Garmin Forerunner 35, Easy-to-Use GPS Running Watch, Frost Blue, 1 (010-01689-02)

8 reviews for Garmin Forerunner 35, Easy-to-Use GPS Running Watch, Frost Blue, 1 (010-01689-02)

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kindle Customer – January 25, 2024

   Before I bought this watch, I researched for months many different running watches before I made my decision. I kept coming back to this watch, but was delaying due to the negative reviews. Let me tell you who this watch is/isn’t for. Sidenote I’ve had an Apple Watch before and I absolutely hated it. People think when they get the watch they will use it to call/text but come on, the screen is so small anyways, I’d get irritated and never use it for those features. The one feature I did like, the sleep tracker, I never used because the watch would die like every day and I’d have to charge it at night in order to use it the next day! Super irritating. Also, mileage was ALWAYS off when running. Like, off by a lot and I could probably have fixed this, but was too lazy to and felt like that shouldn’t happen with an Apple Watch.

   The Garmin watch is meant for a runner. If you aren’t such a serious runner maybe running 1-2 miles then I’m sure you can get away with something else but the main reason I needed a watch was to track my mileage and timing ONLY during my daily runs and races. I average around 30 miles per week and so holding my phone while running just wasn’t cutting it. I am a millennial and like my technology but I didn’t need a damn watch to do all these special features that I had at my disposal before but never used. This was one of the negative comments I kept seeing- how this watch was simple. Well, I just need it to tell me my distance accurately so that’s what it’s for. Bonus points that it also gives HR continuously and tracks your sleep so to me it’s amazing. Also without a touchscreen I don’t have to worry about accidentally hitting a button. It’s easy and that’s all I need. ALSO I only have to charge it like weekly not even that if I actually waited for it to die which I never do. That is huge for me especially after having the Apple Watch. It is GPS acquired and I’ve run with it on a track and multiple races so I know it’s definitely accurate. Had this watch since January and have had no issues. Love when you’re done running you can sync the phone easily to come up in the app so you can see everything even in more details. One thing I will address is the pacing. People say the average pace pr mile is slow and takes a while to catch up. While this may be the case, this does not bother me one bit because i’ve been running for so long I have my pacing down. I’m looking at the time like oh, at 2:00 minutes I am hitting .2, at 3 I should be at .3, for example. I always know what my mile time is going to be around and it’s always at that time so this doesn’t bother me at all. In summary, while the watch screen may not be like super fancy looking, I’ve been over the Apple Watch since I got it and this watch literally does what it’s supposed to- accurately give you your running distance and time.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Anina Peter-Borman – January 30, 2024

   Love the watch

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Edward Martinez – February 2, 2024

   TLDR: Good for few-whistles, basic data tracking (miles and time) with some new perks. If you want high-fidelity data or activity tracking, programmable workouts, integration with other devices/apps, I suggest you

   Purchased this about 3 months ago (May 2020) primarily to track distance/speed for running (M, ~160 lbs, ~20 miles/week). Previously spent about 7 years with the Forerunner 205 and Forerunner 15. This is basically the Forerunner 15 with some added activity tracking (wrist HR monitoring, cardio, etc.) and a much trendier look. I bought this to replace my FR15 and they are almost the same price even after all these years. I suspect the wrist HR monitoring and visual overhaul are responsible for the relative price hike; unfortunately both are features I didn’t particularly care for. On the first use or two, it took some time to acquire satellites (>3 min) , but after that it routinely is ready to go after ~30s (even from inside my apt). I imagine if you travel long distances, it will go take a while to acquire satellites again.

   While running, the primary display contains time and distance which is really all I personally care about. Other screens contain instantaneous pace, calories burned, HR, etc. I’ve personally never found the real-time pace indication to be particularly, even on the slightly higher end FR205.

   Heart rate has also been inconsistent: when I’m just sitting on my couch it indicated HRs of over 120, and when I’ve been gasping for breath mid-workout, it’s indicated my HR was <50. HR tracking via wrists is not an easy task, and I haven't tried more popular activity trackers so I can't speak to the relative accuracy. The manual includes instructions on how to properly place the the watch on your wrist, which I followed but to no avail. After about 2 months with the watch, HR does seem to have dialed in a little better, but still has a great deal of variance. If you're really into accurate data collection, you're probably better off with a dedicated fitness tracker or a more expensive model as the step counter feature isn't particularly great either.

   As far as GPS quality goes, it seems to be fairly reliable. Compared to manually mapping my runs, this comes reasonably close. With all the Forerunner models I’ve found that the fewer turns you take, the more accurate the GPS tracking is. Can’t speak for the accuracy during swimming or biking. I did have the GPS go haywire (> 25% error on the total run distance) on one run during the first week, which worried me a bit. Seems like it was an isolated incident as it has not occurred since and I’ve had that occasionally happen with the other models.

   In all, perfect for my use with the added benefit of being more flashy and with a few new features. I could have done without the fitbit cross-over redesign, but it ain’t bad. Worried about the glass screen not being as durable, but time will tell. If you want higher accuracy or more control over your data and workouts, go with a higher end watch. This a decent mix of capability and cost if you want all you want is to track time and miles without having to bring your phone along.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Andy – February 3, 2024

   Purchased this a few years ago and still going strong! Mostly used when skiing. Excellent product and easy to use.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Daniel Ramos – February 12, 2024

   UM dos melhores custo beneficio. Marca tudo que voce precisa saber em um treino de bike/esteira/corrida …e com uma excelente eficacia!

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Acreage Dad – February 18, 2024

   This is simply the best watch for value. Yes, you can get more expensive watches that have one or two more features, but basically this watch can do almost everything that you could ever want, at a cheap price. The app is great, the watch is thin and great, and very accurate and realiable with fantastic battery life.

   The only people who should perhaps not get this watch are swimmers. It doesn’t have swim capabilities, so if you are into tris in a big way or swimming in general, then you should look at swim friendly watches that can count laps. But if you are not a big swimmer, then get this watch.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jules T – March 12, 2024

   This is my 4th Forerunner in 20 years…the last one bit the dust during a bike crash. I considered upgrading to a fancier model, with music and an auto pause maybe, and just decided that simpler is better for me. This watch is idiot proof. You’re only using 4 buttons (and really only 2 mostly). It’s super easy to start, does a great job of tracking mileage and routes and you can easily view your workouts afterwards. Love the breakdown of HR zones and ESPECIALLY love than an accurate HR is viewable with one touch of a button throughout my day. I always encourage my personal training clients to buy a Garmin versus an Apple Watch when specifically needing a FITNESS watch. No unnecessary junk. I find it comfortable enough to wear at night, but it took a few days initially to get used to. Very accurate on runs and bike rides but I find it’s not QUITE as accurate in the “Cardio” mode if I’m on the stair master, for example. Other than that, highly recommend!

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Liza Román – March 20, 2024

   Yo compré este reloj buscando un reloj que pudiera medir con precisión mis recorridos en bicicleta. Me gusta que su GPS integrado me permite salir de casa sin el celular y aún así me da todas las estadísticas que necesito. Cuando lo conectas con la aplicación movil de “Garmin connect” puedes ver a detalle tu el mapa de tu recorrido, diferentes gráficas de velicidad, ritmo cardiaco, elevación, entre otras.

   Este reloj es uno de los más básicos de Garmin. Sólo puedes medir los siguientes tipos de ejercicio:
   Ciclismo
   Correr
   Caminar
   Cardio

   Los he usado todos y funciona bastante bien. El único que no me queda claro cómo funciona es el de Cardio pues, entiendo que es para rutinas de gym, pero a veces lo uso para saltar la cuerda, hacer HIIT o hacer yoga. Ahí sí no sé que tan preciso sea pero aún en ese modo me parece que las estimaciones son buenas.

   La batería le dura muchísimo y dado que yo lo apago por las noches le dura aún más. Yo creo que lo recargo una vez a la semana.

   Hasta ahora llevo 4 meses con él y no me ha dado ningún problema. Lo único que no me gusta es que no tiene la opción de cronómetro, sólo cuando estas en médio de una actividad física.