 "Works, but glitchy" | 2009-06-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A12JSE5PCWN38H |
I've been using the Polar RS200 for a little over a year, and on balance, I have been happy with it. It has done precisely what I have asked it to do until recently when I have been trying out more complex workouts. More on that in a second.
I believe I got a defective unit, because the watch will spontaneously emit these strange sounds, similar to a static or old-school modem sound. I guess it's some software glitch that causes the WebSync speaker to fire off. It comes and goes without any kind of pattern. The downside of it is that the battery discharges after 6-8 months instead of the 2 years or so the manual says. Also, the noise prevents me from wearing this as a watch, day-to-day, because it would be too annoying to have it go off all the time. This sound glitch must also cause the battery to drain. I've scoured the web looking for answers, and the answer seems to be ship it back to Polar for evaluation and repair, at my expense. But I'm not going to do that because of the expense and my compulsive need for a running watch.
Another annoyance is that, although you can create custom exercises so that you can do -- for example -- interval training, you can only configure a maximum of three exercise segments. So you can configure a warm up, effort, and a cool down. Or you can configure a typical interval workout of a hard effort and recovery [no warm up and cool down, however.] But if you want to run, for example, a ladder-type speed workout where you run a 1600, 1000, 800, and a 600 with 400 meter recoveries, then you are out of luck. [I should mention that I bought the S1 foot pod separately, and I use that to gauge my distance in these sorts of workouts. I guess I should have bought the RS200sd package to start with. Oh well.] I suppose I need a more advanced watch since I am now doing more advanced training.
Apart from these complaints, I am happy with the unit. It's a decent watch with good features and a reasonable price for most recreational runners. If you plan on doing more advanced training, then I would look for something else. |
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 "I love it!!!" | 2009-05-31 |
| - Reviewed By User: APLBS3LIO54O3 |
| It was just as told!! I really love it and very simple to use. Has given me no trouble. i would tell all of my friends to buy, it;s great! |
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| "Accurate Heart rate monitor" | 2009-05-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: AEKYF2UCRZ0WX |
| Accurate and an important part of my routine, it calculates everything I need to account for my work out. It works with both gym's I work out in equipment I use; from elliptical to the stair master. It is calibrated for use with my body weight index, and heart rate and it gives me the greatest accuracy for my work out. I highly recommend anyone who both works out in the gym and jogging. I do not have the foot accessory for this, but will invest in it later on. |
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 "Solid Heart Rate Monitor - Watch is OK, Comfort Strap is the Best Part" | 2009-05-14 |
| - Reviewed By diane_bartley |
I run about 30 miles a week - everything from distance runs (marathon training) to speed workouts at the track. I wanted a heart rate monitor that was easy to use and, most importantly, comfortable over a long distance. I don't care about having the best, most expensive model - I just wanted a reliable, comfortable product.
I read somewhere that Polar has the best heart rate technology - most comfortable & flexible chest strap, etc., while Timex has superior watches. Having trained with my trusty Timex IronMan for about 5 years, and now with Polar for the past few months, I think this is definitely the case.
The Polar chest strap is very comfortable, even over decently long distances (13 miles so far). I have tried my husband's Timex strap as well - and it is fine, but significantly less comfortable than the Polar. I definitely give the Polar chest strap 5 stars.
The Polar watch - or "running computer" - is fine, but compared to the Timex's design, it is much harder to do anything other than basic functions. I'm not naturally a directions person anyway, but this manual seemed especially confusing - you have to flip around a lot between different sections to try to figure things out - and ultimately I found it easier to just hit all the buttons and see what they did. :-) So from a design perspective, I would give the Polar watch a 3 (Timex IronMan would be a 5).
So, the Polar is a good buy and performs as expected. From a comfort standpoint it can't be beat, and I have gotten used to the watch (though I would support sending its designers back to the drawing board and telling them to do more usability testing next time). |
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| "A lot of information, but not complicated" | 2009-03-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1R0OFD02M0THP |
| This watch is working very well for me. I really like looking at my statistics after a workout. There is a lot of information available through this watch, but it is not complicated to understand or navigate. I wish that Polar offered a female-sized version of this watch; it's a bit chunky for a female wrist. |
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 "Dont buy it." | 2009-03-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3MTPYOO9ED47Q |
Let see.
Shipped with a dead battery.
Put in a new battery. Sucked it dry in a week.
AlsoPlease note that I have read the directions:
Top left button is useless. Should illuminate. Never worked.
GUI. aka Interface is all over the place. You get to a section and it wont let you back out. Mine has been stuck in stopwatch mode for a week now. It has taken 48 separate time splits without my asking it to.
I hate my watch. Im ready to throw it out if it wasnt so dam expensive. Thanks for nothing Polar. |
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