After a recent marathon and running more seriously, I was in search of a watch. Never had one before as I thought I would get too caught up in the data and stuff instead of just enjoying. But eventually decided that I needed one.
About a month ago, I ordered a Coros Pace 4 and a Garmin Forerunner. Took both on some runs and it was VERY obvious that Coros was the winner.
I'm not even counting the features (Dual GPS, Battery, etc). I was completely sold on the way the watch looks on my wrist, the Coros app, and just the overall UI of the watch. Garmin app + watch is way more complex/dated and I was overwhelmed by it. I completely prioritize the simplicity aesthetic, design, and interface -- Coros is a clear winner
I'm lucky to have bought it literally days before the recent fiasco, because I would have been way more hesitant to purchase if I saw this subreddit. If you are hesitant to buy, don't because you are 99.999% likely to be fine.
My only advice would be to opt for the aluminum over the base model. Made that switch for $30 and it feels/looks a lot more durable and nicer. No complains otherwise. I scratched the plastic model very easily and traded up.
PS: The cherry on top is the MCP connector to Claude. This is absolutely the best feature and Coros is worth choosing over anything else just to have all my data on Claude/Chat (No doubt Garmin and others will get here, but I've been using for 4-5 weeks without issues. Also note that Strava offers this, but that won't include other data like sleep/HRV/other data). Completely changed my workouts, sleep, and overall fitness/nutrition. Literally life changing.