Garmin Buyer's Guide: Which Model is RIGHT for YOU?

[@graydogllc]

Love the overview. Garmin makes amazing stuff, but their lineup is huge and confusing. This helps!

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Thanks for watching and supporting Graydog! Hopefully this guide gets people pointed in the right direction 💪🏃

[@AdamOHalloran]

One thing I think is positive is that I don’t get the impression that Garmin are trying to upsell you to the top (unlike many other brands).

[@davidvanbrakel]

Just what i needed. Some overview in a clear video that did not take an hour. 💯 Points!

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Thanks David, glad it could help you out 💪🏃

[@petem4271]

Recently bought the forerunner 55 as I wanted to improve my running beyond my current ‘entry level’ status. It works very well but an added bonus is that I can also log my concept2 rowing machine workouts directly to my garmin account. Rowing is not listed as a garmin activity option but by linking it with my concept2 account it updates automatically. Very helpful.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Nice tip Pete, I don't have a rower so didn't know about that. Thanks for sharing 🙌

[@baskilla07d]

The best option in my opinion is to snag the Epix Gen 2 when it’s on sale. During Prime Day last fall, I got the Sapphire edition of the Epix Gen 2 for $400. It has a rugged build with almost all of the software features of the Forerunner 645 and Fenix 8 (e.g. training readiness, body battery, endurance and hill score, etc) but at a fraction of the price.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Yes the Sapphire Epix 2 is a great snag on sale (seen it recently at $400) I wanted to keep the guide more about product lines and current offerings so the Epix didn't get much of a mention, but you are 100% right. Thanks for watching! 💪🏃

[@tbrowniscool]

Really helpful video, thanks! Subbed

[@zoltanmichaeltakacs9643]

I enjoy your videos. Easy to understand, always on the target. I recommend it to everyone! THANKS!

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Thanks for the support and kind words 🙏

[@MrNo____]

As a marathon and Ironman athlete the forerunner 55 is all I need. It tracks heart rate, miles, and shows me the time. Nothing more is needed. My favorite feature is that the heart rate stays on the screen in big numbers for your entire workout.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

That's an interesting choice since the 55 doesn't have open water swimming or multi sport mode. I would think those would be important for a triathlete. More power to you for making what you have work for you! 💪🏃

[@MrNo____]

@ yea I don’t see a need for a watch in the pool because I just count laps and there is usually a clock on the wall for speed work. Maybe if I was in open water it would be more useful. But that’s just me. Anyway, I appreciate your content. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

[@lukesmith2130]

@@MrNo____Thats interesting! I’ve got the 55 too from when I was just running. But this year I’m doing a 70.3 so will probably upgrade to the 255 for the open water swimming and multi sport feature

[@eeonelim6811]

You think the 55 is enough for a runner who wants to improve VO2 max?

[@MrNo____]

@ for sure!

[@deldridg]

As always, well structured and presented info. I do have to laugh when I see a "sports watch" for gamers. Too funny! Cheers mate - Dave

[@dhafirjamilsuryaputra4028]

Just got my fenix 8 now, its the best from the last gen of fenix 🎉

[@roughjesus9150]

Great video! You deserve more exposure man, keep it up

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Appreciate the kind words!

[@andrewdoyle1772]

I bought a Fenix 8 but I'm not an athlete. I go to the gym, go to Jui jitsu a couple of times per week and go on a weekly run so I'm probably not considered "serious enough" for a watch like this. But it's beautiful, has enough smartwatch features to satisfy me and the battery life is awesome (major gripe with the Samsung watch). I was actually considering a Breitling but it was A LOT of money, I would be scared to damage it and would probably only wear it on certain occasions. So yeah, the Fenix is expensive but in comparison to what I was looking for plus all the fitness features, programs, AND I'm not afraid to wear it every day for every occasion (different straps change the look dramatically) it was actually quite cheap.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Yes, one benefit of the Fenix is that it looks really nice for a sports watch. Glad you're liking yours! 💪🏃

[@hardmtnbiker]

I’m a long time user of Polar Watches with HRM chest strap sensors. Last year my after being frustrated with my Vantage V2 glitches I bought a Forerunner 965 and love it! I already was familiar with Garmin Connect and had the Edge 130,530 and 840 for my bikes plus the Rally XC power meter pedals. Anyway as a 20 year fitness tracker I will continue to get Garmin watches but probably not the Fenix 8 but wait for the 975 or whatever new top Forerunner model is introduced.

[@20pump]

Great video thanks for condensing their large lineup.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

You're very welcome. Hope the video helped you out 💪🏃

[@grisu9888]

I got the Fenix 7s pro Solar and got it for 459€ here in Europe. I wanted the Watch since 5 years and Finally bought it. I have to say After a few months I want that Oled Screen 😅 I maybe Switch on the fr 265s although the Fenix Looks nice for Business too

[@JasonRaneses]

My head is spinning. Kidding, as I’m used to the mental gymnastics it takes to explain Garmin’s lineup to people. I can’t imagine most of the edge models sell very well, and only add overhead for Garmin to manage. That time could be better spent by consolidating the hardware and focusing on software improvements.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Definitely agree that the lineup is bloated. Garmin is a huge company though so I don't think cutting the Edge lineup would free up too many resources for the watch lineup. Until recently they even had different teams creating outdoor watches vs road watches! Seems to me like Garmin is very siloed as a company and would benefit from a more modern approach

[@JasonRaneses]

@@DaveDoesFitness ​​⁠I sense the rewrite of the OS now on the Fenix 8, et al is a step towards consolidating things. Bumpy for sure out of the gate, but if so it's a step in the right direction.

[@ClinttheGreat]

This is a great overview, thanks.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Thank YOU for watching and taking the time to comment 🙏

[@jfa849]

Still have my Fenix 5 sapphire - bulletproof, but I am tempted by the improved metrics and mapping in the 965. But again, it's hard to justify when there's nothing fundamentally wrong with my current watch ..

[@no1up]

Enduro 3 arguably the best

[@michaelduffy5909]

Vivoactive 5, works very well for swimming workouts,intervals and saves. Hike, tracks route and elapsed time. Sleek, not flashy.

[@SaroS86]

Has to be the best explanatipn out there

[@WilliamJohnsonIII]

Thanks so much for this breakdown. Their lineup is ridiculously confusing. The GPS on my trusty vivosmart hr+ finally died after years of use so I’m looking for a replacement. I’m not a hardcore user. I disable the always-on activity tracking since I only wore it during manually tracked activities. I only wore it during occasional runs, hikes, kayaking, and swimming. I wore it while biking also just to broadcast hr to my edge. I used the “other” profile for everything that wasn’t a run or walk since those were the only profiles included. It’s been good enough. I just like seeing the maps, but I never needed the data to be super accurate. Just seeing a logged activity with a fairly good map and some rough numbers has always just been a fun/cool motivator for me to stay active. The only thing I didn’t like about the vivoactive hr+ was the silicon band, but I found a nylon replacement on Amazon that worked great. I’d say on-board GPS, HR and HR broadcasting, running activity, walking/hiking activity, “other” activity (and/or dedicated kayaking and swimming activities, but I’m ok with “other” since that’s what I’ve been using for swimming and kayaking and even skiing), music controls (control music playing on phone), works with livetrack in connect app, and the ability to change the band easily are key top priorities. I’m looking at the forerunner 55 since it has the virtual run activity which could be fun to use with zwift on a treadmill during the winter. I’ve also considered the old vivoactive 3 or simply finding another vivosmart hr+ on eBay. I loved it’s simplicity and sensors for the casual user like myself. The vivosport was the last similar model with built-in GPS and HR sensor broadcasting, but despite its upgraded color MIPS display, you couldn’t replace the silicon strap which irritated my skin so I never upgraded from my vivosmart hr+. Any suggestions? Am I in the right category looking at forerunners or should I be looking at vivos/venus or something else? I figured I’d either be getting a bunch of unused running features on the forerunner or a bunch of unused daily activity tracking features with the vivos/venus. It sucks that they no longer have bands with onboard GPS. Oh well.

[@vinceumbc]

Forerunner 965 for me. An ultra marathon runner.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

I feel like the 965 is the sleeper best watch they make for the majority of serious athletes 🏃

[@lorenzodelbiondo4417]

Great review! Thank you! Do you think the forerunner line up would serve well for tracking tennis and HIIT workouts being a running focused watch? Also, would you recommend Garmin Epix gen2 or Fenix 7 over the Forerunner for those same activities? What I'd like most is to have the most accurate sleep and recovery tracking. They are easier to find for sale (sometimes even as low as 400$) because they're older, but do they still hold up and are worth buying in 2025? Keen to hear your opinion

[@hoozleup]

Excellent presentation - thank you!

[@AndrewYouTubehandle]

Useful video, thanks for sharing. It hadn't even crossed my mind about "forerunner" being "for runners". Now I'm wondering about "vivoactive" - "active living"? And venu? I've tried several watches including the vivo active 3 which I loved, Apple watch 6 which I used with an android phone, and a Oneplus 2r (only 2 years of updates). However, I want long battery life, long time support, payments, notifications. The Vivoactive 5 is my front runner atm.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

I think you nailed it with the Vivo line. I'm not sure about the Venu to be honest... Thanks for watching! 💪🏃

[@joaopedrodeamorimpaula8965]

Venu comes from Venus i.e. "for girls". it is somewhat like the Lily as in it has a bit of focus on aesthetics. plus their marketing on their website for the Venu is focused on women

[@U.s.e.r.3493]

Thanks for this vid. Missing Epix though

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Thanks for watching! This video was focused on current lineups and since the Epix has been discontinued (folded into Fenix model) it was not directly discussed.

[@U.s.e.r.3493]

@DaveDoesFitness didn't know, cheers

[@DaveDoesFitness]

@U.s.e.r.3493 cheers! Thanks again for the support 💪🏃

[@bonn1771]

Great video Epix I just got

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Hope you're loving it! 💪🏃

[@bonn1771]

@DaveDoesFitness love it.

[@caseyrobinette805]

Yup, still don’t know which one to get.

[@kajfeis7713]

I am hesitating between the Venu 3 or the Forerunner 265. I have Arthritis, and the medication makes me very tired on some days. I need to exercise, to lose weight, but the medication makes my sleep patterns weird some days, and I am very tired the day(s) after taking meds. I can not run due to the arthritis (I mean I can run short pieces, but serious running is not allowed by my specialist, to much risk of damaging my joints). So I swim, I can do weights etc in the gym, I can walk and hike, and I cycle. I want to get data on my sleeping quality, and how exercise affects me, when it is a good day to work out. Train more effective that way and feel better. Because I have simply limited energy to exercise, it needs to be effective! So is the Venu the better choice? The call facilities seems great, but the Forerunner can be operated with just the buttons, a touchscreen can be clumsy to operate when sweaty. And I think you can not pause and restart activities on the Venu. I use that on my current watch (Forerunner 35 or 25, not sure) and I like it. But it is not a dealbreaker. So, do you have any thoughts to share here? I am not a hardcore runner, so the 265 has many features I will never use. But it is a very nice watch..there seems to be little difference between the two watches!

[@mustafagencer]

Thank you

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Thanks for watching! 💪🏃

[@ivoseixas3726]

I'm a runner and I'm not sure whether to get a Forerrunner or a Fenix. I basically only run and stuff, but I think a durable watch like the Fenix wouldn't be a bad idea. Right now I'm in doubt between buying the Fenix 7 or the Forerruner 165 or 255/265. Money is not the problem, but I would like to know everything that Forerruner has for running. Does the Fenix have it too?

[@danquixote6072]

In terms of price, Garmin Epix Gen 2 (not pro) v Amazfit TRex are similar right now. What’s the best purchase? I bought my last Garmin 8 years ago. Still works great but time for an upgrade.

[@VernL4]

I'd go with the Epix. Garmin's app is much deeper. Chase the Summit recently mentioned the limitations of the Amazfit watch and app. For me, Garmin's maps are much more dependable.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

The Epix Gen 2 is still a great watch even 3 years after release. If you get the stainless steel version it does not have dual band gps or as much storage so that's something to be aware of. Garmin has also slowed the features that make their way to the Epix although there are still updates for bug fixes. Heads up the Epix is definitely the more competent sports watch, but the above factors would factor into purchasing consideration for me right now.

[@danquixote6072]

@@DaveDoesFitness thanks for the reply! Good to know

[@daviddelarosa4441]

if I want a watch for running, weight training and biking which one do you recommend? At a top price of $300

[@apseudonym]

garmin's website has a questionnaire to help you find the watch for you

[@manikdesilva1]

Thank you for the recap. It was very informative. Can you please confirm if for Runner 255 has the training read feature?

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Glad you liked the video. The 255 unfortunately does not have training readiness. One of the differences between the 255 and the 265

[@manikdesilva1]

@ thanks for the clarification. If I can make one suggestion, your content is really on point. You may want to add a couple of lights in your studio. It’s coming across pretty dark. Sorry for the unsolicited advice. Happy new year best wishes for 2025.

[@DaveDoesFitness]

@manikdesilva1 I always appreciate feedback. Thanks for watching and supporting 👍

[@AdamOHalloran]

Hi Dave - great video! I’ll definitely pass this one along. For us cyclists who owns a Garmin Edge 840 and wants to track our fitness and recovery (since my Apple watch is purposefully incompatible for this), what is a good place to start? I already look at the Garmin & Strava apps on my phone).

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Thanks for watching Adam! I would think the Forerunner 265 could be a nice place to start based on your scenario 🚴

[@Toxicplays770]

What is the best watch for runners?

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Check out the Forerunner series and from there you can check out features as your budget allows. The 165, 265, and 965 are the popular models with the 265 often hitting the sweet spot between features and price. Thanks for watching!

[@Toxicplays770]

What about overall?

[@BeeBre525]

@@Toxicplays770 watch the video again.

[@nickgijsemans]

I still use a polar m430 watch… Would HR and gps tracking be (much) better with these newer models?

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Hi Nick, thanks for watching the video! While I have to admit I don't have experience with that particular model, I can safely say there have been pretty large leaps in technology in the last 8 years so I'd imagine it would be a BIG upgrade. All Garmin come with a 30 day return policy just in case!

[@DummiesforRunning]

Hallo I will most likely buy a second hand garmin as they ate very expensive what would be the things to look for when deciding

[@DarlingMurdijanto]

Which one is good for strength training at the gym?

[@ahmedsafetyswayah8686]

The best is garmin with a chest strap for better accuracy of HR. Garmin can count your rep with no issues and able to recognize the exercice you’re doing.

[@elichapaneri4802]

what watch do you use? and why was the epix range not spoke about? heard alot of good things about the epix gen 2 as its basically a fenix 7 with OLED

[@GOLFADDICT65]

how is this watch ( Venu 3 ) for the golfing yardages ? wondering instead of the s70 which is more money thx cheers from Canada

[@DaveDoesFitness]

I would think the Venu 3 would be great for yardage readings. The S70 does have some more in-depth metrics specific for golf though: Full Vector Map Playslike Distance Touch-Targeting TruSwing Compatible Wind Speed + Direction Virtual Caddie Either would be good, but the S70 has ALL the bells and whistles (for a price!)

[@dieterreid3646]

Best garmin for hiking?

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Absolute best solely considering hiking would probably be the Enduro 3. If you have other needs the Fenix provides then check that line out. And finally, if you don't need the absolute latest and greatest check out deals for the Epix 2 or the Epix Pro / Fenix 7 Pro. Hope that helps and thanks for watching! 💪🏃

[@dieterreid3646]

@DaveDoesFitness thanks Dave

[@rnegoro1]

Garmin really confuses me, which one is suitable for a guy who only goes to the gym, doesnt do any outdoor hiking/swimming/tennis/sports , except walking to the grocery store.

[@Leorqleo]

I am sorry but if you are JUST running maybe a forerunner can be for you. Other than that, just get a fenix. I literally got a 7pro solar sapphire used for 430€. There were new onesof the same watch for 600€. A regular new 7 is 400€. Why would you go for anything other than that, considering you will pay the same amout but for 1/3 of the features and the fenix 8 being literally the same as the 7 pro(unless you are a diver)

[@DaveDoesFitness]

That's a good deal. The Pro models are a great value right now. Alternatively the Forerunner 965 has all the same features of the Fenix, but in a lighter package. Thanks for watching!

[@bhargavramoliya]

Hello 👋 Amazfit T REX-3 My Dream Watch Gift 🎁 Please 🙏🙏🙏

[@DaveDoesFitness]

That's a great watch. There's a couple videos up on the channel about it. Thanks for watching!

[@bhargavramoliya]

​@@DaveDoesFitnessi have watched all those videos, to save time please gift 🎁 me Amazfit T-Rex-3 Watch ?

[@JM5C]

Garmin is not the best. Their sleep And hr tracking is way inaccurate.

[@zoickn]

Some people : the phone is right in front of you and you want to talk via your watch and disrupt everyone in the room. Why?

[@DaveDoesFitness]

Because some people watched Dick Tracy growing up 😂

[@zoickn]

@DaveDoesFitness I laughed so bloody hard.

[@aquarooter]

Biggest Garmin garbage in 2025 if you buy a Garmin you are going back 35 years plus Garmin offer nothing but garbage something you get from a 20 dollar Chinese watch Garmin screen display problems a 51mm is more like 36mm very poor display in the same display in all Garmin watch that worse thing is that Garmin give you 1 or 2 pound of garbage i can keep going for over a month explaining y Garmin is garbage 😂😂😂😂😂

[@benk932]

Sometimes, like this times, choice isn't good. All this could be offered in 2-3 choices, with the fenix series being at $500 max.Period.