This is the ultimate backcountry watch for intermittent gps use marking important locations for reference later and have it to get you out of trouble if you were to get spun around. This is like a survivalist or preppers dream watch. In battery saver mode you get date time steps floors climbed and can still use the ABC functions all with unlimited battery and you can easily turn on gps here or there if you need it and the watch can charge itself
CHK 6 yes absolutely for situations where you don’t care so much about tracking you trip but you just want to me able to mark occasional important places you can put it in power saver and just turn on gps as needed to mark them and or to get you pointed in the right direction. The battery will last indefinitely as long as you get 3 hours of sunlight per day (in the battery saver mode )which should be no problem in those type of situations. Even with zero sun exposure the battery saver mode last like 2 months approximately.even not in power save mode with all features on connected to my phone etc... if I sit in the sun for like 3 or 4 hours I gain one day of battery in that time. The gps is the biggest power drain so for training and tracking you will still need to plug it in every 10-14 days or so if you are out running cycling etc a hour or so a few times a week. Which is still ridiculous compared to an Apple Watch which need to be charged daily without even using the gps. The garmin is an amazing device and if you wanna load it up with waypoints before you head out into the great outdoors or simply mark your car before starting a hike you can do that and be sure you can get back without getting lost in case of emergency. I might make a video on it demonstrating it survival or preparedness capabilities as I have not seen it talked about much as most people are just focusing on smart notifications and using the watch to track a run or hike with all bells and whistles turned on.
@@ChaseTheSummit hello greetings from Brazil. If you press Menu , the watch Will show on the ‘little ball’ the days left, and then shows also the percentage.
An informative, easy to follow review with a very helpful comparison to another of Garmin’s quality products. Nicely done! That 20-minute review flew by!
I'm still watching reviews of the instinct solar even though I'm already wearing one. I purchased it without a thought after coming across it randomly. So far no regret. Great review
@@7324edwin it's basically the same as it was when i first opened. Maybe a few scratches but the watch is durable. Could withstand lots of force. My battery is still holding up. I only charge once a month. I usually only use it for the time, weather, notifications and tracking steps. If you are looking for something smart with heaps of functions, you could look at the newer garmin models
You do an awesome job of giving balanced reviews! Thank you for thinking through multiple perspectives and plowing through all the video editing. Keep up the good work! It made a difference for my decision. I'm a hiker/mountain runner and this watch just seems to fit me. Thank you!
The deal breaker is that the face is small and then they waste some of it with that circle in the top right. Why oh why can't that be part of the screen and changeable. I do like this watch Can you think of a similar watch with monochrome always on display? Thank you. Great review.
You can customize the little window but yes, it certainly takes up real estate. I think a similar watch (with less features) is the Casio G-Shock GBD-H1000 but you don’t get a lot of what the Instinct has to offer with that one. You could also look into an older Fenix as they used to be monochrome.
Thank you so much for reviewing this great watch! I used to use a Suunto Core watch and a Fitbit Charge 2 until the latter died last year. I wanted to wear less on my wrists so I didn't replace it. Having lots of time on my hands during the lockdown, I came across this review, and as an outdoorsman and cyclist, I knew this was exactly what I needed! Six months on, I'm super happy with my Instinct Solar! It combines all the functionality of the Suunto and the Fitbit, and a lot more besides, in one rugged watch. As an aside, I recently tracked a short hike through a gorge using the Instinct and a handheld (eTrex 20x) and the watch actually showed a more accurate track than the handheld!.
This was a great review. I am really thinking of getting the solar now. I want to charge rarely and be able to use this for long backpacking trips without needing to recharge it. Love it
I need something like the Instinct. To track steps. I looked at tons of smartwatches. The hole charging factor was the issue. This is massive. I'll leave it in power saving mode and call it a day. thanks for the great review you earned my sub!!!
Thank you for this video! A real useful and perfect analysis! 🙏 I have a forerunner 45 which I use for my runs. But the Instinct Solar has features like the compass and SpO2 that I want and it is also a nice looking watch with an excellent battery life !!
@@ChaseTheSummit Does Instinct have VO2Max? I have that on my FR45 and I find that useful. If it does not have VO2max, then i will miss it in my runs... :(
Good stuff, thanks for that video :) I was very curious about the GPS accuracy on the Instinct Solar. And to add some European perspective to the mix. When you talk about Garmins competitors you've missed Suunto which is much bigger out here than in the US I think. I view the Instinct Solar as the next version of Suunto Ambit 3 Peak - a model that will not get its successor from Suunto but actually, it might got one from Garmin :) Cheers!
I never mention Suunto because I don't have any of their devices but that changed last week when they sent over the 9 Baro and 7! Testing is under way! Thanks for watching.
Despite of them watches, can we all stop here and appreciate this man for doing his thing. Well done buddy. very objective material, quality review that is!
You're doing a great job, I've been stalking your channel for some time now because of very informative and in-depth reviews. Watched most of them, and I'm not even a runner. Just started cycling daily to lose some weight, and I was thinking of buying a GPS watch to track it. Is Instinct Solar a good choice for a pretty casual cycling/walking or should I look for something else? I've read and watched tons of reviews and still can't decide. Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much! Appreciate the kind words. I think the instinct would do the job buy maybe a Forerunner would help you train a little smarter since it offers more fitness metrics. Either way works!
i got mine a couple of weeks ago to replace my Casio Pro trek WSD-F30 smart watch after missing the solar power of my older Casio Pro trek PRG-80, the fact that wear OS kind of sucks for crashes & connectivity problems :( and the built in GPS haveing terrible software. this Garmin Solar Instinct is like my old Casio Pro trek PRG-80 and my old Garmin foretrex 401 GPS had a baby!!!! but then got an adition of smart watch features..... absolutly love it! its the kind of watch iv been dreaming of since a kid! Solar, GPS, Barometer, time....... the other features of the hart rate sensor, and smart watch options are a bonus..... :). i was considering the higher end solar garmin watches, but for me they dident add anything and i would of had the disadvantage of less solar and battery life... so the instinct solar for me is the best around :)
Glad it's the right fit for you! I've never been able to justify the size of those Casio watches. Hopefully the Instinct Solar will light a fire at Casio that makes them develop something a bit sleeker. Thanks for watching.
eye my old casio PRG-80 iv had since i was a kid, came in rely handy for my old wild camping trips with the barometer, so i think i forced myself to accept the size. :) was definitly built like a tank tho!, lost it outside once and when i found it a few days later it was stuck in a frozen puddle. still works to this day XD. moveing from the casio pro trek range to the Garmin Solar Instinct was a rely strange feeling tho with it being so much smaller and lighter.... so much more comfortable. and i agree with keinPiez, the latest casio G Shock watches with GPS and even the latest pro trek watches are a joke :( its a real shame..... this garmin instinct solar kind of feels more like how casio should of done there newer watches, hell if it dident say garmin on the watch, and there was a bit more metal too it id think it was a casio watch XD lol. and thank you for makeing this video :). garmin definitly deserves more of a look in after this line of solar watches.... they could of spent all there RND in beautifying there original instinct, but instead they just made it more of a useful tool which im all for! :) "she may not be pretty buy she sure is smart"
Great video! This is top of my short list.. I saw the forerunner 945 on sale for $100 more than this model also on sale.. battery life is a big selling point to me though and I wouldn’t really use some of the features on the 945. I love that it’s military grade tough and more water resistant than other models. Thanks for the review you do a great job with them!
Excellent content mate, answers a lot of questions, just wish I could have had a shot of Havana Club everytime you said Instinct Solar 😇, Seriously though, great job! 👍
@@topcat2166 Yes, during the activity it gives you active burning calories, example this morning I went to crossfit and used the profile Cardio and it gives you active calories burned
While it is true that it is an almost indestructible watch, it is not so in terms of battery In less than 4 years (purchased in December 2020) the battery collapsed and now, in battery saver (estimated duration 56 days) it loses one day per hour, effectively lasting two days or a little more. I asked for support from assistance considering that I bought an identical watch in the same period that has no problem (but it is stuck on release 14.x while mine is on 19.x), they replied that they cannot provide me with the downgrade, which must be sent, if I do not accept any quote they will make me have to spend € 25 to get back a non-working watch, paid € 300, lasted less than 4 years. Used only for tracking steps, sleep, alarm clock and a few training sessions in the gym, never used connected to the phone for messages and calls, never for GPS, altimeter or compass.
What an awesome video Dave. This was very detailed and especially for new user, the button and interface walkthrough was a life saver. Keep making such informative videos
Video Review - I found that 75% playback speed best. Also, it would be nice if you would indicate which buttons are actually being pushed to get to each function. It's hard to tell if you're using a finger or a thumb.
Great review, thinking about picking this up for my many backpack/bikepacking adventures I plan on doing. Don't think there is anything else to compete with this watch for my desired use.
Forgot to mention, glad you finally got your hands on an Instinct Solar and was able to get a review out. Thx for another awesome review. I had both the Fenix and Instinct... hard time deciding between the two... stuck to the Instinct Solar... battery life is a game changer. I'm a runner (weigh-lifting and biker-road/trail as well) and am more than happy using this watch for running... VO2 max (42... incredibly laughable running a sub 5min mile at 35 years old), time predictors, etc weren't accurate for me anyhow... maybe because my resting heart rate is in the mid-30's; my weight is nearly 200lbs at 5'8 and labels me obese? Regarding the footpod, watch has been very accurate for me on the treadmill (usually within 0.1 miles) running a 5k... Apple Watch, Fitbit, etc never came near that kind of accuracy for me. Great watch and well designed... Tried a Vivosport too in the past... awful fitness tracker with GPS which is why I avoided Garmin for so long... that device was absolute junk other than GPS.
Thanks! I'm glad Garmin released a device like this. Like I said in the video it reminds me of some Coros watches putting an emphasis on GPS performance, battery life and reliability and leaving a lot of the extra fluff to the Fenix and Forerunner watches. It's a cool watch for the right person. No frills, accurate enough, gets the job done. Thanks for watching!
@@ChaseTheSummit I agree with your assessment, right on point. I liked the frills of the Fenix 6, at first, then realized they weren't accurate for me lol. The Instinct Solar covers the basics extremely well/excellent for a fraction of the price ($320 with 20% student discount through studentbeans.com... coupon code for Garmin's site). Take care man, have a good weekend. Lay off those miles, I use to do Ranger Challenge, etc and it will Catch up to those knees and heart... genetics play a huge factor too though... wear and tear is wear and tear.
You covered everything I needed to know in great detail. It is a shame that the Instinct Solar cost almost twice as much here in Australia. ($700 $Aus). Similar to mobile phones and American Cars plus pickups trucks. We get ripped off!!!
If you care about scratches a screen protector is a smart choice however Garmin doesn't endorse the use as it might interfere with Solar functionality. Thanks for watching!
Metal is unlike plastic, not radio transparent, thus it's not a big surprise that the Instinct has good radio signal reception e.g. GPS. I also don't mind plastic as a case material, I thing good quality plastic has lots of pros: really good for touch-feel, durability, and, although not trivial, also impact resistence as its "plastic" nature dissipates the kinetic impact energy that otherwise would be passed through to the delicate components inside. I like the device, it seems like it's designed for a very specific purpose and everything that doesn't add to its design ethos was cut from the feature list. It's got a lot of base functionality around its GPS and battery life, that is also well implemented. A big let-down though (but I guess it comes with the focus and optimization) is that the functionality cannot be extended through Connect IQ, making it very limited as a "smart" watch. Great video, thanks for the nice review. Best from Portugal!
That's my theory. Similar for the Forerunner 945. What's odd though is that Garmin uses the bezel of the Fenix 6 as it's antenna. I would have thought that would give it an advantage but it still seems like it's not as accurate as the rest. Thanks for watching!
I appreciate your insight but please, if you're given product - it is sponsored in some way. As soon as there is an exchange of goods for services, there is an undeniable financial relationship. There have been academic studies that have demonstrated that reviews are substantially altered by providing free merchandise in exchange. It's why these businesses do this. I'm not questioning your integrity, I'm simply saying that free stuff=sponsored.
Thanks for your input. I understand sponsor agreements and free stuff can be hard to understand and can certainly sway someones opinion on a product. This is something I think ALOT about. I follow FTC guidelines by telling my viewers when something is given to me for free. A free product does not imply sponsored content. I also have to send some of this stuff back after I test it. If something is sponsored money changes hands (I do these types of videos too but I also disclose them as being sponsored). You can find more about how these disclosures work here: www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/plain-language/1001a-influencer-guide-508_1.pdf Appreciate the feedback. I'll try to be more clear in the future. I will always be as transparent as possible on my channel!
Great review. I'd love the Solar, but Garmin kind of ruined it for me with holding back the VO2max metrics and IQ store connectivity, while offering them on much cheaper watches.
Yeah it's a strange move but strategic since this is mainly an "outdoors" watch and less of a fitness/activity tool. Still would be nice to see at this price point though!
Yeah, this. I actually bought a new Solar to replace my Vivoactive 3 for £110, as the Vivoactive feel a bit too delicate to wear day to day and the GPS accuracy is pretty poor. Over a six mile run, sometimes I lose almost a half a mile, usually a quarter. The Instinct Solar looked like a tough version that I wouldn't have to charge. Then I woke up at 3am and thought, does it have VO2 Max?! No, so I cancelled the order! I'll stick with my VivoActive for running and my solar multiband G-shock for the rest of life.... for now.
Great video lad! And I love the Instinct series (I have the old one) its seems like they added a lot in the new one though. I have smashed my watch into trees whilst MTB Ive fallen with it whilst trail running I took it through gorges in South Africa ive climbed with it. And NOT. A. SCRATCH. Absolute unit. If Garmin did include connect IQ (which i really dont mind) and the sports metric, people would be ditching Fenix for Instinct. Cheers man! Again great content
Yeah I believe that! Also I think that maybe this is the reason why Garmin not adding all the running metrics on instinct, because the gap between instinct and fenix line will be even closer.
@@isavv_ True. I even prefer the display, the looks and the weight of Instinct. I just miss the advanced sport metrics. I hope they make Instinct Pro or something with all the sport goodies and I'll gladly pay more for it.
@@burtonBG I don't know about all the metrics other watches have,as instinct solar is my first Garmin watch,but i sync my data to runalize,and I have pretty much everything..from vo2 max,to recover days,training load, etc..
They were pretty strategic on what to leave off of the instinct in order to get people to jump up to the Fenix or 945. It's a cool watch though. I like the simplicity.
@@ChaseTheSummit Yeah I hate that strategy, It's too obvious imo (lack of a barometer in forerunners..) O.o. I guess I'm gonna keep my basic forerunner and get square g shock for the outdoors. The fenix is nice but a bit pricey for me to have it only for sport/trip activities (I also love mechanical watches and I don't care how many steps I stepped :D )
Your content is always excellent - well thought out, tested, research but I would appreciate if you spoke slower so I could better process your information
As a keen hiker, I was curious about this watch. I did not want something too expensive, from your video the watch seems very practical for me. Thank you for the review, it was very helpful.
Note the Instinct battery life in days is adaptive. So if you get +9 days after 1 hour of sun exposure, then in reality it assumes you get this exposure daily from now on. So this isn't indicating just the 1 day gain. If you install 9.94 beta or later you get battery % in the main menu (toggles between days and % in circle status). From my testing it's 1% per hour so that means you need about 2 hours in saver mode to run forever. Also I see same flickery grid look with the backlight in the dark. It's readable but more fuzzy.
Great video, thank you for the comprehensive review! Question - how do you think this would do for ice climbing? The main functions I would want are altimeter and compass. I understand the topo isn't available, but is that major problem? Thoughts?
@@ChaseTheSummit Thanks for the reply. How good is the Coros mapping? Is the touch interaction worth it (ie. is it actually good enough to replace a handheld GPS unit)? I always have one, but would love to dispense with the weight and bulk if possible.
Just bought a Garmin Quatix 6 Solar titanium. It is an expensive ($1200.00) piece of crap. I have had no assistance from technical support or customer service. DONT BUY GARMIN PRODUCTS! The pulse oximeter wouldn’t display, the thermometer wouldn’t read, the solar charge did not function. DONT BUY ANYTHING GARMIN! What used to be a great company, but now they suck!
That's interesting. I've always received excellent support from Garmin even to the point where they have replaced my device for minor issues. Did they offer to repair/replace your device? Are you able to return it to the place you bought it from?
No call back, no help from tech support. I’ve rebooted it and followed every instruction. The “Solar” label is a joke. The watch has to be plugged in periodically. That means misplacing the cord disable your watch. It is proprietary and short. I’ve called Garmin once since my 3 hour “technical support”, I’ve read the manual and still have a watch that doesn’t performed as advertised. SHAME ON GARMIN! They really dropped the ball on this one...
Hello! Thanks for your reviews! I'm looking for a watch I can use everyday especially for hiking (max 8 hours long in every season), swimming, strenght training and playing padel. I saw a lot of reviews and I came down to 2: Instinct solar 260€ ($310) - to me useful for its battery and lot of sport modes Coros apex 42mm 300€ ($360) - to me useful for its evolab and training advices to improve Which one would you recommend? Thanks
They're both excellent and very similar in terms of pricing. The Apex has a sapphire lens and is built a bit more premium and also looks a little sleeker. The Instinct Solar is more "tactical" looking which you may or may not like. Other than that, Garmin Connect is a full featured ecosystem while the COROS app is more basic and straight forward.
I was really disappointed that Garmins business model intentionally excluded tides information/chart from the regular watch so far. In a smartwatch (!), at that price, in those days, it seems a ridiculous joke to me that they intentionally exclude tide information from regular watches. One is also deprived from choosing amongst all the colors - if you want tides infos. Even if its simply for a chilly seaside walk and you would love to know if the sea is coming up or going down at the beach. Ach... Really worth the dollars by excluding this? The watch feels incomplete and amputated. And you think: "Arg, no! Can't possibly be true!!" What for a really evil move from Garmin. That said, couldn't they create a universal watch with all the features included from standard to surf to tactical etc. Wouldn't THAT sell? You do a very thorough job! Wonderful to watch your dedication! Very Inspiring. Thank you very much! You helped me buy my Solar Instinct. And It's amazing that you answer each comment! Thank you again Dave!!! ! Lets Chase the Summit!!! :-) :-) :-)
Garmin tends to do this with a lot of features (running dynamics for example). I think the reasoning behind it is because just like any software it costs money to license/develop the software so they exclude it to certain sku's. Kind of like buying a laptop with Microsoft Office installed vs one without... The one with the extra software costs more money. On the other hand, I don't want to give them too much credit since there are devices like Apple Watch and Wear OS devices that have access to thousands of additional apps (including tides) on the app store.
@@ChaseTheSummit Yes. Especially talking about the tides information... this is only a chart. It's not high-end sophisticated software. It's extremely basic information and has been on basic watches (or the Casio G-Shock) since decades.
Thanks for visually comparing Fenix 6 with the Instinct! Many people asked for this including me:-). I prefer the Fenix maps but don't like the Fenix 6 weight. I'm hoping we'll see the 955 next month to have blend of that. No solar probably but you still don't have to charge it often in regular watchmode. And in GPS mode you want to recharge even with solar since it takes forever otherwise.
I was thinking about this the other day actually. If they left the 945's screen small, but turned the thick bezel around it into a solar panel I think it would be pretty cool to see that on the 955? Who knows... Hopefully we see something like that soon. Thanks for watching!
@@ChaseTheSummit That would be great but discovered new product codes in last year's APK showed '955' and '955 LTE' besides '6 Solar'. So most likely no solar since it isn't in the name (of course speculation still). I'm guessing 1.3" with new power modes. There were couple of patent submissions last month that indicated those 2 models could be announced early September with disclosure date September 9th. I hope we'll hear more soon.
Hi. I've read that due to the cut corners, the digits/letters that are in the bottom part of the watch are being cut a bit from each side. This is not meant to be in the non Solar model. Have you noticed that? Thnx.
It's not plastic, it's a resin and carbon mix, very tough, it doesn't scratch, the screen is exceedingly tough, you can walk through airport scanners and the alarm will not sound. This is the go to watch for SF.
Most of the big watch brands use a similar material. Garmin specifically uses a "fiber-reinforced polymer" which I don't beleive uses carbon for reinforcement. I think it's a glass reinforced material. I tend to just call them all "plastic" since that's mainly what the "polymer" portion of the material is. Garmin uses this material for all of their watches but the Instinct is certainly tough! Though, the glass on the screen isn't as tough as I've scratched lots of gorilla glass. It would be cool to see Sapphire on an instinct some day! Thanks for watching.
DON'T GET THIS WATCH TO TRACK OPEN WATER SWIMS. The tracking is horrible, freezes constantly. Garmin support told me to just wear it in my cap. I didn't spend $400 on a watch to wear it in my swim cap. And worse, they are not standing by their product. I bought it two months ago and I'm stuck with it as the return window has passed.
Great review, but I would not buy this watch AGAIN. My wife gave me a Garmin Instinct Solar for Christmas ($434.99 incl. shipping and handling). Today I noticed that crystal was cracked. Due to the global COVID pandemic, the most extreme thing I had done while wearing this watch is take back to back naps. When I called Garmin asking how could I get my watch repaired, I was told that they don’t repair their watches BUT that I was eligible for a replacement watch...........if I sent them $140. Wait? What? Yeah😳. I’m actually kinda’ happy this happened. I was just about to drop $1K on an inReach Mini and a Montana 700 Series. Now that I see that Garmin doesn’t stand behind their products and that they are not as rugged as they profess....I’m done with Garmin.
I believe the $140 is a deposit for cross shipping the replacement. This is typical with Garmin. Are you sure they’d keep the money? Thanks for sharing
I want GPS for hiking, heart monitor, calorie/distance/steps/oxygen use. I would like to be able to download trail maps for hiking. Is this the right watch? Oh, of course GPS should I become disoriented.
If you want "real" maps you'll need to step up to a Garmin Fenix model or the Forerunner 945. The Instinct provides "Breadcrumb" maps that are simplified and do not have context/detail.
The instinct does offer Sleep Tracking but it's a very basic implimentation that only tracks total sleep duration and not the detailed stats you get from the Forerunner/Fenix options. The Instinct is designed as an outdoor/adventure watch and less of a training tool so it omits features like Training load/VO2 Max. Thanks for watching!
So wait…you mean that the Garmin Solar Tactical watch I bought a month ago will not report my daily activity I need for insurance coverage? I just got married four weeks ago and I got on my wife’s work insurance. It’s the Cleveland Clinic (CC) and they require activity…150,000 steps a month…which makes sense, to keep people healthy. So, when I washed AND dried my Apple Watch, it was obliterated …lol…I wanted something different and to meet my outdoor and hiking life. My wife told me that Garmin was on the CC’s approve watch list…and that I can use their monitoring system so my watch will report to them and show the CC that I’m not sitting on my butt all day. Now that I’ve watched this, I’m thinking I’m screwed! Doesn’t seem that my walks and activites will not transfer to my phone which will report to the CC according to your review. Am I correct? Or if not, how can I utilize the info on my watch and transfer it? Help! I hate thinking that I’ve bought the wrong watch! Uhhhh!! 🙄
Ha! I guess its more about tree cover. I'm a trail runner. There's not a ton of sunlight in the woods. But I'm sure there are a lot of other activities that would benefit from it. Thanks for watching!
that was everything a review should be. I did find the background music distracting though, it sounded like an alarm going off on a device. Your content and delivery is strong enough without it, maybe even stronger. I am going to buy this watch right now, based on your review.
A question from an absolute newbiee who is thiniking about buying this watch - can I connect it to Strava or MapMyRun so that my workouts are tracked there? Thanks!
Hey Todd, I actually have an entire live stream about my UA-cam ethics if you're interested. A sponsored video means that the company paid for the production of the video with actual money. In this vide (and most of my videos) Garmin sent me the watch for the purpose of the video. While the watch does hold value it isn't a form of payment and it has no influence on the opinions and data I share in the video. I try to be as transparent as possible in my videos. Thanks for watching.
Awesome review man. I am really looking into this watch at the moment and found everything you covered here so helpful, thank you and great job! Very cool that you compared it to the fenix 6 as well
Does this, or any Garmin watches, have an SOS feature for emergency locating? One that’s independent of a phone or any other device? Also, would you recommend this for cyclists?
The only Garmin with an independent SOS function is the Forerunner 945 LTE which has an internal LTE cellular connection. Other Garmin's like the newer Instinct 2 require that you have a phone be paired to the watch for it to work. I'd take a look at the Instinct 2 as a cyclist as it has more features.
About visibility on garmin fenix 6 being worse than garmin solar - don't u have glass on fenix 6? I bought instinct solar second hand and visibility was terrible, after removing previous owners glass it's great. Try that.
My Fenix 6 is sapphire and does not have a screen protector. Sapphire glass is more reflective so visibility is a bit worse than the Gorilla glass found on the Instinct. Thanks for watching!
I think that this watch is basically for the military cuz it's more efficient and filled with important features which other military watches in this price point won't provide. It's useful AF for the military ppl!!
This is the ultimate backcountry watch for intermittent gps use marking important locations for reference later and have it to get you out of trouble if you were to get spun around. This is like a survivalist or preppers dream watch. In battery saver mode you get date time steps floors climbed and can still use the ABC functions all with unlimited battery and you can easily turn on gps here or there if you need it and the watch can charge itself
It's pretty cool for the right person! Thanks for watching!
Is this working in practice?
CHK 6 yes absolutely for situations where you don’t care so much about tracking you trip but you just want to me able to mark occasional important places you can put it in power saver and just turn on gps as needed to mark them and or to get you pointed in the right direction. The battery will last indefinitely as long as you get 3 hours of sunlight per day (in the battery saver mode )which should be no problem in those type of situations. Even with zero sun exposure the battery saver mode last like 2 months approximately.even not in power save mode with all features on connected to my phone etc... if I sit in the sun for like 3 or 4 hours I gain one day of battery in that time. The gps is the biggest power drain so for training and tracking you will still need to plug it in every 10-14 days or so if you are out running cycling etc a hour or so a few times a week. Which is still ridiculous compared to an Apple Watch which need to be charged daily without even using the gps. The garmin is an amazing device and if you wanna load it up with waypoints before you head out into the great outdoors or simply mark your car before starting a hike you can do that and be sure you can get back without getting lost in case of emergency. I might make a video on it demonstrating it survival or preparedness capabilities as I have not seen it talked about much as most people are just focusing on smart notifications and using the watch to track a run or hike with all bells and whistles turned on.
@@chrismiscellaneous thanks for all the details man, you own one I presume?
@@isthi000ify yes I owned the original instinct and now I have owned the updated solar version since it has been released. Love this watch
@12:21, just received an update August 20th on my Instinct Solar... it shows battery percentage now.
Whaaa?! I gotta update mine. Thanks for the tip!
@@ChaseTheSummit Welcome :-)
@@ChaseTheSummit hello greetings from Brazil. If you press Menu , the watch Will show on the ‘little ball’ the days left, and then shows also the percentage.
That's an additional wow!
An informative, easy to follow review with a very helpful comparison to another of Garmin’s quality products. Nicely done! That 20-minute review flew by!
Thank you so much!
I’ve been rocking the tactical version. The solar is a lifesaver for deployment and field ops.
Nice!
OPSEC for military? Anyone know if I’ll get chewed out for having this on deployment ?
@@salinascgs probably depends on ur. Platoons or company sops
@@salinascgs commanders discretion
I'm still watching reviews of the instinct solar even though I'm already wearing one. I purchased it without a thought after coming across it randomly. So far no regret. Great review
Hah I often do that. It's a solid watch!
Is it worth getting??
Good to hear, mine arrives tomorrow...
How has your Instinct Solar held up so far?
@@7324edwin it's basically the same as it was when i first opened. Maybe a few scratches but the watch is durable. Could withstand lots of force. My battery is still holding up. I only charge once a month. I usually only use it for the time, weather, notifications and tracking steps. If you are looking for something smart with heaps of functions, you could look at the newer garmin models
Excellent review , as a hiking guy I'd probably go for the instinct, no frills . Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪👌
You do an awesome job of giving balanced reviews! Thank you for thinking through multiple perspectives and plowing through all the video editing. Keep up the good work! It made a difference for my decision. I'm a hiker/mountain runner and this watch just seems to fit me. Thank you!
Caleb Braun thanks so much! Glad it was helpful!
The deal breaker is that the face is small and then they waste some of it with that circle in the top right. Why oh why can't that be part of the screen and changeable. I do like this watch Can you think of a similar watch with monochrome always on display? Thank you. Great review.
You can customize the little window but yes, it certainly takes up real estate. I think a similar watch (with less features) is the Casio G-Shock GBD-H1000 but you don’t get a lot of what the Instinct has to offer with that one. You could also look into an older Fenix as they used to be monochrome.
Thanks man! Your reviews are just great and extremely useful!
Glad you like them!
Thanks for the thorough and great review. I picked up an instinct solar today from Amazon on Prime day for $249!! Can’t wait to get it..
Dang! That's a great price!
Me too!! Hope get comfortable with it and ditch the Apple Watch ⌚️
Dude same
Got mine on prime day for 249 also. Great price. I like it so far.
I did the same! Loving it so far 👍
Nice one mate, best review ive found. Definitely getting the instinct solar for mountaineering use, should be awesome!. Thanks again. Mike
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for reviewing this great watch! I used to use a Suunto Core watch and a Fitbit Charge 2 until the latter died last year. I wanted to wear less on my wrists so I didn't replace it. Having lots of time on my hands during the lockdown, I came across this review, and as an outdoorsman and cyclist, I knew this was exactly what I needed! Six months on, I'm super happy with my Instinct Solar! It combines all the functionality of the Suunto and the Fitbit, and a lot more besides, in one rugged watch.
As an aside, I recently tracked a short hike through a gorge using the Instinct and a handheld (eTrex 20x) and the watch actually showed a more accurate track than the handheld!.
Thanks for sharing! The Instinct is a really cool watch!
This was a great review. I am really thinking of getting the solar now. I want to charge rarely and be able to use this for long backpacking trips without needing to recharge it. Love it
Glad it was helpful!
Great review! I really enjoy the Instinct series; prefer them over "high end" Garmins 👍
It's nice to have options. The Instinct gets the job done. Thanks for watching!
The Instinct is freaking awesome, great watch and super accurate gps.
Thanks for sharing!
I need something like the Instinct. To track steps. I looked at tons of smartwatches. The hole charging factor was the issue. This is massive. I'll leave it in power saving mode and call it a day. thanks for the great review you earned my sub!!!
In Battery Saver mode the watch lasts soooo long it's crazy. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video! A real useful and perfect analysis! 🙏
I have a forerunner 45 which I use
for my runs. But the Instinct Solar has features like the compass and SpO2 that I want and it is also a nice looking watch with an excellent battery life !!
Thanks for sharing. The instinct is excellent!
@@ChaseTheSummit Does Instinct have VO2Max? I have that on my FR45 and I find that useful. If it does not have VO2max, then i will miss it in my runs... :(
@@ajitbabu241 it does not have that
Good stuff, thanks for that video :) I was very curious about the GPS accuracy on the Instinct Solar. And to add some European perspective to the mix. When you talk about Garmins competitors you've missed Suunto which is much bigger out here than in the US I think. I view the Instinct Solar as the next version of Suunto Ambit 3 Peak - a model that will not get its successor from Suunto but actually, it might got one from Garmin :) Cheers!
I never mention Suunto because I don't have any of their devices but that changed last week when they sent over the 9 Baro and 7! Testing is under way! Thanks for watching.
thanks for your review i ordered the surf edition and you replied to every tiny comments here, great job love your work.
Awesome! Enjoy it!
did you try it out in the water? does it do the job?
Got mine about 2 days ago! 😃
Black Tactical and solar😃. Still learning all of it's features.
Nice!
Its a great and detailed review. I liked all your points and the detailed analysis of Pros & Cons of this watch. Thank you for your work.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have the garmin instinct solar and I’m under 13 and it fits my wrists perfectly and mine are skinny I think like 4 or 5in in circumference
Glad to hear it's working out for you!
11:25 Exactly what I wanted...
Sometimes a basic watch is the best watch.
For sure! The Instinct reminds me of the old original Garmin Fenix. It got the job done with not too much fluff!
It's not basic by any means, it's a tough hitec GPS ABC Garmin, mono screen is a big power save by itself.
Despite of them watches, can we all stop here and appreciate this man for doing his thing. Well done buddy. very objective material, quality review that is!
Glad it was helpful!
Very detailed review. You sold me! Thanks!
Glad I could help!
Same! This review basically made me get my own Instinct Solar. Great, rugged, feature-rich smart watch.
Glad your comparing it to your Fenix as that's exactly what I'm tossing up
Thanks for the review i live in hawaii and this is a perfect watch for activities i do daily🤙🏾
Excellent! Jealous of your location!
You're doing a great job, I've been stalking your channel for some time now because of very informative and in-depth reviews. Watched most of them, and I'm not even a runner. Just started cycling daily to lose some weight, and I was thinking of buying a GPS watch to track it. Is Instinct Solar a good choice for a pretty casual cycling/walking or should I look for something else? I've read and watched tons of reviews and still can't decide.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much! Appreciate the kind words. I think the instinct would do the job buy maybe a Forerunner would help you train a little smarter since it offers more fitness metrics. Either way works!
i got mine a couple of weeks ago to replace my Casio Pro trek WSD-F30 smart watch after missing the solar power of my older Casio Pro trek PRG-80, the fact that wear OS kind of sucks for crashes & connectivity problems :( and the built in GPS haveing terrible software. this Garmin Solar Instinct is like my old Casio Pro trek PRG-80 and my old Garmin foretrex 401 GPS had a baby!!!! but then got an adition of smart watch features..... absolutly love it! its the kind of watch iv been dreaming of since a kid! Solar, GPS, Barometer, time....... the other features of the hart rate sensor, and smart watch options are a bonus..... :). i was considering the higher end solar garmin watches, but for me they dident add anything and i would of had the disadvantage of less solar and battery life... so the instinct solar for me is the best around :)
Exactly my feelings too, it's a modern G Shock that Casio should have built instead of these monstrosities that they released recently.
Glad it's the right fit for you! I've never been able to justify the size of those Casio watches. Hopefully the Instinct Solar will light a fire at Casio that makes them develop something a bit sleeker. Thanks for watching.
eye my old casio PRG-80 iv had since i was a kid, came in rely handy for my old wild camping trips with the barometer, so i think i forced myself to accept the size. :) was definitly built like a tank tho!, lost it outside once and when i found it a few days later it was stuck in a frozen puddle. still works to this day XD. moveing from the casio pro trek range to the Garmin Solar Instinct was a rely strange feeling tho with it being so much smaller and lighter.... so much more comfortable. and i agree with keinPiez, the latest casio G Shock watches with GPS and even the latest pro trek watches are a joke :( its a real shame..... this garmin instinct solar kind of feels more like how casio should of done there newer watches, hell if it dident say garmin on the watch, and there was a bit more metal too it id think it was a casio watch XD lol.
and thank you for makeing this video :). garmin definitly deserves more of a look in after this line of solar watches.... they could of spent all there RND in beautifying there original instinct, but instead they just made it more of a useful tool which im all for! :) "she may not be pretty buy she sure is smart"
I have had a Garmin Instinct than I switched to a Fenix 6x pro and to a Venu 2 but I am back Again to instinct Solar. Best Watch so far for my needs
Nice!
Great review thanks! Just purchased one. I'm a mountain biker and trail runner and wanted something simple. That ticks all the boxes!
Sounds perfect! Enjoy!
Great video! This is top of my short list.. I saw the forerunner 945 on sale for $100 more than this model also on sale.. battery life is a big selling point to me though and I wouldn’t really use some of the features on the 945. I love that it’s military grade tough and more water resistant than other models. Thanks for the review you do a great job with them!
Thank you. My son bought me one for Christmas. Can I add heart rate to the main screen? Great video.
Yup! Just need to edit your watchface data fields under settings > watchface. Thanks for watching!
Excellent content mate, answers a lot of questions, just wish I could have had a shot of Havana Club everytime you said Instinct Solar 😇, Seriously though, great job! 👍
Haha, thanks for the feedback.
I bought one and instead of reading the manual I just came here ;) great review
Haha thanks!
Hell there could you tell me... does it tell you how many calories you’re burning.👍?
@@topcat2166 Yes, during the activity it gives you active burning calories, example this morning I went to crossfit and used the profile Cardio and it gives you active calories burned
@@myveryownchannel thanks.😇
Great review for using this video to decide which watch have a good day
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome review. Really appreciate how categorized and informative it is; definitely ironed out any worries I had about getting an instinct solar!
Thanks! Glad you found it helpful!
While it is true that it is an almost indestructible watch, it is not so in terms of battery
In less than 4 years (purchased in December 2020) the battery collapsed and now, in battery saver (estimated duration 56 days) it loses one day per hour, effectively lasting two days or a little more.
I asked for support from assistance considering that I bought an identical watch in the same period that has no problem (but it is stuck on release 14.x while mine is on 19.x), they replied that they cannot provide me with the downgrade, which must be sent, if I do not accept any quote they will make me have to spend € 25 to get back a non-working watch, paid € 300, lasted less than 4 years.
Used only for tracking steps, sleep, alarm clock and a few training sessions in the gym, never used connected to the phone for messages and calls, never for GPS, altimeter or compass.
What an awesome video Dave. This was very detailed and especially for new user, the button and interface walkthrough was a life saver. Keep making such informative videos
Glad it was helpful!
Video Review - I found that 75% playback speed best. Also, it would be nice if you would indicate which buttons are actually being pushed to get to each function. It's hard to tell if you're using a finger or a thumb.
Great review, thinking about picking this up for my many backpack/bikepacking adventures I plan on doing. Don't think there is anything else to compete with this watch for my desired use.
Probably a really solid choice for bike packing as well as backpacking. It's essentially designed with Hiking/Trekking/Expeditions in mind! Enjoy!
Hey man, awesome review! Buying the tactical version of the instinct solar right now. High five and hurting my bank account!
Ha! RIP Bank Account. Enjoy the watch!
Thanks for your opinion. I bought it today.
Hope you enjoy it!
you have good reviews. i wish you would review swimming
If I were a better swimmer! Maybe someday.
Forgot to mention, glad you finally got your hands on an Instinct Solar and was able to get a review out. Thx for another awesome review. I had both the Fenix and Instinct... hard time deciding between the two... stuck to the Instinct Solar... battery life is a game changer. I'm a runner (weigh-lifting and biker-road/trail as well) and am more than happy using this watch for running... VO2 max (42... incredibly laughable running a sub 5min mile at 35 years old), time predictors, etc weren't accurate for me anyhow... maybe because my resting heart rate is in the mid-30's; my weight is nearly 200lbs at 5'8 and labels me obese? Regarding the footpod, watch has been very accurate for me on the treadmill (usually within 0.1 miles) running a 5k... Apple Watch, Fitbit, etc never came near that kind of accuracy for me. Great watch and well designed... Tried a Vivosport too in the past... awful fitness tracker with GPS which is why I avoided Garmin for so long... that device was absolute junk other than GPS.
Thanks! I'm glad Garmin released a device like this. Like I said in the video it reminds me of some Coros watches putting an emphasis on GPS performance, battery life and reliability and leaving a lot of the extra fluff to the Fenix and Forerunner watches. It's a cool watch for the right person. No frills, accurate enough, gets the job done. Thanks for watching!
@@ChaseTheSummit I agree with your assessment, right on point. I liked the frills of the Fenix 6, at first, then realized they weren't accurate for me lol. The Instinct Solar covers the basics extremely well/excellent for a fraction of the price ($320 with 20% student discount through studentbeans.com... coupon code for Garmin's site). Take care man, have a good weekend. Lay off those miles, I use to do Ranger Challenge, etc and it will Catch up to those knees and heart... genetics play a huge factor too though... wear and tear is wear and tear.
Conspiracy time: the 'Solar' symbol looks suspiciously like the Covid 19 icon.
Garmin are part of the agenda LMAO!!!
Ha, I didn't see it before you mentioned it. Pretty weird!
Thanks for the great and detailed review. Great work!
Thanks for watching!
I keep recharging mine and it will say 24 day left, etc and shut down within a few hours .
Saver mode on , gps off, phn notifications off. Still dies!
Awesome video! I bought one because of it.
Hope you enjoy it!
You covered everything I needed to know in great detail. It is a shame that the Instinct Solar cost almost twice as much here in Australia. ($700 $Aus). Similar to mobile phones and American Cars plus pickups trucks. We get ripped off!!!
Whoa! That's a lot of money! Why is that?
Wonderful review 👍👍
Do we require tempered glass on the screen of this watch??
If you care about scratches a screen protector is a smart choice however Garmin doesn't endorse the use as it might interfere with Solar functionality. Thanks for watching!
Metal is unlike plastic, not radio transparent, thus it's not a big surprise that the Instinct has good radio signal reception e.g. GPS.
I also don't mind plastic as a case material, I thing good quality plastic has lots of pros: really good for touch-feel, durability, and, although not trivial, also impact resistence as its "plastic" nature dissipates the kinetic impact energy that otherwise would be passed through to the delicate components inside. I like the device, it seems like it's designed for a very specific purpose and everything that doesn't add to its design ethos was cut from the feature list. It's got a lot of base functionality around its GPS and battery life, that is also well implemented. A big let-down though (but I guess it comes with the focus and optimization) is that the functionality cannot be extended through Connect IQ, making it very limited as a "smart" watch.
Great video, thanks for the nice review. Best from Portugal!
That's my theory. Similar for the Forerunner 945. What's odd though is that Garmin uses the bezel of the Fenix 6 as it's antenna. I would have thought that would give it an advantage but it still seems like it's not as accurate as the rest. Thanks for watching!
I wish all youtube review videos were this professional
Thanks!
I appreciate your insight but please, if you're given product - it is sponsored in some way. As soon as there is an exchange of goods for services, there is an undeniable financial relationship. There have been academic studies that have demonstrated that reviews are substantially altered by providing free merchandise in exchange. It's why these businesses do this. I'm not questioning your integrity, I'm simply saying that free stuff=sponsored.
Thanks for your input. I understand sponsor agreements and free stuff can be hard to understand and can certainly sway someones opinion on a product. This is something I think ALOT about. I follow FTC guidelines by telling my viewers when something is given to me for free. A free product does not imply sponsored content. I also have to send some of this stuff back after I test it. If something is sponsored money changes hands (I do these types of videos too but I also disclose them as being sponsored). You can find more about how these disclosures work here: www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/plain-language/1001a-influencer-guide-508_1.pdf
Appreciate the feedback. I'll try to be more clear in the future. I will always be as transparent as possible on my channel!
Excellent review and comparison! Thanks dude!
Thanks!
Great review. I'd love the Solar, but Garmin kind of ruined it for me with holding back the VO2max metrics and IQ store connectivity, while offering them on much cheaper watches.
Yeah it's a strange move but strategic since this is mainly an "outdoors" watch and less of a fitness/activity tool. Still would be nice to see at this price point though!
Yeah, this. I actually bought a new Solar to replace my Vivoactive 3 for £110, as the Vivoactive feel a bit too delicate to wear day to day and the GPS accuracy is pretty poor. Over a six mile run, sometimes I lose almost a half a mile, usually a quarter. The Instinct Solar looked like a tough version that I wouldn't have to charge. Then I woke up at 3am and thought, does it have VO2 Max?! No, so I cancelled the order! I'll stick with my VivoActive for running and my solar multiband G-shock for the rest of life.... for now.
This is a great review. I feel like you went in-depth enough on the features that ultimately matter the most to folks that are buying this watch.
Thanks! Glad you found it helpful!
You do get barometer, altimeter, temp and compass in battery saver mode. At least mine does. Great review!
ua-cam.com/video/EdtC2Bn9guc/v-deo.html
Great video lad!
And I love the Instinct series (I have the old one) its seems like they added a lot in the new one though.
I have smashed my watch into trees whilst MTB
Ive fallen with it whilst trail running
I took it through gorges in South Africa ive climbed with it.
And NOT. A. SCRATCH.
Absolute unit.
If Garmin did include connect IQ (which i really dont mind) and the sports metric, people would be ditching Fenix for Instinct.
Cheers man!
Again great content
Thanks for watching!
Yeah I believe that! Also I think that maybe this is the reason why Garmin not adding all the running metrics on instinct, because the gap between instinct and fenix line will be even closer.
@@isavv_ True. I even prefer the display, the looks and the weight of Instinct. I just miss the advanced sport metrics. I hope they make Instinct Pro or something with all the sport goodies and I'll gladly pay more for it.
@@burtonBG I don't know about all the metrics other watches have,as instinct solar is my first Garmin watch,but i sync my data to runalize,and I have pretty much everything..from vo2 max,to recover days,training load, etc..
@@isavv_ sounds interestig. I'll check it out. Thanks!
Awesome review I just picked up the yellow one a week ago and I'm loving it almost more than my 5x I just wish it had onboard music or vo2
They were pretty strategic on what to leave off of the instinct in order to get people to jump up to the Fenix or 945. It's a cool watch though. I like the simplicity.
@@ChaseTheSummit Yeah I hate that strategy, It's too obvious imo (lack of a barometer in forerunners..) O.o. I guess I'm gonna keep my basic forerunner and get square g shock for the outdoors. The fenix is nice but a bit pricey for me to have it only for sport/trip activities (I also love mechanical watches and I don't care how many steps I stepped :D )
Brilliant review. Thanks man!
Thanks for watching!
This review is extremally thorough, and has influenced my purchase options greatly.
-Thankyou
Thanks for watching!
Your content is always excellent - well thought out, tested, research but I would appreciate if you spoke slower so I could better process your information
Thanks! Try setting the playback speed to .75x or .5x it can help quite a bit! I'll slow down next time ;-)
Chase the Summit I’ve never done that before. Will do next time
As a keen hiker, I was curious about this watch. I did not want something too expensive, from your video the watch seems very practical for me. Thank you for the review, it was very helpful.
Buy Garmin instinct solar, you will have no regrets. It performs any technical, health and lifestyle support. 5⭐
I still use the old version, it still works well, just no solar
Nice!
Note the Instinct battery life in days is adaptive. So if you get +9 days after 1 hour of sun exposure, then in reality it assumes you get this exposure daily from now on. So this isn't indicating just the 1 day gain. If you install 9.94 beta or later you get battery % in the main menu (toggles between days and % in circle status). From my testing it's 1% per hour so that means you need about 2 hours in saver mode to run forever.
Also I see same flickery grid look with the backlight in the dark. It's readable but more fuzzy.
Good to know! I'm looking forward to that firmware update. Thanks for watching!
Thanks
Great video, thank you for the comprehensive review! Question - how do you think this would do for ice climbing? The main functions I would want are altimeter and compass. I understand the topo isn't available, but is that major problem? Thoughts?
It works great for climbing the altimeter is fairly on point and the case is rugged and durable .
@@ChaseTheSummit Thanks for the reply. How good is the Coros mapping? Is the touch interaction worth it (ie. is it actually good enough to replace a handheld GPS unit)? I always have one, but would love to dispense with the weight and bulk if possible.
Nice work! Your review helped me decide and Santa did the rest! Early days but pleased so far
Awesome! Enjoy!
Not a sponsored revieuw...;-) .... Well i'd take a Casio G-Shock Mudman any day over this thing. Simply can't beat G-Shocks..
Thats not a fitness watch though
Should I buy apple se or garmin instinct solar?
Just bought a Garmin Quatix 6 Solar titanium. It is an expensive ($1200.00) piece of crap. I have had no assistance from technical support or customer service. DONT BUY GARMIN PRODUCTS! The pulse oximeter wouldn’t display, the thermometer wouldn’t read, the solar charge did not function. DONT BUY ANYTHING GARMIN! What used to be a great company, but now they suck!
That's interesting. I've always received excellent support from Garmin even to the point where they have replaced my device for minor issues. Did they offer to repair/replace your device? Are you able to return it to the place you bought it from?
No call back, no help from tech support. I’ve rebooted it and followed every instruction. The “Solar” label is a joke. The watch has to be plugged in periodically. That means misplacing the cord disable your watch. It is proprietary and short. I’ve called Garmin once since my 3 hour “technical support”, I’ve read the manual and still have a watch that doesn’t performed as advertised. SHAME ON GARMIN! They really dropped the ball on this one...
Hello! Thanks for your reviews! I'm looking for a watch I can use everyday especially for hiking (max 8 hours long in every season), swimming, strenght training and playing padel. I saw a lot of reviews and I came down to 2:
Instinct solar 260€ ($310) - to me useful for its battery and lot of sport modes
Coros apex 42mm 300€ ($360) - to me useful for its evolab and training advices to improve
Which one would you recommend? Thanks
They're both excellent and very similar in terms of pricing. The Apex has a sapphire lens and is built a bit more premium and also looks a little sleeker. The Instinct Solar is more "tactical" looking which you may or may not like. Other than that, Garmin Connect is a full featured ecosystem while the COROS app is more basic and straight forward.
Had mine over a year. Love it. Pretty darn accurate and two weeks worth of battery life without having to go into battery saver mode.
I was really disappointed that Garmins business model intentionally excluded tides information/chart from the regular watch so far. In a smartwatch (!), at that price, in those days, it seems a ridiculous joke to me that they intentionally exclude tide information from regular watches. One is also deprived from choosing amongst all the colors - if you want tides infos. Even if its simply for a chilly seaside walk and you would love to know if the sea is coming up or going down at the beach. Ach... Really worth the dollars by excluding this? The watch feels incomplete and amputated. And you think: "Arg, no! Can't possibly be true!!" What for a really evil move from Garmin.
That said, couldn't they create a universal watch with all the features included from standard to surf to tactical etc. Wouldn't THAT sell?
You do a very thorough job! Wonderful to watch your dedication! Very Inspiring. Thank you very much!
You helped me buy my Solar Instinct. And It's amazing that you answer each comment! Thank you again Dave!!! ! Lets Chase the Summit!!! :-) :-) :-)
Garmin tends to do this with a lot of features (running dynamics for example). I think the reasoning behind it is because just like any software it costs money to license/develop the software so they exclude it to certain sku's. Kind of like buying a laptop with Microsoft Office installed vs one without... The one with the extra software costs more money. On the other hand, I don't want to give them too much credit since there are devices like Apple Watch and Wear OS devices that have access to thousands of additional apps (including tides) on the app store.
@@ChaseTheSummit Yes. Especially talking about the tides information... this is only a chart. It's not high-end sophisticated software. It's extremely basic information and has been on basic watches (or the Casio G-Shock) since decades.
You know he's been wearing because of that watch tan LOL
Nice review!! Good price point for someone who wants a simple straightforward garmin watch!
Thanks Ryan!
Thanks for visually comparing Fenix 6 with the Instinct! Many people asked for this including me:-).
I prefer the Fenix maps but don't like the Fenix 6 weight. I'm hoping we'll see the 955 next month to have blend of that. No solar probably but you still don't have to charge it often in regular watchmode. And in GPS mode you want to recharge even with solar since it takes forever otherwise.
I was thinking about this the other day actually. If they left the 945's screen small, but turned the thick bezel around it into a solar panel I think it would be pretty cool to see that on the 955? Who knows... Hopefully we see something like that soon. Thanks for watching!
@@ChaseTheSummit That would be great but discovered new product codes in last year's APK showed '955' and '955 LTE' besides '6 Solar'. So most likely no solar since it isn't in the name (of course speculation still). I'm guessing 1.3" with new power modes.
There were couple of patent submissions last month that indicated those 2 models could be announced early September with disclosure date September 9th. I hope we'll hear more soon.
Hi. I've read that due to the cut corners, the digits/letters that are in the bottom part of the watch are being cut a bit from each side. This is not meant to be in the non Solar model. Have you noticed that? Thnx.
I haven't noticed.
It's not plastic, it's a resin and carbon mix, very tough, it doesn't scratch, the screen is exceedingly tough, you can walk through airport scanners and the alarm will not sound. This is the go to watch for SF.
Most of the big watch brands use a similar material. Garmin specifically uses a "fiber-reinforced polymer" which I don't beleive uses carbon for reinforcement. I think it's a glass reinforced material. I tend to just call them all "plastic" since that's mainly what the "polymer" portion of the material is. Garmin uses this material for all of their watches but the Instinct is certainly tough! Though, the glass on the screen isn't as tough as I've scratched lots of gorilla glass. It would be cool to see Sapphire on an instinct some day! Thanks for watching.
DON'T GET THIS WATCH TO TRACK OPEN WATER SWIMS. The tracking is horrible, freezes constantly. Garmin support told me to just wear it in my cap. I didn't spend $400 on a watch to wear it in my swim cap. And worse, they are not standing by their product. I bought it two months ago and I'm stuck with it as the return window has passed.
Thanks for sharing. I don't have a lot of experience swimming with it.
you compare and test it very deep and detail.. definitely subscribe!
PS: and fair!
Thank you!
How well does it keep time over 6 months with the GPS off?
Great review, but I would not buy this watch AGAIN. My wife gave me a Garmin Instinct Solar for Christmas ($434.99 incl. shipping and handling). Today I noticed that crystal was cracked. Due to the global COVID pandemic, the most extreme thing I had done while wearing this watch is take back to back naps. When I called Garmin asking how could I get my watch repaired, I was told that they don’t repair their watches BUT that I was eligible for a replacement watch...........if I sent them $140. Wait? What? Yeah😳. I’m actually kinda’ happy this happened. I was just about to drop $1K on an inReach Mini and a Montana 700 Series. Now that I see that Garmin doesn’t stand behind their products and that they are not as rugged as they profess....I’m done with Garmin.
I believe the $140 is a deposit for cross shipping the replacement. This is typical with Garmin. Are you sure they’d keep the money? Thanks for sharing
I want GPS for hiking, heart monitor, calorie/distance/steps/oxygen use. I would like to be able to download trail maps for hiking. Is this the right watch? Oh, of course GPS should I become disoriented.
If you want "real" maps you'll need to step up to a Garmin Fenix model or the Forerunner 945. The Instinct provides "Breadcrumb" maps that are simplified and do not have context/detail.
Your Hands flipping around, the watch far away. HOLD THAT THING INTO THE CAMERA
🤔
Wow...bummer. No sleep tracking and no V02 max. That sucks. I was ready to buy until I heard that.
The instinct does offer Sleep Tracking but it's a very basic implimentation that only tracks total sleep duration and not the detailed stats you get from the Forerunner/Fenix options. The Instinct is designed as an outdoor/adventure watch and less of a training tool so it omits features like Training load/VO2 Max. Thanks for watching!
So wait…you mean that the Garmin Solar Tactical watch I bought a month ago will not report my daily activity I need for insurance coverage?
I just got married four weeks ago and I got on my wife’s work insurance. It’s the Cleveland Clinic (CC) and they require activity…150,000 steps a month…which makes sense, to keep people healthy.
So, when I washed AND dried my Apple Watch, it was obliterated …lol…I wanted something different and to meet my outdoor and hiking life. My wife told me that Garmin was on the CC’s approve watch list…and that I can use their monitoring system so my watch will report to them and show the CC that I’m not sitting on my butt all day.
Now that I’ve watched this, I’m thinking I’m screwed! Doesn’t seem that my walks and activites will not transfer to my phone which will report to the CC according to your review.
Am I correct? Or if not, how can I utilize the info on my watch and transfer it? Help!
I hate thinking that I’ve bought the wrong watch! Uhhhh!! 🙄
You'll get your step count and basic wellness data within the Garmin Connect app it's just not displayed on the watch itself.
What kind of human wears his watch for 24hours without sunlight or any light.
Ha! I guess its more about tree cover. I'm a trail runner. There's not a ton of sunlight in the woods. But I'm sure there are a lot of other activities that would benefit from it. Thanks for watching!
that was everything a review should be. I did find the background music distracting though, it sounded like an alarm going off on a device. Your content and delivery is strong enough without it, maybe even stronger. I am going to buy this watch right now, based on your review.
Thanks! Yup, I’ve since removed background music from my videos. This was an older one 😂
A question from an absolute newbiee who is thiniking about buying this watch - can I connect it to Strava or MapMyRun so that my workouts are tracked there? Thanks!
Yes you can.
Receives a $400 watch.... "hey guys, this isn't a sponsored video..."
Hey Todd, I actually have an entire live stream about my UA-cam ethics if you're interested. A sponsored video means that the company paid for the production of the video with actual money. In this vide (and most of my videos) Garmin sent me the watch for the purpose of the video. While the watch does hold value it isn't a form of payment and it has no influence on the opinions and data I share in the video. I try to be as transparent as possible in my videos. Thanks for watching.
I like your reviews! They are honest and in depth! I wanted to know about this watch to replace my Forerunner!
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it!
sleep monitoring is available by the phone app
Yes, but this is using a different algorythm in the watch itself rather than in the cloud. I find it to be much more accurate!
Awesome review man. I am really looking into this watch at the moment and found everything you covered here so helpful, thank you and great job! Very cool that you compared it to the fenix 6 as well
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
Does this, or any Garmin watches, have an SOS feature for emergency locating? One that’s independent of a phone or any other device? Also, would you recommend this for cyclists?
The only Garmin with an independent SOS function is the Forerunner 945 LTE which has an internal LTE cellular connection. Other Garmin's like the newer Instinct 2 require that you have a phone be paired to the watch for it to work. I'd take a look at the Instinct 2 as a cyclist as it has more features.
Thanks for this video. I just bought this watch and look forward to using as an expedition guide!
Awesome! Seems like a good fit with this watch.
About visibility on garmin fenix 6 being worse than garmin solar - don't u have glass on fenix 6? I bought instinct solar second hand and visibility was terrible, after removing previous owners glass it's great. Try that.
My Fenix 6 is sapphire and does not have a screen protector. Sapphire glass is more reflective so visibility is a bit worse than the Gorilla glass found on the Instinct. Thanks for watching!
Brilliant watch the moss green I reviewed is the best colour in my opinion. Garmin have done a brilliant job with the solar instinct.
The green one does look really cool!
At that price with that kind of display, they are basically giving you technology 10 years ago and charging today's prices.
Maybe on the surface but the guts are a bit more advanced.
I think that this watch is basically for the military cuz it's more efficient and filled with important features which other military watches in this price point won't provide. It's useful AF for the military ppl!!
Thanks for sharing.