I actually think this particular watch is Amazing! As you already pointed out, it's a Casio G-shock with all the bells and whistles inside. I owned Fenix 6 and 7 and I like this one better. It's just more practical!
Cheers. When I first heard about the Fenix I was a little tempted, especially when they mentioned Sapphire glass. But when its sold for almost $1000 AUD here it does make you reconsider. I agree in that this watch is amazing, considering what it can do for the price. And a $20 screen protector gives me that added peace of mind.
Again thank you for another brilliant and comprehensive review!! As for the Garmin? Practical? Yes. Functional? Definitely. Possessing character and style? NO!
Thanks again mate. Yeah that Garmin is anything but pretty, and my Seiko 5 still gets more wrist time, but I'm so stoked I have a (smart) watch with everything but the kitchen sink that I don't have to fret over (too much) and doesn't need charging after 48 hours. I think of it as a G-Shock lite but with more functions and better buttons.
“This things bloomin comfortable” sold it for me dude. I decided to get the basic instinct 2 not solar as I live in the wet United Kingdom but you weren’t wrong, it’s bloomin comfortable and I love it. Thanks for such a great review that had a positive impact on me 👍🏼🫡I salute you.
So glad to hear it mate. I usually wear mine to bed too so I can track sleeping patterns and it barely bothers me on wrist. I think given the lack of sunshine where you are the non-solar option was the better choice. And even then you can still get around 4 weeks of battery life out of it before it needs a 2-hour recharge. No hassles. Thanks a lot for the positive feedback 👍
@@troppotime9179 yeah I wear mine to track sleep and the body battery function is sweet. I wanted a watch to be a watch and not a mini phone on the wrist. And this watch ticks all my boxes. If they get to a stage where solar charging is more functional like a gshock I’d reconsider but for now I’m thrilled with this model.
Great review, gave me all the info I was after. As another user in the "melanoma state capital" I was also expecting more efficient charging. Have just found out my bank also doesn't support it. Need to decide whether this is worth it over the regular Instinct 2 (about $50 difference)
Thanks mate. From my experience the solar charging works more efficiently if you run it in 'bare bones' mode (i.e. no bluetooth, no health tracking, etc.) and you'll see gains there but you've got to give it a healthy dose of sun (which we mostly have up here). In the end, if you don't mind charging the Garmin via cable for about 2 hours every 3-4 weeks (which is what I do anyway) then the non-solar option is very viable.
@@FiremanFrach TBH the wallet feature was a small selling point for the Instinct 2 for me, but was disappointed that only select banks participate. Oh well. Live and learn…
@@troppotime9179 I’ve heard a lot of folks say there isn’t much difference except the storage . One TH-camr said if he had to do it over again, he’d keep the original Instinct. 🤷🏻♂️
I actually think this particular watch is Amazing! As you already pointed out, it's a Casio G-shock with all the bells and whistles inside. I owned Fenix 6 and 7 and I like this one better. It's just more practical!
Cheers. When I first heard about the Fenix I was a little tempted, especially when they mentioned Sapphire glass. But when its sold for almost $1000 AUD here it does make you reconsider. I agree in that this watch is amazing, considering what it can do for the price. And a $20 screen protector gives me that added peace of mind.
Again thank you for another brilliant and comprehensive review!!
As for the Garmin?
Practical? Yes.
Functional? Definitely.
Possessing character and style?
NO!
Thanks again mate. Yeah that Garmin is anything but pretty, and my Seiko 5 still gets more wrist time, but I'm so stoked I have a (smart) watch with everything but the kitchen sink that I don't have to fret over (too much) and doesn't need charging after 48 hours. I think of it as a G-Shock lite but with more functions and better buttons.
Thanks for the review, that was just the info I was looking for.
No worries mate. Glad it was helpful.
“This things bloomin comfortable” sold it for me dude. I decided to get the basic instinct 2 not solar as I live in the wet United Kingdom but you weren’t wrong, it’s bloomin comfortable and I love it.
Thanks for such a great review that had a positive impact on me 👍🏼🫡I salute you.
So glad to hear it mate. I usually wear mine to bed too so I can track sleeping patterns and it barely bothers me on wrist. I think given the lack of sunshine where you are the non-solar option was the better choice. And even then you can still get around 4 weeks of battery life out of it before it needs a 2-hour recharge. No hassles.
Thanks a lot for the positive feedback
👍
@@troppotime9179 yeah I wear mine to track sleep and the body battery function is sweet. I wanted a watch to be a watch and not a mini phone on the wrist. And this watch ticks all my boxes. If they get to a stage where solar charging is more functional like a gshock I’d reconsider but for now I’m thrilled with this model.
Great review, gave me all the info I was after. As another user in the "melanoma state capital" I was also expecting more efficient charging. Have just found out my bank also doesn't support it. Need to decide whether this is worth it over the regular Instinct 2 (about $50 difference)
Thanks mate. From my experience the solar charging works more efficiently if you run it in 'bare bones' mode (i.e. no bluetooth, no health tracking, etc.) and you'll see gains there but you've got to give it a healthy dose of sun (which we mostly have up here). In the end, if you don't mind charging the Garmin via cable for about 2 hours every 3-4 weeks (which is what I do anyway) then the non-solar option is very viable.
I’m still rockin’ my original Instinct solar (had it for three years). No complaints but I wouldn’t turn down a second generation Instinct solar.😉
@@FiremanFrach TBH the wallet feature was a small selling point for the Instinct 2 for me, but was disappointed that only select banks participate. Oh well. Live and learn…
@@troppotime9179 I’ve heard a lot of folks say there isn’t much difference except the storage . One TH-camr said if he had to do it over again, he’d keep the original Instinct. 🤷🏻♂️
great review, agree with point of view