Really would like to grab a garmin smart watch / fitness tracker. Love everything about them, the problem is I can't really decipher the difference between them all besides price.

Between the fenix, venu, epic, etc. wildly different prices and they all seem to do the same thing.

What I'd use it for :
-watch (fine if it's looks rugged or dressy, would be for every situation wear. Business, casual, workout etc. the idea is one watch only)
- activity levels - steps, energy / effort, recovery etc
-sleep
- run tracking


What do y'all recommend?

How much do you run? From what you described, the Fenix and Epix are probably more than you need. If price is a consideration, you'd be fine with Venu. If price isn't an issue, Fenix has longer battery life than the Epix, but the Epix has an AMOLED screen.

I lift 4X a week and run 3. Would also like to try to capture total energy / recovery however as I will do longer walks to hit step goals and once in a blue moon specific heavier training sessions for a half or another athletic event .

Appreciate the help . Is the AMOLED thst significantly better? Do like the idea of the maximum battery life I can get . Worth it for longer travel days

Even with the AMOLED screen, you're still going to get days of battery life. It's not going to be like an apple watch that you have to charge every day.

I'm going to be selling my Fenix 7 Solar here pretty soon if you aren't in a rush (like next week). I've really liked it, can do a ton with it, but I really just run and ski nowadays

I won an Apple Watch Ultra 2 in a raffle at work so I'm going to try it out for a change.

I might be interested in that if the OP isn't.

OP...do you golf or ski?

Yalll go ahead and see if you can make it work! I found their little decipher button that shows all the differences between the models and the pro and non WiFi versions. So I have more reading to do

You can email me if you want, I'll send some pics. Username at gmail

I have a Vivoactive 4. I really like it, but use it ONLY for fitness features, recording workouts, sleep, body battery, etc. I used it to record my scuba dives this past week. I use it every morning as my alarm clock, so it doesn't wake my wife. I don't have it giving me phone notifications, texts, or social media updates, etc so the battery life is good. I replaced the band with a black metal one I found on Amazon, so it looks rugged and works well. I really like it. Probably the only thing it doesn't have that I would like is ECG. I could use it for music and such, but the reality is that I always have my phone with me anyway, so there is no point in using it for that.

I am also primarily a cyclist, so I have a handlebar unit (Garmin 1040) that I use for riding. I usually wear a chest strap for cross training activities like weightlifting to get the most accurate HRM. I think the wrist HRM is fine for mild activities and rest, but I haven't found a very accurate wrist HRM from anyone for high intensity workouts.

Appreciate all the feedback. Really helpful. Leaning fenix 7 sapphire pro . Need to go try them on in person for sizing. Like the ability to go phone less for workouts and runs. I would use some of the notifications like calendar and texts. Probably no others.

My brother splurged on the Marq, and he loved it so much he sold his other dress watches. He's also a pilot so he maximizes a lot of those features and it's his sole watch now. They're more then I care to spend though

krosch11 said:

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Appreciate all the feedback. Really helpful. Leaning fenix 7 sapphire pro . Need to go try them on in person for sizing. Like the ability to go phone less for workouts and runs. I would use some of the notifications like calendar and texts. Probably no others.

My brother splurged on the Marq, and he loved it so much he sold his other dress watches. He's also a pilot so he maximizes a lot of those features and it's his sole watch now. They're more then I care to spend though

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I have garmin fenix 7X. This is my 3rd Garmin watch. Unlike the other Garmin watches, I only wear this watch. The fitness apps/tracking is great on all the watches. My GF has a fenix (I bought her) but I can't remember is it is a 6 or a 5.

Things that are different.

This one has an LED flashlight. BY FAR the most favorite thing ever. I'm over 50, so I get up almost every night for the bathroom or to get a drink of water. Absolute game changer for that. Never would have guessed that but I can't imagine not having it. It's also amazing when you just need a little light and your phone is not in reach.

It tracks a stupid number of metrics and each morning has a Morning Report. It tells you your sleep quality (scale of 0 - 100 and tracks deep, light, REM and awake) and heart rate variability during the night, training readiness, etc. The only one I pay attention to is sleep quality.

It also stores music for bluetooth headphones. I have spotify and it saves a few of my playlists and updates automatically. Great for runs so you don't have to carry your phone, but I like it for the gym too. Leave your phone in your locker and focus on your workout.

Battery life is stupid. Usually says I have 20 + days. When I get up, I plug it in, shower, get dressed and put it back on. It's always 85+% charged. It also has solar charging but I'm not in the sun that much so I haven't noticed the charging on that.

Apps - I downloaded an app where you can input bar codes. I now store my gym bar code and other on the watch. We have a house on a saltwater tidal river on the GA coast. I downloaded a tides app, set the location and boom - now I have the high/low tides on my watch.

I have the Fenix 7X solar and absolutely love it.

GeorgiAg said:

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This one has an LED flashlight. BY FAR the most favorite thing ever. I'm over 50, so I get up almost every night for the bathroom or to get a drink of water. Absolute game changer for that. Never would have guessed that but I can't imagine not having it. It's also amazing when you just need a little light and your phone is not in reach.

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This is something I didn't expect to use very often and I find myself using it ALL the time. So handy. I like that you can make it red or white and control the brightness too, although I mostly just use it at the brightest level of white.

Hoss said:

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GeorgiAg said:

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This one has an LED flashlight. BY FAR the most favorite thing ever. I'm over 50, so I get up almost every night for the bathroom or to get a drink of water. Absolute game changer for that. Never would have guessed that but I can't imagine not having it. It's also amazing when you just need a little light and your phone is not in reach.

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This is something I didn't expect to use very often and I find myself using it ALL the time. So handy. I like that you can make it red or white and control the brightness too, although I mostly just use it at the brightest level of white.

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Ditto. I can honestly say what I will look for in any future watch:

1. Has flashlight
2. Keeps time
3. Anything else.

I probably haven't gone a day without using it in months.

I have a Forerunner 255 and it does everything you are asking for.

If you are just using it for everyday health tracking and running you may look at a Forerunner 255, this is last years model and can be found a pretty significant discounts. It has multiband GPS so run tracking will be more accurate than some other watches. I think Garmin also just released an update to add HRV and a few other features.

If you want a more vibrant/colorful screen and you're willing to pay a bit more, the Forerunner 265 is the current model and comes with a higher resolution AMOLED touchscreen.

I've been using the older version of this watch, Forerunner 245, for several years and it has been perfect for me.

Another fenix 7x sapphire solar user.

This is my second fenix sapphire watch. I was in the forerunner family before the Fenix 5X Sapphire. Aside from all the mapping features. I most like the sapphire screen. My forerunner would start to look old after 2-3 years whereas the sapphire screen seems to hold up much better.

Ended up getting the epix pro gen 2 sapphire today.

For all you Garmin fans next time you buy or upgrade, almost every insurance carrier provides free discounts on garmin devices with heartrate monitors. Im a bluecross member and got 100 dollars off.

Anthem had 200 off at one point.

So next to youre buying, check those additional benefits you never think about.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback.

Edit: exchanged the epix for the forerunner 965. The epix was awesome, but it's also heavy. I think that watch would be perfect for true outdoors people. Ski bike hike etc.

I tried on a forerunner 965 and compared it. Has almost all the same guts at half the weight and half the price. It's a feather on the wrist which is nice for lifting and runs and still has great battery duration. I got 100 dolllars off through blue cross (blue365).