Garmin FR60 - Review

I don't do many reviews and had planned on doing one on the Garmin FR60 for a while. It wasn't until the watch band started to crack that I thought it would be a good idea to do one. I've had the watch for 1 year, so I think I've put it through it's paces and can give a pretty accurate review. Keep in mind that since I've mapped my runs, I know exactly the distance I'm running and don't rely heavily on the accuracy of the footpod. I rely more on the heart rate data and cadence. Although the band did crack, it is not replaceable. Fortunately I had a good experience with Garmin Customer Support.

I purchased the whole FR60 kit. It included the footpod, watch, heart rate band and ANT USB stick. The ANT USB stick connect to your computer and when the watch comes within 10 feet of the USB stick, it wirelessly transmits the data to your computer. Your computer then uploads your data to the Garmin Connect site, where you can graphically see your heart rate as well as other data. I'm running OSX 10.5 and for the most part it works well. At times, it has failed to transmit the data from the watch to the computer. Somehow the setting on the watch goes back to off. I don't know how it happens, but it's a little frustrating.

I've had my FR60 for 1 year. For the most part, it does a good job with the distance. I'd say 95-98% accuracy with the footpod. I think I calibrated it twice last year when I was doing track workouts. Haven't calibrated since last October and still within that range. For example, I run a 7.17 mile loop on a regular basis. The footpod has recorded 6.84, 6.91, 6.94, 6.95. & 6.93 over the last 5 runs.  I think thats an acceptable range. The only problem I had with the footpod had to do with the battery. About 4 months into use, I ran a half marathon and about 4-5 miles into the race, the pacing got way off. The watch said I was running 5:30 /mile, which would be great except at the time, I could only run 9 + minute miles. It also recorded a 16 mile distance. After reading the manual, I found a blurb about applying mineral oil to specific contact points on the footpod battery. Once I did that, I no longer had any problems with the footpod.

A nice feature that took me a while to put to use, is the option of customizing the display. You can select the data you want to see. I think it defaults to 2 screens, but you can add multiple screens to suit your needs. For example, I set up a screen that shows me my average pace & average cadence. This helps me adjust my pace over a longer distance if I've got a specific target pace for a particular race. You can also set it up to auto scroll and at the speed that it scrolls through the data.

The watch battery was recently replaced. Manual says it'll last about 1 year and that's fairly accurate. Footpod battery may have lasted 10 or 11 months. The battery is user replaceable which is one of the reasons I purchased this particular model. I had no problem replacing the watch battery. There is a thin rubber gasket that helps seal the inside of the watch. As long as it is not removed, it will continue to be water proof. Since I swim with my FR60, I can attest to the fact that it continued to work after replacing the battery.

Since I do swim in a pool with the watch, I have noticed that the band started to crack. It wasn't where I usually buckle the band, but much higher and I'm not sure why it would crack at that particular spot. I think the chlorine from the pool has contributed to the problem. Anyway, I know it's a matter of days before the band snaps. The band is not replaceable. The band is part of the FR60. I contacted Garmin support and asked If and how much to replace the band. Since it's still functioning, I had no reason to replace it with a newer model (really want the 301XT). I was told it would be $80 but if it was under a year, it would fall under warranty. I needed to provide a receipt to prove date of purchase. I informed the CS Rep that I did not keep the receipt and that the watch was right at 1 year or just over and it was my own fault for not keeping the receipt and that I would pay the $80. The next e-mail I got, informed me that I could go ahead and send my watch back for exchange free of charge. I must say that I'm very happy with Garmin customer support. I was ready and willing to pay for the exchange/repair, but I'm getting it for free instead. Not sure that I would get this lucky again. Lesson learned, keep receipt. I'm also going to stop wearing it in the pool and hopefully the band will last for more than 1 year.

I'd really like the options or data(elevation, map, etc) that a GPS enabled system would provide, but for the FR60 being a non-GPS system, I'm really pleased with the data I'm getting and the level of accuracy it provides without being a GPS unit.

I received my replacement FR60 within 7 days of sending back the original. I think that's a reasonable time and was surprised to have it back after only 1 week. I was expecting a 2-4 week time period. They sent a new unit along with another HR strap. Which is cool and now I have an extra one. I never calibrated the foot pod and it has been more accurate than before. I've done 5 runs with the new FR60 and it is dead on accurate. The most it has been off is .02 miles on a 7 mile run. I don't know if there was a firmware update on the FR60 that I missed with my old unit, but this one is accurate. I even ran with someone who had another GPS Garmin (305?) and it was off by .3 mile. I've also noticed that the ANT upload is working more consistently. I won't even notice that it's transferred data to my computer and have tried setting it back up, only to notice that it's already been taken care of. The FR60 is definitely performing up to its features. I was pleased with how it performed before, but now, I'm really happy with it.

I'm not going to wear the FR60 in the pool and just use a regular sport watch. Hopefully that will extend the life of the band for longer than a year. When I do finally upgrade to another Garmin device, I will be taking a look at the GPS models and I will make sure that the watch band is replaceable. I'll also keep my receipt incase I need to warranty support.