Garmin Instinct 2x Solar Tactical Watch Silver

I was looking for a direct replacement of my original Instinct. The solar was a main feature for me as I really do not like to charge my watches all the time.I do quite enjoy the larger face (I'm a big guy and like bigger watches). It's easy to read, relatively customizable, and has all of the same metrics my previous Instinct had. The GPS connect is much faster than my previous watch, which I really appreciate. Standing around and waiting for the clouds to clear or signals to bounce off buildings was always a bit obnoxious. The little flashlight, er, torch, is a great addition, albeit slightly silly. It reminds me of the gadgets from Get Smart.I find one of the biggest downfalls to this version is the heart rate monitor. I've always had issues getting reliable ... MoreI was looking for a direct replacement of my original Instinct. The solar was a main feature for me as I really do not like to charge my watches all the time.I do quite enjoy the larger face (I'm a big guy and like bigger watches). It's easy to read, relatively customizable, and has all of the same metrics my previous Instinct had. The GPS connect is much faster than my previous watch, which I really appreciate. Standing around and waiting for the clouds to clear or signals to bounce off buildings was always a bit obnoxious. The little flashlight, er, torch, is a great addition, albeit slightly silly. It reminds me of the gadgets from Get Smart.I find one of the biggest downfalls to this version is the heart rate monitor. I've always had issues getting reliable heart rate readings due to my tattoos. My previous watch was adequate and could read if I had the face on the inside of my wrist (which is where I prefer to wear the watch anyhow). However, this version doesn't read as well. I haven't been able to get reliable sleep statistics (at least reliable outputs, regardless of accuracy) and the watch often has no output data throughout the day.All-in-all, I'm glad I upgraded as I've been wanting a new watch for a while. I think it's a great watch and not one that I'd be concerned about banging around. Kettlebell workouts, working on my car, house projects, etc. I have no concern for the watch. I don't think I'd feel the same way about a Fenix if I were wrenching.The watch suits my needs for workout and daily data. It's rugged and holds up to the tasks that its exposed to. I don't need a color display with tons of apps or music streaming, etc. The battery life is pretty darn good and I'm still working on running the battery down after owning it for a couple of weeks.I'd definitely recommend this watch for those looking for basic functionality and durability.

Having had this watch for almost a week now, some thoughts on what would make this really appealing long term.Over the past day I've been considering returning this watch, but not for the good features it has like sleep tracking, pulse oximeter, and activity, but for the lack of Garmin's understanding that there is an increasing trend of people that do not want to submit their personal and highly sensitive data to third parties. In addition there's an increasing trend in people that want to self-host services and use open source apps like Gadget Bridge.The watch is pretty limited without Garmin's Connect app, which presents several issues. Want to review your stats and you're currently in a remote cabin? Nope. The app requires an internet connection. Want to ... MoreHaving had this watch for almost a week now, some thoughts on what would make this really appealing long term.Over the past day I've been considering returning this watch, but not for the good features it has like sleep tracking, pulse oximeter, and activity, but for the lack of Garmin's understanding that there is an increasing trend of people that do not want to submit their personal and highly sensitive data to third parties. In addition there's an increasing trend in people that want to self-host services and use open source apps like Gadget Bridge.The watch is pretty limited without Garmin's Connect app, which presents several issues. Want to review your stats and you're currently in a remote cabin? Nope. The app requires an internet connection. Want to export your stats into portable data formats like CSV, XML, or JSON? Nope, you are locked in to Garmin hosting and holding your data behind a walled garden. Want to use Gadget Bridge, an open source alternative app that supports many other smart watches? Nope, Garmin doesn't support that. In fact, the Garmin Connect app makes the nice health tracking features of the watch useless unless you create an account and fork over highly sensitive data.If values of personal privacy and data freedom are important to you, consider passing this watch. And for Garmin, consider changing your posture and providing features that let users have more control over the data they are forking over to you.

I've had this watch for a few weeks now and it is just what I was looking for. I've had Garmin watches for years. There are some other training tools I use that I wish had better integration with the Garmin ecosystem so last year I decided to try a Samsung Watch 5. That watch is fantastic but still had shortcomings integrating with other training tools I use and it wasn't a Garmin. The accuracy wasn't quite as good, and the training tools weren't quite as good, so just overall wasn't as good a fit for me.Enter the Instinct 2X Solar. This watch is awesome! The battery life has been outstanding, the training tools are outstanding.I do miss having a color screen just a bit but the tradeoffs are way better! I also thought it might be a bit large for me (6ft male) ... MoreI've had this watch for a few weeks now and it is just what I was looking for. I've had Garmin watches for years. There are some other training tools I use that I wish had better integration with the Garmin ecosystem so last year I decided to try a Samsung Watch 5. That watch is fantastic but still had shortcomings integrating with other training tools I use and it wasn't a Garmin. The accuracy wasn't quite as good, and the training tools weren't quite as good, so just overall wasn't as good a fit for me.Enter the Instinct 2X Solar. This watch is awesome! The battery life has been outstanding, the training tools are outstanding.I do miss having a color screen just a bit but the tradeoffs are way better! I also thought it might be a bit large for me (6ft male) but it's a great fit for me.I thought the flashlight might be a bit gimmicky but it turns out I use it almost every night when I walk my dogs. It's much brighter than I would have expected.