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 On: 2009-11-19
I purchased this RS200 (red) from my health club in late Jan 2009. I read the instructions word-for-word to try to set-up the settings the way I wanted them (including date, time, etc.). It is so confusing to do these simple actions that even the fitness instructors at my health club cant explain it to me. Instead, they always set it up for me whenever it needs to be changed (due to change in time or date for daylight savings time or whatever) because its too difficult to actually explain how to do it.
Also, Ive owned the watch less than 11 months, and the battery is already low, so I have to send it in to a Polar authorized representative to get a new one. A big hassle, if you ask me, and the cost of battery replacement and insured shipping. Im about to get onto the Polar web site to get the instructions for doing this, but if this process is anything like the instructions for using the monitor, I can tell that Im in for trouble. I dont recommend this product.
 On: 2009-06-09
Ive been using the Polar RS200 for a little over a year, and on balance, I have been happy with it. It has done precisely what I have asked it to do until recently when I have been trying out more complex workouts. More on that in a second.
I believe I got a defective unit, because the watch will spontaneously emit these strange sounds, similar to a static or old-school modem sound. I guess its some software glitch that causes the WebSync speaker to fire off. It comes and goes without any kind of pattern. The downside of it is that the battery discharges after 6-8 months instead of the 2 years or so the manual says. Also, the noise prevents me from wearing this as a watch, day-to-day, because it would be too annoying to have it go off all the time. This sound glitch must also cause the battery to drain. Ive scoured the web looking for answers, and the answer seems to be ship it back to Polar for evaluation and repair, at my expense. But Im not going to do that because of the expense and my compulsive need for a running watch.
Another annoyance is that, although you can create custom exercises so that you can do -- for example -- interval training, you can only configure a maximum of three exercise segments. So you can configure a warm up, effort, and a cool down. Or you can configure a typical interval workout of a hard effort and recovery [no warm up and cool down, however.] But if you want to run, for example, a ladder-type speed workout where you run a 1600, 1000, 800, and a 600 with 400 meter recoveries, then you are out of luck. [I should mention that I bought the S1 foot pod separately, and I use that to gauge my distance in these sorts of workouts. I guess I should have bought the RS200sd package to start with. Oh well.] I suppose I need a more advanced watch since I am now doing more advanced training.
Apart from these complaints, I am happy with the unit. Its a decent watch with good features and a reasonable price for most recreational runners. If you plan on doing more advanced training, then I would look for something else.
 On: 2009-05-31
It was just as told!! I really love it and very simple to use. Has given me no trouble. i would tell all of my friends to buy, it;s great!
On: 2009-05-17
Accurate and an important part of my routine, it calculates everything I need to account for my work out. It works with both gyms I work out in equipment I use; from elliptical to the stair master. It is calibrated for use with my body weight index, and heart rate and it gives me the greatest accuracy for my work out. I highly recommend anyone who both works out in the gym and jogging. I do not have the foot accessory for this, but will invest in it later on.
On: 2009-03-23
This watch is working very well for me. I really like looking at my statistics after a workout. There is a lot of information available through this watch, but it is not complicated to understand or navigate. I wish that Polar offered a female-sized version of this watch; its a bit chunky for a female wrist.
On: 2007-10-21
i bought it from Amazon about a month ago. it works great with me. i once wore it when i swam in the pool. it seems to have some difficulties communicating each other under the water. i havent tried any more functions except the basic heart rate monitor function. this is my first heart rate monitor, i like it overall.
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