Customer Reviews

Polar RS300X SD Heart Rate Monitor Watch with S1 Foot Pod (Orange)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this watch after running my first marathon and having a conversation with a guy during the race, who was wearing a polar watch. It really came in handy during the race to make sure we were on pace for our goal. Using a standard watch is nice but as we all know, race mile markers aren't certified and therefore your splits will be off. The footpod is great but you absolutely need to calibrate it. Not sure if its my stride but it was not very accurate out of the box, I ran a half marathon (13.1 miles) and it registered about 14.5 miles. The menus are fairly easy to figure out but I did need to consult the user manual a few times. I personally love the fact that you can customize and switch between 5 different views on the fly while running. The heart rate monitor is your basic type and works well. Overall, I would say this product is worth it if you do longer races including or above a 10k or if you train by yourself. Having the information this watch provides is great for pushing yourself.

I've been researching HRM watches for a while and decided to try this one out (ultimately I went with the Garmin FR60). I had the Polar F6 before this and was pretty happy with it...until the HR strap went out and I found out that the only way to replace the battery was by sending it back to the manufacturer. I thought I would have a pretty easy time with this one since I've had a Polar before, but that was not the case. It has a very complicated user interface and I could not figure out how to get the calories to display for each individual workout. Instead, the only thing I could get was a total of the calories burned for the week - so I would have to subtract the previous amount in order to figure out calories for that day. In addition, the foot pod is really large and though you don't really notice it when you run, it definitely gets in the way otherwise. The Garmin foot pod is very small so I'm not sure why Polar's is so monstrous. The watch is also really big and it is not the red color that appears in the photo - it is emergency orange and not very attractive.

Here are the functions that were useful:
-HR is reliable and the new strap is better than their old model (with a user replaceable battery)
-Keeps track of pace and overall mileage
-Holds up to 16 days of workouts

Things that need improvement:
-The setup is not user friendly and I had to carry around the manual to figure it out before workouts
-You have to purchase the flow link in order to upload workout data to a computer
-Calories are not displayed for each individual workout
-Watch is bulky and a terrible color
-Foot pod is really big and requires calibration to be reliable

Overall, if you are looking for a watch that will allow you to track multiple activities, I would go with the Garmin instead. It is slightly more expensive (about $30), but worth it. The Garmin is much more user friendly and provides tons of helpful information.

Nice, light, with good features but i dont understood why it's not compatible with polar software. Big cons for me...

I wanted a HRM to do the following functions:
-Track my heart rate during Spinning
-Report my calorie burn after a cardio workout
-Track my mileage when running outside
-Report on my pace when running outside

This HRM + foot pod does all functions beautifully, simply and clearly. I lost 3 lbs in the one month since I've had it and increased my running distance from 7k - 12k! Just knowing what's happening inside your body and being able to keep track of mileage, pace, calories and heart rate is tremendously motivating to me!

Emily Segal
[...]

I received the Polar RS300X as a gift, after mentioning to my husband that I thought it was a good deal considering the package came with the footpad - an expensive addition for some other brands. The heart rate component was the first priority for me and I could have gone cheaper just to get that, but I liked the training computer options and the idea of uploading my data to Polar for analysis. The excitement was short-lived however, when I figured out that another purchase: Polar Flowlink was necessary to upload the data. The good deal became 'less' at that point. Why not include that in the package too?

When it arrived I was not overly thrilled with the dull red/orange color, or the size of the watch (huge on my small wrists). Sunto made some prettier ones and I'd considered them, but the price and what came with them was the deciding factor. Remembering this, I sucked it up and read the Polar manual.

The manual is not as clearly written as it could be, but it's adequate. The watch isn't the easiest to navigate, but with practice, you can get it done. The heartrate monitor is accurate and once you put in your personal data (weight, height, etc...) you can get the computer working for you - saving data when you tell it to do so during a workout.

The footpod is a good addition for anyone who is a runner or walker and wants to keep track of pace, time and distance. There is no GPS on this watch (like the Garmin Forerunner), although you can buy a GPS pod to be used with it instead of the footpod. The batteries are not 'easy' to swap out, but if you use a gentle hand and are patient, you can get it done. The footpod does attach securely to your shoe, but it's a bear to get on and off, so I'd recommend putting it on one pair of your running shoes and leaving it there until you need to replace the batteries. You have to turn the footpod on and off each time its in use by pushing the red button on the top of it. If you forget to do so, you'll get both a dead battery on the footpod (AAA type) and inaccurate training info on your Polar watch.

I've enjoyed using the footpod and then using the Polar Flowlink (not included in this package) to upload my training info to the Polar website. They graph the data you upload and offer assorted calculators to maximize your training. The Flowlink works flawlessly for me (using a Vista 64-bit machine) and I'd recommend this as an additional tool to fully enjoy this watch.

The display on the watch is easy to read, but the buttons seem as though they may lack durability - time will tell. The strap seems substantial and despite its size, the watch is comfortable to wear. The chest strap is washable and you must wet the electrodes prior to wearing it for the heartrate monitor to accurately work. A 'pod' of sorts snaps on to the strap and is removed for washing, however there is no on/off button on it, so hard to tell how the battery in it will hold up.

Batteries are a big issue for this package. The manual states you should send your watch to Polar (or go to a local Polar dealer) for battery replacement or you'll void the warranty. Others have commented on the short chest strap tansmitter and the footpod's battery life. Time will tell how it will work for me in that department.

I have no point of reference regarding training watches as this is the first one I've owned. I like the data it can produce, and I think it's accurate. I can see it being very helpful in training for future 5 and 10K races, as well as keeping me in a good training zone while at the gym. I'm not crazy about the lack of clarity in the manual or the ease of use, but each time I use it, I feel a bit less intimidated by it and enjoy the information it gives me.

Overall, I'd recommend it, but I'm sure there are others out there that are even better. How much you'll pay for those other watches though, may send you back to purchase this one.

UPDATE - March 9, 2011:
I'm off to take a run wearing my Polar watch, chest strap and footpod. It all took a bit of getting used to, but I've found I like it and battery life on all three seems good. The footpod isn't noticed after a short time, but is tough to get on and off my shoes so I have designated one pair of running shoes just for them!

The footpod has to be synced with the watch and then you can record your activity with pace and mileage included. The chest strap is comfortable to wear, and after a short time I forget it's on. The watch is easy to read and so far, the buttons are holding up well.

I purchased the Polar Link separately and enjoy uploading my workouts to the Polar Trainer on their website. It lets me see graphically the time spent at specific heartrates, distance, pace, etc... and keep a calendar to see my progress.

The heartrate monitor seems accurate and overall I'm pleased with this purchase. It's a great fitness tool.

Just got this for my birthday. I was extremely excited since i've been running for a few years now w/out something to track my pace and distance. At first, i couldn't get this feature to work - and the HR monitor was no problem. In the instructions, it reads as though the calibrating of the foot pod is optional, but it IS NOT. You won't get any results unless you do this first. Just FYI. After doing this, i tried out the foot pod on a treadmill and was off by a good .1-.12 miles. I'm going to try re-calibrating it, but be aware that the pace/distance may not be accurate at first. Can't wait to try it outside on one of my regular routes. Run happy!

The watch is not intuitive to use, but initial set up was easy. The instructions included do not explain how to use the watch, they just provided instructions on how to set it up. You will need to download the owners manual from Polar for additional info.
This watch is actually a bright orange...to me the picture makes it look like a burnt orange or metallic orange color. The picture at http://www.amazon.com/Polar-RS300XG1-Heart-Digital-Monitor/dp/B003VV7X2I/ref=sr_1_12?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1327067244&sr=1-12 is more accurate in terms of the color.
If you want to download your workouts, you will need to purchase the Polar Flowlink. I previously used the Nike+ sportband (my 1st died after a year, the 2nd died after 3 months), which you plugged into your computer to download, so I didn't think about it until I opened the package & saw there was nothing to connect it to the computer.

When I buy the Polar, I thought it was a good deal price value. Everything worked fine until I used to swim, from that time does not sync well with the foot spot and the beat band and shows wrong information. I'm definitely unhappy with Polar and disappointed.

I gave this 4 stars -- 5 for running, 3 for everything else. Once I calibrated the foot pod, it was just fine. It provides my pace, my distance, total minutes, etc. That is the great part. As a person that is just starting to focus on running, it is very helpful. The watch is big, but that is OK, and the foot pod is not annoying on my foot at all. I can barely tell it is there.

Why 3 stars -- for everything else, it doesn't do the job of a standard Polar HRM. I have the F6, and it is great for in zone, minutes, and then calories. I liked knowing the calories expending during the workout, if I needed to do more, etc. This does not do that -- the only way you can see the calories is when you are finished with the workout and go to the log. So therefore, it is not as convenient for me. Also, the calories are double what the F6 shows. When I run, I now wear two HRM. Not very convenient.

I realize both show the heart rate zones, and this one shows more of that detail, but my heart rate is always high. It tells me that I am in the high zone for all but my warm up, so I don't really rely on that feature.

If you are a runner, this is great. If you want to use it for running and normal exercise activities, you may be better served with a different Polar if you are tracking calories.

how long has polar been making heart rate monitors? man this monitor just sucks. it was ok for a while but I've replaced the battery in the transmitter three times in the last year. getting the transmitter and receiver to sync up takes 10 minutes each time I get ready for a run. Yes I've used gels and water on the transmitter wearlink.

In addition:

Hey Polar, No need to print a 100 page booklet on how to use the device. a: no one is going to read it and b: if you need 100 pages to explain how a watch / monitor works then you're doing something wrong. Save some trees and put resources somewhere else.

Hey Polar, no not everyone still uses Windows. Just checked your site and now you have Polar Pro Trainer 5 - except now you don't have system requirements for the software which either means it's compatible with everything including Linux (not likely) or you're just assuming everyone still uses Windows. There are enough Mac users in the world you can now port your software to OS X.

But why even do that? Just build a web app and provide us with a driver so our computers can connect to our monitors and then upload our workouts to the web.

I've been using Polar monitors for years and this is a complete disappointment. Last time I buy Polar. They're nothing special, behind the times, and not innovating.

Another once fine company holding on to the past.

Update:

I checked polar.fi and under the software downloads they do specify operating system requirements. They just don't specify that at shoppolar.com. Bizarre.

At any rate no Mac support. Still. Even in their forums with people requesting Mac versions for at least the past three years.