The older I get, and the more watches I buy and wear and experiment with, the more I realize that 99% of the data I get from watches is stuff that I already know just because I know how I feel and I've learned how to read my body over the years. But having said that I'll continue buying a new watch every couple of years lol

I often get asked for multi sport/triathlon watches recommendations. My recommendations have been, if you’re in the Garmin eco-system, get a FR935/45 or Fenix 6/7. If you’re not then Coros Pace which is a capable watch at a great price point. I’ll now encourage those on a budget to stretch to the FR255. Thanks for the great content, as always.

Glad to see Garmin stepping up the game in prioritizing itself as the companion for running training. I hope that these features trickle down to FR945. Thank you for the great content as always.

One huge quiet upgrade that no one mentions from the 245 is that the 255 and the 55 can have their back lighting adjusted. For some of us who don't have perfect vision this is huge. Coros and polar don't do it. The owners manual for the 245 says you can, but you definitely cannot.

Glad to see this data being surfaced and actually used properly and presented well to the user.

Thank you thank you Ray, for this review covering GPS ACCURACY. My Fenix 5 plus is terrible at tracking: all over the place, and typically a 4% haircut! I am now looking for the best value in Garmin GPS tracking, and you nailed it in the first few minutes of this video.

Just picked mine up today super excited

Fantastic review as always. Thanks Ray!

Great videos mate. Thank you for helping us choose the right watch for our needs.

Great that Running Power and Grade Adjusted Pace also now added.

Great video, helping me to decide what watch to go for next! My current fitbit versa's battery life seems to be running down in around 2 days on low power mode, time for upgrade!

I'm still with my 645, still rocking since 2019

Great review! Thanks for your thoughts!

Great video as always! I’ve been using the 245Music since release and the battery is just starting to fade after a few years. Will absolutely grab the 255 (but not music since I never used that feature on the 245!).

I don't really need another Garmin Watch, but you've explained it to me soo well, that I have to get it 😁

Great video like always. Thank you.

Love your videos. After watching this one a few times I decided to buy the 255 and I love it. Thank you so much

Thanks for the review, was going to replace my 230 with a 245 thankfully I seen this and will hang fast and save some more pennies.

great review pal. looks like a great watch

Fab content review. Decided being petite lady to go for a 46mm 255 non music

Spotted the FR955Solar. Interested to see your review 😁 looks like the 255 is an improved fr945 but better 😅

Great job as always 👍

Great review as usual.

Excellent review, thanks. Looking forward to the 255 / 955 comparison to help me decide which is best for me.

Having a 245M all I ever really wanted was a bigger screen and better battery....and maybe an Altimeter for better reviews of trail runs. I've considered a Fenix 7S Solar, but this 255 and 955 really tick those "want" boxes at a lower price....the 255 especially, what a package!!(but surely the multi-band GPS will roll out to the Fenix 7 series soon) Altimeter, barometer, compass and running power is incredible. I already have an rd pod.

Great video, great new capabilities, could you please point out in the #955 were the differences are between the both beside solar and touchscreen ? Thanks

This might be my next watch. I currently have a polar vantage v2.

Th reason I am buyting this watch is that the non-music edition is the most feature-filled watch I can find that DOESNT have wifi. For those of us that work in 'secure' areas, this is a must.

Well you sold me on upgrading from the 245 to the 255 in the next few months.

The multi-band GPS in the FR255 is a great addition but probably pisses off owners of a non-sapphire Fenix which costs twice as much. It was ridiculous to offer it exclusively in the most expensive Fenix.

The watch itself isn’t that interesting to me right now but I just had to say: that shirt man. Really brought a smile to my face early in the morning :D

December 2022 and the 255 now does wrist based power. I think when you did the video it was not a thing yet. Love this watch so far a month into it

IMO Garmin are a mess when it comes to their model line-up. So many overlapping features and variations. I feel sure they would benefit from simplifying the whole range.

One thing Garmin needs to address that has been a problem forever with the suggested workouts is (I don’t think) you can’t set your own pace zones. Despite having years of my data, this morning my Garmin thinks I should be doing threshold efforts at a pace I can only ever dream of. I couldn’t do the recommended pace if it was downhill, with a tailwind and being chased by a large angry dog! All that said, where 2+ years ago I decided to splurge on a Fenix 6, the new 255 does essentially all I need (especially with the barometric altimeter) and if I was buying today, I’d go with the 255 (small) over a Fenix 7

Thanks for the review. I currently have a 945. Will I see an improvement in features with this watch or am I better of keeping the 945? Keep up the good work!!

I hope there’s a video of this race against Des this weekend!

Thank you for reminding me to "whack the like button". JK your reviews and the go-to information everyone is looking for. Thanks for the info. What bands will fit the new 255 and 955? I headed toward the 955 but watched this to be sure. band sizes would help '

Heyyy.. when are you uploading a video on GARMIN FORERUNNER 265. cant wait

Awesome awesome awesome. Totally agree.

I love the t-shirt

great review as usual. Will the 7X get the new training and recovery software updates on the new 255 and 955? Keep up the great reviews!

after years of using 735xt finally there is reasonable watch to upgrade to ;-)

Looks good but now I wonder when I’ll see all these new race and running training widgets on Fenix 7 etc :(

dear ray thank you for the great review. What do you think, will the features of the 955 also be rolled out in the epik 2?

Thanks for the review. Do you know if the new daily suggested workouts, showing what's to come over the next days/weeks will be updated onto the Forerunner 55?

Great video. Are you planning to make a video comparing Forerunner 255 with Instinct 2?

@DC Rainmaker Great video. Im been Garmin whole time. coros has my interest with battery life. I don’t care about music on watch. Be interested in seeing a video on your thoughts and comparison on Coros pace 2 vs Garmin 255. Sounds like Coros pace 3 might be this fall, have you heard anything? From Seen past KZfaq reviews coros is behind on Garmin on app features/layout few other things, while a lot people may not are about that and just want a multi sport watch, with great battery life and simplicity. Coros ahead of Garmin on battery life and slightly lighter. Sounds like coros is working hard to catch up on all little features but keeping with better battery life….. Im trying to decide between coros pace 2 (or wait for coros pace 3 this fall) or get Garmin 255 for my 15 year old and also 13 year old (they are on swim and running team and both are gonna start doing Triathlon this summer. I’m not going to rush into purchasing watches for them, just trying to figure out when it comes time to purchase. Anyway, Always great videos.

Seriously looking at a garmin watch , but still struggling to pick one. Main interest are cycling (road, gravel & MTB)

Thanks, this is great! What Garmin model is best for you?

I just pre-ordered this watch. I'm a cyclist and it checks all the boxes for me. Especially with the multi-band.

Great review Thanks! Do you know whether 255 S model, shows on screen the same number of data fields as 255?

So what is the purpose of the FR745 now? After killing off the 600 series, Garmin now also makes the 700 series obsolete?

Thanks for the review. Does the watch seem faster/snappier than the 245? Thanks

Hey there! Nice video! If you had to opt between Suunto 5 and FR 245, which one would you get and why ? Thanks in advance!

Thank you very much for the very nice review!! If I understood right the 255 must be a better watch than the 945? More accurate and advanced right?

Hey, awesome review. Do you know (of course you do) what music systems the 255 music can use? I see spotify and amazon music, but what else?

Just in time to cancel my epix order for the 955! thanks

Congratulations for your depht review, i have a question for you: do you think Is a good idea ti replace my Swim 2 with the new Forerunner 255 especially for Openwater swimming? Thanks a lot. Best regards

Hey DC do you think we'll see an update for the fenix's which has the same workout calendar up until race day? being able to edit those daily suggested and future workouts looked super useful.

Bought 245 yesterday :)))))))

Great, JUST bought the FR 945 like 3 weeks ago :)

Is this watch a good pick in this price range for someone who mainly does hiking and strength training as opposed to running? I was comparing it to the Venu2 and this one seems to have tons of more features but I'm not sure how useful those actually are for someone who isn't running marathons.

Can you perform a lactate threshold guided workout with a chest strap on the 255? (It wasn’t possible on the 245)

What about a comparison between the 255 and the 745 since it appears to be very similar in features and price? Thanks in advance!!

have a good one too

Are you able to set hot keys? Are you able to choose the intensity of the backlight? Are you able to choose the intensity of the vibration? Thanks!

I would like to ask the owners: do you also have the backlight turning itself on in certain cases (e.g. payment, blood oxygen measurement, outdoor activities: cycling, running, walking) even though everything (keys, alerts, gestures) is set to off in the settings?

Fingers crossed on them bringing the Training Readiness feature to the 255 🤞

Does the multiband GPS improve real time speed accuracy/responsiveness?

Great review !!!! Garmin watches getting better and better . Is any watch coming up focus on CROSSFIT ??

do you think they will keep the 745 now that this is a multisport watch? should we expect an update for that too?

Hm... after all these additions I wonder if there will be any room left for a red 755. But I guess we will see it after your 955 videos 🙂

Love the review ! Could you please respond with the url of the website to add existing events to the Garmin watch. You said it around 6:55 but its to quick for me Thanks in advance

Nice one!

Las sesiones de entrenamiento recomendadas son solo para carrera o también para ciclismo? Gracias

its a great watch, but dont know if im upgrading just for these little changes. they have so many years in between watches and then it feels mostly like a software update (i never had big gps problems anyways)

Dude the 645 had the barometric altimeter. I got the 645 when the 245 was available for that reason even though the 645 lacks the pulse ox sensor but the 255 appears to resolve this issue

Hey DC, do you know if the vo2 for cycling can be calculated from workouts synced to Garmin connect, I use TrainerRoad and don't think I can have my pm connect to two devices.

What is going on on battery life between the various models? Is (say) the difference between (say) the GPS only time between the bigger 255, the (non solar) 955 and the mis size Fenix 7 only dictated by small differences in case size or is Garmin artificially hobbling the lower price points to make battery life a premium feature? This will, as you have frequently pointed out, be irrelevant to almost everyone save a tiny minority of ultra folk but is hugely frustrating for those in the latter category who don’t want the weight or price of the premium casing…..

Seems like both version gets a downgrade in screen area compared to the 245 (active screen diameter / clock diameter). Is this the case?

What’s the better watch? The 255 or the instinct 2? Both say 30 hours of gps which is the most I would ever need. Thanks for the help.

Hey man do you think we are going to see the features like Race Calendar dropped to the Fenix 6 series on a software update?

Hi can anyone tell me what hrv and vow means please? Great video but I am new to smart watches and didn't understand this. Also what does multi and GPS mean please? Thank you for an excellent video..Natalie 😁

Thanks Ray - excellent vid as always. Any idea if any of these features being added to the FR745 ?

Any plans for Garmin to include the heat acclimation function on the 255?

Awesome review! Thanks so much for all the work you do. Been waiting a while for this watch. With the pricing of the 255 music just 100 less than 955, it seems like there is no room for the 7xx series. Is that series being phased out?

I have noticed that, in the official Garmin website, the FR 255 music has WIFi in the Canadian and American version, but not in Europe or Australia. Is this feature only available in North America? Not a deal breaker, just wondering as the 245 has it.

Would you recommend this watch over a Fenix 6, given it's new features and multi band?

Just a quick question. So, the Instinct 2 will have the exact same training load metrics (plus HRV) as the forerunner 255, right?

Thanks!

Currently have a Galaxy Watch 4 classic 46m and looking to upgrade. Would you recommend this over waiting for the Watch 7 comming out this summer?

Thx, looking forward for 255 written review and comparison to 955. Well, spotted the "Mont Ventoux vs Des(fit)" event. When is it going to take place? ;-)

Would you say this a better than the coros pacer 2? I am looking for a new watch

Does GPS recording keep working when viewing 3rd party Widgets? That's something the F7 series still can't do (and F5 and 6 always could).

I just got a FR245 for a good deal but I can't help but think I'd be better served by the 255, which will also get updates for longer. Anyone have experience with the upgrade for someone running 12-15 miles a week?

They're really blurring the differences between lines. I have a Fenix 7 on order (they're on backorder until Mid-June or later) and could probably change it to this and have everything I need

I'm confused, what does the fenix series have that this doesn't? Maps? Slightly better battery (as of fenix 7)?

I am considering the FR255 for hiking and backpacking. I am comparing it to the Instinct 2, but don't like the Instinct's smaller, B/W display. Strangely, the specs for the FR255 say that it does NOT include GPS coordinates. And the Garmin Connect IQ add on of UTM coordinate display lists several FR models as being supported, but not the FR255. I just want it to display UTM coordinates so I can see where I am on my paper map. Am I missing something??

The training seems much like Garmin coach except more developed and able to make adjustments through the watch

Very nice watch… This or the Instinct 2? 😎😋