Polar RS400 Heart Rate Monitor Watch with Free IRDA - USB2 Interface

by Polar

Product Features

• Training Planning w/ Polar Protrainer 5
• Interval Trainer, Accurate HR
• OwnIndex, OwnOptimizer, OwnCal
• 99 Memory Files/99 Laps w/Total Recall
• 2-year warranty

Product Description

The RS400 allows the endurance sports enthusiast the ability to analyze training data with the new ProTrainer 5, the most advanced and dynamic training, planning and analyzing software on the market.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.1 x 3 inches ; 10.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000QS9A3E
• Item model number: 90026347
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,162 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good heart rate monitor, battery life issue, tough to change the battery, October 15, 2009

By 

DigitalMan "DMAN" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

As a hear rate monitor this unit is really good and I like the software that comes with it (this is my third model of Polar monitors). But this is a replacement RS400 because the first one ran through batteries very quickly (to be fair I loved this watch when I first got it and I gave the first unit 5 stars in my review, albeit that was only after about a month of usage). The first battery lasted about four months, the second one four weeks. I don't suspect this is normal behavior though, it could just be a defect in the unit...or, as I have read on some of the Polar message boards, the watch is designed such that the side buttons are very easily pushed in when setting the watch down on its side such that it could be getting turned on inadvertently and running the battery down. My guess is that it is the latter rather than being a defect. Now I make sure not to put the watch down on its side to prevent this from happening. The watch is also designed so that, theoretically, you can change the battery yourself but the back is made of such soft plastic that it is almost impossible to open it without destroying the battery cover. This is very annoying. My last Polar was great because it had a metal back with small screws that were easy to pop out, change the battery, and pop back in. My guess is you have to have a special jewelers tool to get this back off without damaging the plastic. The conclusion I have come to is that I think this design is just a poor design. They need to go back to the screw on metal backs (e.g. 625Xi) and redesign the buttons to prevent the watch being accidentally turned on and draining the battery. I would recommend you look at a different Polar model as there are other designs that appear to be better and less likely to suffer from these issues.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could Have Been Better, September 3, 2008

By 

Gregory W. Cox (Schaumburg, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

My RS400 itself works pretty well. It reliably tracks and records pulse information during my cardio workouts, even interval training which is more challenging due to the frequent changes in heart rate. However, the design of the watch leads to the buttoms activating frequently unintentionally, especially when I wear the watch outside of my workouts.

My experience with the Polar IrDA link and the ProTrainer 5 software is more negative. The watch often does not link up with the software. The distance between the watch and the Polar USB/IrDA interface needs to be within an apparently range (not too close and not too far away... around a foot away seems to work best). The Polar USB/IrDA device is mostly good for randomly flashing red light. It does not link the the watch consistently. The ProTrainer states that it is "Connecting to Polar Product" indefinitely. If you "Cancel", then upon trying to transfer data again, it says "Communication port couldn't be opened.", meaning that the port was not properly closed when the Transfer was canceled. This is a frustrating experience.

Also, customization of the watch graphic is very frustrating since Polar uses a proprietary format for the graphic. The ProTrainer's editor for the graphic is very primitive and difficult to work with.

My friends who use Garmin monitors seem much happier, especially with the analysis software.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect balance, July 8, 2008

By 

Marcus D. Sanders (Stuttgart, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I bought this Heart Rate monitor because a friend of mine has it! I was able to borrow it for a half marathon and I think it is great! It helped me to keep my pace and finish the run in a great time! To me it represents the perfect balance in the range of Polar Monitors because it offers everything a semi profesional runner needs but nothing more! More than the RS100/200 but less than the RS800. I also feel that the watch w/o the S1 foot pod is sufficient since the speed and the distance are not so relevant to me!
The only thin I could whish for is an altimeter!