Fitness/adventure watch replacement needed

[Matthunts8]

Due to my band breaking while swimming, in the Atlantic Ocean, with my kids while on vacation…I am in need of a new watch…as mine is at the bottom of the ocean somewhere.

It was a Garmin Fenix 5x sapphire. I loved that watch! Wore everyday for 4+ yrs. I used for tracking sleep, workouts, training runs, cycling and OCR’s. Also loved using it on scouting hikes/rucks.

I’ve been checking out the new Fenix 6 and 5X plus…any opinions on these or another watch(es) I should consider?

Thanks for your input!! I appreciate it!
-Matt


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[Owens]

If you had and loved the Fenix 5x for four years stop looking and don't waste time, just get the 6x Pro. It does everything that that 5x does with more accuracy (compared to guys with the 5 that I run with regularly) and way longer battery life. For an example of the 6x battery life, I ran the Bighorn 100 in June. I started the race on Friday with a full charge. Finished Saturday afternoon with full GPS tracking and optical heart rate monitoring. Not sure what the battery life was when I finished, but I didn't need to charge it until Tuesday after the race. I'm sure there are other features that 6x has over the 5x, but they are beyond what I need or use. As a side note, I have the Pro with Gorilla glass instead of the Sapphire and haven't had any issues with scratches or anything else on the glass. So save yourself $100, I don't think the sapphire is necessary.

 

[Highhuntin]

I have the Fenix 6 sapphire and really like it, tried a 5x at one point but was to big for my wrist

 

[Matthunts8]

Thanks for the quick replies…I was curious about the difference in the glass for $100 savings.

The look on my wife’s face when I showed her my empty wrist was not a good one…especially when my son blurted out that I’d lost my watch to a rogue wave!


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[Highhuntin]

I like the sapphire glass and feel it is worth it, I’m not really gentle with it and bang it around a bit at work and I think it helps.

 

[Glyn Ingram]

If I lost my Fenix 5+ Sapphire I would be in a similar position to you. I love this watch and would either buy exactly the same again or look at whatever Fenix 6 had similar spec.

 

[bgogden01]

I have the garmin 945 and love what it provides along with how lightweight it is. I do have to consider its durability in some scenarios.

 

[Matthunts8]

Anyone have the fenix 5x plus? I would be ok simply replacing my Fenix 5x but was curious about someone’s experience.

I just brought home a new puppy (chocolate lab) on the way home from this same vacation so my budget may not allow me to get the latest greatest Fenix 6 solar…


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[Highhuntin]

Besides the overall size and weight of the 5x I didn’t like how the screen it’s so much smaller than the outside bezel

 

[Owens]

I have a couple of friends who run with the 5x plus. From what I know, I don't think you would be disappointed going that route. One other advantage of the 6x is the number of data points you can add to the watch face. I have 8 different data points set for my trail run activity... Admittedly though, I'm getting old and they aren't the easiest to read. Note, this is on the 6x, the 6 has a smaller watch face. From the research I did, I chose to skip the Solar version on the Fenix 6 models. If you do some looking, the battery life gains are negligible at best.

 

[MidwestElkHutner]

A few week ago, I picked up the Fenix 5x + sapphire. Previously, I was using an old forerunner. The watch is amazing, but I just couldn't get use to the difference in size compared to the forerunner. I went ahead and tried the Garmin Instinct. Doesn't have the color display and not as many bells and whistles, but it just feels better on my wrist and does what I need. Know the Fenix 5 + is sitting in my nightstand. Probably just sell the Fenix 5 +.

 

[Rt_nevada]

I have the garmin enduro. It’s basically the same as the Fenix 6 other than the map feature and the music feature. But where this watch shines is the battery life. It’s truly amazing how long you can go in gps mode on a full charge. I think garmin’s website claims 80 hours or something around there. I’ll never need gps mode for that long, but it’s a nice peace of mind knowing your watch won’t die no matter how much you use it for navigation on hikes, trail runs, or backpacking trips.

 

[FrozenFox]

Garmin instinct Solar is a great option as well. Long battery life. GPS functions great. User friendly. Tracks your activities.

 

[TexDoc]

I've had the Fenix 6s Pro for about a year and a half and love it...my 2 cents. The battery life is typically about 6 days with lots of workout and GPS tracking used.