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Do you find smart watches worth it? How has it benefitted you?

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randum

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
I just bought a basic Casio watch for 20 bucks. It tells the time and it has a stopwatch which I like so i know how long i have been biking, hiking, snowshoeing, swimming or running. I make maps on Google earth and export them to my phone for navigation and GPS when i am out. I have never owned a smart watch, but given their popularity, I am wondering if I should consider one - or if they are just largely marketing gimmicks

I am not interested in having my phone alerts ping my watch.
 
#2 ·
I got a Garmin Instict a year ago. Main reason was to track my windsurfing sessions (don't ask me why, I'm not a racer) and to run without my phone while still tracking the run. It claimed some basic navigation functions as well which have indeed been usefull at times.

The Instict is not a smartwatch per se, more like an outdoor watch with some limited "smart" features like reading messeges sent to your phone. It has a few very practical functions like track back, which navigates you towards the startpoint in case you get lost. Magnetic compass has been handy too. It doesn't show proper maps but you can save a gpx file and it will show your position on screen relative to the gps track.

You can also import training excercises like intervals etc or even create them directly on the watch and it will guide you with beeps. Not much of an athlete though so I've only used this to see if it works.

The wrist HR sensor is not super accurate, esp. on the bike where your wrist can be bent in various positions. Still gives you a generall idea of your effort.

The Garmin Connect app is ok, provides you with plenty of everyday data like sleep, rest, steps you've taken and floors climbed during the day etc.

Overall happy with the watch but it is kind of a luxury item. Not really essential but I enjoy looking at the data and haven't regretted the purchase.

The new version, Instict 2 is more compact and able to download different activities from the pre-set ones. There are also solar versions that improve the already very good battery life.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I have been using a Samsung Galaxy watch since April of this year. It was a gift from my wife but I wouldn't normally go out of my way to get one.

I'm not a watch person in general. I have normal watches that don't get worn since I see them as redundant when we have smartphones.

That said, I've found this watch useful enough to wear it daily as it compliments my phone. Heart rate monitoring and logging rides and quickly setting up alarms is primarily what I use it for.
 
#5 ·
I got a Samsung Galaxy watch. I was excited at the time. Now three months later, I could take it or leave it. I didn't end up using any of the smart features after the first 3-4 days. They end up being novelties with no practicality.

I found out I definitely don't want my wrist vibrating everytime I get a text, spam email, or "car warranty" call. I track rides with my Garmin Edge and/or Smart Phone. Screen is too small for internet, maps, and navigation. My jabra headphones can control Bluetooth audio features on phone. The heart rate monitor doesn't seem to be very accurate.

About the only thing I found useful was the sleep monitor - but then I didn't really like sleeping with the watch on.

So now it's JUST a timepiece.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
I used a Fitbit for nearly a year, or until the band broke. That is what always happens to my watches. What I found useful about it was the health tracking features, heart rate, sleep time, frequency of activity. My main technology when riding is my cell phone with an app that tracks distance, speed, and routes. A watch seems like a bad decision under my circumstances.
 
#8 ·
There are many use cases and you need to consider where you fit in the spectrum:

1. I don't need this noise, I don't care about it. Answer: don't get anything. Period. You will not be happy.

2. I am concerned about my health from a health perspective and not from a a fitness perspective. Answer, get a smartwatch that has good health tracking.

3. I am concerned about my health from a fitness perspective. Answer, just about any smart watch or fitness tracker will work, find one that matches the metrics you are concerned about.

4. I want to track my rides/fitness/etc. while I ride. Look at a handlebar mounted device (like a Garmin Edge) instead of a watch or wrist-based tracker.

5. I am concerned about privacy and don't trust others with my data. Spoiler alert, everyone exploits your data. If you are dead set on some kind of tracker and you want to control your data better, get an Apple Watch. They still use your data but they don't resell it and they have the best track record on privacy. (Google has one of the worst).

6. I want something to track my rides but I am more than just a biker, I want access to lots of other functions like unlocking doors, playing music, paying for items, checking messages, even making calls. Get a full-function smart watch.

The list goes on and on.

In my mind the bottom line is that everything is a compromise. There is no single way to do it and there is no right way. There are plenty of wrong ways.

Think about the following carefully:

Privacy
Cost
Invasiveness
Functionality
Durability
Amount of data collected
Depth of data collected
Amount of bike-specific data collected

If you arrange these items in order of importance, we can zero in on your use case. The short answer is that there is no short answer and unless you get more specific, it is hard to say.

In general terms, if you think that you want a smart watch, you should get a smart watch. If you do not think you want one then you should not get one. I resisted it for years, relying on a Fitbit for my health tracking. After getting an Apple Watch I was blown away and kick myself for not making the change sooner. But my wife has only a Fitbit. When hers dies she will not use anything. Everyone is different, there is no simple answer here.
 
#9 ·
I bought 2 cheapo smart watches. It was cool at first then having to charge them all the time started to get annoying. Now they sit in a drawer and I use my tried and true Aquaracer all the time. It does what it's designed to do, tell me the time and date. I have my phone and Strava for anything else.
 
#10 ·
101% worth it....
I love being able to to track all of my bio-metrics - only way to see if i am improving.
I also love the fact that it keeps a history of my rides allowing me to rack mileage for the year.
if i ride a ride that i really like i like being able to have that GPS file
i don't think it matters if you go Apple, Samsung or Garmin - they all have plusses & minuses
I personally have Garmin Fenix 6 that has Pulse & O2 - it also tracks many more things than my specific activities.... sleep, steps....
 
#11 ·
connolm said:
I got a Samsung Galaxy watch. I was excited at the time. Now three months later, I could take it or leave it. I didn't end up using any of the smart features after the first 3-4 days. They end up being novelties with no practicality.

I found out I definitely don't want my wrist vibrating everytime I get a text, spam email, or "car warranty" call. I track rides with my Garmin Edge and/or Smart Phone. Screen is too small for internet, maps, and navigation. My jabra headphones can control Bluetooth audio features on phone. The heart rate monitor doesn't seem to be very accurate.

About the only thing I found useful was the sleep monitor - but then I didn't really like sleeping with the watch on.

So now it's JUST a timepiece.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I felt exactly like this user. At first, it was cool. I would go for a run, it would track it via gps, but then my wrist buzzing with all the notifications that my phone receives. I don't care about a group message on my run or someone calling. I'm trying to escape, but the watch/phone keeps dragging me back.

I enjoyed the sleep functions, but sleeping with a watch on is an odd experience. My wife now uses it.
 
#12 ·
I've been really happy with my Apple Watch (series 6). Tracks everything reliably (including heart rate data), actually has useful smart watch features and has proven really durable so far.

I also had a Garmin Fenix. It was way more expensive than the Apple Watch, had extremely poor heart rate monitoring, inconsistent activity tracking, could take forever to get a GPS lock, and developed an issue just outside of its 1 year warranty with zero help offered by Garmin other than toss it away and we will sell you another one.

The biggest downside to the Apple Watch is that you do need to charge it daily. I toss mine on the charger before I get in bed and I'm all set. If I forget, or fall asleep while wearing it, I toss it on the charger before I get in the shower and by the time I'm ready to put it back on, it's nearly fully charged. It charges really fast.
 
#13 ·
I've been using a Garmin Instinct Solar for about a year. I got it so that I would not be tied to my phone for gps. I have really liked wearing it. Now that the Instinct2 is out, you should be able to find some good deals on the original Instinct Solar. I would suggest going solar just for the battery life. I probably charge mine 2x a month.
 
#14 ·
FrankS29 said:
I also had a Garmin Fenix. It was way more expensive than the Apple Watch, had extremely poor heart rate monitoring, inconsistent activity tracking, could take forever to get a GPS lock, and developed an issue just outside of its 1 year warranty with zero help offered by Garmin other than toss it away and we will sell you another one.
Click to expand...
Poor heart rate tracking (especially when cycling) seems to be a common theme among most wrist-based watches & monitors other than the Apple Watch. I got a MiBand 6 and eventually decided to get a Polar chest strap.

FrankS29 said:
The biggest downside to the Apple Watch is that you do need to charge it daily. I toss mine on the charger before I get in bed and I'm all set. If I forget, or fall asleep while wearing it, I toss it on the charger before I get in the shower and by the time I'm ready to put it back on, it's nearly fully charged. It charges really fast.
Click to expand...
IMO, the biggest downside to the Apple Watch it assumes / requires you to have an iPhone to set it up & use it.
 
#15 ·
Rod said:
I felt exactly like this user. At first, it was cool. I would go for a run, it would track it via gps, but then my wrist buzzing with all the notifications that my phone receives. I don't care about a group message on my run or someone calling. I'm trying to escape, but the watch/phone keeps dragging me back.

I enjoyed the sleep functions, but sleeping with a watch on is an odd experience. My wife now uses it.
Click to expand...
I use a galaxy watch LTE specially because it allows me to stay connected when I am riding. I can go ride anytime during the day for as long as I want, and as long as I can send emails back, no one is the wiser that I am out on my bike and not in front of the computer. The freedom its given me is huge
 
#16 ·
TimTucker said:
Poor heart rate tracking (especially when cycling) seems to be a common theme among most wrist-based watches & monitors other than the Apple Watch. I got a MiBand 6 and eventually decided to get a Polar chest strap.



IMO, the biggest downside to the Apple Watch it assumes / requires you to have an iPhone to set it up & use it.
Click to expand...
The Garmin wasn't just poor when cycling, it was all the time. I would constantly get alerts on my watch of an "abnormal heart rate". I could be sitting on my couch, and it would be recording my heart rate in the 30's bpm. I could be maxed out climbing and it would say my heart rate was 90bpm, while another, significantly more accurate monitor would be showing a heart rate in the 170bpm...

The Apple watch has always been within 1-2 bpm of even a chest strap when I test them concurrently. The only time I got poor heart rate data from my Apple Watch was when I crashed and I ended up getting a bunch of dirt under the watch, blocking the sensors. Cleaned the back of the watch and my wrist, all good again.

As for needing an iPhone, not a downside for me. ;)
 
#17 · (Edited)
FrankS29 said:
I also had a Garmin Fenix. It was way more expensive than the Apple Watch, had extremely poor heart rate monitoring, inconsistent activity tracking, could take forever to get a GPS lock, and developed an issue just outside of its 1 year warranty with zero help offered by Garmin other than toss it away and we will sell you another one.
Click to expand...
  • I wonder if heart rate accuracy is user specific – How its worn -tight or lose?
  • I was curious how accurate the HR monitor was so I wore a chest strap paired with my Garmin 1030 Cycling computer and they were VERY close to each other.
  • Very surprised by the GPS Lock – I ride with the Fenix and the 1030 and both have zero issues with GPS
  • Sounds like yours may have had issues from the start
  • I never had any watch warranty issues with Garmin but my old Edge explore died outside of warranty and they sent me a new (refurbished) one

willowbeast said:
I bought 2 cheapo smart watches. It was cool at first then having to charge them all the time started to get annoying. Now they sit in a drawer and I use my tried and true Aquaracer all the time. It does what it's designed to do, tell me the time and date. I have my phone and Strava for anything else.
Click to expand...
  • You can turn all of this off. My wifes watch beeps or buzzes every 25 seconds – would drive me nuts. I have mine set to NO Alerts.
 
#19 ·
Bassmantweed said:
I wonder if heart rat accuracy is user specific – How its worn -tight or lose?
I was curious how accurate the HR monitor was so I wore a chest strap paired with my Garmin 1030 Cycling computer and they were VERY close to each other.
Very surprised by the GPS Lock – I ride with the Fenix and the 1030 and both have zero issues with GPS
Sounds like yours may have had issues from the start
I never had any watch warranty issues with Garmin but my old Edge explore died outside of warranty and they sent me a new (refurbished) one
Click to expand...
I did try different tensions on the wrist strap, nothing improved the accuracy. One of my riding buddies uses a Fenix and his also sucks at heart rate, usually reads really low as well. His usually did lock GPS faster than mine, but there were also occasions where I would get a lock and he was struggling to get his to GPS lock.

My buddy really doesn't care too much about the heart rate data, but I do.

I try to stay in certain ranges, especially when climbing. It has helped my overall fitness and ability to gain endurance and recover easier. Learning what conditions hurt your body and how to manage your effort has been nothing but a big plus for me, and for that I need accurate heart rate data.
 
#20 ·
I like a classic, regular watch. But I'm very much in the "I don't need this noise" camp when it comes to smart watches.

The one use case I could see for getting a smart watch would be if I lived in a city like London where contactless payment is pervasive and makes it incredibly easy to use the tube (I went there this summer and got to experience how they've gone all-in on contactless payments recently). I'd get a smart watch so I didn't have to fish my wallet or phone out of a pocket every time I wanted to get on/off the train.
 
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