Garmin 310xt or 910xt for a newbie? Is the 910xt worth the extra $100?

The deciding factor for me was the ability for the 910xt to measure distance in open water.  I swim in a lake several times a week.  If I just used it for running/biking I probably would have gotten the 310xt.

I figured the 910xt was the better option @ $400 than the 310xt was at ~$325 or so.

I was set to pull the trigger on a 910xt when I found a 310xt for $200 (brand new).  That made the decision a no brainer for me.

I wish I bought more than one 910XT when I found a place selling it without a HR monitor for $306 out the door.....

Yes, they already jacked up the prices to make some profits.

I've owned both.  Get the 910XT!  Ditto everyone else on the OWS and swimming pool accuracy.  I really like that it tells me my average pace/100 yards in OW.  This is awesome for when I'm OWS practicing.  I've always had a hard time gauging my pacing/effort in OWS and racing (I'm too conservative) and this function has been very beneficial on my last two practice swims.  I actually want to go open water swim now because I know I'll get better at it.

Andi

FINALLY!  Someone else that has issues with Garmin!  I had an old Forerunner 205, for when I was "just" a runner, and it died literally 10 days after the warranty was up.  They gave me hell, long story short on trying to fix/replace it, and I can't bring myself to spend the money on another one, regardless of the model.  

I have my trusty $40 Timex Ironman stopwatch that I love, for the most part.  I do miss the immediate feedback on pace/etc...but my old Garmin stopped so many times in the middle of runs anyhow, I'm not really missing much.

910xt is pretty sweet. I'm not even a huge fan of the swim functions, but admittedly, it's the ONLY device that does OWS GPS and pool lap counting. 

The bike/run features are well tuned as well, and great battery life. It's worth it if you can afford the $450 (yikes!) price tag. 

Can you do a factory reset?  I thought it goes back to the original firmware.  I have the 310.  Heard too many issues with the 910.  I know some say that it is throwing their swim distances off.