Garmin Instinct Solar, Solar-powered Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch, Built-in Sports Apps and Health Monitoring, Graphite

Customer Reviews

• C. A. R.

  4.0 out of 5 stars If you're prone to being burned by wearables do not buy.

  Got this for my husband's birthday present after it was recommended by my BIL. He's been wanting an apple watch for a while (which I have) but felt like he'd smash the screen on one of those within a day or two due to the nature of his work. So this Garmin looks and feels very sturdy - it getting damaged wasn't a concern - and he works outside so the fact it's solar powered is brilliant. He'd been wearing it out of the box for over a week straight and the battery life was '10 days' left on it. The tracking aspects are good too, though the screen and buttons are definitely not as simple to use as something like an Apple Watch. I am sure the tracking is more accurate on this than an Apple, too. I personally loved that the alarm setting can be set to 'vibrate only' so his loud alarms were no longer waking me up in the morning! Unfortunately this is another wearable that he cannot wear as it has burned him. This is now the third wearable I've gifted him and all of them have burned him right where the heat sensor is. This one took longer than a FitBit to do its damage but *sigh* here we are. Really unfortunate as this watch was ideal for him in every way. Of course I've missed the return window - so after reading up on this on Garmin forums it seems to be an issue some people have. I think some people just have ultra sensitive skin that doesn't do well with heat sensors of any kind. I will be contacting Garmin Support to see if they can help with this in any way.

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• DA

  3.0 out of 5 stars Good and robust watch - not so great battery performance

  The good bits:Sporty looking rugged sturdy watch. Feels like bullet prof. I like the look of it and that has a clear monochrome view - visible in bright sunlight.Nice soft touch silicon strap with enough holes that it fits any wrist.Great selection of fitness apps and features.The smart phone notifications are also useful.The not so good bits:The menu and settings are not straight forward and can be confusing.Took a while to setup a simple 5km running course.The disappointing bits:No VO2 max measure - which I used a lot in other watch and an important data for runners.But the most disappointing was the battery live. I was so much looking forward to a watch that has decent battery life. Reading the manufacturer's description I had high hopes.When it is fully charged it only gives me 12days battery displayed - no GPS on, heart rate is on and very few phone app notifications. Backlight only for button press and is set to 10%.I might got a faulty model as the 12days battery life is only 10 by the end of the day and 7 by the next morning. It's not even close to the claim by Garmin > Up to 24 days with smart watch enabled.I like the watch and its features, however because of the lack of VO2 max and poor battery performance, I am sending it back. I have already ordered the Solar Instinct 2 model that claims massive improvement on the battery performance and also measures VO2 max.

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• Mick Dunn

  5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent watch.

  I bought this watch in Dec 2020, so it's had 2 years and 4 months of everyday use! I've wated a good length of time to review it to hopefully give you a good idea of how robust the watch is etc. Not after a weeks use!!I use the watch everyday without fail and pretty much wear it 24/7 unless I'm charging it! Mainly I'll record hikes, including mountain hikes and the odd bike ride, so this is when I'll record the activity via the built in GPS, then download the activity to the Garmin app and Komoot.I used the watch to record hiking activities extensively last year whilst travelling in our campervan, spending 3 months in France, 3 months back in the UK, then 3 months in Spain. So what I'm saying is that the watch is used a lot.The battery life is fantastic, not using the GPS, I've had a couple of weeks out of it with battery power left over, I think I'd get up to 3 weeks. When the GPS is activated it will last all day, I believe up to 16 hours. I've spent all day on mountains in the UK, Spain and France and there's always been plenty of life left in the battery once the activity has ended.The watch is not bad to look at and is very clear and simple to use, it also sits nice on the wrist and is very light.The only gripe I have is the fact you can't see the steps on the face during a recorded activity, it just means you have to wait until you've finished.Overall I love the watch, it's been totally reliable and the best Garmin I've had by far. I would definitely buy another.

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• Jack

  5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny

  I knew I was getting a good watch from Garmin and I wasn't disappoint, this has made my life very easy in my job when it comes to the GPS being very accurate for grid references and bearings. The battery easily last a week with out charging it and hasn't been a problem in different climates. As my first Garmin watch I'm not disappointed and definitely recommend.

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• Ashley Tapp

  5.0 out of 5 stars Happy so far

  Was a bit unsure of buying off Bolo, but it’s working well so far 👍🏻

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