Garmin Instinct 2 - Solar Graphite

Good watch functions bad housing and band
I bought my Instinct 2 about a month ago when I suspected an issue with my Vivoactive 3 (turns out it was likely a bug with an app I had installed causing excess battery drain). When the watch arrived I noted the band was rubber, something I've had problems with with smartwatches from Samsung. I noted it was silicone and figured I'd chance it. I want to point out that the Vivoactive 3 also came with a rubber strap but I swapped it out when I discovered that the watch body didn't cause a reaction but the band did. This is because the housing uses a different kind of material that my skin didn't react to, and the leather strap I made was also non-reactive (I've previously had issues with nylon, as well as nickle plating due to a light nickle allergy, hence the solid brass hardware). After a week of continuous wear I thought maybe Garmin had resolved whatever issue the rubber bands were causing for some folks. By the end of the second week however, I'd started to react and the results after a week of non-wear are pictured below in the first two photos. I'm actually in the process of tooling up to make a replacement band/bracer for the Instinct 2 so I can wear it without issue. I'm also going to see if I can figure out a cover for any remaining bits of fhe 2 that might come in contact with my skin. But the watch itself has been worth the trouble so far.

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Best all around wearable.
Use it for all of my activities. Swimming, MTB, paddling and more. Very durable and the solar charging helps significantly on those times when you are not around utilities. I was glad to finally find a wearable device that could hold up after others broke.

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Game changer
I’ve had this watch for over a year.. gotta say it’s a game changer. I originally bought it for the heart rate monitor. Now I use it for much more. Just as recently as last week I realized I could track my pup from my watch. Not having to pull out the handheld every time is a time saver “not that’s it that hard in the first place “ but watching on the wrist speed and direction at a glance is great. I’ve put over 100 miles on the trail .. weather updates ,gps gym workouts . Garmin has a great product and pair very well with ease. Aruba to Alaska this watch is bulletproof.

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Best smartwatch ever if it fits your needs
I've been using smartwaches since they exist, been through Sony, Samsung, Pebble, Fossil and now Garmin. There is the obvious idea of matching what you want in a watch and the many different options out there, but if you're looking for - lightweight, easy to sleep with it on - outstanding battery life, takes 2 weeks for mine to wear out (and still has the capability of recharging using solar) - robust software, with detailed sleep, exercise, heart, etc. data - no frills build which can take a serious beat without a scratch then the Instinct 2 Solar is the watch for you. I confess sometimes I feel like wearing the Fossil Gen 6 I have for the sake of colored, different faces (I subscribe to Facer, for the time being) but very rapidly I realize the sluggish performance and the incredibly small battery life are not for me. The notifications work fine, having an altimeter to me is a bonus, I can use NFC to pay using watch only with my 4-digit passcode, and I can customize the watchface I chose from the few available - and you can download more, but I enjoy the one I setup enough not to will to change it. I ended up leaving the Gen 6 and Samsung Active 3 behind and when I see new watches popping up - Samsung 7, Google Pixel 2 etc. - I see them as fancy, colorful, byt they do not appeal to me. This is my first Garmin smartwatch and I understand there are plenty on their lineup - some very expensive and full of specs Instinct 2 doesn't have - but honestly, unless I'd have some use for it I'm truly happy with my watch.

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Old one was better (Forerunner 645)
Received as a birthday present to replace my older Garmin that still worked great but two ears cracked and wasn't able to put a band on it anymore. Still works and is brighter than this new solar baloney. I love Garmin equipment, and as a pilot their reliability is second to none in my book. Disappointed every day tho with this one.

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I really do enjoy it.
It was a swap-out because another failed on me. I DO appreciate the efforts put forth by Garmin. I’ve owned them for a few years now… so this solidifies my continued use.

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Tough & Amazing!!
I purchased this watch 3-4 weeks ago after much research. I'm apparently not as gentle as one needs to be with Fitbits and needed something that would stand up for whatever and not look too masculine or bulky. It has so many different resources and activities you can track and stand up to swimming laps in the pool without water damage. My only "complaint", which isn't a real issue, is the screen is not color. So if you choose a fun watch face, just know it will be in black and white. It will still show you all your stats, but not in color. Otherwise, I love that it's solar as well. I'm going into a month of owning it and haven't charged it outside of the first day, after purchase. I will say that the solar charged aspect is quite slow, but absolutely beneficial if you're an outdoorsy type. I also noted in some other review that turning off text/call notifications on the watch will help battery life, so I never turned on those notifications. Almost a month and I'm just now below 40% battery. Can't beat that!

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I should have bought one years ago
I’ve been a long-term Apple Watch user and recently decided to try and adventure towards the Garmin watches after seeing some of the features. I should’ve switched over years ago because this Garmin watch has features that I didn’t know I wanted. There was so much activity and unnecessary additions on the Apple Watch that I wasn’t really using it. My Instinct has exactly what I need and never having to charge it is a huge plus. I work outside for eight hours a day so I never have to worry about plugging it in. I was having to take my Apple Watch off during lunch to do a quick 30 minute fast charge because it would drain due to all of the other things running in the background.

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Very Resistant
I bought the Garmin Instinct Solar two and a half weeks ago. So far the watch is very functional and resistant. This is what I was looking for.

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Great watch
It is a great watch. Accuracy is very high. Solar charging is not very useful as the watch is wore at mostly covered places or underneath the shirt sleeves. However that feature is to be explored further

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