Polar RC3 GPS Sports Watch

I think the best reviews have already been written so think of this one as a confirmation. I too have had issues with the watch not picking up a good GPS signal for about 5 minutes. But my first 5 minutes is usually a warm up so it's a moot point for me. The heart rate is accurate and once the GPS is happy pace seems to be accurate as well.What is stopping me from giving it 5 stars is the non-customized screen is actually a bigger deal than I originally thought. A lot of times I will squeeze a run in by picking a few loops by my son's daycare and suddenly seeing the actual time is really important compared to say a relaxing weekend run. It would be awesome to be able to see my heart rate zone, pace, and time. That way I can glance down and decide if I have time to do another loop or head back. But that isn't an option. So you end up spending a lot of time cycling between screens rather than just a quick check in. Is this a deal-breaker? Absolutely not. But if I could customize even one screen I would gladly give it 5 stars. I've done 4 runs with it, I will let you know if anything changes.EDIT: 8/10/15. So the GPS delay was driving me nuts so I finally wrote to polar support. It turns out before you start your run you are supposed to wait (as in stand still, don't walk) until the watch picks up the heart rate monitor AND GPS. You see two little checkmarks, then hit start, and you have trouble-free from there on.

Edit 4/1/2015I almost bought the M400? but saw the Amazon warning about the product and decided to get another one of these from the lightning deal the other day.I'm trying to attach a picture to highlight my battery issue with the original purchase....the picture shows the new and old one, both had been fully charged. I used the new watch for an hour long workout without GPS, just tracking heart rate. It's less than 1 day later and you can see the old watch (not being used at all) is almost out of power. So far the new one is working fine.I'll try to update in a month or so with any potential battery issues.I had this watch for some time now and have debated how to rate this a write my review. I've settled on 3 stars as I can't go completely middle of the road (2.5).First off, everything arrived on time and in perfect condition. The manual was easy to read, the watch was easy to setup and I was an extremely happy camper (please note the was).I purchased this as my Polar FT-7 has just up and died, had some Amazon credit and figured this would be a really nice upgrade to bring along on my hikes and bike rides. And it is/was, tons of screens with all the information you could want, uploads to the polar fitness site with all kinds of graphs, charts, training points and more. I love the elevation feature and charting ascents up 14'ers, or mapping out my rides and comparing the peak heart rate with where I was on my route. Definitely a big help in training.So, with all the praise, why aren't I rating this higher? Sadly it is because after using it for about 45 days or so, the battery now barely holds a charge for is completely discharged after 24-36 hours, whether or not it is being used. When using it with the GPS turned on, I am lucky to get about 4-5hours out of it, and then it's dead. I can jury rig it with a battery pack, but that is a hassle that I shouldn't' have to deal with so soon into my purchase.Polar support was awful, at least to me, despite what I have heard from other folks. I contacted them and was told that in order for them to even consider fixing/replacing/diagnosing the watch, I had to send it back to them on my dime, and make sure to include the original USB cable (which I cannot for the life of me find - it was too short so I've been using a longer one) and that without that, they cannot do anything for me.Perhaps this was wrong information from the person I corresponded with , but it really turned me off on Polar. Now I still use the device for shorter workouts and the like, mainly because it syncs up with Virgin Healthmiles and I get $$ from work for the milestones.Sadly, the second I find a way to get a Garmin device that will sync up with Virgin, I'll toss this aside and move to Garmin.

I absolutely love this watch. It is easy to use, fits well on my wrist, and includes a lot of features normally found only in more expensive models.Design1. The overall feel of the watch is wonderful. It matches the shape of my wrist wonderfully and doesn't look large or out of place (my wrist is quite small for a male)2. The styling is pretty conservative, but this is good since it allows you to wear it as a casual watch when not running. Most GPS watches are brightly colored or extremely bulky. This one doesn't look much different than a normal watch.3. The buttons could be a bit smoother in their operation (they can sometimes get slightly caught), but their overall feel is good.4. The charging/interface port is, well, stupid. It is clumsy to get it open, and when you do, getting the USB cord into the port is a game of trial and error. But, when you do happen to make contact, the connection feels solid. Even though I think Polar made a mistake with the design of this port, it uses a cord that is widely available and used in pretty much every piece of electronics out today (cell phones, cameras, etc). This is a plus because if you happen to leave your charger at home while away for a race, someone will most likely have the cord you need.5. The screen is large and easy to see while running. The information on screen is nicely organized and I would like for the light to be a bit brighter, but that isn't a big deal.The main problem with this watch is Polar and the website. The website works most of the time, but when it doesn't, don't even bother contacting Polar because they don't respond. Polar needs to work out the bugs on the unreliable site along with smoothing out its clumsy interface. But, if you can get beyond this, the watch is a good buy and a better value than Garmin.

Do not buy from poor fish outdoor !!!! This is the second time that i have this watch first time bought it From another seller and watch worked fine for several years! 6 weeks ago a purchased a new one from "Poor Fish Outdoor" and started using it a couple of weeks ago! After first time i charged battery did not last more than 10 hours without using HR monitor or GPS. They don't respond for your purchase!

I used this watch for a year and a half before upgrading to something that can support swimming. It never missed a beat. I never had one single problem with it and it has held up very well. The HRM does seem to eat batteries a little quicker than my Garmin does, but the batteries are cheap and I didn't replace them that often anyway.

RunningやCyclingのモチベーションアップにと同社のRS300Xを使用していました。値段のわりには良い製品で毎回使用していたのですが、もう少し細かいTraining評価と、GPS一体型がほしくRC3GPSにレベルアップしました。感想としては、楽しい！の一言につきます。その日のTrainingをUSBにてウエブに転送するとRS300Xでは出来なかった詳細なデータと評価をしてくれます。Training効果のところで回復Trainingなのか、定常状態Trainingなのか判別してくれて、さらに有酸素運動の改善になったのか、炭水化物が主なエネルギー源なのか、脂肪燃焼に効果があったのかetc・・・と色々細かく評価してくれます又、消費カロリーの内、脂肪燃焼率は何％なのかなど楽しくて運動したくなる気持ちにさせてくれます。ただ、この製品に限らず他社の製品にも同じことが言えると思いますが、「最高心拍数」の値の計算があいまいのように思います。年齢を入力すると最高心拍数を計算してくれますが、計算式が220-年齢となり自分で例えると220-43で、177が最高心拍数になります。平均的に運動している人とそうでない人が同じ値と言うのはおかしい、ゾーンTrainingで心拍が変動しすぎになり又、Training負荷のところで、体調は良好なのに激しい運動は避けましょうとなります。しかし、最高心拍数を出すことは=限界ぎりぎりという事なので安全を考慮ししかたないのかなとも思います。自分は、1年ほど前に190を出したことが有り、その後体調を崩したのでこれが最高心拍数と判断し190を入力して使用し安定しています。※最高心拍数を求めることは危険が伴うので自己判断でお願いします。最高心拍の値を入れるのは難しいですが、とても良い製品と思います。★４としたのは、GARMINのForeAthleteのようにクイックリリースシステムがあればバイクで使用するときにわざわざ腕にはめなおすてまがはぶけると思いました。又、ケイデンスセンサー、スピードセンサーが電池交換できず消耗品扱いそれも6000円もするのに、この御時世で何で？という事で★４としました。

すごい悩んで決めました。最初はガーミンとエプソンも候補でしたが、GPS機能付、心拍計機能付きで、ロードバイクのケイデンスも測れること。この機能で35000円位までの予算で検討しました。ランニングとロードバイクの両方履歴を残せる事は絶対条件でした。今回は機種決定には、このレビューをかなり参考にしました。他はYouTubeの動画です。かなり厳しいレビューがありその部分を確認しました。マニュアルは日本語版の詳しい物をポラールのホームページからダウンロード可能で、購入前に読み込みました。ケイデンスセンサーのセッテイングもです。データダウンロード後のpolarpersonaltrainer.comのデータは実際に使ってみると、間違いなくトレーニングのモチベーションアップです。今までネットで距離を確認し、ランニングウオッチで測定していましたが異次元です。心拍を確認しながらのトレーニングは本当に良いです。それにGPSでトレーニングコースの地図、高低差も出ると本当に面白いです。トレーニングの幅は広がります。ソフト面は満足です。ハード面は英語表記でも日本語版マニュアルがあれば問題有りません。早速ランニング、ロードバイク両方試しましたがGPSの受信も30秒位。今迄に自分で測っていたトレーニングコース10800mが、結果10760m。これはポラールが正解では。ケイデンスセンサーもYouTubeで取り付け動画見ておいたので、すんなりでした。他社の製品との比較は有りませんが自分で想定した結果と、機能は合致する物でした。もう少し使い込んだらレビューに追記します。ランニングとロードバイクでトレーニングした結果は満足。ランニングとロードバイク両方履歴残したい方には最適では。GPSの受信には1分位かかります。手賀沼から利根川沿いのコースでは地図上の誤差は無しです。