Any comments on Garmin Descent MK1

[zixzax]

Dear All

Sharing information just wants to ask should I be worried and keep use it?
I have use it for my cycling with out any issue. But when it show the Dep. 269.5m it scared me

Ha. I didn't even notice.. Reset and try next time and see. Better it's not pressure sensor issue. Never had that for me

 

[scrane]

Congrats. I have one. Quite happy with it except for the battery life. It is not as long as expected. Charge every 3 days

I'm new to the Descent, only had mine for a few days. So, I am really careful at the moment about activities and modes that use extra power like tracking, bluetooth, monitoring heart rate, and GPS. I am also very wary on loading third party apps, widgets and watch faces. You are at the mercy of the programming skills of unknown developers/ hackers. Sitting on the shelf with only the clock running I think I am getting about 5-10% discharge per day.
I have read that the the on board battery is optimal only for 300 charge cycles. Therefor I plan to develop the habit of recharging only when necessary and avoid topping off.
The Descent is really just a modified Fenix 5x and most information concerning function and performance you find for the Fenix is applicable to the Descent.

 

[scrane]

Dear All

Sharing information just wants to ask should I be worried and keep use it?
I have use it for my cycling with out any issue. But when it show the Dep. 269.5m it scared me

This is interesting. Under what circumstances did this pop up?
If you can return/ exchange the watch it might be a good idea. Otherwise, continue using it and contact Garmin if the problem resurfaces. ( )

 

[The Chairman]

Many SPGs ship with the highest recorded depth... and that's usually the pressure recorded when they tested the unit. You can clear all the information when you get the PDC (they often do this for you) or you can have some fun at your buddy's expense.

 

[zixzax]

I am getting about 5-10% discharge per day.

That's amazing. Is it a titanium version or steel one? Do you use it day and night or just turn it off when sleeping? Do you shut off the steps/calories/heart rate? My battery drain for the past 24 hours is 35%..

 

[Chidiver1]

.
I have read that the the on board battery is optimal only for 300 charge cycles. Therefor I plan to develop the habit of recharging only when necessary and avoid topping off..

Where did you find this information? Does anyone know how easy or hard it is to change it?

 

[zixzax]

I have read that the the on board battery is optimal only for 300 charge cycles. Therefor I plan to develop the habit of recharging only when necessary and avoid topping off.

A few years back I read an article on Lithium battery of mobile phones. It said the battery has its maximum life if you charge it more often instead of discharging it until empty. Full discharge is harmful to Lithium batteries. I don't know if it is true but I do charge my phone whenever I would like to...

 

[scrane]

My impression is the only difference between the two versions is the band and the bezel. I went with the cheaper version because I see no benefit to a little titanium.

I turn everything off when not needed except for the watch. If I'm just walking to the grocery store I'll turn heart rate off, count my steps, and put the GPS in UltraTrac mode. If I'm going on a hike I'll turn on heart rate, turn on steps, standard GPS mode. I plan on linking with my phone or computer only for uploading dives or uploading firmware and sync time/ date. Most of my personal activity data is of little historical interest to me. If I'm just hanging around I turn everything I can off and just use the clock with minimum illumination. I have no third party software loaded and don't plan to load any without a good reason and a little research.

Again, the Descent is new to me so I am a little fixated on its settings. This might not last. It has had little opportunity to clutter itself up with the bits and bytes of digital detritus that electronics acquire like a dog and fleas. Also, it has not been in the water yet, so I have no idea how dive activity will affect battery life.

If I were having battery life problems and it bothered me and have had third party apps loaded I would reset and clear the watch and avoid loading unnecessary outside software in the future.

As a data point, my dive log was empty on delivery, but I think the Chairman might be right.

 

[descend]

My impression is the only difference between the two versions is the band and the bezel. I went with the cheaper version because I see no benefit to a little titanium.

If I were having battery life problems and it bothered me and have had third party apps loaded I would reset and clear the watch and avoid loading unnecessary outside software in the future.

I have everything turned on all the time on my (steel) Descent and I only have to charge it once to twice a week. When doing anything actively, like an activity or app that logs any measurements, the battery drains faster because of the much more rapid recording.

I've actually been experimenting with developing apps on the device too, and after trying some stuff I had to stop because of how limiting it was. Access to any kind of system data and anything that affects battery is heavily restricted and requires user approval. Even then, it's carefully controlled so it can be shut down if the battery is draining too fast. Apps can't run in the background, and while widgets can, they can only update on a regular slow interval and can't use the internet unless permission is given.

They certainly earn my trust for app security and battery use!

Nice. Looks like you had to enter some of it into the software?

Yeah, there's no space in the dive section of Garmin Connect for logging equipment used and wildlife settings, so I added it to my notes. I'm making my own dive log software to actually have these as a feature. Garmin Connect seems decent for data organization otherwise, though!

 

[saxman242]

One of the big battery drains on the Garmin watches is using a clockface with a moving second hand. Causes the screen to refresh a lot more often.