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Garmin Forerunner 301 GPS Personal Training Device

Garmin Forerunner 301 GPS Personal Training Device

(237 customer reviews)

SKU:

4185716

This product is currently out of stock

Description:

Get results in a heartbeat with the Forerunner 301. This training partner continuously monitors your heart rate, speed, distance, pace and calories burned so you can train smarter, more effectively. The Forerunner 301 combines the popular features of the Forerunner 201 with a proven heart rate monitor and Garmin Training Center software to create a highly integrated personal training system.

Features:

•

Continuously Monitors Heart Rate, Speed, Distance,

•

Pace & Calories Burned

•

Combines Proven

•

Heart Rate Monitor & Training System

•

Software To Create A Highly-Integrated

Product Details:

Product Length:	8.5 inches
Product Width:	5.75 inches
Product Height:	3.75 inches
Product Weight:	0.17 pounds
Package Length:	8.5 inches
Package Width:	5.9 inches
Package Height:	3.6 inches
Package Weight:	1.5 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 237 reviews

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Customer Reviews:

Average Customer Review: 4.0

( 237 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

223 of 228 found the following review helpful:

Do you take your running seriously?Mar 11, 2005
By Albie McGhee
I have recently purchased a Forerunner 301 after having used a Sports Instruments heart rate monitor for about a year. The heart rate monitor was excellent, and certainly usefull in the gym - rather than wait a certain length of time between sets, wait until your HR is below 120bpm. It allows you to pace yourself much more.
When it comes to running, it is difficult to measure your performance (time, heart rate, and distance) over the days and weeks. A heart rate monitor is good, but when training you need to push yourself and will always have a high heart rate.

The forerunner is a completely different animal. So different, that there really isn't any fair comparison at all.
With this puppy on your arm you can build a workout (they are quite simple but effective) on your pc, slap it on the forerunner, and off you go. Great running feedback, and excellent info when transferred to the pc. Everything is easy to do - not quite WinXP wizard easy, but simple none the less.

If you live in a large city, forrested areas, or anywhere with sky obstructions, then it may give your trouble with reception. I have had a gps for years, and with my wifi experience I knew that reliable reception was going to be an issue. However, for me I found the reception excellent. Great in fact! In my lounge I can still get a lock with 4 good strength sattelites! If I stop it reacts within 1 second, and another second it knows I have stopped (due to the 1 second display update speed). Much better gps calculations than my garmin gps12.

If you are gagety inclined, and ARE taking (not just wanting or planning to) your running or biking seriously then without a doubt, this is the machine for you.

It isn't too big, but big enough to read. Locks on in less than 1 minute in my small back yard, and has stellar reaction time. Perhaps even just keeping track of your exercise history is worth it for you? Or the in running feedback? Or the calorie (much more realistic than anythng else I have seen) info?

I am very happy with my buy. I paid $230 for it. Worth every last buck. From my experience I have no trouble recommending the Forerunner 301 to any one who is taking their running seriously!!

105 of 111 found the following review helpful:

Not reliable enough for the priceDec 29, 2005
By E. Taylor
I have had my Garmin Forerunner 301 for about nine months. During that time I have seen it has some good points but it fails significantly in several ways.

I'll start with the Garmin 301's best point(s): It is an excellent GPS device for a runner. I have done several organized races on certified courses which proved the Garmin GPS is an excellent distance gauge. Your stride length can vary greatly with no affect. I have not seen anyone run with a Polar foot pod and get nearly as precise measurements as I get from the Garmin. I just ran the California International Marathon with the Garmin. At the finish, it said 26.2 miles. Compare that to the Polar with foot pod my brother was wearing that said almost 28 miles. The only time I have found Garmin's GPS questionable has been on winding trail runs under trees.

Coupled with its ability to measure distance is the Garmin's setting for automatically tagging and storing mile splits. I love this function. Often times after a really long run, it's difficult to remember how you felt over certain areas of the course. This function means you don't have to remember anything. It's there.

I also like that it will tell me elevation, and even the steepness of the grade I am running up. This is especially nice if you are a trail runner. However, I don't like that it won't tally the total elevation change like a Polar will.

The speed and pace measurements displayed while in motion are a valuable gauge. I know of no device that does it better for a runner. But the accuracy can vary widely depending upon your overhead view. Clear sky generates an accurate reading. Throw a tree or a building in the mix and forget it. I have accepted this for what it is, a relative gauge that requires me to factor in my own judgment.

If you are a really serious athlete, you might want something that will run a little longer from a single charge. It isn't waterproof and it crashes periodically with no way to reset until the battery actually dies completely.

The heart rate feature, the one thing that supposedly makes this device worth $100 more than the Garmin 201, is actually its least reliable feature!! They owe me a hundred bucks! The unreliability of the heart rate monitor on this device should be so embarrassing to Garmin, it warrants a recall. Search the web. It's horrible. I routinely see readings over 220BPM. There is less than a 50/50 chance it will even READ my heart rate through an entire workout. Between the CONSTANT spikes and signal drops, there is no such thing as really knowing your average heart rate. I have given up on the heart rate function. It's a negative distraction from my training. As a result, I would not buy another Garmin 301. I would not recommend one to my friend. I would even go out of my way to dissuade a casual acquaintance from buying one if I found out they were considering it!

Customer service: I sent an eight-year old monitor back to Polar with a dead battery. For the cost of shipping they sent me a whole new monitor. I sent an email to Garmin telling them I thought their product had some strong points but could benefit from a few improvements. I offered specific suggestions about the software and offered to provide any additional necessary feedback. Garmin didn't even send an automated reply.

With all these factors in mind, I bought my wife a Polar heart rate monitor and a Garmin 101 for Christmas. Together, they cost less than I spent on my Garmin 301, and the combination will provide the same information far more reliably.

110 of 119 found the following review helpful:

Great GPS, marginal heart rate monitorApr 10, 2005
By Trail Runner
The idea is amazing; combine a compact GPS unit with a multi-functional heartrate/exercise monitor. I have owned one for one month. Overall, the unit is light, easy to operate, and easy to download to my pc. Using the unit on trail runs, I find the GPS functions give consistently reproducible data. The pc download gives accurate distance, elevation, and pace. The heartrate monitor, on the other hand is very unreliable, often blanking out or giving unrealistic heartrate. My recommendation is to get the Forerunner 301 if you want a compact GPS. If you are looking for a heartrate monitor to structure your workouts, look at something far superior like the Polar S610i. Also, the Garmin pc training program, for all its bells and whistles, does not compare to Polar's software.

21 of 21 found the following review helpful:

Works WellJun 02, 2005
By South Texas "javajoedigital"
I have the Forerunner 201 and liked it very much. Combined it with my Polar S810 and Sportsim software and was able to coordinate the heartrate info plus minus Ok.

The 301 solves that. Garmin's Training Center software (2.3.3 beta) is a vast improvement over the previous "Logbook" software. In particular the graphing function is quite useful. No, the software is not perfect and I have several things that I think should be changed but it works well for me when it comes down to analyzing the run. I also use Topofusion 2.51 (also beta-earlier versions can't read 301 data accurately) and am able to view runs on USGS satelite maps including landsat images. It also has some nice analysis features and allows Digital Elevation Map data to correct elevation data.

The device is nearly identical in appearance - buttons are a little easier to use, has USB instead of serial interface. Does not have WAAS and still is plus minus 30 feet accurate although I think it has improved algorithms. Device software has been improved mostly with addition of multisport options and workouts.

Multisport isn't well supported (IMHO) particulary within Garmin's Training Center, but I think it is still considered beta software.

Workouts are very nicely done and I have used the Training Center software to setup workouts that are uploaded to the device and then executed when you run. These are intuitive and straightforward to use and I have found them to be quite useful, especially with the HR monitor.

No real problems. Some have complained that the instantaneous accuracy of the device is variable and this is probably true but overall the real time data is accurate in my experience (over a year with the 201 and 3 months with the 301). Compared to measuring distances with my car's odometer and then guessing pace based on a stopwatch - what do we want? Once uploaded to the computer data looks pretty accurate. Occasional track points are obviously erroneous - if you use Topofusion you can edit the track to correct these. I have a 4 mile route that I run frequently - 2 miles out and back. Distance variance is about 1/10th mile and the tracks line up well - errors do occur but over about 10 seperate runs they are pretty consistent - not perfect, consistent.

I have had no problems linking to satelites or losing signal using the device in south Texas, Salt Lake, Park City, Maine, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and in airplanes between. This applies to both the 201 and 301.

Heart rate data analysis has been exciting. Never could accurately line up the data points using my Polar monitor and the 201. I have actually discovered helpful correlations using the HR and speed/elevation data graphs from this device that weren't possible before.

Overall, quite pleased with the device. Training Center software is acceptable and for me actually useful. If you are willing to utilize other software (Topofusion, Sportsim) you can get quite a bit out of this device.

17 of 17 found the following review helpful:

Very cool gadget, but after a while the bugs make you crazyOct 03, 2005
By J. Newfeld "running man"
I'm a gadget freak. So when I read about the 301 last year I decided I had to have one. And I am glad that I got it -- I really am. The 301 released me from the need to clock running routes with my car, or to run on a treadmill if I wanted accurate pace times. All the stuff that the product description says: all true. It really will transform your workouts. I really like the advanced workouts -- when training for a race I set up a month of training runs at a time, and the 301 keeps me honest.

Or it tries to. Because there are a couple of problems with this wee beastie. First off, cloud cover and trees cause it to lose the signal. A lot. When I ran the Vancouver half-marathon, I didn't get a signal once after entering the wooded areas of Stanley Park (2 miles). At home in Sammamish, WA, I regularly lose the signal if it is raining or if I am running in a suburban area with treed streets. And if you know this area you know that there are A LOT Of trees here. In the summer (no clouds) it works great.

The 2nd complaint I have is with the heart rate monitor. The strap is hard plastic -- not nearly as comfortable as my Polar HRM. And the pickup is spotty. You have to keep the contacts wet or it won't pick up at all. And even when I am sweating profusely there will be times that the 301 just starts yelling "Heart Rate Too High". I'll look down and it's reporting a h.r. of 200+. Trust me, when I am running my heart rate NEVER gets to 200. This happens often enough that you start to doubt if you can rely on the data it provides.

THE "PERFECT" 301 (I would pay $100 more for this!)
Here's how Garmin could fix this:
1. Use a soft Polar HRM strap rather than their plastic one.
2. Include an inertial shoe tracker similar to the Nike or Timex models, and have the watch use the shoe tracker when the GPS signal is spotty.

SUMMARY
It isn't perfect. But I haven't sold it, and I still use it 5 times a week. I know that sometimes it won't read correctly and I am bummed by that. But I don't have anything better.

See all 237 customer reviews on Amazon.com