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Swim 2

Garmin - Swim 2

Reddit Reviews:


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50
13
12

Liked most:

5

1


"the battery life is a godsend by comparison"


"It’s a good, durable watch ... I’ve had mine for over 2 years and it has been a rock with great battery life and barely has a scratch after enduring 6x swims per week. That includes a few incidents of accidentally smacking it on lane ropes and walls. It has kept on ticking."


"the battery lasts about a week."

6

0


"It’s a good, durable watch ... I’ve had mine for over 2 years and it has been a rock with great battery life and barely has a scratch after enduring 6x swims per week. That includes a few incidents of accidentally smacking it on lane ropes and walls. It has kept on ticking."


"Swim 2 is my go to ... I never have problems in 3 years"


"It does the trick and hasn’t ever given me any issues, both in the pool and in open water."

6

0


"The Swim 2 was cheap enough that if it failed at least I wasn’t out $600+."


"for the price it's everything I need :)"


"It’s relatively cheap ($200 new, I got mine used for $150)"

41

12


"Next day and ever since it has been spot on mate."


"Not other garmin have the features for swimmers like that one, CSS test ,open sea water, pace and body battery"


"I use it for open water and it's been really good - even tracking me swimming short laps back and forwards across a remote bay with surprising accuracy."

2

2


"I particularly like that there is no touch screen and it's all button operated. ... Touch screens in the water are the devil."


"no touch screen"

Disliked most:

1

2


"My Swim2 is a about 2.5 days and always seems to die in the middle of a workout."


"A 1 hr swim w/ the Coros consumes about 2% of the battery life, while the same swim will consume a little over 20% on my Garmin Swim 2."

5

15


"absolute shite at tracking intervals and stroke detection"


"I stopped using my Garmin Swim 2 because it would routinely add or subtract a lap or two on auto lap count. Maddening. ... My swim should be the easiest: all kick turns, freestyle only. My hand never touched the wall until the end. It made me suspicious about the other data it was gathering, like stroke, if it couldn't even get the laps right."


"it cant even get the basic strokes down"

1

4


"if you want to do others sports than is lacking a lot."


"Where as the swim 2 from memory you can track swimming and running and nothing else l."


"Outside of the water it's a very limited smartwatch - no nfc payments, no short reply functions, smaller screen etc."

1

4


"I refuse to sit and fiddle with starting and stopping the clock in between intervals"


"it’s too fiddly"


"I can’t go back in and edit it once it’s complete. ... I wish I could do that purely because I don’t know what workout I’m doing until I’m in the water and the coach tells me what to do"

0

3


"Swim 2 does not work in very cold water- it shuts off. I'm talking about 32-55 F."


"My only gripe with Garmin Swim 2 is the small wrist band, doesn’t fit average guy wrist. ... I had to buy the special larger band for $40usd. ... Special band, a regular watch band not an option"


"I did have some issues is very cold open water, where it temporary stopped working."

Positive
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a1n3 • 10 months ago

There is Garmin Swim (IMHO essentially it is a ForeRunner, but swim has been put in focus; review here https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/garmin-openwater-review.html). However, modern Garmin watches are all able to track pool swim as well as gym workouts (you might have to set exercises later in the app if you want to track muscle groups affected). Essentially ForeRunner is for runners mostly, Forerunner 9xx is focused on triathlon, Fenix is mostly for outdoors - but again, all of them can do almost the same. I’d go with Fenix if budget allows.

r/GarminWatches • Recommendation for swimming and sleep tracking ->
Positive
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Agreeable_Ad4156 • 3 months ago

Garmin swim 2. Gives you pretty accurate yards that you can see while swimming. My Fitbit charge wouldn’t show distance until I stopped and synchronized with my phone after. Also, wet touchscreen on the Fitbit is useless.

r/Swimming • Swimming watch for beginner 2025 ->
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Agreeable_Ad4156 • 4 months ago

Using Garmin Swim 2. Happy with its function for tracking laps in indoor pool, took a little getting used to for accuracy. I have to be deliberate and smooth on my turns. Original band was tight on my large wrist, larger band was expensive, around $40.

r/Swimming • "Anyone here using Whoop, Hume, or Amazfit for swimming? What’s your experience with them – tracking accuracy, comfort, and overall usability in the water?" ->
Negative
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BBorNot • 5 months ago

I stopped using my Garmin Swim 2 because it would routinely add or subtract a lap or two on auto lap count. Maddening.

r/Swimming • What watches is everyone using to track? ->
Positive
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Bilateral-drowning • 5 months ago

Plus one for the swim 2.. It's a basic watch that really only does swimming but it does swimming well. Both in the pool and open water. I particularly like that there is no touch screen and it's all button operated. Touch screens in the water are the devil.

r/OpenWaterSwimming • What GPS watches are you using to track your swims? ->
Neutral
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Blugrl21 • 5 months ago

I've had a Swim2 and upgraded to a 265 (which has a better accelerometer). Stroke detection probably won't get much better with an Apple. My watches sometimes confuse sprint free and fly, but otherwise it mostly gets it right. I find stroke detection matters a lot less than being able to count laps anyway. Auto lap counting on all watches is about the same.... all are 95%+ but if you want 100% you need manual stop/start and only Garmin has that

r/Swimming • Garmin Swim 2 vs Form vs apple vs ole fashin pen & paper ->
Positive
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Brambleline • 6 months ago

I've a Garmin swim 2 the battery lasts about a week. I only use it to swim, in the pool & open water plus to count steps.

r/Swimming • Stuck with my watch. Want a new upgrade ->
Positive
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brucekamp • 12 months ago

I wouldn’t do that. Having used both Apple and Garmin products for swimming, I’d urge you to go for the Garmin. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the Apple, it’s just that the Garmin is better and the battery life is a godsend by comparison

r/Swimming • Thinking of getting an apple watch just for swimming without iPhone ->
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brucekamp • 12 months ago

I wouldn’t do that. Having used both Apple and Garmin products for swimming, I’d urge you to go for the Garmin. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the Apple, it’s just that the Garmin is better and the battery life is a godsend by comparison

r/Swimming • Thinking of getting an apple watch just for swimming without iPhone ->
Positive
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Bscorp800 • 7 months ago

My Swim 2 is pretty accurate here. I use the option GPS+ GLONASS in my first ow races/workouts and it gets the distance fairly well, comparing with my pairs’ watches. It even catches the moments where I got on my swim buoy to clean my goggles’ fog hahahahaha

r/Swimming • How accurate is garmin for open water distance? ->
Neutral
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chickendippers90 • 11 months ago

I use a garmin Forerunner 965, and it does the job with no real complaints. Like most watches, it misses the odd length every now and again, but ultimately, it's pretty good. The only thing I think the apple watches might do better than the garmins is they automatically count kick set where on garmin watchs you have to manually input the data. I have also had a garmin swim2, which is fine but very basic.

r/Swimming • Best Swim Watch ->
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chickendippers90 • 11 months ago

I pretty much use it to track everything. Where as the swim 2 from memory you can track swimming and running and nothing else l.

r/Swimming • Best Swim Watch ->
Negative
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Commercial_Coach_935 • 5 months ago

Don’t insult my push offs like that. Just kidding lol. I’m still getting used to the watch and absolutely use the auto interval feature. May just need to turn it off! Seems to be the advise

r/Swimming • Garmin Swim 2 vs Form vs apple vs ole fashin pen & paper ->
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Commercial_Coach_935 • 5 months ago

Ohhh yea I have that issue with the garmin 2. Meaning, I can’t go back in and edit it once it’s complete. I wish I could do that purely because I don’t know what workout I’m doing until I’m in the water and the coach tells me what to do

r/Swimming • Garmin Swim 2 vs Form vs apple vs ole fashin pen & paper ->

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