Review: Garmin Forerunner 405 HR

Recently my brother asked me what I thought about my Garmin Forerunner 405, and I did a quick impromptu review for him, which I decided to rework into this post. This is my Forerunner 405:


As you can see, it's a handsome watch, and Garmin developed a touch-sensitive bezel (the metal ring) for controlling the various menus of the device. It has a GPS receiver, and will record your path, speed, elevation and other GPS-derived data. I also have the heart rate monitor, so it will also record heart rate. I purchased it before summer 2009 so I could record my trail runs, especially in the high peaks where my cell phone GPS software would not work due to lack of cell phone signal.

My brother was interested in comparing this watch to the Forerunner 305, which can be purchased at a significant discount, and the 405, which still costs around $350 at the time of publication.

Although I do like my 405, and it has served my purposes fairly well, it's not perfect. Here's my assessment:

PROS

• The touch bezel makes for a nice-looking watch.
  
• The bezel itself has worked as advertised.
• When it has a good signal lock, the track is very accurate. Occasionally the entire path is off by as much as 30 feet when overlaid on a satellite image, but I think this is due to the signal quality and the relative path recorded is incredibly accurate. It records very small deviations in my track, for example if I go around a different tree on the return trip. Spooky.
• The live display of pace, distance and elevation works well.
• I have the watch set to cycle automatically between several screens while running, and this works well too.
• The wireless data transfer works fine and is a nice convenience. I get home, and if I'm near the laptop it just transfers the data. For speed sometimes I'll take it off and put it near the computer.
• I have not used the heart rate monitor a lot, but when I do it seems to work properly. I even took it on one of my peak runs, and it was comfortable enough for a couple of hours.

CONS

• To lock and unlock the bezel you have to press both buttons at exactly the same time, and it's touchy and does not always work on the first try.
• Unlike Timex watches where you push one button for backlighting, on the 405 it can take several awkward steps depending on if you have the bezel locked and whether it's in sleep mode. If it's in sleep mode, you need to touch a button to bring it into normal mode. Then, if the bezel is locked, you need to press both buttons at the same time. To turn the backlight on, touch the bezel with two fingers, on opposite sides of the watch. Then, optionally press both buttons again if you want to re-lock the bezel.
• I have had two occasions on mountain runs where the GPS "freaked out" and placed me far off the actual trail (on part of my La Plata Peak run, it was off by over a mile both horizontally and vertically, i.e. the elevation read 450 ft when I was actually at 11,500 ft!), but it is possible that might have happened with any device. I have no way of knowing. Now on the peak runs I record with a backup device such as my Garmin handheld.
• Apparently the touch bezel does not work if you are really sweaty or otherwise wet. In Colorado I have never had this problem, but in the Midwest it might be a concern.
• Sometimes it needs a reset. Recently I had to do a master reset to default settings to get it to work.
  
• The live slope (i.e. the degrees up or down you are traveling) is pretty much useless (it often says I am ascending when descending, the slope is not accurate), but this does not really concern me. I mainly use elevation, pace and distance.
• The start/stop button is very easy to push accidentally if you have anything covering your wrist like a jacket. I have to be careful when adjusting gloves or sleeve.
• The stop/clear function at the end of a run is touchy and sometimes re-starts the timer instead of resetting to zero. I've probably cursed more about this than any other feature.

As you can see, there are more cons than pros, but it's still a solid device overall. I'd probably grade it an "A" for GPS and training functionality (i.e. the recording and accuracy of data), and give it a "B-" for user interface.

My main complaints with the device are related to the use of the buttons. They need a more reliable, firm feel, and the minimalism of the interface is not always practical. The difficulty of pressing the two buttons simultaneously is the most problematic, followed by the errant stop button and other problems. I should note that these problems do not prevent me from using the device, but make it less convenient, and occur a significant number of times, maybe 1/3 of the time.

Although some users have complained about the bezel, it has worked well enough for me. Colorado air is rather dry, so sweating is not that much of a problem here, and any malfunction due to sweaty hands is therefore a non-issue.

Comparing the 305 and 405, I would say that if you can live with the larger, blockier 305, you can save a lot of money now by buying that version. From what I understand, the capabilities are very similar (before you buy, I would read the manuals online to check for any particular feature you are concerned about). I wanted something that could pass for a watch (albeit a large one), and I liked the looks, so I bought the 405. In spite of the interface annoyances, I'm still pleased with my purchase.