Here is my extend review of the watch.
I wrote this up quick with no editing. Sorry for the typos.
Garmin 310xt
Review
Lets cut to the chase. This watch rocks triathlon hard. Now this is the second Garmin product I have owned, my previous was the Forerunner 405, which I loved as recording tool, but really hated the interface. Other tri gadgets in my aresnal and history are the wired Powertap, and then upgraded to two wireless Powertap wheels, a timex ironman HRM (no data syncing) and a cat eye double wireless computer. I know the gadgets well, and do use most the features on there, but I haven't seen everything out there. Just to let you know my experience with previous gear.
First Impression
It is very easy to use right out of the box. Within minutes I had it paired to my powertap hub, and I was off recording a route and training. Heart rate monitor paired effortlessly (I use the cycle ops, coded HRM, which works with garmin products.) The auto lap is turned on by default to every mile, which was confusing at first, neat once I figured out what it was doing, and then annoying until I stopped and turned it off. To me this feature should be off by default. I downloaded the file to garminconnect and then uploaded the .tcx file to training peaks along with powertap file. For a complicated device it was very easy to use.
The Interface and size.
I love the interface, the buttons are clearly labeled and easy to push and use. I had issues with the touch bezel on the 405, as my own wrist would often change stuff, by touching the the bezel. The buttons navigate through the menus well. I only dislike like that the lap and stop/start buttons are identical on the front, as after a really hard interval, sometimes I confuse the two and press the wrong one. Left is lap, right is start/stop, but I just reach out and mash something, however I am getting use to it. Its a big watch, however it sits quite comfortably on my wrist, and I don't really notice it. I don't think it creates that much difference on the swim, which was a main concern, but more on that. Its sits better on my right wrist than on my left. I wear a watch on either wrist depending on some complicated alignment of sun and the stars. The menus are intuitive for me, and I didn't have to read the manual, however I am previous 405 owner, and the software structure is very similar.
The Swim or as they call it "other"
The other sport is cool in that it can be set to do any other sport, XC skiing, hiking, etc. But most people are going to use it for the swim. Guess this is why it is a multi-sport watch and not a triathlon watch. Anyways my other sport is the swim, so I talk about the watch and how it works and how I use it on the swim.
GPS is NOT accurate on the swim at all, but it does log the route with a big squiggly line, when worn on the wrist in OWS. In lap swimming just turn off the GPS. Also make sure auto lap is off. Its basically a huge regular old watch at this point. I haven't test HRM in the pool or OWS yet, so no info on that.
Alternative methods of wearing. I tested a 800m swim in a pool by wearing the watch under my cap. The theory is that GPS receiver will be out of the water and therefore give a more accurate reading. Also the distance should be better as your head, (hopefully) is not waving around like your arms. Just turning left to right. I would post the a pic of the "route" in the pool but the dog ate my homework, or Garmin ANT Agent deleted it, more on that later. Anyways I did two tests with different positions in my cap. One of top my head, one on the back of my head. The first result was around .6 miles, off by .1 mile, and the second was .8 miles, off by .3 miles respectively.
I believe using this method in OWS would provide I fairly accurate course and length, as I did submerge on the turns, (no flips turns, though.) In order to downplay the fact that I had giant watch under my cap and goggles I performed both tests in a speedo. This must have freed up the lane for me to test undistributed. I don't think lap swimming would give an accurate reading, but a longer more varied courses probably would aka OWS, this is not been tested, but I probably will.
From cap to wrist. With a little practice I was able to remove my goggles and place them between my teeth while jogging, I would then remove the cap and fish the watch out. Tucking the cap into the swimsuit I was able to get the watch on wrist in under 10 secs while running, a task easily done on the jog to T1, a wetsuit might complicate this a bit more.
Starting the watch when it is your cap is a now brainer, pun intended, the start button is easy to find on the cap, it vibrates and chirps, giving your brain a gentle jarring to know it started.
All that being said, being able to upload lap times to the computer without going through the manual typing has been nice. Nice formated table of laps and times on the computer, no manual labor.
The Bike
Up to 3 bike settings are available for people with different bikes and seems pretty nice. I use one despite having two powertap wheels as syncing with a new powertap is very easy and quick. I still use my powertap Cervo computer as my primary, and the watch is just there to provide extra data. Being able to display current power and average power with pressing buttons is a luxury as the powertap cervo only will display one or the other. Basically on the bike I use it to record data, and don't look at it that much. More on the software later, however Garmin Connect is not robust enough to do real power analysis, and WKO+, Trainingpeaks, Poweragent, etc. will be still be nessesary for determining FTP, critical power, etc.
It will also determine wheel circumference after a some riding, why you or it needs this is beyond me as it uses GPS for distance. On the bike its nice to have, but I still need my cervo with poweragent, maybe if I used WKO+ I could ditch the cervo. Some people asked about the bike mount, but I don't have it and my wrist works just fine, I can flip it to the underside of my wrist and see all the data just fine in aero position.
The Run
This is where to watch really excels beyond other products and the 405 was the same way, just with an interface I found unappealing. AVG pace, current pace, HR, etc all the tools necessary to get a near perfect run. I also use the footpod which synced pretty quickly. Cadence is nice and definitely an area I need to improve.
MULTI-SPORT racing mode.
This is the most confusing mode of the watch, mainly because the display shows you what sport you are doing, your total time and TOTAL DISTANCE. Total distance is very pointless as who knows they are on mile 26 of their race (1 mile swim + 25 miles of biking). I usually want to know what mile of the bike I am on! It is further pointless in that GPS doesn't work on the swim, so the thing probably recorded your 750m as 2 miles instead of 250 meters, so data isn't even accurate. You cannot change these fields. However there is a solution.
Customize the main window in each sport what you want to see. Mine looks like this when I train in the individual sport.
Other (swim)
Time only
Bike
Current Power
HR rate
Bike Time
Cadence
Run
Run time
Run pace
run avg pace
cadence
Now when you race select the multi-sport mode with transitions and up pops the annoying display with total time and total distance, before you start the race toggle to the main swim (other) sport display for me this time only. As you do through the race it will focus on the individual sport window, showing you the splits for that milage and time. Note: when in transitions the annoying total time total distance window pops up, but as soon as you press lap when getting on the bike it goes back to the bike main display, etc. Once I got that figured out I decided to use in race and it work like a charm didn't think about it once.
The achilles. Garmin ANT agent
So far I have only talked about minor annoyances, really not flaws, but now we are to the flaws. To upload the data to your computer there is a USB stick and a piece of software called ANT agent. All of garmins wireless products use this. The software feels very cheap. It has lost about 6 training files and I need to delete it and master reset the watch twice since owning it. Garmin support had me downgrade to an earlier version because the new one has "issues." Things have been going smoothly recently, however compared to the hardware, the watch, and the user end ware, garmin connect, this is poorly done and they need to work on reliability and stability on this part, what is the point of the watch if you can't review and compare your training data, or see the very cool recording of your route via google maps. This can be very frustrating and time consuming to deal with. When it works you don't are pleased, when it doesn't you are pulling your hair out for hours.
Garmin Connect.
This is website where you store all your data. It has lots of yuppie features like play back with elevation, cadence, speed, etc. It can be slow loading data and so forth since it is web based with heavy graphics. You can also generate reports and milage per week, month, and year with filters. Also you can view a map of where you have trained which is cool. However the real meat and potatoes is not here. Power graphs, interval graphs, milage per shoe, milage per bike etc. Its sweet software and very well done, but a lot is eye candy. Now you can upload the files to 3rd party like training peaks, google earth, and so forth and then you can really get the most out of the watch. Garmin Connect is a nice display of data from a different perspective, but it is no substitute for the more robust 3rd party software.
Final thoughts
Despite the problems with ANT agent this watch rocks, especially for recording routes, and pacing yourself on the run. GPS signal was great on sunny days, and slightly inaccurate for overcast days. No problems in the woods. It offers a workout trainer by intervals, but on the track it wasn't accurate enough for 12x 400 intervals always stopping my interval short of the 400 meters, so I just log the intervals with out the fancy workout trainer, and the distances come out ready slightly high. I wish the trainer wouldn't auto stop my 400m lap, until I tell it I am done by pressing the lap button, not when the gps thinks I am done. This would be usual for folks doing a track workout with out a track.
Once you figure out how you want to race with it, it performs well. It has some minor annoyances when training, that can be overcome be either turning off the gps (lap swimmig), or ignoring it during track work outs. Its not that is that far off but I like my 1:30, 400 meter laps to be very precise and even, and gps just isn't as accurate as the track. The power ANT feature is nice, but I still rely on the Powertap CPU for the essentials.
Garmin Forerunner 310xt long review
Here is my extend review of the watch.
I wrote this up quick with no editing. Sorry for the typos.
Garmin 310xt
Review
Lets cut to the chase. This watch rocks triathlon hard. Now this is the second Garmin product I have owned, my previous was the Forerunner 405, which I loved as recording tool, but really hated the interface. Other tri gadgets in my aresnal and history are the wired Powertap, and then upgraded to two wireless Powertap wheels, a timex ironman HRM (no data syncing) and a cat eye double wireless computer. I know the gadgets well, and do use most the features on there, but I haven't seen everything out there. Just to let you know my experience with previous gear.
First Impression
It is very easy to use right out of the box. Within minutes I had it paired to my powertap hub, and I was off recording a route and training. Heart rate monitor paired effortlessly (I use the cycle ops, coded HRM, which works with garmin products.) The auto lap is turned on by default to every mile, which was confusing at first, neat once I figured out what it was doing, and then annoying until I stopped and turned it off. To me this feature should be off by default. I downloaded the file to garminconnect and then uploaded the .tcx file to training peaks along with powertap file. For a complicated device it was very easy to use.
The Interface and size.
I love the interface, the buttons are clearly labeled and easy to push and use. I had issues with the touch bezel on the 405, as my own wrist would often change stuff, by touching the the bezel. The buttons navigate through the menus well. I only dislike like that the lap and stop/start buttons are identical on the front, as after a really hard interval, sometimes I confuse the two and press the wrong one. Left is lap, right is start/stop, but I just reach out and mash something, however I am getting use to it. Its a big watch, however it sits quite comfortably on my wrist, and I don't really notice it. I don't think it creates that much difference on the swim, which was a main concern, but more on that. Its sits better on my right wrist than on my left. I wear a watch on either wrist depending on some complicated alignment of sun and the stars. The menus are intuitive for me, and I didn't have to read the manual, however I am previous 405 owner, and the software structure is very similar.
The Swim or as they call it "other"
The other sport is cool in that it can be set to do any other sport, XC skiing, hiking, etc. But most people are going to use it for the swim. Guess this is why it is a multi-sport watch and not a triathlon watch. Anyways my other sport is the swim, so I talk about the watch and how it works and how I use it on the swim.
GPS is NOT accurate on the swim at all, but it does log the route with a big squiggly line, when worn on the wrist in OWS. In lap swimming just turn off the GPS. Also make sure auto lap is off. Its basically a huge regular old watch at this point. I haven't test HRM in the pool or OWS yet, so no info on that.
Alternative methods of wearing. I tested a 800m swim in a pool by wearing the watch under my cap. The theory is that GPS receiver will be out of the water and therefore give a more accurate reading. Also the distance should be better as your head, (hopefully) is not waving around like your arms. Just turning left to right. I would post the a pic of the "route" in the pool but the dog ate my homework, or Garmin ANT Agent deleted it, more on that later. Anyways I did two tests with different positions in my cap. One of top my head, one on the back of my head. The first result was around .6 miles, off by .1 mile, and the second was .8 miles, off by .3 miles respectively.
I believe using this method in OWS would provide I fairly accurate course and length, as I did submerge on the turns, (no flips turns, though.) In order to downplay the fact that I had giant watch under my cap and goggles I performed both tests in a speedo. This must have freed up the lane for me to test undistributed. I don't think lap swimming would give an accurate reading, but a longer more varied courses probably would aka OWS, this is not been tested, but I probably will.
From cap to wrist. With a little practice I was able to remove my goggles and place them between my teeth while jogging, I would then remove the cap and fish the watch out. Tucking the cap into the swimsuit I was able to get the watch on wrist in under 10 secs while running, a task easily done on the jog to T1, a wetsuit might complicate this a bit more.
Starting the watch when it is your cap is a now brainer, pun intended, the start button is easy to find on the cap, it vibrates and chirps, giving your brain a gentle jarring to know it started.
All that being said, being able to upload lap times to the computer without going through the manual typing has been nice. Nice formated table of laps and times on the computer, no manual labor.
The Bike
Up to 3 bike settings are available for people with different bikes and seems pretty nice. I use one despite having two powertap wheels as syncing with a new powertap is very easy and quick. I still use my powertap Cervo computer as my primary, and the watch is just there to provide extra data. Being able to display current power and average power with pressing buttons is a luxury as the powertap cervo only will display one or the other. Basically on the bike I use it to record data, and don't look at it that much. More on the software later, however Garmin Connect is not robust enough to do real power analysis, and WKO+, Trainingpeaks, Poweragent, etc. will be still be nessesary for determining FTP, critical power, etc.
It will also determine wheel circumference after a some riding, why you or it needs this is beyond me as it uses GPS for distance. On the bike its nice to have, but I still need my cervo with poweragent, maybe if I used WKO+ I could ditch the cervo. Some people asked about the bike mount, but I don't have it and my wrist works just fine, I can flip it to the underside of my wrist and see all the data just fine in aero position.
The Run
This is where to watch really excels beyond other products and the 405 was the same way, just with an interface I found unappealing. AVG pace, current pace, HR, etc all the tools necessary to get a near perfect run. I also use the footpod which synced pretty quickly. Cadence is nice and definitely an area I need to improve.
MULTI-SPORT racing mode.
This is the most confusing mode of the watch, mainly because the display shows you what sport you are doing, your total time and TOTAL DISTANCE. Total distance is very pointless as who knows they are on mile 26 of their race (1 mile swim + 25 miles of biking). I usually want to know what mile of the bike I am on! It is further pointless in that GPS doesn't work on the swim, so the thing probably recorded your 750m as 2 miles instead of 250 meters, so data isn't even accurate. You cannot change these fields. However there is a solution.
Customize the main window in each sport what you want to see. Mine looks like this when I train in the individual sport.
Other (swim)
Time only
Bike
Current Power
HR rate
Bike Time
Cadence
Run
Run time
Run pace
run avg pace
cadence
Now when you race select the multi-sport mode with transitions and up pops the annoying display with total time and total distance, before you start the race toggle to the main swim (other) sport display for me this time only. As you do through the race it will focus on the individual sport window, showing you the splits for that milage and time. Note: when in transitions the annoying total time total distance window pops up, but as soon as you press lap when getting on the bike it goes back to the bike main display, etc. Once I got that figured out I decided to use in race and it work like a charm didn't think about it once.
The achilles. Garmin ANT agent
So far I have only talked about minor annoyances, really not flaws, but now we are to the flaws. To upload the data to your computer there is a USB stick and a piece of software called ANT agent. All of garmins wireless products use this. The software feels very cheap. It has lost about 6 training files and I need to delete it and master reset the watch twice since owning it. Garmin support had me downgrade to an earlier version because the new one has "issues." Things have been going smoothly recently, however compared to the hardware, the watch, and the user end ware, garmin connect, this is poorly done and they need to work on reliability and stability on this part, what is the point of the watch if you can't review and compare your training data, or see the very cool recording of your route via google maps. This can be very frustrating and time consuming to deal with. When it works you don't are pleased, when it doesn't you are pulling your hair out for hours.
Garmin Connect.
This is website where you store all your data. It has lots of yuppie features like play back with elevation, cadence, speed, etc. It can be slow loading data and so forth since it is web based with heavy graphics. You can also generate reports and milage per week, month, and year with filters. Also you can view a map of where you have trained which is cool. However the real meat and potatoes is not here. Power graphs, interval graphs, milage per shoe, milage per bike etc. Its sweet software and very well done, but a lot is eye candy. Now you can upload the files to 3rd party like training peaks, google earth, and so forth and then you can really get the most out of the watch. Garmin Connect is a nice display of data from a different perspective, but it is no substitute for the more robust 3rd party software.
Final thoughts
Despite the problems with ANT agent this watch rocks, especially for recording routes, and pacing yourself on the run. GPS signal was great on sunny days, and slightly inaccurate for overcast days. No problems in the woods. It offers a workout trainer by intervals, but on the track it wasn't accurate enough for 12x 400 intervals always stopping my interval short of the 400 meters, so I just log the intervals with out the fancy workout trainer, and the distances come out ready slightly high. I wish the trainer wouldn't auto stop my 400m lap, until I tell it I am done by pressing the lap button, not when the gps thinks I am done. This would be usual for folks doing a track workout with out a track.
Once you figure out how you want to race with it, it performs well. It has some minor annoyances when training, that can be overcome be either turning off the gps (lap swimmig), or ignoring it during track work outs. Its not that is that far off but I like my 1:30, 400 meter laps to be very precise and even, and gps just isn't as accurate as the track. The power ANT feature is nice, but I still rely on the Powertap CPU for the essentials.