the Best Garmin Charger Dock Station (Charging Puck & Cable) This charging puck will work with just about any Garmin watch and has probably been the most useful thing I've ever purchased for a Garmin Watch. Q: Why? A: Because I often use Garmin Express on a PC and every single Garmin cable I've ever had just stops working after a while. All of them...I've had a few. The cables still charge the watches but fail to make the data connection properly with the watch such that I can't connect to Garmin Express or simply to let me access the watch via a drive letter on the PC. Even if I were to use a MAC I guess I'd have the same problem as the issue lies with how the cable and port snugly fit together...or not. A few months ago, this little charging puck cost me £6.99 (($7.99, Eu7.99 - buy here) and it was money well spent as it works every single time. And it's not just me, if you take a look at the Amazon ratings you will see that just about everyone is happy and by everyone I mean there are 1,584 ratings with over 1,000 scoring 5/5. Compatibility Compatibility is with just about any Garmin watch including Instinct/Instinct Tide/Instinct Tactical/Garmin fenix7s /Fenix 7/fenix 7x/ 7Pro, Venu 2 plus, Garmin Move Sport, Epix 2, Epix Pro, Vivoactive 3/4/4S (Compatible with GarminActive/GarminActiveS), Fenix 5/5S/5X/6/6S/6X, Forerunner 965/955/ 955 Solar/945/ 935/ 255/ 255S/ 255 Music/ 255S Music/ 245/ 245Music/ 45/ 45s, Approach S60/X10/X40, D2 Charlie/Delta, Quatix 5/5 Sapphire. Charging This should work on any USB port on your PC, wall adapter, USB wall socket, or USB car socket. Garmin Charging Puck Alternatives Here are some alternatives that are probably the same physical product but branded differently. I've also added a few options for more niche charging needs. Enjoy MOKO - this is the one I have £6.99 $7.99 Eu7.99 AUSTUO - identical and fractionally cheaper at the time of writing KIMILAR - might be UK only. same price. BMICE - slightly different and few £/$ cheaper at time of writing, LOKEKE Brand, twice the price but has different charging cable options Ruxely Brand this is a different but useful product. It's a 90-degree charging elbow/bend adapter Garmin Charging & Charger - Frequently Asked Questions Here is just about everything you ever wanted to ask about charging a Garmin. Q: Can you leave Garmin charging overnight? A: Yes. however, charging any lithium-ion battery above 80% negatively impacts its longevity. Garmin needs to introduce ways to restrict or time maximal charging like Apple already does. Q: Can you charge a Garmin watch on a charging pad? A: No. Very few Garmin watches are QI/wireless charging compatible, the Garmin Vivomove Trend being the most noteworthy exception. Expect more QI-compatible Garmin watches after 2023 https://the5krunner.com/2023/01/14/garmin-qi/ Q: Which Garmin has solar charging? A: Several Instinct 2 and Fenix 7 models have solar charging options. I had a Forerunner 955 Solar and wasn't especially impressed with what Solar added as Garmin battery lives are already excellent. Q: Should I charge my Garmin to 100%? A: No. Charging above 80% degrades the battery disproportionately more than charging it to lower levels. Q: Can I charge Garmin from mains? A: Yes, with an adapter. Q: Can I charge my Garmin directly from a USB wall socket A: Yes Q: Can you overcharge a Garmin GPS? A: No, you can't overcharge a Garmin Watch. As mentioned earlier, fully charging a watch is not ideal The History of Garmin Chargers In distant years, Garmin used a variety of charging cables both to provide power and data links. These cables tended to vary from one model to the next thus the Garmin Forerunner 235 had a different cable to a Garmin Forerunner 920XT. I kinda quite liked the latter as it had a reliable USB charging puck. In the end, a cable is cheaper for Garmin to produce, sell and standardise than a puck and that's probably why Garmin took the route they did. The 2023 charging cable/port standard from Garmin must have been used, seemingly unchanged, for over 5 years. Even though I think it's unreliable and prone to trap dirt in the charging port I think it's here to stay for most watches. The only exception is some of the less sporty watch models like Vivomove Trend which will increasingly use QI wireless charging. Get One Here From Amazon If the MOKO brand is out of stock here are a few other options. MOKO - this is the one I have £6.99 $7.99 Eu7.99 AUSTUO - identical and fractionally cheaper at the time of writing KIMILAR - might be UK only. Same price. BMICE - slightly different and few £/$ cheaper at time of writing, LOKEKE Brand, twice the price but has different charging cable options Ruxely Brand this is a different but useful product. It's a 90-degree charging elbow/bend adapter
