Polar and others do a good job of teasing their new products so I thought, “Hey, I’m going to tease my review”. Here’s the draft summary of what I will hopefully publish towards the end of this week. I’ve approached the review in a different way to normal. Like with the SPARTAN SPORT review, I’ve endeavoured to argue contrary to received wisdom to enable people to make an informed choice. Admittedly in the case of the Fenix 5/935 it’s been pretty hard to argue that way as they are great sports devices.
Full review now: (here)
Last Updated on 16 January 2026 by the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Injinji – Runners protect your toes. Avoid discomfort and minor injury. Run more. Run faster. I use them.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — The small adapter that keeps your charging cables tidy. Essential for race day. I use one.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session. I use one.
- Ravemen FR300 — Front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters. I use one.
- Body Glide – The blue anti-chafe stick that all swimmers and many runners use. I use it.
- Maurten — The race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mixes engineered to be easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — A radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Garmin watch. I use this model.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — The power-meter pedals most serious cyclists choose. Accurate, easy to move between bikes. I use this model.
- Garmin Forerunner 970 — A serious choice for a pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Polar H10 — My daily driver for accurate, waking HRV readings.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3 — The bike computer that has the feature Garmin lacks: usability. I use mine on most rides.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
so whats the catch
not sure. there’ll be one if you look hard enough 😉
I’m gonna say you’re going to talk about the charge cable a bit, since that’s the focus of the picture you used. It’s ok to admit it; the cord disconnects…a lot.
YES!!!!! that would be the main reason why I would send the fenix back from whence it came! The following phrase springs to mind “Polar M400” … at least that took MONTHS to get to the point of being dodgy, the fenix merely took days
I don’t have much of a problem with the cord. True, its not obvious when its been plugged in all the way so easy to leave it partially plugged in but when it is in all the way it is well connected
others do…
Has the speed of the GPS signal acquisition improved any from the 920XT? Mine varies from instant to “in it’s own sweet time” on a day like today when I was trying to beat the arrival of some big ugly rain clouds. I don’t consider that good enough in 2017 on a premium device.
Are you moving when you try to get an initial lock? That always screws up all gps units I’ve tried that don’t do a-gps (cell phones as they have a connection to the cell tower)
Generally yes albeit only ever at walking speed while I walk from my office door to where I start my run. That said once at the start point I’m not moving until the watch finds the satellites. Maybe I’m being unfair because I am comparing it to my iPhone but even so there’s days like today where it took minutes which is pretty poor in my opinion
it’s quick.
do you know why forerunner 935 doesn´t get any cheaper? very rarely it´s at less than official sel price of 549€. Is the price somehow controlled by Garmin or is the watch selling so good that they don´t have to lower the prices?!
I think it is selling well. but I think it is also supply and demand with supply being low at the moment (but improving). there are also pricing controls called MAP in many countries. I suspect prices only start to fall once amazon gets a large pile of stock….that hasn’t happened yet in the UK. currently only 3rd part sellers doing that on amazon