Polar FT80 - Review

Polar's FT80 Puts A Personal Trainer On Your Wrist In Your Heart Rate Monitor

As a heart rate monitor watch, the Polar FT80 is targeted at multi-sport fitness buffs trying to connect with aggregate fitness goals and is suited to multi-sport athletes, meaning individuals that rotate between endurance days, lifting days, calesthentic days, and everything else imaginable. The Polar FT80 provides very good features for both aerobic and weight excercise, while also being able to connect to GPS and running sensors.

Product Highlights include:

    * Graphical Guidance (shows you exactly when your body is ready to do your next exercise set/interval)
    * Polar STAR feature (get daily targets based upon previous work outs)
    * Polar OwnCal (displays calorie burned during exercise)
    * Polar Strength Training (shows when body is ready to do next weights set)
    * Polar Fitness Test (a 5 minute test that determines you fitness level)
    * Polar OwnZone, ZoneLock and ZonePointer (helps to remain in specific heart rate zone)
    * Polar OwnCode Transmission (prevents interference)
    * Heart rate displayed as a percentage of maximum, beats per minute or graph
    * Upload data to polarpersonaltrainer.com

Optional Outdoor Features

The Polar FT80 heart rate monitor can be linked to:

    * Foot Pod (Running speed/distance)
    * Polar G1 GPS Sensor (Speed/distance for outdoor sports)

The FT80 is an exceptional watch for sports club exercise and lifting exercise but the FT80 truly was off target on display screen contrast, this can make the monitor challenging to read in brilliant sun. White font against a black backdrop are hard to see in brilliant light. This aspect is the one important downside if you work out outside on many brilliant, sunny days and it instantly reduced one star from the monitors ranking in our judgment.


Alright,so right now you understand the largest downside connected to the FT80 and we will drill down on all the features that are truly notable with reference to this monitor.

The custom display of recuperation period, branded as graph feedback, and it is exceptional for lifting. Perfecting recuperation periods sandwiched between repititions is critical to realizing the greatest benefit from your weight work outs and the FT80 is stellar in this respect. Not one other watch maker provides this characteristic and it creates significant usefulness in your exercise knowing exactly at what time to start your next series to gain the greatest benefit. We almost gave back a star for this quality alone however we were in a critical mind set on the date of our evaluation.

The chest strap functions well and helps your watch avoid cross-talk and picking up the data of other exercisers, this is critical because this is where we think the FT80 truly excels. We advocate the FT80 strongly for competitive health club environments as a result of of the out-of-doors drawbacks attributable to display screen readability in brilliant light conditions.

Training Star is an added terrific attribute that renders weekly excercise goals based upon your preceding exercise. Download new exercises directly from Polar's website.

The chest band is the best chest belt that we have tried and being able to remove the sensor to clean it is a true plus. If you desire to get liberated of your band completely the sensors work with Numetrex pulse-sensing muscle shirts and cardio bras. These unique pieces of clothing contain heart-sensing clothe and you can attach the transmitter directly to the garment and presto, you lose the strap.

Our combined appraisal is that the FT80 is a great monitor for competitive fitness enthusiasts but that their monitor is best not included for outside fitness routines on sunny days. This is why we assign the monitor a 3.75 star ranking out of five stars. If your foremost focal point is on sports club connected working out then we would give this monitor a green light.

Polar CS200 - Review

Polar CS200 Bike Computer: Dyn-o-mite on a Budget

In a world that require $400-plus bucks for a high-end bike computer, the Polar CS200 with cadence stands out as a screaming deal for cyclists of a wide range of abilities. The Polar CS200 is a diminutive bike computer produces velocity, pulse, revolutions per minute, calories burned, mileage, comes equipped with zone sensors plus supplies several training sessions stored.

For the money this is one tough cycling computer to beat - especially for the loads of features that it
delivers.

The Polar CS 200 required roughly thirty ticks to assemble the twist-lock mount, velocity and pedal cadence
apparatus. Our testers adjusted the computers, with some slight initial data entry, and after that our team
were off and pedaling.

This cycling watch instantaneously synchronized to all apparatus plus started showing velocity, revolutions
per minute, and pulse, instantaneously, plus never skipped a beat all the way through the whole workout. The
Polar CS 200 is very reliable displaying information available on a large display that's immediately below line of sight. Not to mention the display screen displays velocity, revolutions per minute and pulse all on a singular readable-display with no the requirement to play with any controls.

You can transmit all of your information to personal trainer plus for subsequent scrutiny, thus ths CS200 is
not deficient on measurement capabilities when compared to the more-spendy bicycle computers. The CS 200 provides you all the needed information you would like to upgrade your bicycling training sessions - pace,
revolutions per minute, pulse zones and loads of data for current, and post-workout, consumption.

The CS200 comes equipped with a replaceable battery plus lets you understand at what time it is running out
of juice. The Polar CS 200 even comes equipped with a dome light in support of dark conditions at twilight
and sunset which can make the information easier to read with minimal light.

Certain features such as percentage of gradient and an altimeter are absent on this cycling computer I am not
certain, as a nationally-competitive rider for a lot of years, that I would need to part with that much extra dough solely to gain those capabilities. I require the basics - the fundamentals, for the reason that my brain
will only calculate so much information at any given moment.

Gradient and an altimeter appear to be small features, the significant feature a top-notch biking computer can do is furnish you with kilojoules, or watts output, feedback. If I were to compete as a professional again, or got the call by a professional team to compete in the Paris Roubaix, subsequently maybe these elements would become valuable metrics also. If you are really demanding and race at the advanced level than you may perhaps need to give due consideration to a bicycling computer with watts data.

Knowing what is really important, our reviewers scores each cycling computer on a operational-to-price basis
and, because of this, out team gives the CS 200 with pedal cadence a 4.8 offive star ranking. The Polar CS 200 contains tons of necessary capabilities, everyone of the important features and is necessary kit for a exceptionally significant segment of bicyclists who do not intend on competing in the Paris Roubaix in the near future.

Not to mention, in our estimation this dynamic bicycle computer is capable to meet the requirements of the
majority of bicyclists at every level but the elite.

Polar RS800sd - Review

A Watch To Improve Your Running and Stride - The Polar RS800sd


No other tool can improve your running faster than the Polar RS800sd, a bold statement that is backed up by sheer performance and analysis capabilities. Sculpted in support of world-class runners and their handlers to help develop efficiency, stride length, and the turnover speed between foot falls.


Come up with the proper balance between power and speed and you have unlocked the secret to proper cadence. Runners with proper cadence seem to effortlessly run and it is obvious they are fast by how brief a period their feet come in to contact with the ground.


The S3 Stride Sensor contains micro equipment to produce incredibly uniform and precise tempo and measurement of distance. The S3 fits exactly in several Adidas shoes, such as the Fusion, and the S3 is unaffected by water and comes equipped with a battery that is replaceable by the user.


Chest straps have a bad reputation for comfort, but the Wearlink chest belt that comes with the Polar RS800sd is the best we've tried for total comfort.


At hand are stellar, brand new capabilities that are significant besides the chest belt and stride sensor, that are in attendance with this dynamite running and cycling watch. The brand new Runners Indicator attribute combines speed and heart rate information gathered all through the run. This allows regular data as regards the athlete's operational level on both running efficiency and fitness.


After your work out is complete you can opt for complete training analysis with the Polar Pro Trainer 5 software that comes with the Polar RS800sd, or use other popular training software. Plug in an IRDA USB Adapter and away you go, wirelessly transferring data to your computer.


What you receive with the RS800sd includes the monitor, chest strap, stride sensor footpod, a USB data transfer device and the software. Its worth noting that Polar has two watches, the RS800sd and the RS800 Run, that come identically equipped.


You can use infared data transfer with the RS800sd to load your data quickly to your computer. If your laptop doesn't already possess an Infared port, use a Polar Infared adapter device to transfer feedback from the RS800sd to your notebook.


This watch is without a doubt the superior runners device for fleet feet who will not settle for less than the top-level with their performances, plus the finest in accessible tools. The best triathlon watch we ever tested was the Garmin 310XT, the RS800sd is, without a doubt, the most excellent running monitor by a long shot.


The Polar RS800sd keeps track of your pulse, tempo and distance while on the run, caloric consumption, circuit information and much more. It records your velocity with the assistance of the footpod that rides in your shoe laces or else squeezes inside the unique holding unit in some Adidas running shoes. The s3 stride sensor, which comes with the Polar RS800sd, indicates tempo and mileage making use of inertial technology.


Upon completing your training session, transfer all of your feedback directly to your notebook right away to assess tempo and related information along with your pulse feedback.


These stupendous technology improvements are precisely why we awarded the Polar RS800sd with 4.9 out of five stars, which creates a dead heat for 1st place among the best ratings we have yet awarded.

Garmin Forerunner 405CX - Review

Heart Rate Monitor Watch- Run, Bike and More With GPS Accuracy

The Garmin 405CX heart rate monitor is a great choice as a GPS watch for those that like very accurate distance and speed data speed, but it does so much more than that.

Similar in styling to the Garmin 405 watch, the 405CX includes a much more sophisticated heart rate based calorie computation, along with a second quick-release band that is great for triathletes even though it is a bit surly to install. Garmin thankfully has some good directions on second band installation and a video on its website that does shorten the band change learning curve.

This GPS heart rate monitor syncs up with speed and cadence sensors to deliver super accurate speed, distance and cadence information, but we recommend adding a bike mount for the handlebars if you are going to use it as a cycling computer to increase your safety - no hands off the bars now.

For runners this watch is a dream. No need for a foot pod with GPS and you get a much more accurate level of speed and distance. Having the Virtual Partner feature to race against a pace is really nice too.

If we were to give this watch some black marks it would be the touch sensitive bezel, but only if you forget to lock it. If you don't lock it and bump into somebody in a running race you can lose your data or get your settings cleared, so always remember to lock it at the start of a race or training and you'll be good to go. The other is the length of time the internal re-chargeable lithium battery holds a charge. While Garmin claims eight hour in training mode our experience was more like 6 hours.

Don't take us wrong, that is good battery life. It will get you through a marathon or a 100 mile bike race but if you are going to do a repeat performance the next day then bring along your charger.

The high sensitivity GPS receiver is a vast improvement over older models with much greater reception and sensitivity around tall buildings or in the deep woods. On a long mountain bike ride on a wooded trail here in the Rockies we never lost reception once.

Uploading your workout data to a computer for later analysis on Garmin Connect or training Peaks software is a breeze. Just stick the wireless USB stick into your computer and as long as you are within 15 feet it grabs all the data for your workouts off your watch and it can store up to 1,000 waypoints for future reference which is great for trail runners and mountain bikers, heck even for road biking.

What we really like best about today's GPS watches is that many of them all but eliminate the need for a seperate cycling computer for all but the most serious cyclists. If you need power related statistics like watts and only workout on your bike than you are an ideal candidate for a bike computer but for everyone else who cross trains the GPS watch is a wonderful solution.

All in all the Garmin 405CX offers a huge amount of technology in a sleek and easy to use package. The fact that it requires no external GPS sensors is a real plus. If they could bring the battery life up to the 14 hours on the Forerunner 310XT it would be just like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.

Garmin 310XT - Review

What blows us away about Garmin’s latest GPS watch, the 301XT, is that it functions as a runner’s watch, a cycling computer, a swimmers watch, a power meter, a very accurate speed and distance measurement device and it allows you to set vibrating or audible alerts for dozens of different measurements. It is unrivaled as a multi-sport watch – period.

If there is a singular flaw it would perhaps be the size of the watch but it feels no different on the wrist than a normal watch as it is actually very light, plus the size gives you a nice, large readable display that is very easy to read and can display up to 4 metrics per screen with 4 screens for each sport.

We chose to display distance, speed, heart rate and pace when testing it running. The pacing feature, or Virtual Partner as Garmin calls it, allows you to put a pre-determined pace into the watch and then it tells you throughout the course of your run how far ahead, or behind, you are from that pacing goal. It’s a really cool feature.

For cycling, we chose to display speed, cadence, heart rate and watts, which can be displayed as long as the bike you are riding has an ANT compliant watts meter. A GPS cycling watch could literally take the place of your bike computer but we recommend the handlebar mount for safety.
For swimming, we set up a meters per minute pacing goal and turned on the vibrating alarm. Since you don’t have time to look at a watch swimming we found the vibrating alarm very useful and actually put the watch on over our wetsuit because it did not feel comfortable and would barely fit under the wetsuit.

In our estimation this watch is great for a whole bunch of different sports and not just the triathletes who served as the inspiration for its genesis. Pure swimmers will love it. It makes a great cycling computer and has versatility to be used for other things. Kayakers can measure speed, distance, heart rate and do all the Eskimo rolls they want because the watch is waterproof.

Power, calories, heart rate, speed, distance, and elevation: You name it, they're all there. It can also help make your workouts more effective. You can easily set up custom interval workouts right in the watch.

The vibrating alarm is a nice feature because it allows you to listen to an iPod and still know when you’ve gone outside the zone for your metrics. It also means that you don’t have to bother your friends with constant alarm chirping during group workouts.

If we were Siskel and Ebert we would have to say two thumbs way up but since we rate a GPS watch on a 5-star system we’ll give this powerhouse 4.9 out of 5 stars.

POLAR CS600X Bike Computer - Review

This Polar CS600X is a very serious bike computer that is GPS compatible, measures heart rate, speed, distance and even power. You'll see it a top a lot of handlebars in places like the Tour de France because it is serious team issue equipment.

This bike computer is pretty easy to get mounted, programmed and ready to roll with the exception of the power system, which is a bit quirky and takes some adjusting. Unlike most other power meters which focus on power generated in the rear wheel or crank - i.e. in the drive train - this power meter measures chain vibration.

While it is a lot cheaper than the $1,000 plus you'd drop on other power measuring devices its accuracy has been questioned in other reviews. To accurately assess this you'd need to run a dueling meters test on a bike equipped with a Cyclops or other high-end power meter and unfortunately we did not have that luxury.

On the road this bike computer worked like a dream syncing up quickly and consistently displaying speed, distance, heart rate and watts throughout the duration of the ride.

You can input data for up to three different wheel sizes so you do need to make sure that your wheel size selection is correct prior to departure or it will throw your distance off.

The oversized display provides excellent data readability regardless of weather conditions and the ability to add a Polar G3 GPS sensor to sync mapping to Google Earth for post-ride analysis is really cool and would be an exceptional feature for mountain bikers.

We really liked the incline measurement feature which accurately assessed the slope of the road quite accurately in our estimation based upon DOT and topographic maps. If you know what the gearing needs to be for a specific level of incline you will find this useful.

It is hard to compare Polar's line of cycling computers with Garmin's, but the differences can best be summarized as follows. Polar has a superior quantity of data and generally tends to have its computers driven by external sensors to generate speed data, although external GPS sensors are available and compatible with some units. Polar has the superior training analysis software and gets the nod for incline measurement.

Garmin, by contrast, uses internal GPS sensors in all of its cycling computers which make them inherently accurate for speed and distance. The other thing we liked about Garmin was its ability to pair with ANT compliant power meters to display power output. While most ANT complaint power meters are expensive they are also very accurate.

The Polar Pro Trainer 5 software that comes with this bike computer allows you to download your post-ride data to a piece of software wirelessly with a USB stick and perform a lot of high-end analysis.

All-in-all we'd give the Polar CS600X 4.75 out of 5 stars.