Customer Reviews

Garmin FR60 Men's Red Fitness Watch (Includes Heart Rate Monitor and USB ANT Stick)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I was drawn to the Garmin FR60 as it represents one of the least expensive full-featured heart rate monitors which can download training data to a computer. Since I do a good chunk of my training indoors on a treadmill, particularly in the winter, a GPS based system was not required.

My experience with the Garmin FR60 has been mostly positive. First, it's important to point out this watch is sold in at least 3 different bundles. There's the basic heart rate monitor only (all black watch), this version (red) which includes an ANT+ Stick used to download training data to a computer, and a more expensive version which includes a foot pod for measuring distance. When shopping for this watch, be sure you know which bundle you're ordering, I had to return the black version after ordering it without realizing it didn't include the ANT+ Stick.

The watch itself is a nice form factor, smaller than the large Polar S120 I'm replacing. Initial setup is easy, the included quickstart guide walks you through the procedure in straightforward fashion. The screen is easy to read, and navigation between menus and setting adjustments is easy. My only gripe with the watch is the placement of the Lap/Split and Start/Stop buttons. Quite simply, these should be reversed. The Start/Stop button is a large white button centered just below the display area, it's quite easy to press. The Lap/Split button is a small button on the side of the watch and takes a firm touch to trigger. When I'm running hard, it's takes a bit of concentration to record a lap, certainly more than I'd like. I expect I'll get more comfortable with this as I use the watch more.

The heart rate strap fits comfortably and is in most ways quite similar to my familiar Polar T31 chest strap with one important exception, it has a door through which I can replace the battery. The Polar strap has to be sent back for a new battery, and a replacement strap is $30-40. The replacable battery on the Garmin is a nice upgrade. As for function, the heart rate is recorded accurately and I've yet to see it interrupted by interference. Of note, the Garmin HR strap does not appear to be compatible with any treadmill I've seen, the watch still records HR accurately, but the treadmill will not display HR on screen. Polar seems to have cornered the market here.

Once a workout is complete, recorded heart rate data can be downloaded to a computer via the ANT+ Stick, a simple USB stick. Once setup, the download process is quite easy. Garmin offers two options for logging your data, the desktop-only Garmin TrainingCenter (which must be downloaded) or the web-based Garmin Connect. I've tried them both, and find the TrainingCenter software easier to use, particularly when viewing heart rate data graphs. If you spring for the footpod, the software will correlate HR, time, and distance. Workout notes can be entered, making this a nice all-around training log. It seems like development is on-going for the web-based Garmin Connect, so it's possible it will get improved features in the future. Note that the data can be exported from either program as XML-based TCX files which can be processed into Excel sheets (with third party software) or uploaded to other third-party training log software. If you're comfortable with the format, the TCX files can be edited directly to include data not recorded by the watch (distance if not measured by the foot pod, calories burned, etc).

Overall this setup has allowed me to do exactly what I had hoped; accurately record my heart rate over training runs and download it to a computer for review and analysis and comparison with previous workouts. I'm excited enough about the system that I'll be adding the SDM4 Footpod to record distance as well. If the Lap and Start/Stop buttons we're swapped, it would be the perfect non-GPS based running tool, and an excellent value as one of the least expensive heart rate monitors which can download to a computer.

Spent a long time deciding between Polar RX300sd and the Garmin FR60. In the end, was bought over by the small footpod. Polar has this gigantic footpod. Have been running with the FR60 since Sep this year, and now, I wouldn't know what to do without it.

The FR60 looks much better than the RX300sd...more of a watch-looking. It is also water-proof (up to 50M) and has dual time. I travel occasionally, so the latter comes in handy. The menu takes a little getting use to. But if you grew up with Casio watches like I did, you should get it in no time. With so many features, it took me a couple of runs to get the settings that I want. But after that, it's works great!!! Love especially the Virtual Partner function.

The footpod is same as the Nike+ footpod; it is small. Many have said that the Polar footpod is the most accurate amongst all footpods. Well, this tiny Garmin sucker is really accurate and consistent. Took just one calibration and it stayed consistent ever since.

Syncing to the laptop to Garmin Connect is incredibly easy, especially when my laptop is on with the Ant+ stick attached. The moment I enter my room after a run, data is automatically synced to Garmin Connect...even before I take off my running shoes.

Pairing of the watch with the HRM and footpod is almost instantaneous, and I have never once lost the pairing during my runs.

The only complain I have is that watch is designed with the strap and body as one piece. If the strap broke, I would have to replace the whole watch, unlike normal 'Casio-type' watches where you can just replace the strap. Because I love this watch so much, would hate to lose this watch because of a strap problem.

I purchased this product from Amazon after reading countless different reviews of Garmin products and their competitors. Both the watch and the heart monitor are comfortable to wear. Initial setup of the watch was straight-forward and quick, so was the setup of the desktop software. The watch synced my workouts seemlessly and the desktop software looks decent.

Now, my issues include the fact that straight out of the box, one of the buttons fell off. Tried to put it back but noticed that the base inside the watch where the button is supposed to fit was crooked. Generally I don't return products unless there is a major fault, so I let this slide. The other issue is the fact that advanced setup isn't very straight-forward (both watch and software) and the manual is not comprehensive. I'm sure if someone spends more time reading and searching that you'll figure it out, but this shouldn't be the case in my opinion.

Does what it says, and for someone who wants to log their progress and generally monitor the bpm zones, this is a very good product for the price.

Menus on the watch are fairly easy to use. Chest strap communicates fine for a while then suddenly stops and after pushing a button or stopping the workout on the watch then starting it restarts the communication. The USB stick that communicates with the watch to download the workout to the Garmin website doesn't work on my desktop but does work on my laptop. Garmin has a nice website to store all your workouts. The battery is user replaceable, the first time I changed the battery I removed the back metal plate and the flimsy rubber gasket tore and it cannot be put back together to totally seal the watch. There is a flat fee for this model of 89 dollars to repair it no matter how little is wrong with it. I wouldn't recommend this heart rate monitor.

I had a major problem with this watch. The loop that is meant to hold down the tail end of the strap after it is buckled does not work well. The extrusion on the inside of the loop that is supposed to lock into a hole on the strap is not robust enough. The end result is that the end of the strap becomes loose. In the short time I owned it, the watch became unbuckled and fell to the ground three times while working out. Needless to say, I returned it. I visited a local store that carried the watch and looked at a couple of other samples of the same watch and they all seemed like they would suffer from the same problem. I wouldn't expect this from a $100 + watch.

I bought the Garmin FR60 to supplement my Garmin 305, primarily to use indoors. The Garmin 305 is an excellent device - but, I have a couple of gripes. Such as the battery running low after one use, and occasionally difficult to operate buttons. The FR60 doesn't have GPS, so its ideal for use indoors. Its simple to setup, and absolutely simple to use. Some people have complained about the lack of printed manual - I'm not sure why. Its all pretty obvious, or at least it was to me.

Watch and heart rate monitor work beautifully. The watch is much smaller than the Garmin 305, and reasonably good looking. The numbers are large enough to read, even if you normally wear mild to moderate reading glasses you should be able to read it ok without them. Data upload is trivial via the usb stick.

All in all a great little watch. One of the cheapest that allows data to be stored and then transferred to a computer or web site. Even using a mac, this seems to work ok.

I bought this watch because i wanted to monitor my HR during exercising at the gym as well as when i'm kart racing.

The HR belt likes a drop of water on the contact points where it meets your skin and as long as you do that the thing works flawlessly, every time. It was easy to setup and the big bonus is the software that comes with it. Along with the strap and watch you also receive what looks like a small USB thumb drive. This gets plugged into your PC and whenever the watch is in proximity of your PC it will upload all recorded data to your PC automatically; this works flawlessly every time as well. The data can later be reviewed via Garmin's free web based program where you can access the data from anywhere. You also have the option to download Garmin's Personal Trainer software (free) that allows you to store the data on your PC (not a web based program).

All in all a great product and at this price point it can't be beat. I was going to buy a Polar unit but after reading some of their reviews, i'm glad i chose this watch.

After much research, I decided on this watch (along with the optional Garmin foot pod) to help me train for my first half marathon. I'm 2 weeks away from the big race and this watch has been an invaluable training tool. Unlike some other reviewers, I think the watch is a breeze to use--if you have any questions just go to the Garmin website and check out the short training videos. The accuracy of the foot pod is spot on and I ilke that I can use the watch both outdoors and in the gym running on a treadmill. I tend to run at a faster pace than I should, so having access to a real-time display of my current running pace allows me to maintain the correct pace at all times. The watch is comfortable (quite a bit smaller than the GPS watches I've seen) and it's a treat to have your workout data automatically and wirelessly upload to Garmin's training programs (through the ANT stick). For the money, I don't think there's another fitness watch that combines the form, functionality and price of the Garmin FR60.

I purchased the Garmin FR60 watch and also the Garmin GSC 10 speed/cadence bike sensor from Amazon. I am a regular cyclist with a carbon fiber road bike and rode approximately 3,500 miles last year. I used the FR60 with the GSC 10 sensor for approximately 1,400 miles and couldn't stand the issues any longer and then bought a different brand bike computer. I used the FR60 both outdoors and also indoors on a stationary bike trainer. Here is my list of issues. It frequently has wild spikes of false numbers. For example it routinely says my max speed is way higher than I could ever possibly ride, like 140 mph, 88 mph, 112 mph. The max cadence also frequently has wild numbers like 180 rpms. The max heart rate also has outrageous numbers like a max heart rate of 220 beats per minute. And the calories burned is also not even close to actual values. For example I did a 2.5 hour climb up one of Colorado's high mountain passes that has a 10% grade (Cottonwood Pass) and for the climb up the FR60 said my calories burned was only 643. It should have been closer to 2,000 calories burned. I have found that the frequent inaccurate wild measurements throw off the statistical averages so the device is basically useless to me.

Before purchasing any Garmin bike computer device, I strongly advise you to visit the Garmin forum website and read through all of the issues and problems reported by many users. There seem to be many hardware and software issues.

I am a recreational triathlete. I bought the watch as a backup and for business related trips so I could travel light and be able to use my Garmin HR strap and footpods and get most information I need for training sessions.

The watch works nicely and did its function. No complains here. It's seen very light use as I used Garmin Edge 500 computer for cycling and a full blown 310XT for normal running and swimming workouts. I used the FR-60 only seldomly. Still, after less than 1.5 years, the wristband started cracking in several place from "aged rubber" probably accelerated by the occasional pool swim. Now it broked and since the wrist band is integrated, the repair is above $90 which is the street price of buying a brand new watch.

So... love the watch and its functionnalities, but if you need something you can use in the pool too, look somewhere else as the wristband will not last long.