
41 in Fitness Trackers
Garmin - Forerunner 945
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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:
5
0
"I can use Spotify in the Garmin and it hasn't glitched on me once."
"I don't want to carry my phone on a run"
"It holds music so I can run with just the watch."
15
2
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
"I get close to a month from my forerunner on standby - about 2 weeks with daily workouts. ... the battery life lasts a really nice length of time ... As a fitness wearable Garmin... destroys Apple on battery life. ... There’s really no sensible person running Tris or Marathons using an Apple Watch. The battery life is too poor to last reliably. If you go to the starting like of a marathon you’re really only going to see actual fitness brands on wrists due to battery life alone."
"Battery good enough to withstand long run in winter (AW tended to have problems in 30+ km runs in cold, not Garmin) ... Forerunner asks me if to go to power saving mode, when there are "just two days left" :)"
13
1
"I pool swam, ran, trail ran, hiked, OWS, you name it, and the watch is awesome."
"it has a lot of additional activity features I like (e.g. tracking outdoor swimming, biking , training plans etc)"
"now a FR965 because I do hike a lot and started running recently plus all the gym."
Disliked most:
1
6
"the Garmin is far worse from a smartwatch perspective ... my AWU2’s cellular connectivity is above and beyond the thing I care most about on long, remote runs."
"if you have to take your phone anyway, there's a much better device on you for making calls. ... apple watches can have sim cards and place calls *without* having your cellphone on you. that's a real use case -- go for a run, leave the bulky phone at home."
"I missed it's smart capabilities"
After my M2's 2 buttons died, I had a Forerunner 954 for a week. The watch was excellent, but the backend (ecosystem) was too complicated for me. First, I wanted to set my maximum HR. I couldn't find an option for it in the app, nor on the watch, only on the web UI, hidden somewhere. Then I thought I set a custom watchface. To do it, you need to install another application. Not a problem, I did, found one, downloaded. Configuring it was again a negative experience, because I wasn't able to set up completely in the app, only the basics (like the main and secondary colors) and the fine-tuning, for example what data I want to see on the screen can be set only on the watch. On a 45 mm screen. Crazy, I spent a good amount of time to complete it. Then I checked the collected data. Body battery? Charge +34, drain -63. Take and understand whatever and however you want. How useful it is? Once I had a very exhausting day and the body battery counter went down to 5 at 5 PM and didn't decrease. Meaning, I had more time at the peak, otherwise I'd be dead, I guess. The app is loaded with screens and data. My feeling was they just added newer and newer features without thinking where that should be, how logical that is. The training feedbacks are good and correct, but if you pay a lot of cash, you want more than only that. In the end I bought the V3.
nah not 945 ha, i upgraded from it to the 970. So much better in every way, especially the quality of gps tracking
Fenix 8 47mm Sapphire. I've had a range of Garmins (Forerunner range: 35, 235, 935, 945, 955) but the 970 didn't appeal to me (accent colour on side and domed glass) so I got my first Fenix and first AMOLED watch (solar was thicker than my 955 which was already a bit thick under clothing). Love the look of the Fenix a lot more, plus better battery life
I have been a Whoop wearer for 4 years. I have had a Garmin 945 for 5. This is exactly my use case—run and strength (and whatever else) with the Garmin and whoop for the overall experience.
Garmin Forerunner. I have the 945 and it still going strong. Does a great job with running, swimming and biking. Add in a Garmin Edge eventually for your bike. I do know several people that are quite happy with their Coros though. Not sure what they offer for cycling computers though.
I have the Forerunner 945. The battery is eternal, watch face isn’t too big (small female wrist here), and it doesn’t everything I could want a watch to do. It interacts with and displays my varia radar and power meter pedal data as well as with my Wahoo trainer without issues. It has pool and open water tracking and uploads workouts. The HR is pretty spot on even in the water. The only time it fails me is when I’m climbing out of the saddle and put a sharp bend in my wrist. Watches use a different algorithm to measure gain than the computers, so I believe my Edge between the two, but if you yse Strava you can have it elevation-correct after the fact.
This location seems like it would chafe like the dickens swimming and running. Jelenew makes a bra with an hrm hole to help keep it in place. I upgraded to the FR945 from my 2-series when I got into triathlon because it has openwater and triathlon activity tracking modes and a massive battery life to get me through an IM. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty darn good in open water. Also, Form 2 goggles use a HR sensor on your temple. They work best with an open water GPS-compatible watch for tracking, but the HRM is independent. I just got a pair so too soon for me to give my own review
My Garmin Forerunner 945 has really inaccurate (underreported) heart rate when skiing, especially skate, unless I use a chest strap. I'm not sure if the newer 9x5 models are better. But it does has activities for both.
Can't speak for the Instinct, but I got my Garmin Forerunner 945 in 2019 and it's still going strong. Passive battery life a week+, GPS battery is still close to 24h (I think, haven't done a race that long in a bit). No issues with connectivity, bluetooth, charging, nothing. Some of their newer models are a little bloated and they're adding a ton of features at the cost of battery life, which is the only disappointing part. For ultras the only thing I _really_ care about is battery, and their out of the box battery life says 26 hours or something now, instead of 32+. Either way though, they make really good devices.
I’ve had my Garmin 945 since 2019 and I’m not anywhere near replacing it. Sure, the battery ain’t what it used to be, but I’ve put a ton of use into it (including a lot of hiking, some swimming, some biking on top of the running mileage) and it’s held up remarkably well.
almost my case. I still have garmin fr945, suunto 9 and vertical 1. both suunto have big troubles with hr measurement, sleep accuracy not good. for cycling I have wahoo bolt v2 and v3, for concept2 - only ErgData app. withings smart scales is more than enough for me. one thing for me what suunto is missing is “resume later” function, especially for walking or hiking. I like suunto maps and navigation. now I’m confused to choose vertical 2 or race 2. both have better (I hope so) hr measurement and… thats all. ok ok, vertical 2 have led flashlight. vertical 2 disappointed me without local music storage and without nfc. but I like suunto for menu design, because garmin UI looks like designed for childs - not solid.