Garmin Instinct – Loved the Instinct but it did not work :-(

I was looking for a gps watch and it was a toss up between this, the garmin fenix 5 or the suunto traverse. I chose this due to the price and some of the great reviews it’s been receiving on youtube. I think i made the right choice. Imagine the garmin fenix with all the flashy bits stripped back and just the essential functions left in. This is a product that does most things really well and some things pretty badly. The things it does well are the elements that revolve around hiking and walking outdoors. It has some advanced features that are genuinely helpful when out on the trail or up a mountain. Gps functionality-amazingly this watch has virtually replaced my handheld gps device. Even though it doesn’t have maps, the route can be clearly seen on the screen in bright sunlight or dark cloud and you will feel a buzz as soon as you veer off course. The arrow will point you in the right direction and you will feel a buzz as soon as you’re back on course.

Why can’t using gps whilst activity calibrate all other miniaps like altitude?. Thermometer is showing something between body temperature and outside. Other than that im happy with my instinct and definitely an upgrade from my old surge2.

This must have been the hardest return of all. The best features of this watch (high-contrast display, solid battery life, robust hardware/software) are sadly let down by a cramped display area made worse by the little round window which permanently shows unnecessary info, reducing the usable surface and with no option to disable it, at least when the whole display is most needed: during navigation and viewing messages. However, i was so impressed by it (as a pebble 2 user hoping for a big upgrade) that i am already excited about the instinct’s next iteration – hopefully without the little round window in the display, please.

Rugged and long battery life.

Pretty much the perfect watch. It will track your fitness diligently. I brought it based on being a big casino gshock fan, and it hasn’t let me down once. Ive used it when running, lifting weights and hiking. It’s survived several direct impacts including a 20kg kettlebell. The colour is fantastic and the connection to my phone is perfect.

Bought as an xmas gift for better half. Have only given 3 stars for easy use as he isnt too great with learning new technology but if u have owned a garmin already then its a case of getting used to thw extras and where they are on the watch as the set up is similar. Great in depth fitness watch. Would say great for ultra runners and serious hikers.

• A smart “Casio”

• Stripped down Garmin Fenix In a good way

• Brilliant running watch

I’ve had lots of garmin fitness bands/watches over the years including the original vivoactive with the flat screen to fenix 5 plus with maps. And i reckon this garmin instinct is probably the most comfortable one i’ve put on my wrist it’s so light that sleeping with it on isn’t a problem unlike the heavier fenix 5 models which due to the size and weight i found uncomfortable. Sure it’s only a monochromatic screen but the legibility is second to none even in a dim lit room i can still make out the time where i would be struggling with my fenix 5no it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the higher priced garmin watches offer but it has all the main fitness features that i need and then some and the build quality looks like it would take some serious punishment to actually break this device. Only had it for a few days but judging by the battery meter which is still at 100% and the fact i haven’t stopped playing with it since it arrived bolds well for the manufacturer’s quoted 14 day using as a smartwatch i’ve also done 2 gps activities so colour me impressed.

I was unsure about this watch on first viewing. It had an old lcd screen, no touch screen etc. However, the more i used it the more i liked it and realised that i didn’t want/need a touch screen or colour display etc. Its primary job is to track my heart rate, gym sessions and steps/pace etc and it does all of these brilliantly and accurately and uploads to my phone for me to delve into the stats at a later time. The fact that it also has gps, tactical mode, parachute jump altitude mode (not sure i can test this one), compass, map track back, record your location, altitude, temperature, read phone messages, control phone music, sunrise/sunset, moon rise/set, as well as the usual stopwatch, alarms etc. My personnel favourite feature that i never knew i wanted is the locate my phone whereby up on pressing makes your phone ring. I think it will take a while to fully understand all the features but so far to me, i think its money well spent. If you leave on the gps tracking i get about 2 weeks before i need to recharge. On the plus side it only takes about an hour to charge fully. A fantastic fitness tracking watch, buy one now.

Good for triathlon training.

Am enjoying this watch, hr is abit erratic and the display is great, not sure why these other gaylords are moaning about the screen. It can be customised to your liking.

I’ve been using this watch now for about 3 months, and i love it. It’s lightweight, and very comfortable, i wear it 24×7 and have had no problems wearing it all the time. It’s rugged and ‘no nonsense’, the stying suits me. The poor thing has been battered by gardening and the odd bit of render dropped on it when i was repairing the garden wall. I run three times a week, and am really happy with the running stats its produces and the info and analytics available on garmin connect. Battery life is fantastic, and i charge it once every 12-14 days or so. I’ve used it on a treadmill and running outside, as well as to record strength and aerobic workouts. Brilliant sports watch, and very happy with it.

Features of Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS, Features GLONASS and Galileo, Heart Rate Monitoring and 3-axis Compass, Tundra

• Make sure this fits
  by entering your model number.
• Rugged GPS watch built to withstand the toughest environments
• Constructed to U.S. Military standard 810G for thermal, shock and water resistance (rated to 100 meters)
• Built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter, plus multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) support helps track in more challenging environments than GPS alone
• Monitor your estimated heart rate, activity and stress; train with preloaded activity profiles
• Stay connected with smart notifications (with a compatible smartphone) and automatic data uploads to the Garmin Connect online fitness community
• Use the TracBack feature to navigate the same route back to your starting point; use the Garmin Explore website and app to plan your trips in advance
• Battery life: up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS mode, up to 40 hours in UltraTrac battery saver mode

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From the manufacturer

Garmin Instinct

Built to Endure Like You

When you can rely on Instinct, the world can rely on you. This rugged, reliable outdoor GPS watch is built to the U.S. military standard 810G for thermal, shock and water resistance (rated to 100 metres). The fiber-reinforced polymer case adds strength and durability, and the chemically-strengthened, scratch-resistant display is high-contrast enough to read in bright sunlight, so you can take it with you into the extremes you face every day.

Rugged GPS Watch Built to Withstand the Toughest Environments

Constructed to U.S. military standard 810G for thermal, shock and water resistance (up to 100 meteres)

• Built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter plus multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) support helps track in more challenging environments than GPS alone
• Monitor your estimated heart rate, activity and stress; train with preloaded activity profiles
• Stay connected with smart notifications (with a compatible smartphone) and automatic data uploads to the Garmin Connect online fitness community
• Use the TracBack feature to navigate the same route back to your starting point; use the Garmin Explore website and app to plan your trips in advance
• Battery life: up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS mode, up to 40 hours in UltraTrac battery saver mode

GPS You Can Count On You’ve never been one to follow the beaten path — that’s where Instinct comes in. GPS, GLONASS and Galileo satellite network capability tracks in more challenging environments than GPS alone. The built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter help you keep your bearings. Take the guesswork out of your return journey by using the TracBack feature to navigate the same route back to start.	Monitor and Train The Instinct GPS watch estimates your heart rate, activity and stress throughout the day, so you know how much you do — and how hard you’re working to do it. When you’re ready to train, we’ve got you covered with preloaded activity profiles for running, biking, swimming and more.	Stay Connected Smart notifications let you leave your phone in your pocket. Pair your phone with Instinct and our Garmin Connect online fitness community for automatic uploads, live tracking and the GroupTrack feature. Or, pair with the Garmin Explore website and app to plan adventures before you head out.

Make sure this fits
by entering your model number.

I’ve been looking for a smartwatch for ages that is durable enough to take a few knocks, is reasonably priced and doesn’t look like you’re carrying a brick on your wrist. This one does all that perfectlyi honestly love this watch, the battery lasts ages, even in gps navigation mode, it’s packed full of features that are actually useful (like the navigation and the ability to control spotify) and yet it looks like a normal watch. The lack of a touchscreen is a god send as it doesn’t go nuts when it starts to rain and it means i don’t have to worry about it breaking every time i knock it – which is quite a lot due to my job. The garmin connect app that goes along with it is great. Easy to use, informative and let’s you create routes which you can send to the watch in advance and navigate using waypoints – super easy to do and very effective. The garmin explore app is also worth downloading if you do a lot of walking on footpaths etc as it lets you create routes using an os style map and send these to the watch, as well as letting you use the app to navigate with more topographic detail offline. All in all, a great watch supported by great apps.

I’m using this device for daily sport activity and mountaineering. I’m so happy from device’s accuracy.

Really enjoy using this watch:- rugged. It’s not even got a scratch after lots of abuse- great battery life, 30-40 minutes of charging every 1-2 weeks- easy to use interface.

Great fitness tracker, really good for swimming and cycling in gloves as there is no touch screen. Battery lasts for ages when not using gps, but still lasts a reasonable time when active. I have found the gps to be accurate. The watch is very comfortable to wear and has a nice soft silicone band. I have previously had cheaper smart/fitness watches and you really get what you pay for, the garmin is a bit more money but it’s loads better.

Bought this watch as a replacement for my apple watch, was cheaper to buy this than get the screen repaired in the iwatch. Very happy with this watch it’s very comfortable to wear all day hardly notice that it’s on.

After 3 weeks i’m really quite impressed with this watch. I wanted to upgrade my 5 year old forerunner 10 (pictured for size comparison) but had been putting off getting the fr235 as all it added was hrm and cadence and it looked a bit ‘big/goofy’. When i first saw the instinct i was instantly sold, it looks like a g-shock (i already own one – also pictured for size comparison) but has hrm, cadence, baro-alt, temp and a compassstyle: v similar to a g-shock (see pic for size comparison). Although i bought this to record my sporting activities; i’ve ended up wearing it to work quite a bit and i don’t think it’s looked out of place. Ruggedness – has survived a 9 mile ocr type race through mud and bog water (although so did the fr10 tbf) + this is where the baro-alt has been quite good as the fr10 using digital terrain elevation data (dted) wouldn’t record closely spaced short sharp hill climbs – this watch does. It’s also got a ‘lock keys’ feature so you don’t accidentally stop recording an activity if you have to get on your hands and knees scramble about. The silicon strap is also comfortable, holding the watch in place for taking hrm readings. Battery: with daily hrm and a 30 – 60 min gps activity ~ every 2 days it only needs charging after 10 days. Gnss: gets satellite lock usually within 5 seconds (compared to 20-30s for the fr10). – not sure if due to a better receiver, more constellations, up-to-date almanac data via bluetooth or all of the above, but it worksconnectivity: bluetooth connection to my phone has so far been seamless.

Rugged GPS watch built to withstand the toughest environments

It’s been really good recording my running data. The description of ‘flame red’ is quite different from the reality though. It may look a lot better than the (touch screen) vivoactive hr, but it’s not as easy to get to grips with (yet).

Not bought from amazon, rather an impulsive buy in an airport. Battery life is impressive as well as the readability of the screen.

No problem with the watch (hopefully) as bought for my husband and i already own one but not very happy about the fact the seal on the box wasn’t intact on arrival.

[not sure why amazon is asking me to rate its ‘touch screen’ — it doesn’t have one, nor does it advertise that it does. i was looking for a good solid watch for basic sports use. Buttons are easy to find during exercise. Battery lasts a week with daily recording of activities. Build is solid and doesn’t feel fragile. In general the watch is plenty configurable and the route recording appears to be more accurate than an older gps-only garmin. Step and floor-climb counts might be a little off but then i can’t see any real need for having these counted particularly accurately anyway. The only negative (as other reviewers have pointed out) is the not terribly useful circular screen in the upper right, which is considered a separate screen with limited configuration options. In practice this watch meets about 90% of my requirements without being overly expensive. ]

I did my choice prior to buy instict amongst the other models. So i like all fitures instict has.

First off it’s not a ‘smart watch’ as such, it hasn’t got a flashy touch screen, it’s not going to sing you a lullaby to bed and not going to dazzle you with a bright colourful screen, but what it does do is everything you want a rugged out doors/sports watch to do, the information you can obtain from it is very good. It also has a lot of widgets and activities to choose from, from basic walks and track running to stand up paddle boarding and open water swimming, all can be mapped and timed. Add the excellent garmin connect app to a phone/tablet/pc and pair it with your watch and all your results can be seen in easy to read tables and graphs. Battery life is also very good for a ‘smart’ watch as well. I charged mine up the day i received it and since then i’ve been running basic steps, heart, stress and sleep monitors everyday, and in the 12 days i’ve had the watch it’s only gone to 2 bars left (out of 5), so i should easily get the mentioned 14 day battery life. Also i went with the sunburst yellow, anyone thinking it may be too bright to wear, it isn’t, the colour is more of a mustard colour than bright yellow and looks pretty good especially with the black watch face.

Constructed to U.S.

Good gps watch with all the basic running functions you need, plus the added benefit of of barometer and compass (and long battery life compared to the forerunner series) which make it useful for general outdoor/hiking use as well.

Great looking watch, with very straight gps features with heart beat monitoring for sports. Not fancy, no colored screen, no touch screens. I was looking for a watch to track my running, cycling, swimming, trekking and was not interested in spending more than $300. I was concerned about battery life (always had casio protrek or citizen ecodrive). I’m satisfied with the new ‘features’ and the trade-off with battery recharge weekly is acceptable.

I wanted a very sturdy watch, with great battery life and accuracy for running.

Perfect for my outdoor adventures.

I must first say that i didn’t purchase this watch from amazon, but from another online vendor, because i had a discount code. A couple of months ago i bought a garmin forerunner 645 and returned it for a refund within a few days because the battery would not keep it’s charge. I believe it may have been faulty. I then saw the new garmin instinct online, and after reading some positive reviews on the amazon. Com site, i decided to send for one. This watch suits my needs to the ground. The fitness activity side of the watch is great, and the quick access to the barometer, altimeter and compass is fantastic. The battery life, so far, has been excellent.

Excellent watch, only fault i can see with it is that the stairs counter is completely in accurate. You could go up 10 flights of stairs and it will only record 1.

Built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter, plus multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) support helps track in more challenging environments than GPS alone

I was really looking forward to this product and it appeared to hit all the key points i wanted. These included a being light enough and not too bulky for daily use, has a decent hr monitor and integrates with garmin connect as well as a barometer and altimeter. I found it comfortable and was really impressed with the features, but the downsides also become apparent too. Whilst the battery was good, on a couple of occasions i found in unexpectedly drained very quickly (not at all acceptable), but the main weakness was the screen. Whilst it is has a configurable layout, some of the fonts are simply too small to easily see and be usable. Secondly, whilst the top right circle is ok on the main screen, on some others it simply results in lost screen space of up to 1/4 of the screen and makes no sense. It would be better as a software feature so it could revert to a full screen when needed as the fenix can. If there is an update of this, i’d want to see the circle removed, the menus and functions simplified and the cost reduced. Instead of being a cut down fenix, focus on making it a great watch for adventure.

Still learning all the functions but still love it. Fitness watch with everything you need on your wrist. Works well with the garmin apps on android. Plus waterproof, sturdy and looks good.

This watch is built for those like myself, who love raw data and want an insight into metrics for daily exercise, monitoring heart and sleep but with the addition of being designed for outdoor hiking / walking etc. Its essentially a casio of the modern age. I really had to think hard about whether to get a fenix 5 or this, but i don’t really need any of the ‘smart’ stuff on a more expensive watch. Since its fairly new and reviews are not yet flooding in i took the gamble and purchased it (albeit from a non amazon source). First, what this watch is not. -this watch has not been designed for looks, its not a ‘fashion item’. -it is not designed to replace a smart phone, the screen is designed to give you the basics of information in an easy to read fashion. With that out the way, here is what it is. -a watch for serious hikers, hill runners or even just daily exercisers / gym’rs who want accurate metrics on everything from hr, sleep, activities, hike tracking (breadcrumb and lots of elevation / pace metrics), accurate gps etc the list goes on. -it is a very robust watch, take it out everywhere with confidence that one little knock is not going to smash the entire screen, you drop it face down – no problem, is also water proof.

Fantastic smart watch/fitness device, loved the features loved the product, but the barometer stopped working after 2 days so i have to return the product which is very disappointing. Now waiting to get my money returned before i decide what to do next.

Monitor your estimated heart rate, activity and stress; train with preloaded activity profiles

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Loved the Instinct but it did not work :-(

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