Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(Edit: Original review at bottom) When the cheap, flimsy watch band on this otherwise nice watch breaks, you can get an aftermarket replacement by searching for "Forerunner 35". Apparently Garmin uses the same band on that fitness watch as they do on the Approach S10. Why does it matter? Because you can find "Forerunner 35" replacement bands for less than $10 on Amazon or elsewhere. Why pay Garmin's absurd price when you can get it elsewhere cheaper (and deny Garmin the extra money they apparently wish to bilk from you?) Original review below: ================= I actually love the watch. It's simple to use and tells me all the information I really need. I just use it to tell me how far it is to the green and how far to the penalty areas. It's great for that. But... My big problem with this watch is the band. I bought my watch in August, and by March the band had broken. It's not like I was particularly hard on it - I just used it as intended. And while the watch has a warranty, the band is not covered. Furthermore, the band (as of the time of this review) is available only from Garmin's web site. It cost $24.99 + tax + $5 shipping (Garmin has free shipping only for orders over $25, so since the band is 1 cent cheaper than the threshold, they charge $5 to ship it). So I guess if I want to keep the watch, I'll have to order 2 bands at a time so they don't screw me on shipping? Nice policy, Garmin. I guess if you don't mind spending $30+ a couple of times a year to replace the crappy band, then it's all good, right? Every Garmin watch I've ever bought (and I've owned several) has had this problem. The bands are proprietary, hard to get and ridiculously expensive. Would it be too much to ask to just have it use a regular watch band? I guess so, because then Garmin couldn't get $30 twice a year to replace it. Alternatively, if I have to pay $30+ for a replacement band, could I at least buy one that won't break after just a few months? I guess not. This is pathetic, and I'm tired of Garmin taking advantage of me. So this is my last Garmin product. It's a real shame, because the watch itself is nice if not for the poor quality (and extremely overpriced) watch band. This is how you lose customers.