Polar CS600X Cycling Heart Rate Monitor W.I.N.D.
 | US $180.00 (2 Bids) End Date: Monday May-21-2012 17:08:27 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Polar RS800CX Run Heart Rate Monitor Watch with S3 Stride Sensor W.I.N.D.
Get It: $393.49
- Sophisticated training watch designed for dedicated, multi-sport endurance athletes
- Integrated Polar ProTrainer 5 software lets you create custom GPS routes and maps
- Displays heart rate as percentage of maximum, bpm, and within target zone indicator
- Includes S3 Stride Sensor W.I.N.D. to help optimize daily running workouts
- Built-in altimeter for altitude analysis; 12/24-hour clock; 2-year warranty
Polar RS800CX Run Heart Rate Monitor Watch with S3 Stride Sensor W.I.N.D.
Polar CS600X Cycling Heart Rate Monitor W.I.N.D.
| US $180.00 (2 Bids) End Date: Monday May-21-2012 17:08:27 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Polar RS800CX Run Heart Rate Monitor Watch with S3 Stride Sensor W.I.N.D.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is as close as you can get to a PC on your arm… It is really complete when it comes to inserting your training tables and monitoring your performance. It comes with an InfraRed transceiver for data exchange with your PC (the ProTrainer 5 software comes with the product).
The S3 Pod is very precise and I can’t seem to really need a GPS even when running in the outdoors.
The only con I would mention is that I (still) haven’t found it to be into the community hype, like Nike does with its NikePlus product line. But you can find some online tools that create you a file you can upload to your NikePlus account after entering your training data.
These are my 2 cents…
Rated: 4 / 5 Stars
Great watch for running and keeping track of multitudes of information. The only thing that keeps me from giving this product five stars is the crappy IrDA USB device that’s included. It only worked sporadically and the watch had to be pressed right up to the USB device. I ended up buying a Startech IrDA adapter for $21, which works great.
Rated: 4 / 5 Stars
I have had this watch now since early January. I upgraded from the rs200sd. My chest strap transmitter didn’t work when I first got the watch, but Polar replaced it without question, as I expected they should. What I like most is being able to plan my whole workout session on the ProTrainer and having the watch guide me from warm-up to intervals or tempo runs to cool-down without having to touch anything. It is easy to set up the training goals to heart-rate, pace, or even cadence. This feature is the biggest improvement over the rs200. Before I had the monitor, I thought the post-run evaluation on the ProTrainer software would be more valuable than it is, but it is mostly just fun to look at. I can’t say I have seen great opportunities to improve my running based on the neat graphs the software generates. Maybe a trained eye would see something different.
Some of the features that some competitor products don’t have: A real altimeter. I imagine the gps models triangulate the altitude which typically isn’t the most accurate method. The monitor also has a thermometer so you can see your performance in the heat or cold. My problems is that the watch is usually under the cuff of my gloves so i don’t get real accurate readings, but I imagine it will improve in the summer months when the heat is probably more of a factor anyway. The CX models will talk to multiple attachments at the same time, so you could also strap the G3 to your arm and use the foot pod to compare the pace/distance from two sources. I just ordered the speed sensor for my road bike and plan on getting the G3 to use on my mountain bike, mostly for fun. There are so many features I am still going back to the manual to make sure I get the most out of the monitor.
The only down side to this monitor is the cost, but I am a believer in you get what you pay for. I highly recommend this monitor for any runner wanting to set specific goals.
Rated: 5 / 5 Stars
I’ve owned a couple of Polar HRMs over time and I like this one the best. The watch itself is very nice. I have small wrists and this one fits my wrist nicely and the strap length is better than in the past. The band to hold the excess strap has a bump in it to keep it on the tail end of the strap. It comes with an extension strap for giant arms or over a coat. The buttons and thier function are pretty much the same as my previous Polar instruments. The display has changed although navigating the menus is in the same style. The top of the display is a matrix of dots so images and text can be displayed. This makes the menus easier to get through for me. When in monitor mode there are configurable screens that can be set up with the software the way you like. The functionality/options are pretty much the same as my prior watch s625x. The battery on this watch is easily changeable. Prior versions required skill and patience to change the battery as the entire guts of the watch had to be dissassembled – this new approach is a welcome change.
The stride sensor: the things I was interested in are: cadence (steps per minute for one foot), speed, distance. One has to calibrate the sensor. The watch allows for three calibrations for three pairs of shoes. As with any sensor like this the calibration needs to be done at the speed you use it most for acuracy there. If you calibrate it running it will be off when walking. I’m kind of a data nut so I look at this a bunch and it stays accurate for me at my usual pace. The S3 stride sensor has no switch and the battery is now a coin cell. This is nice to me. Its also smaller than the previous sensor.
The GPS .Polar G3 GPS Speed and Distance Sensor Set , an additional option, is more of a fun option for running and I’ll use it this winter cross country skiing. The watch will use both the stride sensor and the GPS at the same time. This is something only the cx version has. If the stride sensor is on (you have to turn it on) the speed, distance, and cadence are all used from it and the GPS data is simply a record of where you went. When using the ProTrainer software you can look at your route in Google earth or a .gpx file viewer – I use Garmin’s MapSource. The watch marks a waypoint when laps are set. I’ve used this to double check distances. I will be running in a city with lots of buildings in the near future so I’ll see how well the GPS records there.
The unit does come with the polar usb irda port in the box which I find works well on my Windows XP laptop (Dell). Nothing I could find indicated it was in the box.
The software is very similar to the prior versions to me. The one thing that is a bit wacky is the way the watch settings load. I have an email in to Polar about this. I find I have to be careful when updating the settings via the irda interface as all the settings from the watch are not always loaded when the watch data is read. When you write any of the settings they all get written so this can erase or change settings. So, I have to check all the screens and make sure my data is the way I like before hitting save. I hope this gets fixed. The other wacky thing is the mileage in the exercise dialog is not the same as the recorded mileage from a run. In my software it is always a few miles higher. I just type in the real mileage. Have an email in on this as well.
Overall I really like this Polar watch. I give it four stars because of the bugs in the software
Rated: 4 / 5 Stars