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Customer Reviews for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
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Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Model: FORERUN405
SKU: 8844147
UPC: 753759075309
Create the ideal workout with this forerunner GPS sport watch. Use the virtual partner feature to train hard by racing a virtual competitor.
Average Customer Rating:
4.1
out of 5
(16 Reviews) 16
Rating Snapshot 16 reviews
5 stars
8
4 stars
5
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
2
81% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
13 out of
16)
Customer Reviews for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Review 1 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Poor Performer
Customer Rating
1.0
Value for Price
1.0
Durability
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Features
4.0
TERRIBLE in comparison to the Forerunner 305. The touch bezel is annoying, but the worst is the poor display of remaining battery life. It'll be 100% charged and after only a few minutes of use, the battery level will drop to 0%. After 15 sec of charging, it will up to 100% then drop again. It happens over and over.
Garmin KNOWS about it. They have a FAQ on their site, I followed it and all Support could tell me to do was follow it and the problem persists. Save a few hundred bucks and get the 305. I trained for and ran my first marathon with it without incident. Trust me.
What's great about it: Size and shape
What's not so great: Poor performance overall
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-2points
0out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
It's been good for a year!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: DaleDB
from Houston, Tx
on 12/09/2010
Value for Price
4.0
Durability
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
3.0
I have been using my 405 for a year now and have had no problems with it! It has been a consistant, accurate performer for many of miles both running and biking.
I mountain bike, road bike, road and trail run with it and have had some spills over the last year and not had any issues at other than if it gets wet. If it gets really wet as in submerged in water, the bezel goes crazy.
I have enjoyed the smaller more compact size than other Garmin models. The fact that I can wear it after a race and not look like I have a box attached to my wrist is great.
If I were buying another GPS device I would choose this one again after racing and working out with friends that have other tracking devices.
What's great about it: Size, features, durability
What's not so great: learning curve
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Great Concept, Horrible Quality
Customer Rating
3.0
Value for Price
2.0
Durability
1.0
Ease of Use
2.0
Features
5.0
This watch has been so great for my training, I would love to give it a 5 but I have had so many quality issues and I know many others have too.
I love being able to see my average pace while I am running, get my mile splits, know my exact distances, and see my heart rate.
The bezel is ok, but i would prefer buttons. I don't sweat that much but if I do the Bezel doesn't work.
But the Bezel is not my main issue. The real problem is that there are many bugs. My first Garmin worked for a few months, then stopped holding its charge. Sometimes it would only stay charged for about 10 minutes, other times it worked fine. Very unpredictable and problematic when it would die on the starting line of a race or mid-run.
Garmin then sent me a refurbished forerunner 405 which lasted for 2 runs before the screen froze and would not re-set (even with a master re-set). They sent me another refurbished which lasted about 6 weeks and then the screen went blank. Each time there is a problem I have to wait 35 minutes on hold before speaking to a Garmin representative. They are usually very helpful but can only replace with a refurbished watch. To be honest, I am not sure I want another 405. I borrowed a 305 when mine died this last time and yes, it is bulky, but the display is much more readable and the buttons actually work (oh, did I mention, the split buttons never worked on my original watch so I had to set autosplits).
My advice: Buy the 305, or even the new 310XT. Slightly bigger but more reliable. And get the Best Buy extended warranty--you'll probably need it!
I love being able to see my average pace while I am running, get my mile splits, know my exact distances, and see my heart rate.
The bezel is ok, but i would prefer buttons. I don't sweat that much but if I do the Bezel doesn't work.
But the Bezel is not my main issue. The real problem is that there are many bugs. My first Garmin worked for a few months, then stopped holding its charge. Sometimes it would only stay charged for about 10 minutes, other times it worked fine. Very unpredictable and problematic when it would die on the starting line of a race or mid-run.
Garmin then sent me a refurbished forerunner 405 which lasted for 2 runs before the screen froze and would not re-set (even with a master re-set). They sent me another refurbished which lasted about 6 weeks and then the screen went blank. Each time there is a problem I have to wait 35 minutes on hold before speaking to a Garmin representative. They are usually very helpful but can only replace with a refurbished watch. To be honest, I am not sure I want another 405. I borrowed a 305 when mine died this last time and yes, it is bulky, but the display is much more readable and the buttons actually work (oh, did I mention, the split buttons never worked on my original watch so I had to set autosplits).
My advice: Buy the 305, or even the new 310XT. Slightly bigger but more reliable. And get the Best Buy extended warranty--you'll probably need it!
What's great about it: pace information, distance, heart rate
What's not so great: lots of quality problems, buttons don't work, bezel unreliable, screen freezes
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+9points
9out of 9found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Great watch
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
3.0
Durability
3.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
Super training tool. This watch is easy to use once you get aclamated to it. Has led me to run a lot faster and train harder
What's great about it: real time info, not too large for a small wrist, light weight, big numbers are easy to read, accurate,
What's not so great: Hard to wirelessly connect the first time, had to reboot it once and lost any untransferred data and 5 minutes of time
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
LOVE this!!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: j4mcghee
from Fuquay Varina, NC
on 04/12/2010
I upgraded from the 305 after a lengthy debate with myself. I was worried that the slightest touch of the bezel would disrupt my training. No worries! I love that you can lock the bezel to prevent exactly that from happening. Haven't used it with the heart monitor yet, but plan to. The wireless data transfer is wonderful; I simply walk in the house and it transfers my workouts! LOVE this product and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who logs their workouts/progress/training.
What's great about it: Easy to use, great gadget for the money,
What's not so great: none so far
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
So many features
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: ALZ27
from Pullman, WA
on 03/17/2010
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
Had it for about a month. Love it's tracking and the internet page that collects your runs. Even does elevation. So much better than my forerunner 201. Keeps track of me under cloud cover and tree cover. Very very impressed and happy.
What's great about it: It does so many cool things, GPS, wireless transfer to my computer, and the website does a great job with mapping etc.
What's not so great: Shortish battery life, but I plug it in when I'm not running
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Awful design.
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: RyanMD
from Minnesota
on 02/03/2010
Value for Price
1.0
Durability
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Features
2.0
My Garmin 205 fell apart after 15 months. Terrible reliability. I bought the 405 because it was on special offer despite my misgivings. And it is awful. Features are worse than the 205. The bezel is a nuisance and if it is wet or you are sweating the bezel will hardly work at all. That does not make sense for a runner! It is unusable while running. A really poor effort from Garmin that makes running less enjoyable.
What's great about it: Not much. It's reasonably small.
What's not so great: It is practically unusable. Can't use it in the rain or when you sweat!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-3points
4out of 11found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Good Watch
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Nance135
from Warminster, PA
on 01/13/2010
Value for Price
4.0
Durability
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
This watch does so much, I am still learning all the things it does
What's great about it: Easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Great Watch
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Stacy213
from Charlottesville, VA
on 01/12/2010
Value for Price
4.0
Durability
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
Overall great watch. Can't see time while running.
What's great about it: Great for running. Keeps you motivated.
What's not so great: Read the user manual carefully. Lots of features.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
LOVE IT
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: KAN127
from Pittsburgh, PA
on 01/05/2010
Value for Price
5.0
Durability
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
I love this watch. Very easy to use. Very motivating to track your runs and your pace. I don't think I am using it to its full potential. There are different settings that I haven't tried out much such as the Virtual Partner. I like the fact that I come home from a run, hook the charger up and it uploads my data automatically. The only thing that seems to happen is that is loses a satellite a couple times during the run. Just for a brief second though. The web site is easy to use to analyze your data. I downloaded the software to my computer but it didn't seem to work correctly. It might be because I have another Garmin GPS software for a different device installed.
What's great about it: Easy to use right out of the box
What's not so great: Sometimes loses a satellite
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Best Running Watch!!!!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: marathonman24
from Mahwah, NJ
on 10/17/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Durability
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
I bought the Garmin 405 and the price was a little high, but now that I have used it for a few months I definitely got my moneys worth. I love this watch I am training for the NYC marathon and I took this watch on all my runs and my races and it is great, it will tell you your splits and you can save all your runs. It has gotten a lot smaller from the older models. This is my tool for running and I would recommend anyone to buy this watch, it is expensive but if you are a serious running like me go and pick one up you will be happy with it.
What's great about it: Easy to set-up, Bezel is great!!!
What's not so great: nothing
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Outstanding Fitness GPS
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: CFAaron
from Great Falls, MT
on 07/31/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Durability
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
I would just like to address some concerns that I read about when thinking about purchasing this watch.
First concern many people had was the size of the watch. I think a lot of people think that they are buying a regular timex watch when they buy the 405. Think about the size of the old forerunners (they looked like small wrist mounted PC). This is a huge step as far as size goes. I wear a Sunnto Vector (a normal outdoors man watch) and it is very close in size. It will not fit under a dress/button down shirt with ease, but why would you wear a sport watch with cooperate casual? If you are a women, it will look big on you, no way around it, but the 305 or lower models will look even bigger! I am a fit guy and the wrist band fits me good, if you have wrist the size of an apes, I do not know what to tell you. Loose weight before you purchase this watch.
I am unsure how it will stand up to some serious abuse. I am a big runner/hiker/hunter, but feel pretty confident that as long as I do not take a spill down a cliff face I will be okay. I have mixed feelings about the touch bezel. The tech geek part of me loves it, but the mountain man part of me likes buttons to push. I did like the sensitivity setting for the bezel. That was a huge plus in my book.
You can set this watch up for any type of work out you do. I am Cross Fit/middle distance runner (3-8 miles a day, depending). It works great for both. If you are an Ultra Marathon runner, you may want to look at something with a battery pack that you can carry on your back, or not take running so serious? The charger is great, you can hook it up blindfolded..
I read a lot of reviews from supposedly technical savy people but I doubt their abilities when I read things like "the software is horrible and needs to be updates". Guess what Garmin would not put a piece of junk out there, with horrible software. Not when you are a leading GPS manufacturer. There are brand new software up dates you need to install (just like any new piece of technology that is out there today). So once you buy your watch, do not strap it on and hit the road. Read the user guild and charge you watch. Then go on line and register and update your product. Then everything will be kudos and good to go.
I hope you love it as much as I do, I hate people who are never happy with any thing they buy and just complain. Well may be they should stick witht eh old way of driving there running route to figure out the distance. Then time themselves with a watch and do simple math after the run. If you are tired of doing it that way like I was, get the 405 and run happy!
First concern many people had was the size of the watch. I think a lot of people think that they are buying a regular timex watch when they buy the 405. Think about the size of the old forerunners (they looked like small wrist mounted PC). This is a huge step as far as size goes. I wear a Sunnto Vector (a normal outdoors man watch) and it is very close in size. It will not fit under a dress/button down shirt with ease, but why would you wear a sport watch with cooperate casual? If you are a women, it will look big on you, no way around it, but the 305 or lower models will look even bigger! I am a fit guy and the wrist band fits me good, if you have wrist the size of an apes, I do not know what to tell you. Loose weight before you purchase this watch.
I am unsure how it will stand up to some serious abuse. I am a big runner/hiker/hunter, but feel pretty confident that as long as I do not take a spill down a cliff face I will be okay. I have mixed feelings about the touch bezel. The tech geek part of me loves it, but the mountain man part of me likes buttons to push. I did like the sensitivity setting for the bezel. That was a huge plus in my book.
You can set this watch up for any type of work out you do. I am Cross Fit/middle distance runner (3-8 miles a day, depending). It works great for both. If you are an Ultra Marathon runner, you may want to look at something with a battery pack that you can carry on your back, or not take running so serious? The charger is great, you can hook it up blindfolded..
I read a lot of reviews from supposedly technical savy people but I doubt their abilities when I read things like "the software is horrible and needs to be updates". Guess what Garmin would not put a piece of junk out there, with horrible software. Not when you are a leading GPS manufacturer. There are brand new software up dates you need to install (just like any new piece of technology that is out there today). So once you buy your watch, do not strap it on and hit the road. Read the user guild and charge you watch. Then go on line and register and update your product. Then everything will be kudos and good to go.
I hope you love it as much as I do, I hate people who are never happy with any thing they buy and just complain. Well may be they should stick witht eh old way of driving there running route to figure out the distance. Then time themselves with a watch and do simple math after the run. If you are tired of doing it that way like I was, get the 405 and run happy!
What's great about it: The size!
What's not so great: Do not know if I am a big fan of touch bezal ring!
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
6out of 12found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Love the watch
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Kim100
from Portland,OR
on 04/24/2009
Value for Price
3.0
Durability
3.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Features
5.0
Got the watch about a month ago......I love it...as a tool for running...but I can't give it a 5 stars for the price I paid based on the quirks it has....
What I would give 5 stars:
1. Information you can pull out of it
2. Picks up satellite quickly
3. Looks like a normal watch
4. Great if you just hit the button and go...will track everything and let you program 3 items you want to see throughout the run. This is me....so I love it and would recommend it for a runner like me who runs almost everyday but not serious about being competitive...just fitness and some 5k and 10k's but loves to see my progress.
5. I love the information I get on the upload to the Garmin site
6. Best Buy doesn't offer the heart rate monitor with the watch but Amazon hast he Garmin Heart Rate monitor and it syncs up immediately with the watch. I think it was about $35.00.
7. The Heart Rate monitor works with the watch at the Gym and doesn't pick up on the machines (I get so mad when somebody else's heart rate is showing up on my machine!!)
2. Picks up satellite quickly
3. Looks like a normal watch
4. Great if you just hit the button and go...will track everything and let you program 3 items you want to see throughout the run. This is me....so I love it and would recommend it for a runner like me who runs almost everyday but not serious about being competitive...just fitness and some 5k and 10k's but loves to see my progress.
5. I love the information I get on the upload to the Garmin site
6. Best Buy doesn't offer the heart rate monitor with the watch but Amazon hast he Garmin Heart Rate monitor and it syncs up immediately with the watch. I think it was about $35.00.
7. The Heart Rate monitor works with the watch at the Gym and doesn't pick up on the machines (I get so mad when somebody else's heart rate is showing up on my machine!!)
What needs improvement:
1. Battery does not last long....I keep it on the charger all the time because if I don't it will not last through a run.
2. Usually downloads easily but sometimes has quirks and takes some manipulation to get it to do so.
3. As I said above great if you don't want to check anything other than what's programmed while you are running....I can see how really serious runners would get bothered if they were trying to see other items while running....that is difficult. It is great for me though.....
4. The bezel.....it's ok but could be much better. I do have to say I'm getting use to it and love the fact that I can lock it so it doesn't accidentally get bumped and mess up my run.
5. I think it is way over priced for the amount of problems it has.......
2. Usually downloads easily but sometimes has quirks and takes some manipulation to get it to do so.
3. As I said above great if you don't want to check anything other than what's programmed while you are running....I can see how really serious runners would get bothered if they were trying to see other items while running....that is difficult. It is great for me though.....
4. The bezel.....it's ok but could be much better. I do have to say I'm getting use to it and love the fact that I can lock it so it doesn't accidentally get bumped and mess up my run.
5. I think it is way over priced for the amount of problems it has.......
Overall....I love the watch....but I also am extremely happy I bought the BestBuy extended warranty because I can already tell with the little quirks I have experienced I will probably get good use out of it.
If you love gadgets like my you will love this watch....just buy the warranty....
Happy Running ;-)
What's great about it: Great tool for running
What's not so great: Battery having to be charged and doesn't last very long
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
OUT OF THIS WORLD!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: JoeRules
from Houston, TX
on 04/03/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Durability
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
SWEET, SWEET, and........................................ SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What's great about it: Quicker, smaller, more accurate, and anything else you can think of!
What's not so great: ZIP
I would recommend this to a friend!
-4points
0out of 4found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
SSSWWWEEEEEETTT!!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: RunningRules
from Charolette, NC
on 02/05/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Durability
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
This thing is sweet!!! BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What's great about it: It's simple, quicker, and more accurate than ever!
What's not so great: Nuthin'! Dugh!
I would recommend this to a friend!
-4points
0out of 4found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS - Black
Best Training Tool Ever
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: medtriguy
from chicago, IL
on 10/31/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Durability
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
This is the wave of the future for serious athletes. Please buy this product!! You won't regret it!!!
What's great about it: easy to use, more options and new wave of technology
What's not so great: nothing!!!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
-2points
3out of 8found this review helpful.
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