|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review: ( 23 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 Great training tool for runners...until it breaks Mar 06, 2011
By John Phillips
I love this watch. I own a Garmin 305 as well which I bought after a disappointing experience with the RS200. My biggest disappointment with the RS200 was that the transfer using one's computer speaker became difficult to impossible after a few months. Although it is an additional purchase, the flow link has solved the problem of uploading data to a users computer. While most competitors don't charge extra for a device to upload data, Polar does include a very comfortable fabric heart rate monitor strap. To upgrade the Garmin rubber strap it costs about the same amount of money as the Flowlink for Polar watches so it is a wash in the end. Nobody does GPS better than Garmin and mine has been a reliable watch. Although my Garmin gives me heart rate information, it is very simple. Polar is certainly more of a training tool and better suited for runners who emphasize heart rate training over simply how far they went. Garmin can give you an aerial map of where you ran but this is not very important if you run the same few routes around where you live usually. I chose the foot pod so that I could track my training distance indoors and out with my polar. It definitely needs calibration but once that is done it gives data that is very close to the GPS distance. The pod is a little larger than other companies foot pods but it is still unnoticeable weight wise when running with it. It uses a single AAA battery and is waterproof and gets an estimated 20 hours of life. More important than the foot pod size, I appreciate the normal watch size. The Garmin is a brick and even the newer models can not be worn as a sport watch during other activities or at work due to their awkward size. I am very happy I decided give polar another chance.
Update 2/20/12
I feel obligated to revise my earlier review. As mentioned in my first review, I really wanted to like this watch. It has the fitness test, gives information to help determine if you are overtraining and has a variety of interval work out options. I had to dump my RS 200 when the strap on the watch finally broke after about 15 months and was integrated with the watch and not easily replaceable. With the RS 300, the watch band has held up and the flowlink data transfer worked pretty well. It does take a few attempts to upload data but ultimately gets the job done. The latest issue with my polar is the foot pod. The S1 foot pod which is huge compared to most other brands suddenly stopped working after 12 months. I paid to ship it back to polar with the original receipt and they sent it straight back. Although it is not mentioned anywhere on Polar's website, the 2 year warranty is invalid when your order from Amazon. You have to buy it from a recongnized dealer to have a warranty on this product. I have paid to ship it a second time to the orginal seller who agreed to repair it. I received it back today supposedly repaired but it is still clearly broken. I now must call and am hoping for a satisfactory response from JOMASHOP. I would have already bought another foot pod but they are close to $100--way too much to reinvest in polar when it may also break under normal use in a few months and will be impossible to get repaired or replaced under warranty.
Garmin may not be sleek and they may lack a couple of the heart rate related analytic functions polar has but my 305 still works after being dusted off recently. Later models from Garmin have gotten some criticism as well but if I decide to upgrade my watch it will not be with another Polar product.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Great For Speed Runners... Jul 24, 2010
By Stephan
The RS300x SD is accurate and a great aid to my training. Once properly calibrated, the foot pod provides accurate pace read back to help me work on my speed and pace. Keep in mind that you should recalibrate the foot pod when the environment and/or factors change such as new shoes or running on a track versus a dirt trail. I also own a GPS training watch and if you are a runner more concerned with speed and accurate readings for pacing, this watch is perfect. For long distance jogs, I use my GPS watch. GPS watches take more time to determine the pace and the delay may be too long to be useful. The foot pod gives instant pace and speed readings. At first, the user interface may seem a little unfriendly but I found it to be quite easy after a couple minutes of playing with the watch. It may be a good idea to tuck in your shoelaces because the lace hitting against the foot pod while running may get annoying after awhile. The heart beat sensor was surprisingly comfortable. I am happy with my purchase and felt that it was well worth it.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Waste of Money - Hidden Cost Jun 11, 2011
By Kimba
"With Her eyes open wide"
I was excited when I purchased this. I did not even flinch at the cost as I wanted to track my running on the computer. I never got it to sync with the computer. I took it to a running store with the instruction book - they couldn't figure it out either. And the instruction book did not match the screens/menus, which were complicated and not well arranged.
I decided to keep it anyway. Well, about in a year the battery went out. You must send it back to Polar who will charge you $100! AND it takes them about 1 month. Then in about 1 year it happened again. this time, I took it to a watch shop. Unfortunately, then it only lasted about 3 more months!
So I am on the hunt for a new heart rate monitor and thought I should warn potential buyers - Avoid Polar in general and this one specifically.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Great unit Nov 08, 2009
By Ray J
"Ray J"
Had my Polar RS300X SD for a month (replaced my RS100). Also purchased the web link thing.
This has been the greatest exercise tool. With the foot pod (which really does not have any noticeably weight), I can track my speed and mileage. The web site [..] has a very useful diary to track progress.
Oh, and I love the status monitor, although I am not sure about the descriptors (calls me "Elite" when I know I am not).
All-in-all I would highly recommend this product.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
nice heart rate monitor, but... May 24, 2011
By Carlos Rios Ramirez
"Carlos"
I bought this HRM replacing my RS200X that was stolen =( I can say I'm enjoying the footpod as new feature.
I can say the software is good, no major upgrade comparing with RS200X, but I'm dissapointed of two issues. I'm making this review comparing these two HRM watches
-the watch is made with cheaper materials. I'd prefered RS200X, this was made with kind of metal buttons, when you used the buttons you had the experience of a buying a watch made with the best quality. Now with RS300X every time I press the buttons, I feel I bought a cheap watch.
-file transfer. With RS200X I only needed a microphone to transfer files, now I have to spend $60 to transfer my data to polar page, my solution, Excel files.
See all 23 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
| | |
