Polar RS200sd Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)
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List Price: Our Price: $150.00 You Save: $99.95 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Sports See more product details |
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Description of Polar RS200sd Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)
The RS200sd was made for competitive, goal oriented runners who want to enhance their running experience. With the S1 foot pod the RS200sd provides accurate speed and distance data like the S625X so you can combine pace with heart rate data. Use the Event Countdown Timer to manage your training leading up to your next running event. You can even upload your settings to your running computer and then download your workout files to the Polar Running Coach Web Service for analysis. WearLink fabric transmitter included.In order to reach your fitness goals, you need to exercise at the right intensity. Designed for goal-oriented runners, the Polar RS200sd wrist heart rate monitor helps you to easily and accurately measure your heart rate to help you get to just the right intensity or your exertion level. It's great for both beginning runners or more experienced runners preparing for competitions. With the included S1 foot pod, you'll be able to take advantage of the RS200's Speed and Distance functions, such as speed, distance and pace per kmph/mph, target pace (with alarms and differential), trip odometer, run distance, totals for mileage, calories and time training, and summaries for distance and speed/pace.
Use the Polar Sports Zones and the Event Countdown Timer to manage your training for that key running event. You can even upload your settings to your running computer and then download your workout files to the Polar Running Coach Web Service for analysis. The RS200 offers up to 16 exercise files with summaries, date and time, and total calorie expenditure. This model features a black and silver face and strap, but it also comes in red.
Heart rate monitoring includes maximum heart rate (fitness test-based and age-based), maximum/average of total exercise and of each lap (up to 99 laps), three target zones, and audible alarms. It also offers such timing features as time of day (12/24-hour display), dual time zone, day and date display, stopwatch, and alarm with snooze. It features an oversized display, easy to manipulate buttons while on the run, and a comfortable WearLink fabric transmitter.
It's a great choice for using in large groups, where other exercisers might be using wireless training gear that could interfere with your own signal. The RS200's coded transmission prevents crosstalk with other monitors so you'll get a personalized workout--even in a class environment. It also includes the following exclusive Polar features:
- Polar Sport Zones: Polar sport zones provides an easy way to select and monitor the intensity of your training and to follow PolarŐs sport zones based training programs. The training is divided into five zones based on percentages of your maximum heart rate: very light (50-60%HRmax), light (60-70% HRmax), moderate (70-80%HRmax), hard (80-90% HRmax) and maximum (90-100% HRmax).
- Polar OwnCal: This feature shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. You can set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure with the OwnCal feature. 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.
- Polar OwnZone: This feature guides you through an appropriate warm-up routine and automatically determines a safe and effective exercise heart rate zone--your OwnZone--while taking into account your current physical condition.
Manufacturer's Warranty
The original purchaser of this heart rate monitor is backed by a limited warranty that states that this product that the product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for two years from the date of purchase.
Note:
Polar heart rate monitors are precision instruments; consumers are not advised to change their own battery. Polar recommends that all service be done by an authorized Polar Service Center which will include a warranty for 90 days on repairs and 6 months for batteries.
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.
Sports reviews of Polar RS200sd Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)
Customer Review: Easier and Accurate
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
Very good product, easy for use e very accurate, the footpod works precisely and it is very comfortable for use. Watch has user frindely menus and it is easier to handle than older models.Customer Review: Polar RS200sd Watch
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
It is a great watch that is perfect for any competitive runner. Is has great features as well.
Customer Review: Very close to a 5, but...
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
I've had this watch/foot pod combo for 9 months now and have logged over a thousand miles in that time, so I've come to know this system's ups and downs pretty well by now. I'm happy to report it's mostly ups.
In terms of design, the watch (aka "running computer") is exactly what I've been looking for. It's taken Polar a long time to design a watch I truly like, but they've finally done it. What I like most is that its options are almost completely customizable. During exercise, you can set five different screens with three different lines of output (eg, heart rate, pace, total distance, total time, lap time, calories, etc), which is fantastic. In fact, because I can customize each of the five screens, I find that I can put all the relevant info I need on just two and then toggle back and forth between them while I'm running. You can even set the heart-touch function to change screens for you if you wish (whereby, you bring the watch close to the chest strap and it triggers one of three functions - lap conclusion, back light, or screen view).
Aside from output, the watch also has a host of other great features, including fully customizable workout routines (eg, free, basic, interval, and user-created). What I've done is create "Easy", "Long" and "Fast" routines, each with a different heart rate range so that I can easily monitor my effort without having to think.
The watch also has a "sleep" mode, where you can turn off the watch when not in use to conserve battery power, as well as other key features like a fitness test (which measures your resting heart rate (RHR) and VO2max) and even an event countdown calendar. I now know at any moment how many days I have before the San Francisco Marathon (my first). It's a true motivator and really nice touch. Polar really did think of everything with this watch in terms of design. Perfect.
The foot pod is also well-designed. Physically, it's very sturdy and feels like a smooth round rock you might find at the bottom of a stream. It's actually larger and seemingly heavier than I expected it to be, which concerned me at first, but after attaching it to my shoe, I literally could not tell it was there. As a result, it's the best of both worlds: rock-solid sturdy but unnoticeable while running. Another great feature is that the foot pod will automatically turn off after a certain period of inactivity, again conserving battery power. Great.
Not much to say on the chest strap, except that it's infinitely more comfortable than the previous design and seems to work well (I haven't had the problem of having to clean the contacts before every use as one reviewer mentioned; I merely wet it before starting, and then lightly wash it in warm water when finished).
If design were the only issue, this watch/pod combo would earn six stars from me. However, there are a couple of minor concerns of which one should be aware:
1) It took me a LONG time to calibrate the foot pod. Initially, I did as the manual suggested and ran around a track at a medium pace for 1200 meters (three laps). At that time, the calibration read 1.093, meaning that I was covering 1,093 meters for every 1,000 meters the foot pod was detecting. This is quite a margin of error, especially because Polar stated the foot pod should be 97% accurate right out of the box (implying that any calibration should end up somewhere between 0.970 and 1.030). This clearly was not the case for me. Worse still, the resulting mileages were way off when I actually ran known distances. Thinking hills could affect the calibration, I proceeded to recalibrate on a variety of courses and at varying distances (up to as much as 10K/6.1M). Every time, I got a different reading, ranging from 1.004 to 1.027. Finally, through triangulation and a bit of interpolation, I arrived at a manual calibration of 1.010, and it now seems to be accurate within +/- 2 meters per kilometer. Still not perfect, but certainly closer to the 99% that Polar claims you can achieve with individual calibration.
So, what's the moral of the story? If you only need/want approximations of your running distances, the foot pod is great right out of the box. However, if you're competing and need/want more accuracy and precision, expect to make a concerted effort. Incidentally, I recommend calibrating on courses that most reflect what you normally run and at as long of a distance as you can stand while maintaining good form. Doing so should help improve the accuracy. Also acknowledge the fact that changing shoes and/or courses (eg, from asphalt to grass) will affect the mileage output, thus resulting in the need to recalibrate. Fear not, however, because you'll eventually become more efficient at knowing how to find your best calibration.
2) Another niggle is that the watch freezes up or blanks out from time to time (half dozen times over the past 9 months). This is especially annoying during an important training session because you not only lose that day's data, but also because you have to stop what you're doing to reset it. Unfortunately, you cannot simply remove and replace the power source like you can on other electronic devices (eg, pulling the plug on a computer and then replugging it in to reboot); you have to do a "global reset", which involves pushing all four buttons side buttons simultaneously (not an easy trick for the less dextrous among us). In any event, I have since learned to do a preemptive global reset if I have a race or an important training session ahead of me that day, especially if I haven't had an "episode" in many weeks. The good news is, you don't lose any of the data stored previously thank goodness, just that day's.
3) One final (small) annoyance is with the footpod. It doesn't have a (sufficient?) low battery indicator, so you never know when you'll have to replace it's 2 AAA batteries. If it dies mid-run, you're out of luck. Like with the watch freezing, I change batteries if they've been in more than 20 hours of use and I have a big run ahead of me that day.
In sum, I think this is a fantastically-designed watch with a couple of functionality issues, but none enough to dissuade me from buying it. I absolutely love it and wonder what I did for so long without it. Way to go, Polar!
Customer Review: Best polar for the price
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
I'm an experienced runner (running for more than 5 years) and I just can't train without a polar on my wrist... First I bought a simple polar F3... At first It was good because all I wanted was my heart rate measured... But after 6 months I realized it wasn't enough... So I spent a good money on a Polar FT80 Heart but that was too much... You just don't use all the features of the watch and the screen is too dim at night and when you are running at high level you get have an easy to see screen, one that just at a glance you get all the information you need and want... So, as I'm from Brazil and I moved to US I forgot to bring my Polar FT80 Heart so I purchase the Polar RS200sd (the sd means speed and distance because it comes with a footpod)... This heart rate monitor does all the work... It measures your speed and distance (that's good for street runner but useless for treadmill runners only if you like the watch to keep registered your speed and distance for that day)... And gives you your heart rate, your percentage, and your ownindex (VO2)...
I've learned that the polar ownindex is not accurate but it is useful for doing a training program at the polar weblink software...
This polar comes with a feature called connectivity... You download the polar weblink software, register yourself on their website and transfer your training data from your polar just putting it near your computers microphone... It makes a modem connecting sound and it transfer all the data (it's easy to do it)... Thus, after transferring the data you can create training programs up to marathon... Moreover, it's really useful for you to keep your whole data as this polar only keep in file your last 20 sessions (more than enough)...
In a nutshell, I would certainly recommend this polar for experienced runner and beginners... Keeping a track of your heart rate and your training evolution is extremely important and with this polar on your wrist you will be just fine...
Best cost for the features, certainly do not recommend spending more money... This does it all...
Customer Review: Good, but need to read instructions
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
I have been using the RS200sd for over 2 months now.
Pluses:
-well constructed, watch is extremely light weight and comfortable to wear. The strap's materials and design allow good seating on my wrist without being tight. You can wear it day to day as your regular watch.
-Watch software works very well with no glitches
-Night light a nice plus
Things to note/minuses:
-Strap was a little tight on my chest. Polar sells different sizes, so you don't have to be stuck with the standard HM strap. Folks with round barrel chest may need to play around because the strap will tend to move downwards. However, once you get all nice and sweaty, the band material will help hold it to your chest.
-The foot pod needs calibration. Best is to run 1200-1600m on a running track. Also, if you change between two or more different kinds of running shoes, it makes a big difference to write down calibration factors for each. On my Mizuno it is more accurate but on my Pearl Izumis it overestimates speed and distance. The foot pod tends to flop a bit more on my P.I.'s because of the lace design. So the footpod position has a big effect on accuracy. On last week's 5k race, wearing my Peal Izumis, the 5k distance was 5.8k on my Polar watch!!!
All in all, a nice product.