Customer Reviews

Garmin Forerunner 310XT Waterproof Running GPS with USB ANT Stick

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I felt compelled to write a review, because I am disturbed with what some other reviewers are publishing. This is the best watch of it's kind I have owned, and as long as a purchaser understands what it does, and it's limitations, I think they will be more than satisfied. It may be that this watch will not meet their needs, but it should not be a cause to deliver a poor rating.
I have owned the Forerunner 305, the 201, the Timex GPS and a Polar, so I have years of experience. Since I do triathlons, I was most looking forward to the waterproof controls, and 20 hour battery. The charger is a bit funky design, but for me it seems to work just fine. My battery has been lasting at least 16 hours--I haven't tested it further before recharging. One issue that I had with the 305 also, though: the watch should be TURNED OFF while you are charging. If not, as soon as you disconnect the charger, since the watch is ON, it will start "discharging" (as it does normally while it is on. I have been caught several times with a depleted battery on my 305 because of this quirk--I think the watches should be programmed to automatically turn themselves off when the charger is connected).
I have used the new watch swimming, biking and running and hiking, and I am pleased with the performance for each sport. One reviewer pointed out that there should be a "swim" mode--I agree, but I think Garmin may have avoided that mode because the GPS does not work well in the water. Several reviewers complained about that, however Garmin does write on their website AND in their manual that the GPS does not work well in the water (I don't know that I would blame that on Garmin--probably the technology is just not there yet--besides, GPS signals do not penetrate water.) In fact, I did NOT get an accurate GPS distance reading for open water swimming, but it did map my COURSE correctly, albeit with a lot of zig-zags (I know I can't swim in a straight line, but I am not THAT bad).
The biking portion works great. The Garmin matches pretty closely with the distance measured on my bike computer (I don't have the Garmin bike sensor--I want that and the quick-release mount for my next birthday). Of course it also tracks speed, altitude, heart rate, etc. (I used the heart monitor strap from my 305).
Running works well also, basically same as biking although I do set up the display screens differently.
Other, useful new features I have noticed:
1. The watch locks onto satellites more quickly than my 305
2. The watch vibrates, although I wonder how this affects battery life. For instance it vibrates every lap (if I set it) so I know I have completed an autolap without having to look at the watch.
3. The software is more refined (lots of small fixes. For instance the settings function lets me know what sport mode I am in--although I think this could still be made easier and less confusing. And the time zone can be put on automatic--I always wondered why they couldn't do this before--the watch knows where it is for gosh sakes. And there are extra custom screens if you want them--statistic hounds take note.)
4. Wireless data upload. Very nice! Their new "Garmin Connect" site is also pretty useful, and the data can be uploaded directly to the Internet.
5. The 310XT is not much smaller or lighter than the 305 (according to the specs), but it FEELS MUCH smaller and lighter.
6. There is a progress bar for the battery charging. I would like to be able to see how much time is LEFT in my battery--I wish Garmin would add this.

In summary, I think this is far and away the best GPS watch Garmin has made, and is especially appropriate for triathletes (despite the swimming issue). You DO need to become accustomed to using the watch. Although I do not think it is hard to use, you SHOULD read the manual. At least you do not have to keep RE-reading the manual like I do for some other gadgets. I do think this watch is way overpriced, but I am a gadget freak, and I'm sure the price will come down over time, like it did for the 305 (which is a great deal, now, btw, if you don't need a 20 hour battery-life and a waterproof stopwatch :)

This device has been represented as a triathlete's watch and the first swim proof GPS watch. If you watch the video from Garmin or see any of the advertisements, Garmin leads you to believe that this watch will collect reliable data for all 3 multisport events. It is reasonable for someone to assume this watch can be worn in a race and collect GPS data in the water, since, of course, SWIMMING is the first event in a triathlon.

If you are considering buying this watch realize the following:

-This device does not collect usable data in the water, period (other than time, which any $20 waterproof watch can collect in a much smaller form factor). No heart rate data and totally unusable and inaccurate GPS data while in the water.

-There are preset modes for run, bike, and "other", in which "other" shows a person on skis (explain that one?). They intentionally omit a category for swimming, despite advertising that this watch is for triathletes (see the photo I added under product photos).

-You will need to purchase a separate quick release kit if you want to use this watch on a bike. It does not get accurate data on a bike if you are wearing in on your wrist. It auto pauses, then unpauses for most of the time I am riding if I wear it on my wrist -- even if I have it set to only auto pause when completely stopped. The quick release kit IS NOT the more common one for the 205 and 305 Garmin 010-10889-00 Forerunner 305/205 Quick Release Kit, so do not buy that one. They have made a new one for this watch and most places do not have it in stock yet. As of the date I am writing this review, it is not yet available on Amazon.com. Go to Garmin's website and look under the accessories tab for this watch. You will see a different model number. I have confirmed this with customer service. The part number for the proper quick release kit is: 010-11215-00. Google it.

-If you want foot cadence or the ability to track distance indoors and assume you get it for spending $400 on this device, think again. You will have to buy a separate foot pod which costs $80-100, depending on where you buy it (earlier Garmin Forerunner watch kits included foot pods). Garmin Foot Pod SDM4 (ANT+)

-The watch is large and sits high on top of the wrist (they packed 20 hours of batter life into this watch), so to wear it under your wetsuit will let water in the wetsuit, or you will have to wear it on top of (or crammed in front of) the wetsuit, which will not allow you to remove your wetsuit without first removing the watch (thus adding time to your transition and sort of negating that whole "triathlete" angle). You can see a photo of this watch on my wrist under the photos section of the product.

-There is no way to turn off GPS tracking for only one of the 3 events in multisport mode. Therefore you will always either have incorrect GPS data recording for the swimming mode (or, actually "other", since there is no "swim" mode, as previously mentioned). I have called customer support and they confirm this. Their solution was to turn off GPS while I am swimming, then reset and manually start a new timer and mode during transition 1 for my bike event. I'll let you be the judge of how to take that advice.

So, in conclusion, if you want to setup this watch for a bike and run, and want the ability to wear the watch in the water before hand (and no start it unless you want some incorrect distance data included), you will need to buy:

$400 - the Garmin 310XT with HR
$25 - quick release mount kit (for wrist and bike) (no link in Amazon yet)
$80-100 - foot pod (if you want cadence)
Garmin Foot Pod SDM4 (ANT+)
$35-50 - speed/cadence sensor (if you want cadence for the bike)
GARMIN 010-10644-00 Speed/Cadence Sensor

You'll be into it for $575 retail. Garmin, you did us wrong on this one. Some of us are willing to spend this kind of money on a product if it proves to do what it advertises itself to do. We're not asking it to do anything more than perform as advertised. I realize your fine print saves you from lawsuits, but it doesn't gain you repeat customers. It sends them over to Polar.

[EDIT: I have edited the title of this review to what it currently reads from "Misleading: Not a Triathlete's Watch," because it seems that Garmin has somewhat softened their advertising and marketing surrounding this watch. I purchased this watch when it first came out in 2009, and at the time the marketing videos and advertising in triathlon magazines mentioned nothing about the fact that it doesn't track GPS data in the water, and in fact seemed to lead the consumer into believe it does. That advertising has since softened.]

The 310xt was my first Garmin purchase. After years of having family use the Edge and the Forerunner for biking/running I decided I'd take the plunge when they came out with "the triathlete's indispensable training tool" in the 310xt.

My first thought was this was pricey. But, looking at the ForeRunner 305 & 405, I realized it wasn't that much more expensive for the additional supposed features and the "newness". Then I looked at the price here on Amazon and almost passed out. $550? Without the HRM strap? Ouch. If you're really into this watch, don't buy at that price. Search for the ones priced at $399. Most sites sell at that price.

Ok, onto the feature set. Large, clear buttons. Large screen. Ability to track multiple sports. Quick upload of data. Lots of customizable options and screens.

Pros:

Easy to set up and use. Pairing with the ANT USB stick is simple and can quickly get you started without the manual.
Online tools are pretty good (much better than previous iterations). Also, works with the MapMy list of sites (fitness, run, walk, hike, bike, swim, tri).
Customizable display allows for up to 4 tracking items per screen. So, you can track pace, HR, time and distance covered on one screen then scroll to another and get a map of your HR, your calories burned and a bunch of other potential options, all determined by you.
You can create routes on your watch and when you run it, it will record whenever you are on that route path. Great for comparing against previous training routes and for quickly setting the route and having it track you properly. Once you are on the route, it tracks you.
Auto-multisport option allows you to set that and when you click lap, it will dump you to the next "sport" whether it be a transition or another sport such as biking/running.
Tracks you the individual after you enter your height, weight, level of fitness. Provides caloric burn and other related info based on your input.
Virtual training partner. You can actually have it show how you're doing on a saved route versus your virtual training partner. This partner is a previous version of you doing the same route and tells your pace and how far you're up/behind. Pretty cool.
Multitude of things you can configure and display/adjust/fine tune.

Cons:

Swim? As I quoted from the Garmin site above, this watch bills itself as the triathlete's indispensable training tool. Umm.. triathlete means 3 sports, typically involving SWIMMING, biking and running. Swim is not an option. In fact, when I clicked other one time, it had what appeared to be an icon of a downhill skier. I'm not sure how that showed up since that option isn't there. HUGE mistake in my book for a watch billed to be for triathletes.

Elevation Accuracy? This one is WAAAAAY off. On a 3.3 mile run, it had me ascending 853 feet. Unless I'm climbing the Washington Monument, I'm not getting that type of elevation in 3.3 miles. I'd have to say it is off by, 600 feet or so. On a 60 mile bike ride, it had me at 1500 feet and that one at least took me up some legitimate hills.

Switching events: There is no way to switch events mid-stream on the watch if you didn't set it properly to begin. Let's say you ran one day and then biked the following day. If you left it on run then switched when you realized the mistake, it clears the data and you start with a new workout. The original workout is kept but you can't append the "new" workout on either on the watch or with any of their software (both installed SW and online site). So, when workouts are categorized, it shows a multisport recording on the installable software and whatever you mistakenly set in the online site. You then have 2 workouts you can't consolidate or run reports against without manual intervention.

Swim accuracy leaves a bit to be desired. While I haven't put it through its paces and will hopefully edit this review in the future, for a 1/2 mile swim, this thing was way off. Beach, opposite direction, gaps. All were part of that swim result.


While there are a lot of pros (which do warrant a 4 star), the cons are extremely negative. Since I don't have a watch to keep track of everything, this one will have to do. At such a price point, I'm highly disappointed in the overall performance considering it is billed as the triathlete's dream. It really does track mileage well and with enough fudging (using the elevation in MapMyRide instead of from the watch) and by manually adjusting routes in my various tracking sites, I can get close what I want. The HRM is good and the coupled effect of it all makes it as worthwhile as having a set of watches out there. But, I will not be ultimately promoting this to other athletes. While I've managed to make it work to a 4-star rating with my own fiddling, I wouldn't recommend it to a hardcore triathlete. Being my first training watch for my first Ironman, I wish I could say there were other watches which had the functionality I needed. Unfortunately, I'd have to wear two or more plus a bike computer. Even more unfortunate, in order to get what this watch said it can do all in one I might still need another to keep this one honest.

I've used the 205, 305, and 405. As a triathlete, the 205 and 305 were both great watches. The best part of the watch for me is the extended battery life. The 305 was limited to Half-Ironmans due to limited battery life. I can now wear the 310xt for an entire Ironman distance. I also like wearing the watch in the water now although sliding the wetsuit over it can be a bit tricky.
Bottom line, the watch is pretty much identical to the 305 so if you are training or competing in races 6 hours or less, I would go with the 305 and save some money. Both the 305 and 310xt have the Multisport function for triathletes which is very important.

As a rugged sports/gps watch, Garmin missed the mark. The screen is made of glass! If you drop it, the screen will crack. The first time this happened (during my first week with the watch), the watch fell out of my hand on to the pavement and the glass shattered. There was no force behind the fall other than me losing my grip on stuff I was carrying. Drop height was maybe 2.5 feet. Garmin repaired the watch after charging me almost $100 plus a $50 expedite fee because I wanted it for a key event.

After months of carefully guarding my Garmin, the watch fell out of my workout bag on to the bathroom tile floor. Screen shattered again so I have to shell out another $100 plus shipping if I want to continue using this expensive piece of equipment.

Garmin needs to change the material used for the face of the 310 XT to a material that will not crack when the device is dropped from a few feet. It is a good looking device that functions well but it is too fragile for all but the most careful and vigilant of users. I would rather have a scratched plastic screen that will take a normal wear-and-tear fall than worry about cracked glass and expensive replacement.

Of the three other 310 XT owners in my running/triathlon group, all three had cracked screens and expensive repairs within the first month of ownership. If you are considering the purchase of this watch be forewarned, it is not a question of if you will experience a cracked screen, it is a matter of when.

Hope this helps.

I just got mine and I love it. It came with software version 2.5, but I upgraded it to 2.6 after much hassle. For some reason with version 2.5, it wouldnt send anything to the unit, only download from it. It boiled down to 4 hours of searching and finally figuring out the problem was due to Internet Explorer's security settings. It seems to be working fine with v 2.6. (If you're having this problem, turn off ALL your IE security settings and try to download the software again)

My only gripes are that it's a bit difficult to save a location. I wish there was a way that you could just hit or hold a button or two and instantly mark a spot. As it is now, I have to stop and scroll through menus to save a waypoint. My second complaint is that there's no way to import waypoints via a computer. To save waypoints such as feedstations that are already on my mapmyride courses, I have to do it by hand on the 310XT unit. My third gripe is the ANT Stick. It would be way easier to upload directly from USB, but I guess they couldnt find a way to make it waterproof with a USB port. I'll live with it, but I dont want to have to shell out [...] for a new stick if I end up losing it.

As for people who complain about GPS not working while swimming - It's not a function of the Garmin unit, it's a function of the GPS wavelength which cant really penetrate water. I know this from years of being on a submarine that you cant use GPS when you're submerged. Unless you stick an antenna on your head while you swim, it's just not going to work. Sorry, that's life. The product manual specifically states that GPS and heartrate data is not available while swimming.

GENERAL/RUNNING/BIKING:

Pros: - The watch is easy to set up out of the box. ANT+ pairing is quick and simple, and the online tools are much improved from previous editions.
- Display is customizable, with up to 4 items per screen with easy scrolling to another screen with different layout and information. You can include pace, heart rate, heart rate map, caloric burn, time, distance and several other options (those are the ones I use).
- Auto-multisport allows for pre-programmed hot swapping between sport modes (i.e. bike to run to "other") by pressing the lap button.
- The watch also includes a virtual "rabbit" (a.k.a. pace maker) that will simulate a preset pace and tell you how far ahead or behind that pace you are. Awesome in-training motivation!
- The watch also tracks your individual fitness once you enter your height, weight and fitness level. You can even pair it with the Tanita BC-1000 scale and have it automatically update this information wirelessly through that scale. Haven't tried this myself, but it sounds sweet.
- People complain about OTHER mode being on the options menu, but as someone who also snowboards and windsurfs I appreciate Garmin expanding this watch's functionality beyond the three triathlete sports (see SWIMMING section below)
- There are several other features and options you can customize here, but those are the primary ones I use.

Cons: - The watch works very well in the trees, but not so much on switchbacks. If you like running or biking switchbacks, the GPS mapping mode does not interpret these very well and will likely cut off some distance on your route. The Forerunner 305 is better in this regard.
- Elevation accuracy has a lot of noise, and goes from mediocre to worthless on your route. This isn't a big deal for me, as I'm familiar with the elevation of the routes I run, but it would be irritating for serious users of the elevation feature.
- The watch and PC software are not forgiving if you don't set it up correctly prior to the workout. If you change modes mid-workout outside of the pre-programmed hotswapping it drops any previous data rather than appending the old data to the beginning of your new workout. I found this shortcoming reading other reviews and then testing it myself. Just be sure you set the watch up correctly prior to training and you'll be fine.


SWIMMERS/TRIATHLETES: Before you read any other reviews, there are some basic facts about GPS and ANT+ technology you have to understand before you set your triathlete expectations about this or any similar watch. GPS and ANT+ signals do not penetrate water effectively. You are not going to find an ANT+ HRM that works well submerged until they upgrade the ANT+ standard, and until the government switches out the orbiting satellites, GPS will simply not work when you are submerged.

That said, if you wear this watch in the back of your swim cap facing the sky, the GPS is a lot more functional. DC Rainmaker does some great testing ([...]) that demonstrates how the 305 and 310XT both fare in GPS tracking using this technique. The short answer is "It actually works pretty darn well." If you want a good, aquatic HRM, I recommend the FINIS Aqua Pulse ([...]). Garmin did not include a dedicated SWIM mode, because it understood the tech's aquatic limitations, and before you buy any product you should understand those limitations as well.

I have owned this watch for about three months and I have no regrets at all. I use it just about every day.

Before I bought the 310XT, I was thinking that the 405 would be the perfect choice but after a little research I realized that the 310 was the 405 on steroids.. Twenty hour battery life, Ruggedized, Bigger more readable screen, more functional buttons.. and still reasonably small. For a while I was tempted to buy the 305 (The 310s older brother) and save some serious money but the 305 is larger and several years older in the technology tree. I wanted something that was going to still be getting firmware upgrades and was not at or near end of life.

I went ahead and bought the 310 and for the first month I just did the basics with it.. I let it monitor my runs and my bike rides.. but then I discovered all the cool stuff.. I started to design workouts where the watch would tell me when to do things based on things like heart rate, distance, time, etc.. I programmed the entire "Couch to 5K" program into the watch and then modified it in ways that the C25K program could never have pulled off.. Like cool down periods in the interval training that were based on heart rate and distance that is actually measured by GPS.. I gotta say this is very cool!

There has been three firmware upgrades since I bought the watch and the latest one TOTALLY FIXED the elevation charting issues. Until the latest upgrade, the elevation data in the charts was noticeably inaccurate. The watch boots up and finds the satellites amazingly fast. I have the foot pod and the heart monitor belt. Both add a lot to my workouts..

The Garmin Connect web site mated up with the Garmin 310 is just awesome.. I have had no problems with the Garmin 310, it links up to my computer just fine and it links to my foot pod and HRM belt fine too. It was very expensive but it is well worth it. Highly Recommended!

This watch is supposedly designed for multi-sport use, and is marketed by Garmin as being "rugged". So I was very surprised, and disappointed when the faceplate cracked just from dropping a couple feet onto the floor. A search found many other people who have had this happen to them too. Garmin is saying it is damage caused by owner and not covered under warranty. It seems to be a bad design flaw that the face of the watch has no protection. Runners and Triathletes like myself will spread the word and steer people away from this product unless Garmin starts to stand by their "rugged" watch and fixes the design.

I had high expectations for this unit but were unfounded. Bottom line I returned it and am using my 305. NO WAY WORTH $350. I confirmed with Garmin that the calorie calculation is totally off with no software fixes in site. It also seems to record data on the wrong dates. This was also confirmed. Garmin released this and was no way ready. It is advertised as a triathlon watch but it wont track you in water so no better than a 19.95 Casio there. It is cool and finds satellites quicker but comes with nothing (not even a HRM for $350). Best advice go back to 305 for half the price. GArmin flopped on this one. PS I love Garmin products and own many. This one is NOT one to own...