Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)
Now our most popular and top performing running computer is enhanced with GPS speed and distance capabilityA smart, intuitive training computer for runners and cross-training athletes, the Polar RS300X wrist heart rate monitor helps you to train at the right intensity with personal training zones. It’s compatible with Polar’s S1 foot pod and G1 GPS sensor (both separately available), enabling you to combine heart rate with speed and distance and truly make sense of your training. Committed runners will find the most value in the real-time pace and distance measurement of the S1 foot pod, while those who mix up their training regimen with cycling, inline skating, paddling, mountain biking or hiking will be best served with the speed and distance G1 GPS Sensor. It comes with the Polar WearLink+ 31 coded transmitter (with changeable battery).
The RS300X helps you to train at the right intensity with personal training zones. |
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The RS300X enables athletes to train at the right intensity and improve their performance through core metrics such as heart rate, speed, distance, pace, and calorie burn. Advanced features include Polar’s exclusive OwnZone feature for individualized zone training by heart rate or pace, a fitness test, and auto lap splits, which display average heart rate, pace and distance per lap. Athletes can easily review up to 16 past workout files to check their progress and ensure they’re staying on track with their fitness or training plan.
Features include:
- Heart rate displayed as percentage of maximum heart rate, BPM, and average heart rate of total exercise
- Tracks your latest 16 training sessions and your last 16 weeks of training
- Visual and audible alarm in target zones: Informs you every time your heart rate and/or speed/pace exceeds the upper limit or falls below the lower limit of your target zone during a training session.
- Polar OwnIndex Fitness Test calculates aerobic fitness (comparable to maximal oxygen uptake, VO2max) providing a reference to base training intensity and measure improvement.
- Polar OwnCal: Shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. Because the OwnCal tracks both the energy expenditure during one exercise session and the accumulated kilocalories during a longer time e.g. one week, it helps in achieving both short term and long term goals.
- Time in Target Zone feature calculates the amount of total training time spent in your personal target zone. You can use this feature together with the Total Exercise Time to determine the effectiveness of your training program.
- Number of laps – 99
- Watch features: alarm with snooze, dual time zone, stopwatch
- Compatible with Polar FlowLink (available separately)
- Water resistant to 50 meters
- Backlighting, display zoom
- Event Countdown Timer: Keeps your motivation high by showing how many days are left before your next running event (e.g., Berlin 23 days).
About Polar
The first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor was invented by Polar back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The concept of “intensity training” by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990s, individuals were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance training needs, but also for achieving everyday fitness goals. Today, the same concept of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose weight. Polar is the leading brand among consumers, coaches, and personal trainers worldwide and the company is committed to not only producing the best products, but also being the leading educator on the benefits of heart rate based exercise.
Product Features
- Simple-to-use wrist heart rate monitor/training computer in black helps you to train at the right intensity
- Provides metrics for heart rate, speed, distance, pace, and calorie burn
- Tracks your latest 16 training sessions and your last 16 weeks of training
- OwnZone feature for individualized zone training by heart rate or pace, a fitness test, and auto lap splits
- Includes Polar WearLink+ 31 coded transmitter; compatible with S1 foot pod and G1 GPS Sensor
Overall a decent product with some minor drawbacks For some reason, Polar requires that these units be sent back to replace the battery, which costs $25 + shipping. On top of the annual cost of maintenance, this ship to replace policy leaves you without a heart monitor for about 2 weeks once a year.The other issue I found is that the reception range is not very good, so the unit won’t work well mounted on a bicycle.Finally, Polar has decided to arbitrarily remove the % fat burn function from some of its watches. This watch does not have it, so keep in mind you will not know what % of your calorie burn was fat.
Not for anyone with 40 year old eyes Nobody loves the Polar Brand more than I do. Actually since 1995 I haven’t used any other brand. I have always used the basic model to get the largest screen and font. At the White Rock Expo 12/09 in Dallas I purchased the RS300x w/ the foot pod.Pros: + the foot pod is incredibly accurate, much better than any GPS technology that you can afford+ nice looking watch / monitor (although I don’t use mine as a watch)+ chest strap will fit smaller chests ( my children can use the new chest strap)+ heart rate registers without recording so you can read your heart rate prior to or after your run but it doesn’t skew your run data.Cons: -With 3 lines of text on each screen, You cant read the screen during a run. Particularly the tenths of miles. (This blows the whole deal, what’s the point of info you can’t read)-too many screens to go through, just overly complicated a good thing.What is the value of all that information that you can’t read during a run. I get home from a run and realize the thing wasn’t on.There should be a way to opt out of some of the bologna. 99% of athletes don’t need that info and don’t want it.I still love Polar and I’m still trying to love the RS300 but its not easy. I guess it like buying a book and when you get home you realize the font is too small to read.
Electronics OK, crappy display ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 1:36PMAfter a couple more workouts and a few hours of trying to figure out this product… well, their user documentation is horrible, which means you must spend hours discovering almost everything on your own.I like the RS300X for its ability to track and store training data. (But, finding the data is a hassle thanks to poor documentation with no examples. Ultimately, I will have to spend time creating a navigation chart myself.)I like the chest band with its detachable transmitter and easy-to-replace battery.I don’t like the molded one-piece watch-band that forces you to wear the watch atop the wrist. I prefer to wear the watch on the side of my wrist where I can glance down to read, rather than having to raise my entire arm to read.I still don’t like the display because of its obnoxious glare and requirement of perfect up-close vision to read it.Based on my experience with the RS300X and other Polar products, I would now raise my 2-star rating to 4-stars (if I could). Without excellent and useful documentation – that SAVES MY TIME & FRUSTRATION – I can’t give it 5-stars.All my other Polar products have been reliable and of high quality construction. I assume the RS300X will be the same or better.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sunday, September 6, 2009 11:25AMI received my new Polar RS300X a couple days ago. I shoulda shopped around…I’ve been using Polar Heart Rate monitors since 1986. and have been pleased with them all… Until now.I bought this RS300X because I loathe the hassle of sending the equipment in for new batteries.While the RS300X electronics seem to offer many features, the smaller display is utterly crappy – a significant obstruction to my workouts!You must try to read the tiny display info through TWO glaring reflections off the clear plastic lens (glare NOT SHOWN in the photos). What good is the real-time feedback info if you can’t read it while running?!?!I assumed I would love this new product.Unfortunately, after only two uses, I hate this RS300X. If I change my mind after more usage, I’ll change this review.Mike