BACKGROUND:
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I have used a Garmin 405 to track my weekend long runs for about 1.5 years. Previously I owned the Garmin 305. I'm using the 110 with with my 405 chest strap (saved me $50).
SUMMARY:
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The 110 does everything I do with my 405 in a significantly smaller, lighter form factor with a superior GPS chip (in theory, to be proven).
REASONS WHY I LIKE MY NEW 110 BETTER THAN MY OLD 405:
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* It's smaller and less bulky than the 405, looks and feels like a regular watch, and wraps snugly around my smallish wrist.
* I don't have to fiddle around with the temperamental 405 touch-(in)sensitive bezel.
* The displayed numbers for distance/hr/time/pace are bigger on the 110 than the 405, so easier for me to read on the run.
* There are fewer menus to navigate.
* Like the 405, GPS locking and accuracy works just fine, even under trees (more below).
* Like the 405, I can set the auto-lap to increment every 1 mile (other distances available).
* The 110 displays everything I want to track during and after my run.
- Elapsed distance (for run), Elapsed time (for run), Current HR, Average pace (for current lap), Last lap pace (displayed automatically for a few seconds after each lap), Average HR (for run), Average pace (for run). Average HR and pace for the entire run are show under "History" at the end of my run.
* To make this tangible, I can glance at the watch to see that so far I've run 2.1 miles in 21 minutes, my current HR is 160, my pace for the current mile (mile 3) is 9:56 and my pace for the last lap (mile 2) was 10:01. At the end of my run, I click through to "History" and see that my average HR for the entire run was 162bpm and my average pace was 9:54 minute miles. For me, currently, all I care about is keeping my HR in the 160-170bpm range (your range will probably be different) while trying to keep my pace under 10:00. In general, I suspect most runners will have the same requirements: Track your current HR to keep it within a target range while attempting to meet or beat a per-mile pace goal.
* The 110 has a longer battery life
* I never used the other 405 features like courses, virtual partner, etc. Ironically, I "customized" the 405 screens to pretty much do what the 110 displays by default (but cannot be changes).
WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT "CURRENT PACE"?
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I guess some runners want to know the pace they are running RIGHT NOW. Think of it as their instantaneous pace - kinda like what a car speedometer gives you. Some folks call it "current pace" but that can be confusing when you also have average pace for the current mile, so let's call current pace the "right-now" pace. Unlike the 405, the 110 does not give you your right-now pace. Instead you get your average pace for the current lap. If your auto-lap is set to 1 mile (the default setting) then you'll see your average pace for the current mile. I for one don't need right-now pace. Since I'm trying to hit per-mile pace goals I want to see my average pace for the current mile. If I'm trying to hit a 10:00 pace for the current mile, and I start out too slow, the 110 will tell me my average pace for the current mile is slower, let's say 11:00, and I know I need to run the rest of the mile faster to bring my average pace for the current mile down from 11:00 to my target pace of 10:00. As I speed up, my average pace for the current mile will slowly drop from 11:00 to 10:00. Bottom line: Right-now pace doesn't help me hit per-mile pace goals so I could care less if it's "missing" from the 110. If all you are doing is trying to hit per-mile pace goals (eg run a 10:00 miles) then you'll be just fine with the 110.
ANY GPS ISSUES?
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Not for me. Check out connect dot garmin dot com slash activity slash 44862992 and you'll see my test walk/run. Click to view the map in "Satellite" mode and notice that most of my test walk was under thick tree cover. Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS-Enabled Unisex Sport Watch (Black)
NOTE THAT THIS IS A FIRST IMPRESSION REVIEW:
Here is some information I couldn't find elsewhere
1. The watch does not have "bike mode" as has its predecessors, but it CAN be set to tell you your speed in mph/kph.
2. The the light and right buttons take a bit of force to press while the lower left button is much easier. Maybe the tougher buttons are that way so your wrist doesn't press them.
3. When you start and stop the timer, the watch gives you a pop-up window that says "timer started" or "timer stopped" which takes a few seconds to disappear. It's kind of annoying.
4. When you tell the watch to go out of gps mode, you have to wait about a minute before you can tell it to go back into gps mode. The reverse is also true. Again, this nuance is not a deal breaker, but it's annoying.
5. When you press the "lap" button while timing. The screen will change and give you the lap time for about 10 seconds and then return to the screen that gives you total elapsed time. In other words, there is no way to view your lap time as it increases. It's only viewable at the END of the lap.
6. To reset the stopwatch, you have to hold "reset" for 3 seconds. That's irritatingly slow.
This watch is certainly less gigantic than the 205/305. I think it's a bit smaller than the 405 too. It has a solid, well made "feel" but is not very heavy. The band is comfortable for a plastic watch and has a circumference of about 9". As stated in the instructions, you have to hold still for the watch to acquire satellite signals. It easily gets signals faster than my 60csx which has a SiRf III chip, but I'm not sure how the 205/305/405's compare. Beyond telling the watch to report 12/24 hour mode, pace/speed, km/mi, and beeps/alarm only/off you can't customize much about what it shows you.
Sadly, I haven't had time to take the watch on a run or match it with my 60csx, but I will try to post that data this weekend.
Overall, this watch seems like it should do what it was made to do just fine. Due to its sluggish stopwatch, expense, bulk, and lack of simultaneous showing of elapsed lap and total elapsed times, I won't take it to the gym any time soon. That said, I am still excited to try it on runs and bike rides.
Also, I highly recommend Clever Training as a vendor. I ordered the watch on Sunday and got it on Wednesday.
UPDATE: 5-10-2010
I took this watch on a run along with my 60csx. For the duration of the 2.4 mile run, they stayed within 0.02 of a mile of each other (usually 0.01). I could not compare the speeds directly because the 110 only gives you a running average. It would be nice if Garmin would allow you to change that feature. Sometimes the 110 will get a signal in about 15 seconds, but sometimes it takes more like a minute. - Running - Running Watch - Garmin - Gps'
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