GarminUnisex Instinct 2S Solar Smart Black Graphite Silicone Watch 40mm

I don't think I'd bother getting the solar version if they continue making that as an option, when you're actually active it seems nearly impossible to actually take advantage of that. The rest of the watch does exactly what I wanted, without too much other junk to worry about. Basically just wanted something to record basic health info and track mountain bike rides and it does both of those well.

Poor readability.

I bought the Instinct 2S Solar several weeks ago and am still fumbling through settings on the watch! The small brochure that came with it was of little help. I had to watch some YouTube videos to set some of the less basic settings. Not intuitively designed! The other issue is the tiny script. I’m a young 60 and wear readers, but not in the pool- some tweaks to background lighting and increases font size would be helpful. While I know there is a learning curve, I am generally a quick study. This watch is a bit frustrating, hence the 4/5 stars!! Could also be some glare on the watch face. Visibility is my main issue.

Problems with good tutorials

Only average until I can learn how to use it. I totally like the watch but am overwhelmed with how to find approiate tutorials. Beware as some of the tutorials on line have unexpected charges and some appear to be scams.

Very durable, amazing battery life. Not huge into the daily metrics but nice to follow long term trends

interesting

Nice watch, lots of features, but I won't use most of them . wrist band is difficult to use, about two holes shot. I take it off when I shower, not sure I trust the fact that it is waterproof. I am looking forward to trying out the few features that appeal to me.

Overall a good buy

I primarily bought this watch for the solar charging, step count, and sunrise/sunset times (helps with my job). I do seem to have a couple quirks with it that I can't figure out yet, although there's the potential this is user error. I can't seem to get the solar charging to work, but thankfully the battery life is long so I don't have to charge every day or two, which is a major reason I've never bought a smartwatch before this. (Note: logging during hiking will go through battery much faster than logging the hike afterwards.) It seems I have to log an activity (i.e. hiking), it won't automatically log a workout like one my apps does, which is fine. I connected it to my FitOn app hoping that at least those exercises would automatically sync up, and while they're obviously connected in some way, the exercises don't show up on my Activity list, so I still have to log the workout. It's entirely possible there are easy fixes to these issues. Overall, I do like the watch and am happy with my purchase! I like that it's customizable in several ways, and I enjoy the sleep report it gives me each morning. I like that I can fit a ton of information on the screen, but it doesn't feel too bulky, even with my small wrists.

Seized up

The watch has some good features however, the watched faced seized up and would not unlock and change features. Glad I did not use this watch for a through hike or any activity I would have depended on it.

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar

My first “smart” watch, Gen Xer, and after a bit of research I’m so happy with choosing Garmin! I looked at a few other name brands and they have the watch that I was looking for. Very easy to use, hardly needs to charge with the solar capability, not pretentiously large, great app, tech that pertains to me and skips the noise - oh and military grade rugged. I upload the health metrics to ai and it helps me to stay on track. I’ve been using now for just under a month and I’m very happy with my purchase.