Forums > Kitesurfing General

Which Watch?

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Created by Lorgra > 9 months ago, 19 Oct 2019
airsail
QLD, 1240 posts
7 Feb 2020 12:12PM
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dachopper said..
I've got the new Fenix 6 after my fenix 5 battery died.

If you like 21 to 90 days smartwatch battery time, and nice colour display + wireless music go for it !

It's also titanium and a lot lighter than the fenix 5.


I have the Fenix 5 after having the 3 for a few years. Be careful of the supplied straps, they can break with little warning, mine did but luckily I was on a MTB so could pick it up. I only use the 2 piece webbing straps available from NATO or Amazon

dachopper
WA, 1784 posts
7 Feb 2020 4:10PM
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/
airsail said..


dachopper said..
I've got the new Fenix 6 after my fenix 5 battery died.

If you like 21 to 90 days smartwatch battery time, and nice colour display + wireless music go for it !

It's also titanium and a lot lighter than the fenix 5.



I have the Fenix 5 after having the 3 for a few years. Be careful of the supplied straps, they can break with little warning, mine did but luckily I was on a MTB so could pick it up. I only use the 2 piece webbing straps available from NATO or Amazon


I've got the silcon strap... which type of band broke ?

airsail
QLD, 1240 posts
7 Feb 2020 6:15PM
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dachopper said..

/
airsail said..



dachopper said..
I've got the new Fenix 6 after my fenix 5 battery died.

If you like 21 to 90 days smartwatch battery time, and nice colour display + wireless music go for it !

It's also titanium and a lot lighter than the fenix 5.




I have the Fenix 5 after having the 3 for a few years. Be careful of the supplied straps, they can break with little warning, mine did but luckily I was on a MTB so could pick it up. I only use the 2 piece webbing straps available from NATO or Amazon



I've got the silcon strap... which type of band broke ?


It is the silicon straps that break. And I have had the cheap eBay silicon strap clips fail too.

Phoney
NSW, 583 posts
1 Jun 2020 6:54PM
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Does anyone have a Fitbit Charge 4?

For $250 seems it might be the best bang for buck GPS tracker watch?

Leighbreeze
WA, 531 posts
1 Jun 2020 6:23PM
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I watch.

Alysum
NSW, 1024 posts
1 Jun 2020 11:54PM
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airsail said..

dachopper said..
I've got the new Fenix 6 after my fenix 5 battery died.

If you like 21 to 90 days smartwatch battery time, and nice colour display + wireless music go for it !

It's also titanium and a lot lighter than the fenix 5.



I have the Fenix 5 after having the 3 for a few years. Be careful of the supplied straps, they can break with little warning, mine did but luckily I was on a MTB so could pick it up. I only use the 2 piece webbing straps available from NATO or Amazon


I have the Fenix 6 on order. What type of strap is the 2 piece webbing strap you refer to please?

airsail
QLD, 1240 posts
2 Jun 2020 4:46AM
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Alysum said..

airsail said..


dachopper said..
I've got the new Fenix 6 after my fenix 5 battery died.

If you like 21 to 90 days smartwatch battery time, and nice colour display + wireless music go for it !

It's also titanium and a lot lighter than the fenix 5.




I have the Fenix 5 after having the 3 for a few years. Be careful of the supplied straps, they can break with little warning, mine did but luckily I was on a MTB so could pick it up. I only use the 2 piece webbing straps available from NATO or Amazon



I have the Fenix 6 on order. What type of strap is the 2 piece webbing strap you refer to please?


I don't know how wide the Fenix 6 is, the 5 is 22mm
www.amazon.com.au/Straps-Quality-Sports-Nylon-Band/dp/B07P3XKY1S/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1JPYEM0O4M0LB&dchild=1&keywords=nylon+watch+strap&qid=1591037074&sprefix=Nylon+watch%2Caps%2C336&sr=8-6

farNT
QLD, 89 posts
3 Jun 2020 4:56AM
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shi thouse said..
Anyone tried the Ripcurl Search GPS 2 watch. Looks fairly basic, but really all I would want.


yep got one ,first one died within 3 months ,luckily still under warranty..second one is still going but the screen scratches very easily and no music ,,,,love listening to tunes kiting .[Have the Sony Walkman headphones, that i love though ]probably used the GPS for the first month and dont bother with it any more as the novelty has worn off ,But the tide function gets used daily ,When it dies will probably go with the garmin

farNT
QLD, 89 posts
3 Jun 2020 5:02AM
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tightlines said..
I love my Garmin 645 Music.

Does all the usual GPS, heart rate, fitness stuff plus syncs to my spotify account so I can download and store my favourite playlists, album etc.

Also stores my credit card info so I can pay for stuff with my watch.
So I can go for a ride, kite, surf, go out for a few beers, whatever with out having to take my wallet.

With my waterproof Bluetooth earphones I can also listen to music without having to have a phone with me.
Great for things like the flatwater SUP Marathon I did the other week, a workout playlist to keep me going and was able to purchase food and drinks at the end without my wallet.

You can download various apps so you can change the watch face, or add things like a surf tracker that shows you how many waves you have caught distance and top speed of ride etc.

Also things like find my phone, just push a button and if you phone is in range it will emit a sound.

Lots of other stuff to, hell it even tells the time.



Is it glass screen ??

Alysum
NSW, 1024 posts
13 Jun 2020 9:51PM
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Picked up a Fenix 6 pro sapphire and enjoying it so far. Have not yet kited with it, what activity do you use?

Gateman
QLD, 409 posts
14 Jun 2020 11:05AM
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Alysum said..
Picked up a Fenix 6 pro sapphire and enjoying it so far. Have not yet kited with it, what activity do you use?


I have the Fenix 5 and tried two different kite apps a couple times but both struggled to find GPS signal and failed to record my session. Gave up on those and now just hit "Track Me" and then I rename the event in Strava after its down loaded. PS: picked up 10 glass screen protectors for under $10 on eBay and already replaced one of them. Felt the Saphire version was a bit bulky and heavy for my skinny arms.

Alysum
NSW, 1024 posts
14 Jun 2020 6:41PM
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Gateman said..

Alysum said..
Picked up a Fenix 6 pro sapphire and enjoying it so far. Have not yet kited with it, what activity do you use?



I have the Fenix 5 and tried two different kite apps a couple times but both struggled to find GPS signal and failed to record my session. Gave up on those and now just hit "Track Me" and then I rename the event in Strava after its down loaded. PS: picked up 10 glass screen protectors for under $10 on eBay and already replaced one of them. Felt the Saphire version was a bit bulky and heavy for my skinny arms.


I guess I don't need screen protectors on the sapphire.
I also downloaded some kite apps that seem buggy

Gorgo
VIC, 4911 posts
14 Jun 2020 7:04PM
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I have been using the Garmin Fenix 3 since 2016. I've recorded roughly 1000 sessions and about 1000 hours in/on the water. I wear it every day.

I don't use any apps. I've never found them to be particularly useful. I upload the tracks to Garmin Connect and look at them on the web site. I can download individual tracks to Google Earth or Ayvri or whatever.

I have replaced the band once with a cheap ebay silicone one. It's working fine so far.

The only issue that has arisen is that salt builds up under the buttons and you can't press them. You can't get it fixed. I don't think there is a repair system outside of warranties. The stiffness of the buttons built up over time.

I soaked the watch in warm water and that dissolved the salt and the buttons now work fine. I now soak my Garmin and my Apple watch and sunglasses in warm soapy water.

Alysum
NSW, 1024 posts
15 Jun 2020 10:50AM
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Good tips thanks, I'll make sure I rinse with warm water after every usage.

"Track me" seems like the logical activity. No need for all fancy data when you're busy on the water, I'll only care about the time when I look at it

Alysum
NSW, 1024 posts
15 Jun 2020 9:54PM
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Also do you guys always wear the wetsuit arms over the watch? I find the pressure of the neoprene on the watch uncomfortable... Nor do I want to wear it over the neoprene in case the strap breaks off.

zlatko
38 posts
15 Jun 2020 9:27PM
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@Alysum - I always wear the watch over the wetsuite/rashvest. If you have a good strap - how can you expect it to break that easily? Also - most divers watches are made to be worn over wetsuit, they have a special clasp that allows you to easily lengthen the strap in order to wear comfortably over the wetty if it is too thick.

Dangerous
NSW, 16 posts
1 Jul 2020 6:04PM
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For the Garmin users, the Tidal Face is an awesome watch face for watersports. The level of blue in the digits (below) is representative of the tide level where you are (based on GPS). You can alter it so the colour for incoming and outgoing tides is different you have all the info at a glance. It's free too (but the developer has to pay for the link to the tides info so I sent him the price of a cup of coffee)

apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/2fcce126-f5cc-4b3f-bd7e-36047612288c




Peahi
VIC, 1467 posts
1 Jul 2020 9:44PM
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Dangerous said..
For the Garmin users, the Tidal Face is an awesome watch face for watersports. The level of blue in the digits (below) is representative of the tide level where you are (based on GPS). You can alter it so the colour for incoming and outgoing tides is different you have all the info at a glance. It's free too (but the developer has to pay for the link to the tides info so I sent him the price of a cup of coffee)

apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/2fcce126-f5cc-4b3f-bd7e-36047612288c





got a 735XT and downloaded a heap of apps for surfing and/or kiting, none of them seem to be any good (maybe it's user error) so i ended up trashing them and using cycling as kiting recorder and ocean swim for surfing. Anyone had success with these apps?

Seems like a useful watch face though might try it,

lostatsea
WA, 147 posts
2 Jul 2020 6:26PM
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Just got a nixon mission. Has GPS/ Strava, connects to woo no issues also live speed data, the pro mission face has real surf and wind updates!! downside dosnt like touch screen controls when wet and battery lasts 2.5 days without GPS tracking on, 1 day with a 3 hr kite session running Strava and woo screen at same time

cauncy
WA, 8407 posts
2 Jul 2020 7:02PM
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The wife 1 is most accurate' knows everything's time on water's where you've been GPSbut very tempramenstral and very costly if you lose it
Wife 2 model much better' doesn't give a fark much nicer bit of kit

wishy
WA, 1501 posts
2 Jul 2020 7:21PM
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It must be so exciting seeing where you went on your GPS track lines. Don't they just go backwards and forwards in a 2km stretch and then back to your car? I could draw that for you with a crayon?

Peahi
VIC, 1467 posts
3 Jul 2020 2:26PM
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wishy said..
It must be so exciting seeing where you went on your GPS track lines. Don't they just go backwards and forwards in a 2km stretch and then back to your car? I could draw that for you with a crayon?


I originally got mine (910xt) for a port phillip bay crossing - approx 75km in more or less a straght line from Rosebud to Port Melbourne.

But I also use it for cycling, running and surfing, interestingly I cover 2-3kms in distance surfing, and the odd-40+km kite session. The longer the distance the better the session it seems. Helps to check the time every now and then.

Otherwise for kiting it does look a bit like a spaghetti chart.

dachopper
WA, 1784 posts
5 Jul 2020 3:24PM
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Alysum said..
Picked up a Fenix 6 pro sapphire and enjoying it so far. Have not yet kited with it, what activity do you use?



You can use my app for free

Sail Racer in the garmin store.

Also - depending on how you want it to record - it has position every second, or " smart " recording ( default ) which only records when it senses a change, the fenix has this feature in one of the menus. / settings

Alysum
NSW, 1024 posts
6 Jul 2020 11:17AM
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dachopper said..

Alysum said..
Picked up a Fenix 6 pro sapphire and enjoying it so far. Have not yet kited with it, what activity do you use?




You can use my app for free

Sail Racer in the garmin store.

Also - depending on how you want it to record - it has position every second, or " smart " recording ( default ) which only records when it senses a change, the fenix has this feature in one of the menus. / settings


Interesting. I assume the every second feature uses the battery a lot more ?
At the moment I just use "Track me"...

dachopper
WA, 1784 posts
6 Jul 2020 6:09PM
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Alysum said..

dachopper said..


Alysum said..
Picked up a Fenix 6 pro sapphire and enjoying it so far. Have not yet kited with it, what activity do you use?





You can use my app for free

Sail Racer in the garmin store.

Also - depending on how you want it to record - it has position every second, or " smart " recording ( default ) which only records when it senses a change, the fenix has this feature in one of the menus. / settings



Interesting. I assume the every second feature uses the battery a lot more ?
At the moment I just use "Track me"...


It does, but I get 19 days out of it battery wise, I've been out a few times with smart recording on where I'm trying to break my speed records, and the max speed I saw on water has not matched the activity summary speed graph ( I presume because of smart recording ) . That does not happen with my app, but I prefer to have accurate data rather than inferred data if I'm recording a session.

You can change the setting and try it with track me then look at the activity map, it should have a lot more accurate track on there



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"Which Watch?" started by Lorgra