Polar RS400SD Heart Rate Monitor
November 26, 2009 by Running Watch Reviews
Filed under Polar, Running & Sports Watch Reviews
Polar RS400sd Heart Rate Monitor Watch with Free IRDA - USB 2.0 Interface
Retail Price: $369.95
Amazon Price: $253.02
Tired of going out for a run and coming back without knowing how far or fast or hard you went? Get answers to all those questions and more with the Polar RS400sd Heart Rate Monitor. This heart rate monitor comes with Polar’s s1 foot pod, which interacts with your RS400sd watch to give you accurate speed and distance information. The RS400sd also tracks your maximum, average, and target heart rate information, so you know when to pick up the pace or chill out for a few miles. Polar’s OwnCal feature counts the number of calories you burn during your workout, so you can either indulge in that hot fudge Sunday or grab a banana for desert. Polar also gave the RS400sd Monitor its OwnCode, so it won’t interfere with anyone else’s heart rate monitor on the trail or at the gym. Hook this heart rate monitor watch up to your PC after a workout and analyze your training data.
Product Features
- Material: PU
- Band Type: PU
- Altimeter: No
- Barometer: No
- Compass: No
- Stopwatch: Yes
- Chronograph: Yes
- Thermometer: No
- Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
- PC Compatible: Yes
- Waterproof: Yes, up to 50m
- Backlight/ Electroluminescent: Yes
- Alarms: Yes, with snooze
- Size: Medium
- Recommended Use: Running, aerobic activities
- Weight:
- Warranty: 2 Years
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars So far so good
Bought this for my wife, who’s training for an upcoming road race. At first it seemed hard for her to adjust the max pulse rate alarm correctly, but she quickly got the hang of it and now loves all the features. It helps us run together and stay under control in terms of exertion levels.
5 Stars Right out of the Box
I am very pleased with this product. Right out of the box this watch performed beyond expectations. I simply programmed the watch with my personal information, laced the foot pod through the shoestrings, threw the strap around my chest, and within twenty minutes I was up and running. Everything clicked the very first run – too easy.
As for the software, it was easy to install and fairly easy to navigate. This system can do so many functions that one can easily get overwhelmed. You will have to invest some time to figure out your goals and what you want the information to tell you. But, if you just want a simple graph and basic information about a run, it will do that automatically! You just can’t loose.
Here are some specifics: After four short runs I had the foot pod perfectly calibrated. It was not off by much to begin with but adjusting it to measure your stride precisely is a breeze. The heart rate strap is comfortable and I like the idea of replacing my own batteries. The watch itself is not as comfortable as I would like it to be but over time I think it will work its way around my wrist better. I do like how the buttons are set up and how it displays information. Being able to replace the battery on my own is a plus.
5 Stars Excellent product
This product is excellent!!! It will be part of your training program in few weeks.
5 Stars Looks great! Will try it tomorrow.
Looks great. Well packaged.
The display could’ve been a little sharper/vivid.
Will run w/ it tomorrow and provide more details.
Gil
4 Stars Good HRM, excellent software, defective data transmission
I received my Polar RS200sd heart rate monitor app. 1 month ago, and have used it about 3/week for running (20-30 km/week).
When I first received the HRM I was a little disappointed by the flimsy plastic apperance of the watch (it is plastic with a thin metal frontpiece and plastic covered glass screen), but so far it is scratch free, and the light weight is nice on my narrow wrist.
The audible alarms, large screen and easy switch between optional screens makes keeping track of heart rate, zones, speed and milage on the run easy and convenient. I have used the preloaded programs and also created my own programs in the software. You can make programs based on different heart rates/zones/speed/time which makes running an optimal interval course a breeze. I have been using the tests (optimizer and fitness test), without much success. They give constant results despite great variations in my workouts. The heart rate strap and footpod have worked w/o failure and distance is accurate after calibration.
The included software is the best running software I have ever tried. Like the watch, it is highly customizable, so I recommend taking some time to explore the options using the detailed manual. It has a calender with weekly workout summaries, daily logs, individual workout charts, and 5 report charts for comparing workouts.
My major problem with this product is data transfer using the included IrDA device. About half of the data transfers results in Windows Vista crash, which is a real pain since I got this HRM in order to analyze data. Hopefully this problem w Vista will be solved.
I highly recommend this HRM for a serious runner (with Windows XP) who wants to analyze HR/speed/distance in detail, but do not need maps, since this HRM has no GPS.
UPDATE: I no longer recommend this product because polar support did not resolve the Vista compatibility issue. Unfortunately, Amazon will not let me change the star setting.
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