Okay, Christmas is coming..and I'm looking at gadgets. Presently have a Garmin 201. I'm looking to upgrade to heart rate monitor and training software. Have been looking at the 301 (since it's similar to what I'm used to), the 305.. and the NEW 310XT which is supposedly rated to be waterproof to 50m! ("waterproof" having been the problem w/ all of the other Garmin GPS's). Anyone try this yet? It's a bit more expensive than the 305. Supposedly it's a bit better at tracking GPS signal, wireless download to your computer, calorie burn, etc. Triathletes seem to Knock it for it's not being functional in the water. I figure this wouldn't concern me.. hopefully remaining on top of the water. I'm trying to figure if it's worth the extra $100-$150 for the 310 rather than the 305 (have to buy the heart rate strap seperately).
Submitted by drewp on Wed, 11/25/2009 - 3:39am
I have the 305 Edge and love it. It works very good.
#1 Wed, 11/25/2009 - 8:33am
i just got the 310 xt and its amazing right now im wearing it as a watch and there just isnt one bad complaint i have about it
#2 Tue, 01/12/2010 - 4:51pm
Yep, I got it for Christmas also. Haven't fiddled w/ it much yet. I won't get a chance to test it on the water until spring. It's kick-ass cold around here these days
#3 Wed, 01/13/2010 - 3:05am
I've had the Forerunner 305 for about 3 years and its never given me a problem on the water but I do wash the back gold plated connector thing right away and wipe it down before putting it away. Never used the 310XT but it looks like a nice Jennie Craig Slimmed down version. I wonder if you can use your 310 xt in the gym just in case to make sure working properly so you can return/fix if not - some Garmins exchange data with the gym exercise equipment's monitor.
#4 Wed, 01/13/2010 - 7:47am
I have had three Forerunner 305's and recently upgraded to the 310XT. The 305s are great, but not 100% waterproof. I flooded two of them, which were promptly replaced by Garmin. The 310XT has a couple of cool features that the 305 does not, such as a vibration mode for swimming (if you outside your zone, it vibrates). The vibration feature is strong enough that you can feel it if your XT is attached to your canoe, so you can go stealth and still know if you are in your proper zone. The virtual partner feature is also easier to use on the XT, and the wireless data transfer is a nice add. The real-time HR graph is also cool, but not really a huge value in my opinion. Then new HR strap is much more comfortable. All in all, unless you really need the waterproofing aspect of the 310XT, the 305 works just as well, minus a couple of cool features that are nice, but not really vital. My opinion: you don't really need to upgrade unless you need/want extra waterproofing. It will be much more beneficial for OC-6 season and water changes as you can wear your 310XT in/out of the water. Plus, you can set it for vibe mode so your crewmates aren't all agro that your watch keeps beeping.
#5 Wed, 01/13/2010 - 9:41am