Garmin Forerunner 165 GPS Running Smartwatch - Black/Slate Grey

Love this watch

Really lightweight in comparison to my old Garmin (Forerunner 645) and packed with more features than I expected. Super happy!

Best value for money fitness watch in the R4k - R6k range

I am writing this review almost 2 months after my purchase. This is such a versatile watch. I do walking, cycling and strength training work outs but this watch offers so much more! I like the small things, like the 'nightshift' option, where the screen turns red at night. I like the stopwatch function. I absolutely LOVE the strength training work out activity function. You start out, then it starts to count your sets, it also counts your rest, like for me, I like resting 2 mins between sets. I also don't have to count sets as this does it for you. It even counts your reps while you train. The battery life is insanely good (I do have mine on black screen, meaning it shows nothing until I press the button to see the time - but during activities the screen stays on, you just have to set up the watch that way, if you like). The AMOLED colour screen is excellent in full sun, no issues whatsoever. The colour combos for the screen and the different data points within the home screen, can also be set up in virtually any way imaginable. I looked at higher end Garmin watches and this really is the best in the price range with zero regrets from my side. I train with a dedicated Garmin HRM and when I compare the wrist based HRM to my chest strap HRM, the Forerunner HRM is perfectly adequate. Lastly, both my previous Garmin watches (Vivoactive & Instinct) always hurt me while wearing it at night, while the Forerunner does not.

Great upgrade from my forerunner 55, if you have the means I’d recommend picking this as your first Garmin.