Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Polar RS400 Review

The Polar RS400 Heart Rate Watch: Lots of Incredible Value Along With Zero % Nonsense

Each Polar RS400 is a heart rate monitor watch geared towards distance runners, and for almost everyone from serious distance runners to general physical exercise enthusiasts. The Polar RS400 combines a heart rate monitors overall performance with the Polar S1 foot pod to offer lots of running functions that can be used to significantly improve the quality of your running related exercise sessions.

Capabilities include: Polar Running Index (estimates your current running proficiency), Polar OwnOptimizer (comparisons to help you boost your own training load), Polar SportsZones (heartbeat percentage zones), Polar ZonePointer (helps you remain in precise training zones), Polar OwnIndex (Estimates your current level of fitness), Caloric Burn, Phase sessions, and additionally publish statistics to Polar Professional Trainer Computer software via a USB stick.

Elements which will be unique to help you running include the Polar S1 Footpod which will evaluate speed in addition to distance. This gadget comes with the RS400sd package deal and even is available being a elective device later on.

Functioning

The Polar RS400 is an extremely fascinating looking heart rate watch, with Polar clearly incorporating a few modern day design and style aspects into the monitor. The actual heart rate watch feels competently crafted, our primary issue actually being the peculiar location associated with the control buttons, which inturn results in unintentional clicks, which can be frustrating.

Any Polar RS400 has a variety of extremely helpful features, namely the Polar Sports Zones setting which enable you to tailor-make five different heart rate exercising specific zones. This can be put together with a great display screen graphic where it exhibits which area your current heart rate is within and additionally may be used to rapidly assess the intensity associated with your exercise.

Now there are two extra features that are actually deserving of regarding this exercising gadget. The first is Polar Running Index, which always employs your velocity as well as heartbeat data to analyze just how much an individual's training is improving. The next feature is a event countdown, that's a simple timer that may keep ones own pre-race warm-up right on pace. Although it probably will not transform your current pulse-related training, you'll find it incredible the way this kind of small prompt can keep everyone guided toward their ultimate goal.

 The actual monitor of the device is the typical monochromatic configuration commonly found on other watches. The actual training screen is effectively designed, along with the user being able to actually personalize each and every series. Nevertheless, we believed the screen is perhaps somewhat lower in distinction which sometimes made observing this screen tricky occasionally. Each watch is produced mainly with a plastic substance, consequently all of us highly recommend you actually safeguard the screen with the clear coat shield for the RS400. This can keep your wrist watch scratch free and increase its usable lifespan.

This RS400 heart rate monitor watch could be coupled with the Polar S1 Footpod to watch tempo as well as distance. This clips on to ones own shoe plus allows you to keep an eye on a few other metrics. Recognizing your tempo is definitely the best way to pace your own situation during a lengthy race, together with judging the health and fitness development.

The RS400 offers a great many other exclusive capabilities, including caloric usage, and integrated fitness test so it certainly features everything that a running enthusiast could possibly want. Often times though with so many functions, the Polar RS400 is a touch tricky to navigate, which is a type of problem among more sophisticated heart rate monitor watch devices. Thankfully the manual is well written and really should enable you to comprehend the functions.


A very great quality concerning this specific heart rate monitor watch is definitely the Polar heart rate belt, that is definitely fantastic. The Wearlink belt is manufactured totally using flexible components, in lieu of plastic material, so is incredibly easy to wear.

Probably the greatest features of the Polar RS400 heart rate monitor watch is certainly its ability to connect using the Polar Pro Trainer software program. Publishing from your the RS400 is completed by having a Polar USB connection point, which often should be purchased on your own - any RS400sd model will arrive with the USB stick. Bought as a add-on the cost is well worth it because the software program adds just one more fantastic feature for your training, an individual are able to view graphs, prepare your own exercising calender and personalize your RS400 settings.

By and large, the RS400 offers a remarkable advantage for a running watch given the quantity of features and ought to guide anyone enthusiastic about developing, from the informal athlete to the international-caliber competitor.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Polar FT7 Heart Monitor Review

The Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor Watch Informs You Whenever You Were Losing Fat!

Need an awesome heart rate watch that will show you whether you are shedding fat and also increasing your overall physical fitness? You do not need to take a look any further than the Polar FT7 to discover some seriously wonderful features normally only observed in upper-end watches.

A Polar FT7 is simply a new comer to the Polar brand of training heart monitors and also at under $120 delivers lots of features considering the price tag. The new chest straps happen to be completely supple as well as more comfortable and symbolize an enormous improvement in monitor strap comfortableness. Each ECG attachment is completely removable hence the straps may be laundered. Any FT7 heart rate watch can easily store nearly sixteen weeks of workouts, that is an amazing volume of storage loaded into a watch with a slender shape. The FT7 incorporates a slimmer shape in comparison with earlier Polar heart rate monitor watches and is stylish enough to use for an everyday timepiece.


Unquestionably the Polar FT7 is definitely very easy to use. The particular set-up sequence usually takes 5 minutes at the most to input your details, including date of birth, height, pounds, along with pulse-related objectives. Should you have a difficult time starting with the monitor, the owner guide can be acquired on the web, in your printed version inside of your box, and there are forums to bounce ideas off other users and the pros from Polar.

Fully understand Anytime Your Health and Fitness Is Improving!

The Polar Power Pointer attribute means that this watch is definitely exclusive to all other brands as it does an element that not one other brand has attained and that is being able to let you know if you are burning fat and whether your current fitness is increasing. Exactly what it really does is analyze whether or not an individual is truly inside the health and fitness advancement zone or fat loss zone, according to your current pulse rate. This specific gadget can make it less difficult to accomplish one s workout goals. If the watch is in training function, the user can easily move between displays while using the buttons to the bezel to view the time frame associated with their activity, exact time of day, heartbeat numbers, current pulse in a much larger easy to see typeface, and calories burned.

Everyone liked the actual accessory associated with a temporary stop button and its location on the left side, which makes it difficult to bump by chance throughout the time of your activity. To halt the actual work out, one merely has to push and hold the pause button and a exercise session summary is exhibited as well as recorded within your watch.

Pick up a Polar Data Transfer device and you may save numbers in abundance to Polar's Personal Trainer software to receive increased analysis.

Even Great If Soaked

The Polar FT7 has the newest torso bands by way of greatly increased level of comfort and overall flexibility. Putting it on in the water, pedaling, along with running on a treadmill several of our testers reported that they immediately forgot that they were sporting the strap. This heart rate monitor strap also generally seems to stay put a lot better than earlier designs and even sent pulse data even if totally wet when in the water.

Keep in mind, each and every transmitter is exclusively coded for the watch, which will prevent you from picking up any other heart rate monitor transmitters; which experts claim can be a problem while exercising or simply within tight quarters together with other heart rate monitor users inside the gym.

Without a doubt those in search of help with their particular exercise goals will discover the FT7 a great heart rate monitor watch Our own basic judgment is at this price point anyone might end up hard pressed to uncover a better exercise wrist watch.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Garmin Edge 500 Bike Computer Review


Garmin 500 GPS Cycling Computer Critique - Subsequent Era of Bicycling Equipment
The brand new Edge 500 is actually a direct result of combined efforts with the Garmin pro bicycling team along with device engineering specialists. It's ranked with the highest quality of the brand new brand of bicycling computers.

The new rubberized stretch band installation solution is vastly more suitable when compared to the old zip ties. Together with the Garmin Edge 500, you've got a pair of thick rubber bands that you just put about the handlebars, plus they are easily detachable. This bike computer is a twist on type mount, where you actually slip matching slots, and turn approximately ninety degrees, to induce the unit into location. You need to know the positioning of the unit will be 90 degrees from where you will originally mount the device.

See Also: Garmin Forerunner 310xt

Once you start up the Edge 500, it has a great preliminary install series. This bicycle computer asks whether or not there is a cadence sensor, and whether you have a heart rate monitor. Considering that mine was an upgrade, I actually have both components, subsequently getting started is fairly simple.

TAKING THE FIRST PEDAL

All of us did around a Fifty-five miler with a large amount of uphill, therefore it would be a good analysis. The actual display synchronized promptly and began showing tempo, distance plus pedal cadence.

The actual Edge 500 posesses a small GPS SIRF III chip set inside allowing it to at the same time showcase position info, together with report information regarding where you have already been. This permits the bicycle computer to determine things like speed plus distance to the target without any extra equipment such as pace attachment and magnets on the wheel. You are able to further transfer to a map program in order to chart your journey.


One useful completely new function of the Edge 500 is certainly the enhanced GPS indication allowing for speedier acquisition of signals. We observed the Edge 500 acquires transmission within half the time for the Garmin Edge 705, which all of us felt was already pretty fast – but it also uses completely new along with enhanced computer software logic that will take into account last known spots along with hot fixes – further more increasing the rate of readiness.

Really it is great experiencing exact pace and distance displays plus existing SIRF III chipsets now have progressed massively over preceding variations.

THIS PARTICULAR POWER METER FEATURE:

One second period recording: This is unquestionably essential for you to collect suitable meaning of watts details for analysis afterwards. What this feature does is make a power data point each and every second rather than utilizing the Smart Recording choices. The actual Garmin 500 instantly flips on one second recording each time a strength meter is connected. But it will go a step further – you can’t transform it back to smart recording whenever a power meter is actually hooked up. Consequently the Edge 500 operates just like the Garmin Forerunner 310XT where the device keeps inaccurate information with regard to calculations such as normalized power.

THE ACTUAL ISSUES WE ENCOUNTERED:

Options that failed to deliver with this cycling computer were not really critical, the actual elevation plus thermometer each appeared to lack in precision, but they're not the more essential data metrics that bike riders watch anyway. They are extra features that will not enable you to improve your biking results.

Display screen visuals ended up being much more of an problem in vivid sunshine since it can create reflectivity. You have to be situated properly above this cycling computer also it is a good idea to place a maximum of four metrics in any specific display to ensure the visibility is increased.

With that said the Edge 500 is a nice cycling computer. It truly is smaller, lighter in weight and loads up quicker than earlier Garmin Edge versions. For biking enthusiasts it's the actual top piece of equipment on the market.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

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.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

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.

Monday, February 8, 2010

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.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

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.