Polar FT80G1 Black Heart Rate Monitor Watch with G1 GPS Sensor

Reviews of Polar FT80G1 Black Heart Rate Monitor Watch with G1 GPS Sensor

1.) Great looking HRM watch!
Reviewed by: Donald J. Dean
Rating:
This is simple - the best looking HRM watch.

The display is easy to read like any other negative display. If you don't like negative displays, don't buy it. If you think they are cool, you will like it. It is ez to read in sunlight, in the gym - anywhere just like any other watch. I have used this for several months without any issues of reading the watch.

The GPS is basic but functional - great when you want to do outdoor runs.

The workout function is great - showing you how high your heart rate is and where to start your next set.

Basically, it looks great and has great functionality. It is thin too, I wear it to my office and to the gym. One watch does it all.

2.) Love It
Reviewed by: damonff Silver Spring, MD USA
Rating:
This watch has kept me motivated for the past month...I can't wait to wear it when I bike, walk, run, and go to the gym. It tracks everything. Occasionally it loses the gps signal in the woods where I run, but it's not a big deal. It's great in the gym during strength training.


3.) The watch is fantastic the GPS not so much
Reviewed by: djenvision
Rating:
I got this watch because i am all about fitness and it seemed to fit what I wanted pretty good. After using the watch for a week I feel in love with it, all the data I need to know about my workout on my wrist, at a buttons push and information online to help me make my next workout better. Who could ask for more?

Then the problems began the watch itself is great no issues the GPS unit is the issue here it takes forever to find signal and when it does it drops it all the time. It can be very disturbing to have run 8 miles and get home to see that the watch says you have run 1.6 miles. I did some research and found out the better GPS unit is the G3 W.I.N.D which is not compatible with this unit.

I would recommend the watch by itself but the G1 GPS unit is horrible so if you looking for a watch that will be great at the gym and working out at home then this is the one for you. If you are a runner looking for detailed run data about your run or even basic info like distance and time then I would look at a Garmin or Suunto

4.) Great HRM but do NOT buy G1
Reviewed by: Lukas Nevosad Brno, Czech Republic
Rating:
The watch is great - good looking, cool features, very good connection to polar website to track your training. Highly motivational overall.

What really sucks is the G1 - it is highly inaccurate (+- 50% on total distance is NOT acceptable), it cannot do anything else than measure distance (unreliable) or speed (which gives strange readings too). G1 is simply money wasted.

+ good looking, I wear it daily
+ love weekly goals and overall training intelligence
+ highly motivational
+ easy to learn navigation
+ very cool function to quickly show time when the watch "touches" the HRM belt
+ the HRM belt works with Nautilus cardio machines in my gym
+ [...] makes a good job of tracking your training and is full of usefull materials
- display has VERY low contrast ratio, nevertheless is readable both on direct sunlight and after sunset
- manual is rather short and does not explain lot of the features.
- strap looks sturdy but is not easy to close or open
- flowlink is hard to use while wearing the watch
- G1's GPS accuracy is awful when running in the woods (where my iPhone's GPS has no problems at all) and still inaccurate in open areas
- G1's reported speed is either delayed or somehow averaged - pretty much useless
- G1's data cannot be used to anything else
- Polar bike equipment cannot be used with FT80, you need to own two devices.

I honestly don't see a point in byuing the G1 - if you want to track your distance and average speed, you
can just fill it in manually on the website - it is much more reliable. If I buy a tracking GPS device, I want
to see my route plotted on the map and see both my speed and track height profile put together with my HR. Polar FT80+G1 does not deliver any of that.


5.) Polar Watch FT80G1
Reviewed by: Jaime Switzerland
Rating:
Watch so far so good according expects and expectations. Visibility of the watch screen is somehow dim when not on the light but I can live with it. GPS is rather large and heavy to carry and the less good part is that takes an entire AA battery after 24 hours of use. So be careful not leave on

6.) POLAR FT80G1
Reviewed by: Sad FT80 Owner Mountainside, NJ
Rating:
In late April 2009 I purchased a Polar FT80G1 (FT80 with the GPS sensor). At first I loved the unit and it worked fine (great looks, cool features). After about a month of use the monitor became inconsistent, e.g. halfway into a run the HRM just stopped showing HR only 00, other times the GPS would stop providing distance information, sometimes the GPS would work but the HR would stick at 00. The manuals state that the wrist unit and transmitter batteries should last 1yr+. I had the batteries changed on each unit yet the problem persists. Other times I would be running indoor on a treadmill (using a fat burn or heart rate program) and at times the treadmill would stop because my HR was too low - treadmills at my gym thought I was dead so they turnoff(my gym is less than six months old - LIFETIME FITNESS so the equipment is new and well maintained.
Prior to purchasing the FT80 I read reviews complaining about the display. I agree that the display is hard to read in low light, but super at the gym or in full sun. The face of the FT80 is easy to scratch and impossible to remove the scratches, which in a low level light situation makes reading the display a workout in and of its self. The FT80 looks great; the first month of use was wonderful. Thereafter it has been one big disappointment after another. I have been a Polar customer for about 10 years, and have always been impressed with the Polar products I have owned. I moved up to the FT80 from the F6 that I used for about four years and never had a problem with at all. This afternoon I FedEx'ed my F6 back to Polar to have the battery replaced. I emailed Polar to learn of the return policy for FT80 - having paid over $400 less than five months ago I hope they will do something.
I would absolutely not recommend this product to anyone.
Richard Miskewitz, Mountainside NJ


7.) Not worth it
Reviewed by: Andy Ellarby Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
Rating:
First of all, I wish that I had seen a review like this before I bought mine, but as I am the first. I am so disappointed in this watch. What is wrong with it?

1. The display is so dim and it cannot be adjusted. I was certain that the watch was faulty, I contacted the vendor and they sent me a replacement, and that was the same. It is almost impossible to read the menu indoors, outdoors it is a lot better, but still very difficult. When I looked on the Polar website discussion area I noticed a lot of people saying the same thing. How I wish that I could have found this earlier.

2. The GPS seemed not to work, I had to spend hours trying to figure out why not and by chance I found that the GPS (G1) had to be set to mode 2; absolutely no mention of this anywhere. In fact for a high price and supposedly highly functional watch the manual is not worth the paper it comes on.

3. The GPS is very basic, I could not find this out before, but it only measures the speed (at the moment) and distance travelled. It has no waypoints, no coordinates, no software to display routes or maps, etc. OK, I know this is not supposed to be a navigation device, but this information could be obtained with a foot pod at far less expense and no need for a GPS. The Garmins and Timex all have this.

On the positive side, it is a good looking watch, but not much use if you cannot read the display.

I have returned mine now to Trinowfittness - who by the way are very good. I am looking at replacing with a Polar RS800CX or a Garmin of some description.

In summary, don't get this watch if you use it in a gym, don't get it with the GPS option if you only want to keep track on how far you have run. If they fix the display it might have some other useful features. The picture used on the Polar web site shows the display as much brighter than the actual watch itself.

Good luck.


8.) Long Time Customer - Really Disappointed
Reviewed by: J. Muir Midvale, UT USA
Rating:
My experience with the FT80 has been the same as Richards above. I have used Polar monitors for years and I can't tell you how disappointed I was when the first "improved" transmitter stopped working. It worked fine for about 10 weeks. Then I started getting readings of 208 before even warming up. I would mess around with the belt and transmitter over and over to make it work - and it would sometimes for about 5 minutes - then back to crazy readings. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, replaced a 10 week old battery - same results. So I bought another transmitter here on Amazon only to have it do exactly the same thing after only 2 weeks. The product is bad because of the transmitter and you cannot use the older models with it so I am back to using my Polar F6 which has been bulletproof (and costs 1/4th as much). Polar - you really need to fix the transmitter problem on the new watches and provide us an alternative to the one flawed transmitter you offer.

9.) Disappointment
Reviewed by: Roman Stanek
Rating:
I am so disappointed by FT80. The transmitter is unreliable, first battery lasted only few months. I had the first battery replaced and the second one lasted only a few weeks...

Features of Polar FT80G1 Black Heart Rate Monitor Watch with G1 GPS Sensor

Optimizes strength training by providing guidance on how to long to rest between sets, delivering the information in an easy-to-read graphical display (see image above)

If there's one word to describe people who train seriously for athletics, it's dedication. And if there's one heart rate monitor that's dedicated to helping you achieve maximum workout efficiency, it's the Polar FT80G1. The FT80G1--which comes with a G1 GPS sensor that measures your speed and distance during outdoor sports--starts by checking your daily condition, and then guiding you to the ideal training intensity for your age and fitness level. Knowing your heart rate not only helps you reach your personal fitness goal, but also improves your physical condition in general, as it's vitally important to train at the appropriate intensity level. If you exercise too hard, you may quit before you reach the real benefit, but if you work out too leisurely, you'll struggle to lose weight at all. The FT80G1 helps overcome these problems by encouraging you to map out a complete fitness routine.

The FT80G1's intelligent training computer also helps you work toward achieving your exercise goals in other ways. For example, the watch offers a Polar Star personalized training program that adapts to your workout habits. By giving you weekly training targets and providing constant feedback, the watch guides you without being too strict, helping you reach your goals more efficiently. The watch also displays heart rate info in several ways, including as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, as beats per minute, and within a graphical target zone indicator. And should your heart rate exceed or dip below your target zone, the FT80 will sound an alarm that helps you return to form.

Users will also love the variety of proprietary Polar functions, including ZonePointer, Polar Strength Training, and Polar OwnCal modes. The ZonePointer is an audible and visual feature on the display of your FT80G1 that shows you where your current heart rate sits within your target heart rate zone. The Polar Strength Training mode, meanwhile, helps you optimize your strength training by reading your heart rate and informing you when your body is ready for the next set--an ideal way to optimize your weight training. Finally, the Polar OwnCal mode shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session, as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. You can also set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure, helping you achieve both short-term and long-term goals.

It's the G1 GPS sensor that really helps the FT80G1 stand out in a crowd, however. The sensor, which includes a SIRF-III chipset, not only makes it easy to measure your speed and distance, but also offers support for the WAAS system, thereby improving position accuracy to within 3 meters. The shock-resistant G1 runs for up to 10 hours with a pair of AA batteries, or up to 30 hours with an optional lithium battery.

Other watch features include a built-in fitness test that measures your aerobic fitness at rest in just five minutes; a ZoneLock mode that lets you activate a target zone in the midst of training with the press of a button; a Polar OwnZone mode that provides a customized target zone for individual exercise sessions; an OwnCode mode that prevents crosstalk from other heart rate monitors nearby; a recording mode that tracks your average and maximum heart rate, calorie expenditure, distance, and total exercise time, and then puts it in an exercise file (with 100 total files); water resistance to 50 meters; a 12/24-hour clock with a day/week indicator; a built-in backlight; an alarm with a snooze; a low battery indicator; and a Polar FlowLink connection for transferring data between the FT80G1 and a computer. The watch carries a two-year warranty.

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.

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.

1.) Sophisticated heart rate monitor watch with several innovative training features;
2.) Intelligent training computer helps you achieve maximum workout efficiency;
3.) Displays heart rate as percentage of maximum, bpm, and within target zone indicator;
4.) Includes G1 GPS sensor for measuring speed and distance during outdoor sports;
5.) Offers ZonePointer and Polar OwnZone modes; water-resistant to 30 meters; 2-year warranty;

Package Height x Length x Width: 6.9 in. x 6.9 in. x 5.1 in.
Package Weight: 1 lbs.

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