Smart/sports watches

[Old_Mac_Donald]

My fitbit is losing battery rapidly, so I am looking to upgrade. I want something with a reasonable battery life (so Apple watches are out) and reasonably priced.

Anyone here use Garmin Forerunner / Vivomove 4 / Venu when riding? Heart rate, steps, O2, sleep are things I am interested in tracking. Good battery life on watch-mode.

Anything you’d recommend staying away from?

Budget under $300 USD, no Fenixes sorry!

I love the look and idea of an Apple watch but charging it every 18 hours does not appeal to me. Polar do a horse mode, but not for iOS. Garmin seemed the most reliable.

[Bluey]

I have an Apple one that last over a day and charges in less than half an an hour?

My problem is that I must be allergic to something in it, get a rash under the watch after wearing it a couple days.

Being on CPAP don’t need the sleep function data.

Will be also interested in what others suggest.

[dmveventer]

I love my Garmin! I’d hate having to charge my watch every day and I like knowing the watches were designed to withstand all sorts of outdoor activities. I’ve banged mine around at the barn for years without so much as a scratch. I have a Fenix 7s now but had a Vivoactive 4s before that which is similar to the other watches you listed off, and I really liked it. I’d get about a week’s worth of battery out of the Vivo even with logging daily workouts.

Garmin’s system does include riding as an activity but you can’t access it directly from all the watches. On the Vivo I logged all my rides as a “cardio” activity and then changed the classification from the app later. I didn’t find this to be a huge deal because I only used the cardio profile for riding anyway, and you could create a second cardio profile to keep things separate if you wanted to. The more expensive watches allow you to set up activity profiles on your watch specifically for riding (you can check these under “available outdoor recreation profiles” in the specs page for each watch). On my Fenix I have a general riding profile and one for cross country.

The Venu is Garmin’s dupe for the Apple watch, with a fancier screen than the others and more smartwatch features on top of the fitness stuff. That does suck up more battery power though; it’s still rated for a week+ but just something to be aware of. Garmin also upgraded their sleep tracking software within the last 2 years, I think most watches have gotten the upgrade by now but that’s something else you can look into if sleep tracking is important to you. Sleep has been Garmin’s weak spot for a while - the older software was mediocre, the new one is generally decent but not 100% accurate. I really like their “body battery” metric though and generally find that to be pretty accurate for how I’m feeling throughout the day.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Thanks!! That is super helpful!

[widge]

Look at Coros, their batteries last forever.

[Knubbsy]

I have the Vivoactive 4S after using the Vivosmart versions in the past but wanted more functions. I did change the band because I get rashes from silicone bands but that’s easy enough to switch out. My biggest complaint is the one @dmveventer said, riding isn’t listed as an option on the watch face itself, I use “train” for riding outside since that’s vague.

I debated getting a Fenix (at the time I think 6S) but wanted something much cheaper.

[anon40672407]

I got a Spade and Co. when my fitbit died, because I could never read the fitbit dial when I was riding (sunlight). The Smart Watch I can read. The watch lasts nearly a week on a charge, and does a good job of monitoring. However, it uses a 3rd party app to report, and that’s a bit confusing to get used to. The fitbit app was much clearer.

[walktrot]

There is an Apple watch that has an emergency help function for falls (for senior citizens ya know). The problem is that it won’t work with my genuine Tracfone flip phone. I thnk it can’t access their network.

I won’t do a smart phone. My friends all know they can text me and I can text them back. Every once in a while I get a call. I use the calendar. These days, the only place that has magazines in the waiting room is the dentist, and they have the AQHA journal.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

@walktrot That’s great about your dentist… not sure what it has to do with smart watches though.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Never heard of them, checked them out, and found the perfect watch - The Coros Pace 2! Ticks all the boxes!! Thank you!!

[Displaced_Yankee]

It sounds like you found something, but I’d still like to chime in.

I have the Garmin Lily Sport ($199). I have very small wrists and many smart watches look clunky on me.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/698519/pn/010-02384-00

I use mine to track heart rate (when working out or riding), sleep, water intake, calories burned, etc. I turned off the O2 tracking because it didn’t interest me. Mine lasts about 6 days and recharges in an hour or less. (I also turned off all the tracking features I don’t use to extend battery life).

Two other features that I like:

1. stylish enough to wear to the office
2. emergency alerts. I added two contacts, my fiance and my landlord and tested the function. When I hit the emergency button it sends a text to my contacts that says something like “Displaced Yankee may need help” and a GPS/map location to where I am. I don’t need to be near my phone for this to work, which is nice.

Glad you found something!

[Old_Mac_Donald]

I downloaded Equilab for the safety feature, for just that reason!! “Help! Took a sand bath off the horse. Send doughnuts and a medivac”

I want something similar for my mum.

[TheJenners]

@Old_Mac_Donald

Coros Pace 2

That does look tempting, unfortunately I need fall detection since I ride alone at home and live by myself. I’m hoping for more recommendations I currently use a Garmin, no horse function so I put it on “outdoor walk” since I don’t really think it’s running and regular “cardio” doesn’t activate the fall detection.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Equilab. It’s an app. You set it to record your GPS from your phone, and if you stop moving for a period of time, it… does something.

Apparently the newer iPhones themselves have fall detection.

[TheJenners]

I use pivo so having it on my phone doesn’t help.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

I got my new Coros Pace 2 yesterday, and I love it! It is exactly what I wanted - thank you!! I had never heard of the brand before, and I am so thrilled I asked here (even though it is an odd topic for a horse forum)

[widge]

I’m glad you like it! A friend who is an ultra marathoner recommended the brand to me so I knew it would work out from a battery life and data perspective. I had the apex for several years but I have basically stopped running

[Curly_Feather]

I have a Garmin VivoActive. I like it a lot. Battery lasts 4-5 days.

[arbeegirl]

I know you said you were not interested in an Apple Watch but I just wanted to say I don’t charge mine daily. I wear mine 24/7 too. I have to charge every other day. I guess the more you use the apps, the more you have to charge. The charging itself is fast. I throw the watch on the charger in the evening while watching tv.

I currently have a series 6 which has fall detection. Funny thing though, I have fallen twice (once from an horse & once I tripped on the sidewalk) and my falls weren’t detected. But when I hit my arm hard on the door, it detected a fall and asked if I needed help😂

To save on the cost, I get the watch when it’s been out a while and usually from target. They have sales and I use my redcard giving me a little more of a discount.

[ZuzusPetals]

Coat the part that touches your skin in clear nail polish