# Garmin Fenix 2 first thoughts



## heyyall (Nov 10, 2011)

The GPS watch I have been waiting for now has arrived. I used some REI dividends to purchase the watch + hrm bundle.

I've taken the watch out on a 3 mile road run and two bike rides while traveling. I thought I would share some of my initial thoughts.

Watch in time mode
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Profile shot
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First impressions:
The watch has mass! I haven't weighed the watch, but it feels to be slightly heavier than an iPhone. You can feel it on your arm, particularly when running. I wouldn't go as far as saying it is heavy, but it is noticeable.

GPS sensitivity. I don't really intend to use the watch during mountain biking. Rather, it is going to be for multisport activities (swimming + a little running, hiking, canoeing). I had the unit fixed on the GPS in MN and flew to DC while the watch was powered off. I turned it on and it very quickly locked onto the satellites once powered on again. I took two bikes rides in DC and the logged course appears to be very well done with the default (1 sec recording) recording.

Ease of use. It is so simple to start an activity and have it upload to Garmin Connect via BT4. That was a key factor that I was waiting on...who has time to carry a bunch of cables while traveling.

Battery. The unit claims to have battery range of ~15 hrs up to weeks depending on how the GPS functions. I used the default setting and powered the watch off when I wasn't riding. Two hours of riding used around 10% of the battery. That's very nice for traveling...again, I can leave the cables at home.

I'm going to do a few swim tests over the coming weeks. Until then, I'm happy to report the watch seems to be just what I was looking for.

For those wanting a uber detailed review, DC Rainmaker has a blog post about it.


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## DriverB (Apr 29, 2014)

Have you attempted to use for MTB yet? I'm also interested in this watch to use as an all around cross-sport watch, but if it isn't a reasonably good option for MTB (vs Strava on my iPhone 5), i'm less inclined. Have read the DC Rainmaker stuff, but curious as to how it stands up to a real MTBer day in and day out.


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## heyyall (Nov 10, 2011)

DriverB said:


> Have you attempted to use for MTB yet? I'm also interested in this watch to use as an all around cross-sport watch, but if it isn't a reasonably good option for MTB (vs Strava on my iPhone 5), i'm less inclined. Have read the DC Rainmaker stuff, but curious as to how it stands up to a real MTBer day in and day out.


I haven't mountain biked with it. We are slowing coming into spring. I did take it on a challenging hike last weekend. There were large bluffs and heavy tree coverage. It did just fine. Once spring comes around, I'll get side by side comparisons with my 510.

I really do like the watch. It is spendy but hits everything I want it to do.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

I like that it can be used as a watch more easily than the 910xt


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