Epix Gen 2 First Impressions

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I saw that a Garmin Epix (Gen 2) watch was lying unused for a few days in a row so I asked if I could borrow it to experiment with and the answer was yes so that’s the Garmin watch I am wearing now.

The watch that I usually wear is a Garmin Instinct Solar. By now it’s quite an old watch, surpased by the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar. The Garmin Instinct Solar is a solar powered watch that can charge itself, and in the right conditions remain charged for 99+ days in the right sunny conditions, and with the right usage conditions. It’s a great watch but it does miss some features that the Garmin Epix (Gen 2) has.

With the Epix watch you get training effect information. You get info about power, training effect and stamina. This means that you get a better impression of whether to push, rest or other. You also get information about how long you should rest for before the next workout. With the Apple Watch, Garmin Instinct and other devices you don’t get this information.

Another difference is that the Epix gave me a power average rating of 283 watts whereas the Apple watch gave just 160 watts for the same run.

You also get ground contact time, vertical ratio, stamina, and run/walk info so you get a much better idea of your workout.

Having said this, all of this information comes at a price. The Garmin instinct comes to about 200 CHF wheras the Epix(gen 2) comes at over 600 CHF. Is that data worth three times the cost? It depends on what you’re working to improve.

And finally, I saw an opportunity to borrow the watch for a week or two, to experience what a higher end watch feels like. I don’t think I will get one. It’s simply about curiousity.