I have used and loved the Garmin Instinct watch for well over 5 years. My old watch still worked but the battery life was down to a few days which I couldn't tolerate when on the go. The new watch has many more features than I ever dreamed and a battery life of 30 days. i

Upgraded from a Suunto Traverse Alpha. The Garmin picks up GPS much sooner, has a far superior battery, heart rate monitor and many things that the Suunto Traverse does not. The Garmin is all Plastic and feels like it will get more beat up than the Suunto Traverse which is much more durable feeling with metal bezel and sapphire crystal screen. I haven't owned the Garmin long enough to drop it below 5 stars for durability reasons, but the bezel could be a bit tougher feeling in my opinion. So far the tracking and health functions of the Garmin Instinct 2 is awesome and I am using it regularly for trail running and mountain biking, but also tracked a couple of sessions kiteboarding which was cool.

I wanted a watch that would help me track my fitness, sleep and overall health without worrying about babying it with my rugged activities. I wear this watch with everything. Camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, dirt bike riding, working on my vehicles and household chores. The watch is super durable and has excellent sensors. The heart rate monitor is much improved over my five year old Garmin. The pulse oximeter is a pleasant surprise. I really like the software features of the watch too. For instance body battery and training readiness. The outdoor features such as the altimeter, GPS, weather and sunrise/sunset are super helpful also.

My last (and only) previous smartwatch was the Garmin Venu. From a performance perspective, it was a great device and did everything I wanted. But, I cannot count the number of times I replaced the screen protector because the exposed surface was frequently marred. Fortunately, the screen protectors always took the brunt. The Instinct 2 is ruggedized - face recessed below the bezel and not equipped with a color touchscreen. These last two are a step backward in features but overall I like the result. It took nearly no time to get used to the button layout, and the advances in monitoring, especially the sleep score, are much appreciated. So, I'm very happy to have made the switch. And, listening to folks who have gone the Apple route, I'm really happy to have selected Garmin's devices. I think they're better designed for someone who wants a training device, not just an extension of their smart phone.

First smart watch, so far so good. I like the functionality and features although the lap counter for swimming is not very accurate, nor is the distance when set for open water swimming. My only real gripe is I don't like the interface. It feels cheap and for the price I'd expect more.

This watch has everything I need. I had to do some research to find some video shorts to get it up and going (there are a million features). I really like the functionality and linkage with the Pro 550 Plus dog training system, however, it took some searching to find the right videos to watch to walk me through the setup Overall outstanding features, rugged, reasonable price, but Garmin needs a better instruction video catalog for users.

I appreciate that this watch is functional without being colorful and smart-looking. I owned an original Instinct before buying the Instinct 2, and they're both great. Battery life is much better with the 2, and the higher resolution display with more customization options is nice. If you're more interested in a watch for the outdoors than a watch that puts your phone on your wrist, then the Instinct is a great choice.

The Instinct 2 is more than just a watch: It's a measuring instrument. Smart is putting it lightly: It's a robust calculating computer that instantly provides a enormous amount of physiological information at your fingertips. I'll never be able to totally take advantage of all the information it provides me due to my fiscal limitations that accompanies my age group, but I certainly appreciate the physiological feedback the Instinct 2 provides during my fitness center workouts.

Great battery life of 26-28 days. I use sunrise and sunset times for hunting. When I get a text message I can quickly just look at my wrist to see if it's from someone important or something that can wait. The steps and heart rate functions are more for fun to me but entertaining on a walk with my wife.

I finally pulled the trigger and bought a watch to help me monitor my cycling, hiking and backcountry skiing. This watch has all the bells and whistles to monitor my activities and progress throughout their respective seasons. UNFORTUNATELY the laser that this watch (and all watches with a heart rate sensor - Apple, Suunto, etc.) cannot read through heavily tattooed skin! Total bummer. Around my wrist I got zero HR, but the moment I slid it to my hand (that isn't tattooed), the HR popped right up. Upon further investigation, I discovered this is a common frustration amongst tattooed people. Oh well, at least it was an easy return process. Hopefully there'll be a viable option in the not so distant future, as the info this watch tracks would be greatly appreciated!