Polar S120 Heart Rate Monitors Reviews

Price Paid:  $79.00 at REI

Favorite Ride:
any

Summary:
This unit replaced a Polar ProTrainerNV that provided solid service for 9 years until biting the dust

My first S120 broke about 2 weeks after I bought it. The upper right button cracked off while reviewing training data at home. The store replaced it with another and so far it’s been OK.

User interface. Ease of use has never been one of Polar’s strong points. This unit is a bit better than older Polar units but is still far from intuitive. You will need to spend some time reading the manual and practicing

Display: the display is easily obscured by glare. It can be hard to read on a sunny day. The clear face on the watch scratches very easily.

Error rejection: I find that the max heart rate feature is virtually worthless. It almost always reads 240bpm. This unit does not do a good job of rejecting errors. I typically see a problem when sprinting up a hill where my heart rate increases rapidly. In that case the unit often reads maximum.

Signal: unit starts reading HR right away. No special gels or moisture needed. I have not experienced any range or interference issues.

Features: this unit has all the basic features I need. Other than max heart rate, they all work well

Strengths:
Reasonable price
Has all the basic features

Weaknesses:
Quality not as good as the older Polar it replaced.
No light for night training

Similar Products Used:
Cardiosport, Polar ProTrainer NV

Comments

DaveG (11/30/2008)

Update. AFter two yeats of use I have gone through 4 buttons (always upper right). They have a cheap hollowed out design and just crack after a while. Polar has sent me new buttons but that gets old. My wife bought me a Polar F6 for my b-day. That unit seems a bit sturdier; the S120 is relegated to a backup

Would you like to Comment?
Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Price Paid:  $88.00 at Foot of the Rockies

Bike Setup:
QR Caliente

Summary:
I agree about the no light being a problem. I really would like that to be a feature for such a price on a HRM. I almost took this back due to it being such a pain in the butt to understand. But after finally sitting down and really reading the manual I was able to understand the monitor. I am now able to perform most features without thinking about them. Only thing I don't understand so well is the countdown timer. Other than that I find it does do what it says. I have only lost HR once during a run and never during swims.

Strengths:
Big easy to read readout.

Weaknesses:
No LIGHT. Difficult at first to program. Easy to get lost in the programs.

Price Paid:  $90.00 at fitnesszone.com

Favorite Ride:
Any race

Bike Setup:
N/A

Summary:
Excellent value for money
Good range of functionality
If you have never used an HRM before you will need to read a primer to perform the optimum setup. (Dr Ed Burke's books are excellent)

Strengths:
Good split time/lap features
Easy to see info and use during races
For <$90 its hard to beat

Weaknesses:
Very poor instruction manual. I have over 2 years experience with a simpler Polar HRM and was able to understand the tortuous and poorly defined instruction/setup.
Preprogramming an "Exercise Set" seems overly complicated for little added value

Similar Products Used:
Polar Coach (2 years)

Price Paid:  $89.00 at online

Summary:
I wanted just a plain vanilla HRM, and Polar had a great reputation. I wanted something I could use on the bike as well as running.

Strengths:
Some neat functions, including target zones, time in zones, etc. Some reviewers claim Polars lose the heart rate sometimes -- I have only experienced this problem on a treadmill (probably electronic interference). I have had no problems biking or running on the road.

Weaknesses:
I didn't know that there is no light; therefore, usage during night is impossible. Also, during daylight, the watch is difficult to read if you wear polarized (no pun intended) sunglasses, as I do.