Garmin Instinct watches-solar or no?

[D1gger]

I'm looking at picking up one of the Garmin Instinct Tactical watches soon and I was wondering if the solar is worth it. Usually, it's $150 more ($449 total) for the solar watch. The regular battery watch sells around $299.
I do plan on using the GPS to track my training, so it will be on a lot. I know that uses a lot of battery.
Anyone have any experience with these? Recommend the solar or no? Curious to know what your experiences have been

 

[_Windrider_]

I'm looking at picking up one of the Garmin Instinct Tactical watches soon and I was wondering if the solar is worth it. Usually, it's $150 more ($449 total) for the solar watch. The regular battery watch sells around $299.
I do plan on using the GPS to track my training, so it will be on a lot. I know that uses a lot of battery.
Anyone have any experience with these? Recommend the solar or no? Curious to know what your experiences have been

I use the tactix delta solar with AB. Mine will go for 10 days on one charge with all sensors running. You throw solar in there where you can and I’ve gone as much as 3 weeks without plugging it in.

 

[E. Bryant]

I've got the Instinct Solar (non-Tactical). If I'm just running the watch "normally" (with HRM active, Pulse Ox on during sleep, but without GPS), the battery life when exposed to sunlight is really damn impressive - maybe in the neighborhood of two weeks. But turning on the GPS to track activities will drain the battery faster than the solar charging can keep up, and obviously this feature doesn't work if the watch is under long sleeves or gloves. So is this feature worth $150? Eh, I'm on the fence. If I had to buy the watch again tomorrow, I'd probably pay the premium just to see 27 days of indicated battery life

Overall, I like this watch. Mechanically, it's damn solid and mine looks pretty much new other than some very mild scuffs on the band. The display is readable in almost any lighting condition. The movement tracking during weight lifting is kinda nifty (at least with basic moves; it won't track complex movements). The firmware is very much what I expect from Garmin, which is to say that there are a ton of features that I won't use, and some of the primary features might just not work (for example, it occasionally locks up overnight and won't show the correct time until a button is pressed, and this same bug also causes heart rate data to be lost until power is cycled). And the Garmin Connect app isn't as good as, say, FitBit's (it doesn't have a nutrition tracker). Overall, though, it's the device I'd buy again instead of going back to FitBit and their fragile hardware.

 

[D1gger]

Great-thanks for the replies

 

[Hawkeyemm]

I’ve only had the solar version so can’t compare. But, I would say that the addition of solar is only valuable if you operate in certain environments. The extra power generated is negligible where I live. Between long sleeves when it’s cold, cloud cover, tree cover, and being indoors....it doesn’t amount to much.

 

[SD Carpenter]

I've had the non solar one for a year and a half. I charge it once every 2-3 weeks without using GPS. The thing lasts forever and does what I need it to being lightweight and simple.

 

[Pilotscrappy]

I'm in same boat with comparison of the instinct solar and non solar.
It's not the only difference between the two versions of the instinct. The instinct solar has updated and newer heart rate sensors, new chipset on the GPS (better battery life) and other "enhancements" over just the regular instinct non solar.
Lots of good YouTube videos comparing the two.
I'm going to be getting the instinct solar soon I can report back in a few weeks my impressions.
Everything I have read so far has been positive on this particular watch.

 

[fxdwgkd]

I have the non solar tactical. I charge mine once every two weeks, I however do not use the gps tracking function. The heart rate monitor is hit or miss. The temp is annoying too me as it does not read a correct ambient nor a correct body temp so I am not exactly sure what it is supposed to be telling me???? Compass and altimeter seem to need recalibrating somewhat frequently, if I ran it in gps mode then that may not be an issue. Will be doing a good bit of hiking the next week and will be using more of the functions, so we shall see how the batt life holds up

 

[E. Bryant]

I have substantial experience using heart rate monitors of various types. Wrist measurements are hit-and-miss on some people - they tend to be sensitive to position on the wrist/forearm, tightness of the strap, amount of muscle tension, and probably a bunch of other things I'm forgetting. I can get good results from a wrist sensor during steady-state exertion (ex.: hiking), but it will underreport during transient work like weight training by 20 BPM or more. It's not a big deal for casual use, but the difference is substantial for those attempting to reach certain zones during interval training or if one is attempting to track training stress.

Fortunately, Garmin watches pair with Garmin HRM chest straps (or other ANT+ sensors), which are only $55 and work well.

 

[D1gger]

So I did buy the Instinct Solar Tactical, I've had it for about 3 weeks now. For tracking my rucks, it works really well, especially after I set it up how I like it. Weight training is meh. It catches big moves like squat and bench, but doesn't pick up rows so well. The GPS mileage is spot on, as I have been using it with an app on my phone to verify data. Since my rucks start off pre-dawn, I haven't been able to get a lot of use out of the solar charging yet, hopefully that will change soon. So far I am very happy with the purchase.

 

[_Windrider_]

So I did buy the Instinct Solar Tactical, I've had it for about 3 weeks now. For tracking my rucks, it works really well, especially after I set it up how I like it. Weight training is meh. It catches big moves like squat and bench, but doesn't pick up rows so well. The GPS mileage is spot on, as I have been using it with an app on my phone to verify data. Since my rucks start off pre-dawn, I haven't been able to get a lot of use out of the solar charging yet, hopefully that will change soon. So far I am very happy with the purchase.

The solar charging is pretty much useless when wearing the watches. I have the tactix delta solar. The best method is to take it off and set it face up while resting. Mine has a solar intensity graph and I found unless it’s directly in the sun it’s either 0 or 100.

 

[Want.2B.Accurate]

I have the non solar tactical instinct. I wear long sleeves or hoodies everyday which covers up the watch, and work in an office so little sunlight. Just didn’t see much need for the solar. If you spend most of your time outdoors, maybe you would benefit from the solar.
on a side note I have a g shock solar watch and it charges off any kind of light, even incandescent light. Im sure garmins must be similar.