Customer Reviews

Polar S120 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my first watch with a heart rate monitor and it has been wonderful so far. Below is how I found it useful. I received it as a gift so I didn't compare other brands/models but the person who bought it for me heard it recommended as a brand known for quality from someone who would know.

* Has a number of "heartrate zones" that you create so the watch tells you when you are going in/out of a selected zone. I use this to stay between 60-85% HR during long runs, for example.

* Records detailed information about your workout - avg HR, max HR and time in each heartrate zone. For each "lap" or "segment" it tells you avg HR and ending HR - great for interval training.

* Comfortable and easy to read just as a watch or basic stopwatch, even without the heartrate monitor

Things you might not like at first:

* I wasn't used to wearing a chest strap so had to get it the right fit through trial and error (stayed on even when I had it too big, though)

* There are a ton of features and it's kind of overwhelming at first. The manual isn't the easiest to dive into but when you go back to look for a specific function it is well done.

I am very happy with this watch. I really enjoy running and I wanted to learn how to get the best benefit from running without over-exertion and injury. The polar website said heart-rate monitoring helps with pace, getting the desired benefits from my run, and helped to reduce injury.

Pros: Works perfectly, immediately picked up by the gym equipment--no holding on required, setting 3 zones for warm-up, running, and cool down was a snap, the audible beeps help me to know when I'm slacking off or working too hard, the constant feedback is very motivating.

Cons: Not many here, however, the screen seems difficult to see in the sunshine. Will have to see the effect of that when spring comes !

I did a lot of shopping online and I liked the Polar M-61 ($130) best but I got this one because of the lower price ($80). The M-61 has more features and is more fashionable; so you may want to look at that one too.

Maybe the S120 will work for you, but it was nothing but trouble for me. I bought it because of the great features and price, but returned it because of all the problems: 1) The manual is anything but friendly, e.g. after completing the 11 steps to set the date you are then told that there's a short cut. Thanks. 2) After spending much more than an hour with the manual just to get the basic settings in, I'm off to exercise. Great start, the reading is my usual pulse around 55, then it drops out to 0. Ok, maybe the contacts are too dry, so I wet them. Off I go again and the pulse rate measures 204 then to 0. Ok, maybe the chest strap is positioned poorly. Different position, same result -- measured pulse rates all over the map. I decide to forget what the monitor records and finish my exercise. Final result -- I got periods of reasonable heart rates, but lots of time the values were either 0 or over 190. The next day I try again with the same result -- drop outs and then sky high readings. It went back later that day.

After spending many years using crude methods of determining heart rate (pulse counting, perceived rate of exertion) during many different forms of exercize, I finally broke down and considered a HRM. I am nearing the end of my marathon training (first one) and have become more concerned about my proper pace for the race and for training.

This monitor - Polar S120 has been the perfect training aid in that I can easily record and view at a glance, my pace for each mile and whether I am training in the proper zone for each run (pace, long, recovery). In the past, I had always simply timed my runs and figured out my pace after the fact, now, I get real time feedback.

It is the best tool for my running, no question. I am glad I didn't spend more money than I needed to. In my research for this monitor, I found that not many will record 'laps' (miles in my case). For runners, this is very important.

The fact that it will only record one session at a time is not significant to me because I will transfer the info into my training log right away. and that is less time consuming in my opinion, than to look for cord and upload it into my computer. If the watch logs too many sessions, I might get lazy and not record it in my own journal which is important to record other aspects of a training session that the monitor cannot record - whether you are coming down with a cold, other current stresses, such as work, kids, traffic, dogs (which surely makes my heart jump a few beats).

Another helpful aspect is that I can toggle the info in each of the three lines. If I want to do intervals, I can set the count up or count down timer for the time I want for each interval and have that showing on the center line, or, lap time, or split time, or even the clock. It is easy and helpful.

The manual may seem difficult at first, but, you really need to just play around with the watch while reading the manual. Get your important settings out of the way first, just get comfortable and it will be easier to understand. Very happy with my choice, and even happier that I didn't spend way too much money!

I had a Nordic Track heart rate monitor watch before this one and it was very easy to use. I recently broke it...changing the battery, so if the manual says have an expert change the battery *sheepish grin* it is better to listen. I was looking to buy a comparable watch with maybe a few more if not similar features. This Polar watch has so many functions it was a little daunting at first. The manual is confusing and it took me an hour (maybe longer) to set the watch exactly as I wanted it. So far the watch has worked fine for my running and aeorobic routines. I really like the quick transmitter review of min and max heart rate as well as TIZ without having to push a button. I would recommend it to those who do not mind putting in the time understanding the manual and one who needs all the different functions.

The S120 meets my expectations, I use it alot at the gym & riding my Mountain Bike. I recommend if you are a person who is looking to keep track of the info from this monitor, the S150 and a few other models has an attachment which you can plug into your computer. Also the S150 has a mount for your bike and alot more useful options. All in all I am happy with the S120 it is simple to use and I have no complaints.

After trying many heart rate monitors, I decided the S120 provided the best array of features for my needs. I also considered strongly the S150, however, I don't have as much information available instantly (speed, distance, time, heart rate, etc.) as I do with the S120 and my CatEye Cyclocomputer.

The S120 lets me target my heart zone and helps keep it within my training range for the day. Also, when I am done with my exercise set, I get a report on date, length of exercise, average heart rate and maximum heart rate.

Unfortunately, the S120 has been discontinued. I haven't found any in the current lineup that come close to providing the features I find most useful.

One warning I'd like to share is that when the batteries need replacement, send them to the factory service center, I think there are three in the US. I bought one on ebay that was used and after a swim, I noticed the crystal fogged up. I sent the unit to Polar for service and the PC board on the unit was destroyed because the battery was replaced incorrectly.

Yes, Polar battery replacement is pricey, but it is certainly less expensive than replacing the whole unit, as I will do now. And yes, I am going to buy another S120, my third one in all.

Have been using Polar HRM for the past 7 years; and my 2 previous models, NV Trainer and another one I forgot the model name were very satisfactory. But this latest model S120 is a big disappointment. The push buttons doesn't work unless you press it precisely, the clock is slow by 1 min per day! (maybe the battery needs replacing?), and overall the unit looks cheap. I bought this online without looking at the real unit.

It's a cool sports watch but setting it to tell time was a horror show that required a call to the help desk. The manual is totally unclear and seems to be written in Martian. Also, I got it for the heart monitor. Maybe it will and maybe it won't Yes, the chest strap is on right, the contacts are wet. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not. Sometimes it works for awhile and goes to two zeros for no discernible reason. I'm not sure at all this is worth the aggravation

This is exactly what I wanted: an accurate heart rate monitor, plus stopwatch with lap memory and a countdown timer. I just ran a marathon wearing mine, and it gave me excellent data on splits and heart rate at each mile.