Garmin Forerunner 405 Black Sports GPS Receiver

The watch and it's capabilities are excellent, in theory and in the right circumstances. However, here are some of the struggles I've had with it. First, I could not get the Ant program to work after I loaded it onto my computer. I had a Garmin support tech help me for over an hour and he could not get it to work either. It did download my activities twice, but mostly it didn't work and I had the Ant logo with a red line through it on my taskbar. It was suggested that my USB port might not be working properly or the USB stick might be defective. I have a newer computer and run Windows 7 and have found on a Garmin forum that many other people with Windows 7 have the same problem, although Garmin does not recognize that there is any problem. One tech I spoke to said she has Windows 7 and it works fine. I plugged the Ant stick into my kids computer with Windows XP and it works fine - so it's not the stick. Now I have to use my kids computer whenever I want to download anything or use the Garmin Training program. Secondly, I HAVE to lock the bezel when I go running or else anything inadvertently touching the bezel (e.g. my shirt or jacket) will cause it to change modes. Third, the watch does not work if it is wet. OK it works, but not properly. It has a mind of its own. So don't even think about doing anything with the watch, like "Save Location," if it is wet. At the end of a run in the rain if someone asks me how far or long we ran, I have difficulty getting to the screen to tell them. Fourth, I often have difficulty turning the GPS off. When I go to GPS mode either the "to location" screen comes up and I cannot for the life of me get from there into the GPS menu, or it goes into the "Locating Satellites" mode and again I cannot get into the menu to turn off the GPS. I sometimes think these are training issues and I just have to learn how to use the watch properly and also understand some of its limitations, but for the 2 months I've had it and used it almost daily, I am still often frustrated trying to get it to work predictably. Because I bought the watch on EBay I have no store to return it to and see if maybe it is a defective watch, but the more I use it the more I realize it's just the way the watch works. I do love this watch and use it for training and my everyday watch, I just want it to work better.

I'm a new runner and learning to run involves a lot of training of different types to build multiple skills of speed, endurance, distance etc. I initially thought that this was too big a splurge item for a new runner, but this has helped me tremendously to improve my performance.

I love that I can create custom work-out routines, run in a different city - flag the hotel as a GPS landmark, run then find my way back. The tap-bezel is mostly user friendly. In short, the watch has so many capabilities beyond what is explained in the User Guide that one should use the web resources to learn more about using the device.

I love that I can upload each run to my computer and analyze how fast I went for each lap (which can be pre-determined to be whatever distance you like, mile, km, 400M etc.) my heart rate, speed, pace etc. The Garmin Training Center also shows the route taken and breaks the run by "laps" so you can analyze your performance over the entire run.

This is a tremendous tool for a beginning runner. It has helped me enormously in improving my skill in only a month. I can only imagine the utility of this in the hands of experienced runners. For advanced runners, the Garmin Training Center has customized workouts that can be sent to the watch. This in essence, turns your watch into your coach.

I can activate a "Virtual Partner" by determining my partner will run a 9 minute mile and I can see whether I'm keeping pace. The watch will notify you for each lap you run and displays information (which is customizable if you don't like the default) of Time, Distance, Pace and Heart Rate.

As a new runner, I am challenged by starting off slowly and building to where each subsequent mile is faster and faster. This watch helps to keep me on track.

For the quirks I've found with the device, I think it's mostly a case of the user not yet fully adept at the bezel and knob taps and navigating to the correct screens. I'm getting more adept at it's myriad features daily and with every run I love this watch more.

I bought the Garmin 405 becuase i needed help with pacing my runs and i wanted to track the data as I trained fro the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. It does all that and more. It is a fantastic peice of training equipment. Becuase it uses GPS and not a shoe sensor (NIKE), the mileage is extremely accurate. You can set your goals for distance, times, interval workouts, race againt a set pace. Lets say you want to run 5.4 miles at 7:20 pace; simply punch it in and run. the trainer will tell you if your pace is ahead or behind the virtual trainers. very cool. That is just the start. Garmin Connect.com gives you excellent data to review including elevations and time splits, averages etc. The only negative about the watch is there is no way to turn it off. You have to charge it and it holds the charge for about a week with the GPS OFF. Hope this helps.

I use this watch mainly for running thus far. Have used it for about 10 runs. Also used it once for a hike which was very useful in determining overall climb/descent and times.

Pros:
- Accurate speed and distance
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Easy to use/full of features
- Super easy to upload data
- Good battery life

Cons:
- Need line of sight with satellite for data accuracy
- Locating satellite can take some time
- Garmin Connect could use more features

Note: Do not charge watch when contacts are wet (from sweat or whatever).

I recently purchased the above product which had been refurbished by Garmin and came with 1 years warrenty. It looked brand new and whilst trying it out running recently couldn't believe how accurate the GPS was. When returning home it downloaded the running info immediatley onto my computer linking with Google Earth to view your run.Menu's are straight forward to use, the touch bezel takes a little getting used to but ok now. Not to big on wrist like some other GPS watch devices. All in all 5/5.