TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

TFS Review: Polar RS800sd (Polar/adidas Project Fusion)

Posted May 18th, 2007 at 1:48 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces., Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: Polar RS800sd Running Computer
Prices: $469.95 (watch + HR monitor + speed sensor), $50-$70 (adiStar Fusion top), $120 (adiStar Fusion shoe)
Rating: Very Good 7.6/10.0
Pros: Very intuitive, easy-to-use watch interface. High amount of functionality and features. Very reliable, accurate heart rate monitor. Low-profile, easy-to-use speed sensor. Comes with Polar ProTrainer software. Can be used with or without Adidas adiStar products (versatile).
Cons: Very expensive. Stride sensor yields inaccurate values when your stride changes. Different calibrations needed for different types of running.
Overall: This is an expensive, high-end personal training system. In general, you get what you pay for. I loved how easy the watch was to use, especially considering its vast array of features. The heart rate monitor was superb, and reported very reliable values. The only weakness of the system involves the Stride Sensor. Although it is accurate and reliable when running at the speed it was calibrated at, it becomes less and less accurate as you increase or decrease your speed (which changes your stride), up to 10 seconds/mile. For many, this relatively small “drift” is either not applicable (if you generally run the same speed every day) or unimportant (if you are not concerned with 10 seconds/mile). But runners who regularly vary their stride through speed work, or are concerned about obtaining their precise pace, may want to look instead at other GPS units.

Garmin, Suunto, Timex, Adeo, Polar… and the list goes on and one. In today’s saturated market of fitness toys there is a plethora of gadgets available that can measure running stats such as pace, distance, heart rate, and more. The gadget companies respond by releasing increasingly innovative products that offer features of increasing quality and quantity.

The Polar RS800sd (speed+distance) may have just trumped them all. Using a foot pod to measure speed and distance, and an ECG-accurate transmitter to measure heart rate, the RS800sd running computer offers enough features, analyses, and bells-and-whistles to make your head spin. I recently had the pleasure of taking this unit for a “spin”.
Read the rest of this entry »

9 comments, add yours | Permalink