimeters and barometric pressure gauges. If you're a serious runner who takes on trails & pavement, you'd probably be better suited to a Garmin or Polar. If you're on a budget, the Polar RS300x SD is your guy. If you scale Annapurna or Mt. Kilimanjaro, then go with Suunto.
CONCLUSION
For those who appreciate what Garmin's Forerunner 410 has to offer but find themselves confused, spend some time with it. Look up YouTube vids, join the forum if need be. You'll be up & running in no time.
If you're new to these devices or this sort of training, dcrainmaker offers detailed information about training and watches. He'll always answer questions & he loves what he does.
If you've been running for a while and seem to have stagnated, the 410 will make running fun again, offering new challenges for speed and heart rate. Remember the first few months of running, when you had smaller, reachable goals & saw marked progress quickly? It's that same experience again. You'll begin to see progress and have something to work toward again. I'd already run a marathon, so my daily runs wouldn't be longer. I didn't find myself getting any faster either. HR watches will really jump-start your running again.
If you purchase a device like this for all it does, don't expect to grasp 'all it does' in the first ten minutes. Perhaps that's why some get frustrated. Then they come to Amazon to vent and punish Garmin because they thought operating a Range Rover would be the same as operating a tricycle. If you don't want to have to learn anything, then purchase a device that doesn't do as much for you to have to learn. Timex offers a basic heart rate watch for under $50. You'll be up and running in seconds.
From unboxing, to hardware, set-up, the website, the run & uploading info, I can't find much to whine about. I'm sure I've yet to unleash its full potential. I've yet to dissect all of the technical feedback. I'm just running faster and more efficiently than ever.
I'm prone to buyer's remorse, but I'm quite happy with my purchase. The screen is a bit small. The touch bezel isn't very practical and programming a run on the device makes zero sense, but it does a lot, works well and attention to detail goes a long way w/ me. I love and recommend this device, particularly if you already have a distance running base and wish to increase performance, fitness, speed... & fun!
Buy Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS-Enabled Sports Watch Now
Feature-wise this is an excellent watch. However, as other reviewers have pointed out, some of the units suffer from catastrophic issues with software reboots and the battery meter. As a result, I would strongly discourage readers from buying this watch. I observed the first symptoms about a month after buying the watch. It would reboot unexpectedly. About three months later the reboots were immediately followed by false battery meter reading. The meter indicated 0% charge even though the watch was really close to 100% charge. The watch would then stay on for days, but during workouts frequent and annoying low-battery warnings were displayed as the system erroneously measures the battery at 0%.The latest firmware upgrade does not fix the issue. I called Garmin support. They are certainly aware of the issue as they already documented procedures to recommend to users to alliviate the problem. Multiple users, including me, have reported on forums that these procedures do not work. Garmin did not acknowledge this was a software problem and explicitly stated that they have no open bugs related to the issue. They said this only happens to a very small fraction of the units sold. The only conclusion is that this may be a hardware issue and readers are better off not running the risk of buying a busted unit.
Read Best Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS-Enabled Sports Watch Here
The Garmin 410 bevel creates all kinds of issues and when it rains it does not respond well and can change by itself. Also in winter running you have to remove your gloves to change pace of Virtual partner where the 310Xt you don't because you simply press buttons. I also don't like the fact the batter life of the 410 is only 8 hours where the 310XT is 20 hours. I also find the 410 does not connect as fast as the 310XT and is not as accurate as the 310.Want Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS-Enabled Sports Watch Discount?
When I first purchased my Forerunner 410 in November 2010, I thought it was the best thing ever. For the first three to four months, I was thrilled with it. Unfortunately, as my marathon training progressed I started to notice the watch doing some odd things. At first it would occasionally reboot for no apparent reason. Over the following weeks, the problem got worse and worse. As it did, the battery life also started becoming unstable. Sometimes the 410 would work OK, but the best case battery life dropped to 4-5 hours instead of the 8 I got out of it during those first months. In the worst cases, I would take the watch off the charger in the morning, shut it down until my run, and had a dead battery before I had gone one mile. The display that shows the battery life remaining is pretty much worthless now. And, it still suffers from reboots for no obvious reason often at inopportune times, like during my marathon.If you only do short to medium runs length runs, or are very fast, then the fact that the battery life seems to have problems might be acceptable for your situation. If you're planning on doing runs of several hours, won't be able to recharge it before every run, or won't find reboots during runs/races acceptable, then you might want to look for something other than the 410. When it works right, it really is a great tool for training. But, if you need a device you can count on, you might want to wait and see how the reviews look on the new Forerunner 610 or consider going with one of the older, cheaper, and more proven devices like the 305.
If you're still on the fence about purchasing a Forerunner 410 (or 405/405cx for that matter), I'd suggest you visit the Garmin forums (forums .garmin .com) and take a look at the posts by various owners who are having similar hardware/software related problems so you can make an informed decision.
Edited 5/1/11 At this point my Forerunner 410 has become totally unreliable. I had taken it to Nashville to use during the Country Music Marathon yesterday. It had been fully charged and shutdown before I left. When I turned it on an hour or so before the race, it immediately said "low battery" and shut itself down. I charged it again when I got home. This morning it read 100% charged and I shut it down. This afternoon when I tried it use it, it again said "low battery" and shut itself down. I've again contacted Garmin about the problem. Maybe they'll replace it this time instead of just suggesting things like firmware updates and charge/discharge cycling.
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I have this item for two weeks now and so far I can say I'm pleased with some watch outs. The watch is small and lightweight (considering it has a GPS) and the basic functions work perfectly. Most positive features are:1. Fast GPS pairing
2. Once you setup, the information is easy to read
3. Simple upload to the Training Center software
On the other side, I have many reservations with the touch bezel... I imagined that a GPS watch should be made for people that is used it for advanced training (multi-sport and/or off road training). I did not notice that the watch is not intended for swimming, for instance (yes, it's not water-proof). And, although the bezel sensitivity has increased substantially versus the 405 model, sometimes it's a pain to use it with bike full-finger gloves. Since I also do lots of trail-running and adventure racing, I also acquired the foot pod and the bike sensor (to guarantee longer battery life and to avoid losing GPS signal in a dense part of the trail). So far both are working just fine.
I also believe there is too much complexity on the setup process (training pages, shut down operation, accessories calibration, etc). I still could not find a place that summarizes how much time I spent in each Heart Rate zone in a given workout (my training is mainly based on this).
The bottom line: very good equipment with lots of easy to ready information: pace, distance, HR, elevation, speed and all the details for a better training plan. It has some opportunities in terms of complexity and interface. I still think it's one of the best GPS enabled HR monitor in the market.
UPDATE: After a couple of weeks I will give it an extra star (from previous 3 stars). The reasons are:
1. I manage to manipulate the bezel with full-finger gloves. It takes some time but now I was able to do it.
2. I finally managed to find all the information I need in the Training Center (specifically how much time I spent in each HR zone). It's under the 'Totals' tab.
The lack of the 5th star is for the complex setup process and for not being waterproof.
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