
27 in Fitness Trackers
Garmin - fēnix 5
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
11
0
"There's a "Climb Indoor" activity that I use for both indoor/outdoor roped climbing and there's a bouldering activity for bouldering."
"Track hikes and work out ... I love being able to track my hikes"
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
28
1
"Friend of mine uses my old Fenix. That is a 9 year old watch, going strong."
"took a lot of licking and still ticking"
"I tend to break things but it’s holding up quite nicely. ... I even take it caving, which I probably shouldn’t."
41
2
"16 days battery life on my fenix. ... The other aspect I really appreciate about my fenix is the battery life. 16 days or so. With everything I have to change these days (laptops, mice, keyboards, headphones, watches, phones), I appreciate not having to worry about it too often."
"Battery life is super important to me. I do ultras so having 24+ hours of gps is necessary."
"My 43mm Fenix with Dual gps, Garmin live track, always on screen still had juice for up to 20-25 hours of running."
13
1
"Full watch-based navigation and mapping features—found particularly on the Forerunner 970 and Fenix series—include offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and visual guidance. ... For everyday runs on familiar routes, they matter less, but for trail running or hiking where orientation is crucial, they’re invaluable. ... Maps offer extra value for safety, route planning, and are also popular among cyclists and those exploring new routes"
"use the map function ... I love being able to track my hikes and use the map function"
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
9
0
"Flashlight on my Fenix is worth A LOT of money to me. ... Having had it, I could not go back. ... I would happily pay 200 extra for it I use it so much. ... Having a flashlight on your wrist is incredibly handy."
"The red light on the Fenix line is AMAZING. ... I use it every single night multiple times as it makes walking around at night super easy and not at all straining on the eyes. ... Honestly, it might be my "I'm not giving up this watch for e.g. an Apple watch, ever" feature."
"including even a flashlight"
Disliked most:
4
14
"Garmin’s notification integration with iOS is dogshit."
"many workout functions require a working internet connection via Bluetooth to the phone to operate. ... None of the complex metrics are done on the watch. Not. Even. Close. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection. It really annoyed me when I owned my Fenix. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection for many features. I discovered this when I owned one. It pissed me off."
"Garmins are very behind gw in the smart features department. ... many things which one expect as granted (because they here like 10 years) still must be rechecked."
1
5
"The discrepancy is much higher for HR than running dynamics. ... I think it is straight up irresponsible to rely on wrist-based HR is you’re using HR as a part of training"
"HR inaccurate at times and often delayed (which sucked during interval workouts)"
"Both Garmin and Samsung watch can't handle those exercises and are wildly off."
1
6
"I'm very disappointed in my Fenix for gym (and it sounds like the same fault applies to all garmins) because of the logging of reps. ... When I do a workout it will assume I used the weights I specified, but then it seems to either auto-log reps, which is a disaster for things that don't involve hand movements, and require me to correct them, or assume I did zero and require me to enter the whole lot. ... If I'm doing 60 sets I honestly don't have the patience to manually enter the rep number, so I use a phone ap instead. ... The thing that really annoys me though is that it would be so easy for Garmin to make a tiny programing change and start with the assumption that you hit your target."
"strength training profile is bonked"
"Gym exercise is best tracked with my phone."
1
5
"Sleep tracking algorithm is shit on Garmin compared to AW."
"Sleep tracking on this $1k thing is really disappointing. Way worse than Apple Watch. ... But how Garmin sleep tracking is SOOOO bad is beyond me"
"Sleep tracking doesn’t tell you anything you don’t know, it’s just too inaccurate."
1
10
"watch is big, heavy etc and few times damaged my wrist also"
"It feels double the weight of my 965 and bulkier as well"
"it is heavier and chunkier ... my wife would never wear a fenix/epix due to the size."
Fénix 5 was a good watch, fenix 7 was not, Epix Pro was a failure out the gate hence the horrible sales on the particular model.
2 generation old Garmin. I got "gifted" a Fenix 5 (released in 2017) and it's more than sufficient in both functionality and battery life. I was so smitten, and since my wife was jealous, we found a Fenix 6 on FB Marketplace for $200. I'm sure the newer ones are way fancier but I'm not ready to spend $800 just yet.
Was GARMIN for many years, starting with Forerunner 910XT and progressing to Fenix 5Pro Saphire. Did last Tri event in 2019 and ended up switching to AWU when it first was released. I have no regrets, if I ever go back to Tri will probably use another GARMIN for racing/training but keep AWU as daily driver.
https://preview.redd.it/86f4k7obgcpf1.jpeg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3019545be885c59b5361eb05cccb3831166660bb Fenix 5 from 2016. Still over 1 week batterylife. Running like a champ.
Last year I've been using Suunto 9 peak pro, before that some apple watch SE and before that Fenix 5. The suunto I used to take off all the time due to discomfort, the huawei is like the apple watch, comfy.
Switched from an Apple Watch series 0/Polar V800 combo to the Fenix 5 Plus Sapphire in 2018 and necer looked back. I liked the longer battery life and the functions at that time. Since then I have upgraded regularly to newer models like the Epix 2 and Fenix 7 Pro. Currently wear the Fenix 8 Amoled Sapphire 47mm.
I have a Fenix 5 Plus with Sapphire that I got in 2018 that is still going strong. It's been through some solid crashes and the glass still looks great.
Garmin garmin. I got a Fenix 5pro second hand for £100 best thing ive ever bought for running
I used to have a Fenix 5 Pro, but I’ve gone a few years without wearing any watch. Now that I’m aiming to run a marathon, I want to focus more on my performance. I’ve always liked the solid build of the Fenix line and the quality of the data—it’s definitely a market leader. But at the same time, I find the COROS app really appealing, and I like the minimal design of Suunto. Sometimes you just feel like trying something different… but in the end, the first choice might still be the best one.
I had the fenix 5 pro gave it to a buddy when I got the epix. Im definitely gonna get the 8 pro I I don't get a new one every yr . That's a waste. Now going from the epix to the 8 pro is going to be awesome might in get the micro led version not sure. I've been using samsung ultra and they don't even compare not even close but I wanted lte