December 2024 – frederikboving

From Garmin Vivoactive 3 to 5

From Vivoactive 3 to 5 – but why?

My wifes Vivoactive 3 started to act funny in terms of battery life. Being 3-4 years old, we figured that a repair would be futile and cumbersome or both, and started to look for alternatives. As Garmin on a regular basis pushes out new versions of their products, our eyes caught the Garmin 5.

Here in December 2024 the Vivoactive 5 is on offer, so a good guess is that the version 5 will be replaced by a version 6 anytime soon. This gives some options for getting a version 5 on offer and this is exactly where we ended up. We did not skip version 4 deliberately, but timing wise it just happened that we were in the market for a new Vivoactive when the version 5 seemed to be the current (and soon to be replaced) version.

So in this blog post I want to relay what it feels like to upgrade from version 3 to 5. It will not be a complete and specs based blog post, rather a “what did we notice along the way” kind of post. So not very scientific or systematic, but we hope it will give some insight to what an upgrade is like, and hopefully this can help you, if you sit on the fence and consider a similar upgrade.

The Garmin Vivoactive series is positioned in the Garmin universe as a budget friendly and feature-rich watch that does not offer the “I’m a triathlete (wannabe)” features of say the Garmin Fenix watches, but on the other hand offers sufficient functionality for the weekend warrier. So my take on the Vivoactive is that it is one of the best options in terms of bang for the buck when we are talking Garmin.

If the whole sports watch universe is new to you, please be aware that a watch is so much more than the watch. You start tapping into an ecosystem that will collect data and metrics about you, and in order to maintain a line of consistency, you probably will be inclined to stay with the brand that you already have. So look at alternatives like e.g. Suunto, Apple and Polar (just to mention a few) before you make the plunge. But given that we are talking Garmin in this particular case, lets dig in.

Unboxing Vivoactive 5

The box with the Vivoactive 5 is light, actually so light that I feared that they had forgotten to put the watch in there! But it was there along with the usual suspects: a charging cable and some paperwork. My fear of missing the watch in the box was perhaps justified, as the spec sheets tells that Vivoactive 5 is only a tad more than 40 grams! That is really impressive!

Garmin Vivoactive 5 — In the box I found the watch itself, a charging cable, safety information and a super condensed getting started guide with a QR code to a more elaborate user manual.

The first thing I noticed is that the charging connector is still the Garmin proprietary one – some things apparently don’t change! I had hoped to find USB-C that even my bicycle light now make use of, but no, Garmin sticks to the Garmin connector.

Appearance

Comparing the appearance of the two, they are rather similar, which is good news, as it is a small and light watch. However, the Vivoactive 5 is more refined. The bezel is smaller and more rounded, the screen seems larger and with better contrast.

Also, then you compare the watches from the side, the Vivoactive 5 seems more elegant and rounded in the design; more discrete if you like.

I was happy to find that the 20mm width of the straps is unchanged, and hence the leather straps that we have bought as an accessory could easily be moved from the Vivoactive 3 to the Vivoactive 5. As you are likely to wear the Vivoactive round the clock in order to get the most data and the best metrics, you may find that your skin does not agree with the constant contact to the rubber straps. If you buy the straps off-brand as we did, this will not break the bank (this blog is not sponsored by any vendor).

Migration

Moving from the Vivoactive 3 to 5 could hardly be easier: the Vivoactive 5 presents a QR code on the display and once you scan that using the camera on your smartphone, a guided process starts that takes you through the migration from 3 to 5. It really could not be easier.

The precondition for this is that you with the Vivoactive 3 were fully engaged in the Garmin ecosystem and have the Garmin app downloaded. As soon as the connection to the new watch is established, data is transferred to the app as with the Vivoactive 3. The biggest challenge is actually to disconnect the old watch in the app!

Whats new?

The biggest difference you’ll notice immediately is the much better display on the vivoactive 5. It is visible in broad daylight and in the dark and appears much improved over the vivoactive 3. This is probably due to improved resolution, but also that the contrast is much better in the newer display.

Feature wise the Vivoactive 5 has more to offer and we have noticed:

Body battery: An index between 0 and 100 that indicates how well charged your body is and say if you have lots of energy to meet a challenging day. It is fun to see how it raises as you sleep and drops during stress or just being active.

Sleep quality: A measure of the quality of your sleep. With different colours the graphics shows if you were sleeping light, were awake, REM etc. And a good nights sleep often goes hand in hand with a large increase in your body battery reading.

Oxygen saturation: Is probably self explanatory. You can measure it on demand, periodically or continuously. It is interesting to follow, but be aware that it requires a lot of light from the LEDs on the back of the watch and hence is taxing for the batteries.

With all these good improvements, we were a bit sad to see the barometer being discontinued, probably in order to keep production cost down. The Vivoactive 5 still provides GPS-based elevation data but it is with less precision than the barometric one. As we live on the 3rd floor, keeping track of staircases climbed is both important and fun!

There are a lot of features shared between the two watches and hence these do not get attention here. You can both pay with your watch and listen to music on both the Vivoactive 3 and 5.

In terms of battery life, we were actually quite happy with the performance of the Vivoactive 3 until the battery more or less collapsed overnight. With the Vivoactive 5 we hope to see roughly the same performance, but we have not had the watch sufficiently long to assess the battery performance.

Summary

We’re happy campers! The much improved display is a pleasure to use and the watch also seems to be a bit more snappy in its response when you swipe and browse through the menus. The body index, sleep quality and oxygen saturation are all useful new features for us. The only real down side is the loss of the barometer, but time will show if the GPS will be able to provide compensating data.

Review: Lexyne Zecto Drive 250+ Bicycle Front Light black

Replacement needed

I’m a big fan of the small compact rechargeable bicycle lights from Lezyne. I have had a front light for years, but the battery was getting a bit tired and the charging was based on min-USB (?) which in my house is becoming more and more seldom. Everybody seems to be moving towards USB-C as the industri standard and I welcome it with open arms. It is a much needed simplification if you ask me and greatly reduces the need for multiple chargers in a household.

Also, the output from bicycle lights has improved massively even over the last few years, and I wanted to tap into this development and see what a brand new light could do.

Zecto Drive 250+ Bicycle Front Light black

Here the Zecto Drive 250+ Bicycle Front Light is to the right and my trusty copy of what I believe to be an earlier model. The pencil is just there to give a sense of proportions.I really like the concept of this Zecto Drive light. It is small, compact (fits a pocket easily) and delivers plenty of run time per charging for my city life needs. But if you need a lot of Lumen output, you may want to look for other options.

Lezyne Zecto Drive 250+

When it arrives, the Zecto Drive 250+ does not make a big impression. It is mounted on a small piece of black cardboard with a few instructions and a QR code for more elaborate instructions and specifications. I welcome this as it minimizes the packaging that I have to get rid of after “unboxing” the product.

Zecto Drive 250+ Bicycle Front Light black — Here the light is mounted using the rubber “belt”. You can easily mount the light using the handlebar or the stem on your bike.

You can mount the light using the rubberized “belt” that can reach around the handlebar on your bike, or you can use the clip to mount it in a belt or the like.

The first thing I did was to put the Lezyne in the charger – there is no USB cable supplied, but I have plenty already and found an available USB-C cable in my existing park of chargers next to my desktop. When it charges, the green LED on the front of the light flashes green.

When the LED turns on steady green, the charging is complete. A little hinged rubber cover can then be closed in order to protect the USB-C port from the elements. I believe this is a precondition for the IPX7 classification. I am no expert in these classifications, but understand that the Lexyne light can be submerged into 1 meter of water and still be functional. We do have much rain in Copenhagen where I live, but I doubt I will ever make use of this impressive capability!

To turn the light on or off, you press the on/off switch for 2 seconds. This is a smart design, as it prevents the light from being turned on or off by accident when not in use, i.e. lying in a bag or a pocket.

You have to apply a good amount of force to the button before it reacts. I have gotten used to this as I have used the Lezyne lights for several years, but you may want to test this IRL in your local bicycle shop before you invest.

Light modes

If you hit the on/off switch quickly when the light is on, the light toggles through 6 light modes as depicted below. These are not explained in great detail, but as you can see the first 2 gives steady light and the next 3 involves flashing light and the final one pulses between strong and less strong.

The Lezyne remembers the mode you used the last time, so when you long press the light to turn it on, it starts up in the mode you used when you long pressed it to turn it off. This is convenient if you – like me – are a creature of habit and quickly identify a preferred mode.

Without being an expert, I would think that the flashing modes is better if you want to be seen by others in the traffic, whereas the steady modes are better if you drive where there is little other light like a path in the woods. I mainly bike in the city with plenty of light available, so I turn on the flash mode to helps others see me.

In terms of battery life, the Lezyne offers so much more than I need. I bike maybe 5-10 kilometers on the same day and the Lezyne never runs flat with this kind of use.

The light

I’m not a mountain biker riding through pitch black woods for several hours! I am a simple cyclist riding from one end of Copenhagen to the other during winter time. Trust me, a good light is needed in order for others to notice you.

Comparing the old Lezyne with the new, it seems to me that the new light throws much more light to the sides and this must be a bonus for visibility from the sides. Also, the 6 LED’s in the new light gives much more power than the 3 LED’s in the old one.

However, I have read experts say that you need at least 200 Lumens in output for riding a bicycle in the city. And only in one of the flashing modes does the Lezyne light deliver that kind of output. That said, I find the light to be fairly strong but be aware that this light may be at the weak end of the scale in terms of safety. I guess that is the price you pay for the light being so compact and light.

Summary

I found this light on sale for around 37 EUR. Here in Denmark where I live, prices are not exactly low, and certainly not when compared to the US. However, looking at the prices on Amazon here, this seems to be a sharp price. However, there are many bicycle lights out there that you can get in a much more budget friendly price range.

Pros

Small and compact – easy to bring along
Solid build quality
Gives a good strong light, also visible from an angle
Charges via USB-C
Can take some really bad weather and still be operational (IPX7)
Easy to mount on the bicycle
Several options for light mode

Cons

May not be strong enough for your needs
You may find the price too steep
The on/off button requires some force to be operated

Review: Bosch VitaBoost blender MMBH4P3B

Time to replace

My old Kitchen Aid blender started to send smoke signals when used it at high speeds, and although I am not happy about replacing a trusty friend in the kitchen, the last few times I used the blender, the smoke signals became more and more intense at it was time to part ways.

Bosch VitaBoost blender — My 14+ year old Kitchen Aid blender started to send smoke signals, and I figured it was time for a replacement.

After a lot of googling and review reading, I actually gave up for a short while, thinking that the number of options available was simply too overwhelming for me to manage. Only because we came across a hardware store in our local neighbourhood and because they had the Bosch VitaBoost blender (MMBH4P3B) on heavy discount, did we decide to go with this one. At approx 220 EUR it seemed like a budget friendly alternative to many of the more professional / enthusiast blenders out there.

Notice that this blender is the MMBH4P3B one. There are other models from Bosch that look like it and have more programmes (and hence buttons on the front), but they also come with a more steep price. I find that the one reviewed here is a good compromise between features and price. But be aware that my experience with feature – be it dish washers or washing machines or ovens – is that if I decide to pay for features and advanced programmes, I enjoy it for a little while, and then after a few months I am back to using the same few features that I always use. So I have learned my lesson and now try to stick to the basics when I choose my hardware. Your milage may vary, of course!

Unboxing

The tin explains pretty well what you can expect to find in the box and the features the blender offers. Below a picture of the tin that you can study to find all the marketing peoples points. To me, the most important is a powerful motor and sharp blades.

When we bought the blender, our only question to the sales person was if the blender would be able to crunch ice cubes, and this was confirmed, as long as the ice cubes are not alone in the blender jug – there always has to be some sort of fluid to go along.

The promise on the tin: Powerful motor, 3 programmes, 6-bladed knife and a recipe book. I find the Bosch VitaBoost blender delivers on all promises made here.

Out of the box you will find the blender jug and the base unit with the motor, and that is basically it. There is also a lid (black) and a little stick to push ingredients into the blender – useful in the beginning of the blending process.

In terms of literature, you’ll get 3 books. A recipe book, a service contract (have you ever read it?) and a user guide. The user guide looks intimidating at first, but it is actually quite short and sweet. Only because they cover many languages the guide became a booklet. Effectively, I think it it is only 4-5 pages per language and a few shared illustrations.

Please take notice of the safety instructions from Bosch as printed in the user guide. Just to mention a few: Make sure the cover and lid is always attached to the blender and make sure the content is never hotter that 80 degrees celsius, otherwise the blender jug can be damaged.

First use

After cleaning the blender, I decided to make a simple lunchtime smoothie consisting of spinach, carrots, avocado and juice. And just using the manual dial to control the speed.

I was happily surprised by a few observations:

the blender stands very still even in the initial phases of crunching the ingredients,
it is more quiet than my previous blender and
I only used a fraction of the full power to crunch the ingredients into a smoothie.

I don’t know about you, but when I use a tool for the first time, I find that first impressions last. And this was a VERY good first impression, so I was relieved. It looks like a good investment! The only negative side I found for the first time use is that the black lid is a bit difficult to remove. I am sure it will improve as I get to know the blender a bit better.

Cleaning

Cleaning is never the fun part, right? But there is a programme that the blender offers (one of 3) where you simply fill the blender with 1.25 liter of water and a drop of soap, and then the cleaning programme takes care of it. Of course you have to rinse the blender jug and lid in water afterwards, but the base cleaning is done after running the programme. I really welcome this feature, as ease of cleaning is also an important part of me continuing to use the blender in real life.

Don’t add too much soap. Just a drop. Otherwise you’ll have foam all over your kitchen even with the lid tightly in place! How do I know this? Hard earned experience…

If you are more careful than me in terms of cleaning the blender, you may want to run it via the dishwasher after running the cleaning programme, but I often find that I use the blender more often than I run the dishwasher, so I try to keep it simple and rely on the cleaning programme.

Hot soup straight out of the blender?

This was news to me: Apparently the friction between the blades in the blender and the food in the blender generates so much heat that you can use this for heating up the content to around 5-70 degrees celcius! The “only” precondition is that the speed in which the blades moves through the soup is very, very high.

This is where the 1600w motor and the sharp blades show their impressive capability: simply throw the ingredients into the blender, put on the lid and turn on the soup programme (bottom right button), and after approx 5 minutes the blender will present a hot soup, straight out of the blender jug!

Trying the programme for the first time, I simply emptied the fridge and kitchen for whatever I found useful in a soup: potatoes, onions, carrots, etc. And then the blender did the rest! The blender is working hard when the soup programme is on and it is noisy – not sure my neighbours appreciate the noise level when running the soup programme! Also, be aware that a lot of air is pushed out on the back side of the blender – I think a lot of cooling is required to cool down the engine when working this hard.

But, the result is wonderful! Season the soup with salt and pepper and add a slice of good bread and you are in for a healthy (and hot) treat!

Conclusion

I’m happy! This is an excellent tool that delivers exactly what I need without breaking the bank. Yes, there are more advanced versions out there, but they also come in a different price bracket. The blender is steady under operation, not too noisy, performs really well for my simple use and helps me cleaning it after use via a cleaning programme.

The true test is in the long term performance! Will the blades be dull over time? Will the motor start sending smoke signals in 2 years time? Who knows. But we’ve had a good start, Bosch and I, and that is all I have to report right now. Thanks for reading this far.

Month: December 2024

From Garmin Vivoactive 3 to 5

From Vivoactive 3 to 5 – but why?

Unboxing Vivoactive 5

Appearance

Migration

Whats new?

Summary

Further reading

Review: Lexyne Zecto Drive 250+ Bicycle Front Light black

Replacement needed

Lezyne Zecto Drive 250+

Light modes

The light

Summary

You may also like

Review: Bosch VitaBoost blender MMBH4P3B

Time to replace

Unboxing

First use

Cleaning

Hot soup straight out of the blender?

Conclusion

Further reading