I actually own 4 Garmin 301's and have used this product since they came out about 3 years ago. Me and my wife are triathletes and we both have 1 mounted on our bike and we use the other for the run. Battery life is excellent at around 8-10 hours or so. Although the battery won't last long enough to get us through an Ironman race (which is why we each own 2) This unit is certainly one of my favorite pieces of technology I own and I use it nearly everyday. I also have a highend Polar (720i) and much prefer my Garmin over the Polar. Some reviewers state that the heartrate monitor portion of the device is not very good and reports erroneous heartrates. I know exactly what they are referring to but the fix is very simple. You have to wet the chest strap before you put it on. If you don't then, yes the HR monitor will occationally report incorrectly. Believe me I have put the these 301's through the ringer and they perform! I train for 8-10 months for a single race and would not show up on race day with equipment I didn't fully trust would get me to the finish line. Garmin support is outstanding as well. I had a 301 a few years back that started powering down all by itself for no reason. I called up Garmin and they swapped my old one out for a new one for free. One feature I really wish they would add though is the ability to add maps to the navigation screen. There's been more than a few times that I got lost out on a long ride and even though the 301 has a navigation screen it won't really help you navigate your way back home. It just leaves a bread crumb trail to retrace your path back home if you need to. Another really nice feature that this has is the ability to set the backlight to stay on permanently so when your running really early in the morning your not fumbling trying to find the light button. No other HR monitor that I know offers this feature. If I could give the Garmin 301 6 stars I would.

I highly recommend the 301. I have not had any problems with it. It works great and accurately every-time that I have used it. In the last three months I have used it at least thirty times and it works flawlessly.

I have never had problems with the GPS tracking my position while running outdoors, and never had any problems with the heart-rate monitor either.

This device is very lightweight for all the features that it offers and the screen is easily readable.

This GPS has motivated me to run more often, trying new routes, and made it more fun.

I hope this helps to make your decision easier. I HAVE NO REGRETS and I think it was worth every penny.

Howard

I was worried after reading the other reviews but didn't want to buy the more expensive models. As a result, I kept all the packing materials and documents when unpacking it (so that I can return it if it was as bad as the reviews made it out to be).

Since it arrived, I have used it for running, biking, indoor aerobics, and weight training. I did not have the problem with either the GPS or the HRM. Once GPS is locked, it doesn't create any problem, but it does take 20 seconds or so to get the signal. The heart rate monitor did not stop working at any time except when I was doing weights which led to movement of the strap.

When biking on a wooded trail, I continued to get the GPS signal. If I start moving before locking the signal from the satellite the unit does not get the signal at all (so it is better to wait the few extra seconds before starting out). While using it indoors, my objective is to get the heart rate over the entire period I am working out. When I switch off the GPS, i am able to do this without any problem.

I am using two softwares with it right now - at some point in time I will figure out which one to make the main software. Other than the training center that came with the unit (actually I downloaded the latest version), I am using sportstrack which is a free software. Thanks to the earlier reviewer from whom I learnt about this free software which works great - it has several analysis options as well as mapping options.

At no point did I have a problem with the unit - either the HRM or the GPS. I think it is a great unit and worth every buck I paid for it at Amazon.

I have two issues wih the unit and neither of them is so critical as to reduce the rating of the product. First, I would like to see a better software - Sportstrack is significantly better. I am still using Garmin's because it allows me to see the heart rate zones over the run better. Second, I should be able to have two users of the device.

Overall, I am very happy with the product and am writing the review because my expereince was much better than what the earlier reviews made me expect from this product.

I bought it in dec 2005 for Xmas. I have been using it 3 to 4 times a week when paddling, ie 6 to 10 hours a week.

It takes forever to acquire sattelites, whatever the weather is... The heart rate displayed is sometimes fuzzy.

I never managed to use the trainig center software. It just doesn't detect the gps unit when it is plugged to the computer. I tried to install this software on 3 different PCs : one with Win98SE, the second with WinXPFamilySP2 and the other with WinXPProSP2. I installed the usb gps drivers updates, the new version of the Trainig Center and i even updated the unit sofware... When I mailed to Garmin to ask for help and/or info the only answer i got was "make sure the unit is connected to the computer when you run the software" !!! Do they really think their consumers are so stupid ?

Today, my forerunner301, just six month old, is not working at all. Impossible to switch it on, and when i plug it to its charger, i don't get any message on the screen.

I am very disapointed. Hope the 1 year warranty is not a lie...

I sent an email to garmin, they answered me very kindly. All I had to do was to send the device with 25$, then they sent me a new unit. This new gps acquire sattelites faster than the precedent and the heart rate values are more accurate.

Thank you Ms Sharon Tang (Garmin Taiwan)

I waited a couple of weeks before reviewing to be sure I had a good sense of how well this device performs over time. So, here are my impressions.

The Garmin Forerunner 301 is great!

The GPS is very accurate. One time I used it while driving in my care and it measured my distance to work at 17.5 miles. I then went to an on-line mapping/routing program, and give it the same path. It returned a distance of 17.5 miles!

Battery life is amazing. It re-charges in less than 4 hours, and then it is good for 13-14 hours. I have never run out of battery, or even come close.

First, it is very comfortable to wear (I recommend, though, not wearing it on bare skin but over a shirt sleeve, as it won't get sweaty this way). The strap is strong and comfortable, and once on you don't even notice the device is there. It feels strong too, although I don't want to try it, it feels like it would survive drops very well. The screen is recessed, therefore making it quite protected.

Displayed info is very intuitive, LARGE, and customizable. When it first arrives it is set up for pace (minutes/mile), but I changed it to speed (miles/hour). It also allows using metrics (km/hour).

I use it mostly for bike rides, and to figure out best routes to drive to work. I therefore separate these two into two sports: Biking and I use Running for the car. Thus, I can keep these datasets separate. I record bike rides, which includes altitude, grade, speed, position, and heart rate. Later the included software can be used to analyze the session (note: the included software didn't work when first installed, but the lastest version found on the Garmin website worked the first time and flawlessly since, FYI, I have a Windows XP pro system).

I've read some complaints about the heart monitor. Well, I've had 4 bike riding sessons, and it workd great on the first two. Then, it worked very intermitently on the 3rd. But, I figured out why! One thing not mentioned in the manual is that the heat monitor chest attachment has two strap connectors on each side. The monitor works virtually perfectly, IF you have it so it is tight-but-not-too-tight, AND those two snap connectors on the side are SNAP-LOCKED into place! If NOT snap-locked, the monitor moves around a bit over time, and loses connection and gives bad readings (>200). But when snapped, it works great! So those who experienced this problem might not have done this. I did this on my fourth bike trip, and it worked all the time, apart from one 15 second glitch.

When the heart rate monitors is working, the included software can be used to plot lots of different things on comparative graphs, and calculates approximate calorie usage. I like to use it to review (re-live) old rides, and keep track of totals (like miles driven this year). Using on-line programs (such as Motion Based, owned by Garmin) one can convert the info to such formats as Google Earth (then you can replay your bike ride on a photo map of the Earth!).

I'm amazed that in this day and age there is a device that actually does what it says it does! And it's not at all expensive for what it can do. It's not perfect, but definitely in the top 20% (heck, I'd give it a numerical rating of 95%, which is 4.75 out of 5), so 5 stars is my vote! :)

I purchased the garmin 301 after my garmin 201 died. I figured rather than pay $69 to have it fixed I was better off to buy a new one and have all the added features. I love the garmin products, I use them to train for marathons and I find it very helpful to know the pace, time, and distance without having to try and figure it out. I've been slightly disappointed when running in the woods to find that I lose my signal (and we aren't talking deep in the woods either). Luckily, these times were on measured courses, or else I would have been ticked off because it wouldn't have been at all accurate. I feel this is a good product to aid in tracking your progress, although you're better off to get the 201 (for less money) unless you know you will wear the heart rate monitor strap. I found the heart rate monitor uncomfortable to run in for long periods of time. Also I do want to mention that my first garmin died only a year and a half after having it, which I feel is too short of a time to quit for the amount of money they cost.

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.

I am training for my 1st marathon. Without my Garmin I would not be able to track my miles and speed. I love that it has a hart rate monitor because I also like to track the calories I burn, and to stay in my fat burning zone.

The Garmin Forerunner GPS with heart rate monitor is excellent. It is easy to use and has a configurable display allowing me to put the Lap Pace in Large numbers and the Heart Rate, Lap Distance and Lap Time in smaller numbers, yet still readable. When I am more interested in my Heart Rate as the big number, it is easy to reconfigure the display with a push of a button. The product was delivered very fast, I am very happy with Amazon's service.

I have had the Forerunner 301 for about six weeks. I love it! It has worked great. Some reviews complain about the heartrate monitor, but I have had no problems. If you want a device to keep track of all elements of your running, this is it.