Thanks very much for responding to this request. It was very beneficial. From what I'm reading the typical Garmin will get you about 4-6 years of operation. You have 2 watches which meet Mil-Spec standards, therefore your watches may last even longer. I think you'll be happy with your choices. 👍
I do believe that these will last at least 4-6 years (depending on exposure/care/etc) and I am very pleased with both (three if you count the blue Instinct I sold way back when the larger screen Instinct came out) AND I would love to see a company such as Garmin take the lead and make ALL of their products with a percentage of plastics intended for the landfill, like their "quatix" version: www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1277573 The best bet would be for (m)any of these big companies we all enjoy to take the lead and immediately begin finding ways to reduce their own footprint (imagine if Garmin had an almost guaranteed battery swap program!) where we could get maybe 8-12 years of use from these things! I remember having an "Indiglo" Timex watch back in high school. I thought it was so cool! I'd probably still have it if it was as capable as these watches are now. I only traded it out for a "nicer" metal band style watch as my tastes evolved for my high school image preferences. I keep thinking on a question. "What if I were President? How could I help?" In my mind, Amazon begins to accept *everything* for return and we use our existing infrastructures to clean out homes (think deceased, graduates, children no longer needing toddlers' toys) by simply allowing us to send all products back to a major warehouse style shipper... Imagine Amazon working with Costco and imagine Costco having a huge inventory of *everything* including power tools, yard tools, etc where someone who no longer edges and mows their yard (or who wanted a newer device) turns in their mower and the working or non-working mower has parts that can be shipped nationwide... THEN imagine all shipping places accepting shipping materials back to their facilities, bubble wrap, cardboard, etc... AND Imagine all that cardboard (Garmin *only* comes in cardboard and paper, no plastic wrapped boxes) being pressed into efficient fuel-ready briquettes ready for homes up north to burn in their pellet stoves during the longer and harsher winters... In short, the waste part is the major bummer over the years as I find things like Apple earpods and hearing aids and garage openers and key fobs and all sorts of things on basic neighborhood walks. If you ever had the chance to walk with me in the remote vast areas of Big Bend, you'd find Covid era masks as far in the middle of nowhere as you could go and they'd be right next to mylar balloons such as the ones my cousins keep releasing to celebrate the life and passing of their mother, my aunt. I probably sound like an arrogant a-hole but my own parents keep buying the most vicious poisons and subscribing to the most damaging yard treatments (keeping up with the Joneses, like we've all been taught by our parents) while not really thinking there is a way to curb these activities "until we vote someone worthwhile in". My thoughts are that these things will continue to be sold regardless of who is in charge, but as long as I have the chance to wear a watch to collect data, I guess I'm also a part of the destructive tale that maybe the future generations might have the chance to wade through alongside us as we all figure out a way to make these things with more of a wholistic approach. Anyway... I hope this response isn't upsetting and that it does not sound like just doom and gloom. Again, I have hope! I have immense faith that we can all do something amazing together... AND I know that starting the conversations with our elders has been kind of... Not happening properly just yet. Maybe if someone could write just the right catchy song that caused us all to sing a new tune... Whatever the case, back to the watch for a moment... These wrist worn computers are AMAZING! They can help track trends in ways that in the past required all sorts of dedicated coaches and equipment. Growing up watching shows like Knight Rider, I always hoped there'd be some amazing wrist based tech like this! Talking/linked car aside, it seems we are pretty close in terms of what we have built as humanity... Now what? Are there any others out there hoping to topple the shadowy crime entities in favor of peace & love and sensible sales strategies? Time will tell I suppose! :)
@@SpiritualDevil Well, I hear ya, but I probably wouldn't have much use for a 12 yo laptop, and I'm sure I'd want the latest Garmin 12 years from now, considering the tech advancements.
@@JonnieSlade-fh2cg So true! Meanwhile, IF a drop in replacement “chip” could occupy the old Timex I had and if that could run the latest goods, maybe I’d still have at least the majority of the shell to use? Maybe the old “chip” could then be repurposed instead of just tossed in a heap. LCD’s age and go out so with a laptop or even a desktop screen (or the millions of televisions) there’d be a bigger set of scrap to wade through, but again… And for contrast and comparison… I’d LOVE a 2002 WS-6 Trans Am with the latest navi/traffic avoidance system AND the latest most efficient engine (LS8? Just guessing, the LS1 is what I had in mine) and I’d LOVE to keep my Jeep for the rest of my life… At some point though, parts availability and lack of reverse usage (throw away vs sustainability) might make it so *nothing* can be cost effective for anyone anymore. For the benefit of the future and the jobs markets that would help with this looming issue, I sure hope to get at least the 4-6 from this watch AND that by then a drop in sustainable upgrade program reducing the rubbish will exist in the future! Again… Just due to what I’m seeing (and not seeing) in nature at times. Long story short, these little data devices are awesome and I truly enjoy the one I’ve got. I’ll likely sell the Instinct soon, that one worked perfectly fine for me and would still be my “go to” but something about the on board ECG and some recent health circumstances of mine caused me to make the change. The bigger display is great for the metrics on the go and the comparable battery life (I went two weeks with zero charge on this Fēnix and still had over 60% charge left : ) has been quite a surprise! All in all I’m still going to hope for better ways to use what we’ve got available to use in more beneficial ways AND that hopefully will include some great and highly effective advances when the time for us comes to update our laptops and other smart devices :)
I bought the Instinct 2 originally, it was tidal blue. I REALLY liked that watch for the battery life. Later on when the Instinct 2X came out with a built in flashlight, I immediately jumped over to the 2X because quite a few times I had needed a light when I didn't have one BUT I'd been wearing a watch. Sure enough, the DAY (night) I got the 2X with the built in light, we had a power outage where I was at and the light on my "always on" watch definitely came in handy. Usually I am in need of a light "in the wild" and since the "day one power outage" light I am a convinced fan of watches with built in lights. Fast forward to me ramping up my training and I found that there was a benefit specific to my own needs where I could have all of the above mentioned features (excellent/above and beyond battery life, a built in flash light) AND an ECG option. After having the Fēnix with the ECG and using it, yes, I did get the benefit I was after, but at the same time the Instinct 2X was still a pretty amazing watch that I might not have traded from if my needs were different at the time. Either way in the "long run" the two watches significantly changed my off grid hiking in ways that EITHER watch would have functioned just fine. Truth be told though? My ORIGINAL logic behind switching from the Instinct line to the Fēnix line is that in my house we wanted to keep all of the tech sort of streamlined. There was an Instinct 2S in our home that had different sensors from the 2 or 2X (way less accurate, measured .25 miles for every mile even in "every second" GPS mode) and so looking into the "step up" from the 2S prompted me to look a little more into the Fēnix solar lineup due to battery life. The rest of the reasoning is what I had mentioned here in these posts. In short, I had to sell my Instinct 2X two times (my online auction just ended last week, the 2X is still in transit) and the more I think it over, the more I think that changing watches, for me, was not my best decision since what I found with the ECG option AND what I gained in extra sleep data has not really done anything other than provide me with extra (possibly unneeded) useful (or maybe not) data. Whatever the case I'd definitely recommend either of these later big builds if anyone is in need of amazing battery life. Thanks for visiting, have a great day!
Thanks for responding 👍 very useful.
Thanks very much for responding to this request. It was very beneficial. From what I'm reading the typical Garmin will get you about 4-6 years of operation. You have 2 watches which meet Mil-Spec standards, therefore your watches may last even longer. I think you'll be happy with your choices. 👍
I do believe that these will last at least 4-6 years (depending on exposure/care/etc) and I am very pleased with both (three if you count the blue Instinct I sold way back when the larger screen Instinct came out) AND I would love to see a company such as Garmin take the lead and make ALL of their products with a percentage of plastics intended for the landfill, like their "quatix" version:
www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1277573
The best bet would be for (m)any of these big companies we all enjoy to take the lead and immediately begin finding ways to reduce their own footprint (imagine if Garmin had an almost guaranteed battery swap program!) where we could get maybe 8-12 years of use from these things! I remember having an "Indiglo" Timex watch back in high school. I thought it was so cool! I'd probably still have it if it was as capable as these watches are now. I only traded it out for a "nicer" metal band style watch as my tastes evolved for my high school image preferences.
I keep thinking on a question. "What if I were President? How could I help?" In my mind, Amazon begins to accept *everything* for return and we use our existing infrastructures to clean out homes (think deceased, graduates, children no longer needing toddlers' toys) by simply allowing us to send all products back to a major warehouse style shipper... Imagine Amazon working with Costco and imagine Costco having a huge inventory of *everything* including power tools, yard tools, etc where someone who no longer edges and mows their yard (or who wanted a newer device) turns in their mower and the working or non-working mower has parts that can be shipped nationwide...
THEN imagine all shipping places accepting shipping materials back to their facilities, bubble wrap, cardboard, etc... AND Imagine all that cardboard (Garmin *only* comes in cardboard and paper, no plastic wrapped boxes) being pressed into efficient fuel-ready briquettes ready for homes up north to burn in their pellet stoves during the longer and harsher winters... In short, the waste part is the major bummer over the years as I find things like Apple earpods and hearing aids and garage openers and key fobs and all sorts of things on basic neighborhood walks. If you ever had the chance to walk with me in the remote vast areas of Big Bend, you'd find Covid era masks as far in the middle of nowhere as you could go and they'd be right next to mylar balloons such as the ones my cousins keep releasing to celebrate the life and passing of their mother, my aunt.
I probably sound like an arrogant a-hole but my own parents keep buying the most vicious poisons and subscribing to the most damaging yard treatments (keeping up with the Joneses, like we've all been taught by our parents) while not really thinking there is a way to curb these activities "until we vote someone worthwhile in". My thoughts are that these things will continue to be sold regardless of who is in charge, but as long as I have the chance to wear a watch to collect data, I guess I'm also a part of the destructive tale that maybe the future generations might have the chance to wade through alongside us as we all figure out a way to make these things with more of a wholistic approach.
Anyway... I hope this response isn't upsetting and that it does not sound like just doom and gloom. Again, I have hope! I have immense faith that we can all do something amazing together... AND I know that starting the conversations with our elders has been kind of... Not happening properly just yet. Maybe if someone could write just the right catchy song that caused us all to sing a new tune... Whatever the case, back to the watch for a moment...
These wrist worn computers are AMAZING! They can help track trends in ways that in the past required all sorts of dedicated coaches and equipment. Growing up watching shows like Knight Rider, I always hoped there'd be some amazing wrist based tech like this! Talking/linked car aside, it seems we are pretty close in terms of what we have built as humanity... Now what? Are there any others out there hoping to topple the shadowy crime entities in favor of peace & love and sensible sales strategies?
Time will tell I suppose! :)
@@SpiritualDevil Well, I hear ya, but I probably wouldn't have much use for a 12 yo laptop, and I'm sure I'd want the latest Garmin 12 years from now, considering the tech advancements.
@@JonnieSlade-fh2cg So true! Meanwhile, IF a drop in replacement “chip” could occupy the old Timex I had and if that could run the latest goods, maybe I’d still have at least the majority of the shell to use? Maybe the old “chip” could then be repurposed instead of just tossed in a heap.
LCD’s age and go out so with a laptop or even a desktop screen (or the millions of televisions) there’d be a bigger set of scrap to wade through, but again… And for contrast and comparison…
I’d LOVE a 2002 WS-6 Trans Am with the latest navi/traffic avoidance system AND the latest most efficient engine (LS8? Just guessing, the LS1 is what I had in mine) and I’d LOVE to keep my Jeep for the rest of my life… At some point though, parts availability and lack of reverse usage (throw away vs sustainability) might make it so *nothing* can be cost effective for anyone anymore.
For the benefit of the future and the jobs markets that would help with this looming issue, I sure hope to get at least the 4-6 from this watch AND that by then a drop in sustainable upgrade program reducing the rubbish will exist in the future! Again… Just due to what I’m seeing (and not seeing) in nature at times.
Long story short, these little data devices are awesome and I truly enjoy the one I’ve got. I’ll likely sell the Instinct soon, that one worked perfectly fine for me and would still be my “go to” but something about the on board ECG and some recent health circumstances of mine caused me to make the change.
The bigger display is great for the metrics on the go and the comparable battery life (I went two weeks with zero charge on this Fēnix and still had over 60% charge left : ) has been quite a surprise! All in all I’m still going to hope for better ways to use what we’ve got available to use in more beneficial ways AND that hopefully will include some great and highly effective advances when the time for us comes to update our laptops and other smart devices :)
I own a Fenix and very much like the look of the Instinct 2X. I'm curious why you have bought both?
I bought the Instinct 2 originally, it was tidal blue. I REALLY liked that watch for the battery life. Later on when the Instinct 2X came out with a built in flashlight, I immediately jumped over to the 2X because quite a few times I had needed a light when I didn't have one BUT I'd been wearing a watch.
Sure enough, the DAY (night) I got the 2X with the built in light, we had a power outage where I was at and the light on my "always on" watch definitely came in handy. Usually I am in need of a light "in the wild" and since the "day one power outage" light I am a convinced fan of watches with built in lights.
Fast forward to me ramping up my training and I found that there was a benefit specific to my own needs where I could have all of the above mentioned features (excellent/above and beyond battery life, a built in flash light) AND an ECG option. After having the Fēnix with the ECG and using it, yes, I did get the benefit I was after, but at the same time the Instinct 2X was still a pretty amazing watch that I might not have traded from if my needs were different at the time.
Either way in the "long run" the two watches significantly changed my off grid hiking in ways that EITHER watch would have functioned just fine. Truth be told though? My ORIGINAL logic behind switching from the Instinct line to the Fēnix line is that in my house we wanted to keep all of the tech sort of streamlined. There was an Instinct 2S in our home that had different sensors from the 2 or 2X (way less accurate, measured .25 miles for every mile even in "every second" GPS mode) and so looking into the "step up" from the 2S prompted me to look a little more into the Fēnix solar lineup due to battery life.
The rest of the reasoning is what I had mentioned here in these posts. In short, I had to sell my Instinct 2X two times (my online auction just ended last week, the 2X is still in transit) and the more I think it over, the more I think that changing watches, for me, was not my best decision since what I found with the ECG option AND what I gained in extra sleep data has not really done anything other than provide me with extra (possibly unneeded) useful (or maybe not) data. Whatever the case I'd definitely recommend either of these later big builds if anyone is in need of amazing battery life.
Thanks for visiting, have a great day!
Max HR adjusted after seeing the bear! 😅