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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Polar V800 Review}}The {{Polar V800}} is elegant and has outstanding [[GPS Accuracy]], but and with time its price has dropped and its functionality has steadily improved as Polar released newer versions of the firmware, the app, and their web site. For a simple evaluation of a GPS watch, I look at how well itcan answer some basic questions:* '''How far did I run?'s pricy '' This is the most basic question, and the V800 has less functionality outstanding GPS accuracy. If you really want to know how far you've run, this is the best option other than getting a [[Stryd]] footpod, which the V800 supports well. * '''How fast am I running?''' Knowing how fast you're running can be a nice to know, or it can be vital for your training or race performance. Because of the nature of GPS, watches that rely on GPS signal alone tend to have serious problems with current pace. Even with the outstanding GPS accuracy, the current pace can be a long way out. This is mostly due to the nature of GPS accuracy errors compared with its competitorsFootpod errors. The limited V800 has great support for the [[CadenceStryd]] footpod, making it a great choice. * '''Where am I? '''The V800 has limited navigation features. ** '''Course Outline'''. This is an outline of a particular concernroute that can be downloaded. I've found this useful during ultras or in unfamiliar cities where I've needed to know where to go. However, there's no "Track Outline" showing where you've run (breadcrumb trail).** '''Back To Start'''. This is a simple arrow point to your starting point, so it won't help you backtrack. ** '''Back To Waypoint'''. You can mark a location and when compared use the arrow to point to it later. Again, this is a simple "as the crow flies" pointer. ** '''GPS "Compass"'''. There's no magnetic compass so you have to be moving for the far cheaper GPS to give you a sense of direction. * '''What's my cadence? '''[[Garmin 310XTCadence]]''' '''is one of the most critical and often overlooked aspects of running. If you get your Cadence right, many other things naturally fall into place. As of Feb 2016 the V800 seems too expensive. (Polar is about to release supports Cadence measurement from the M400 which I will review when it becomes availableinternal accelerometer and from Stryd, but no Cadence alerts.)[[File:Polar V800.jpg|nonecenter|thumb|200px|The {{Polar V800}}.]] The V800 is rated at 13 hours, but I managed to get nearly 24 hours in testing. To get that life, I didn't press buttons or have Bluetooth connected, but that's still an impressive figure. It also has a rated 50 hour battery life if you activate extended mode which reduces the GPS accuracy. In addition the V800 can be charge on the run. See [[Best Running Watch#Watches for Ultrarunning| Watches for Ultrarunning]] for more details.{{BuyAmazon|AZID=B00JSO9UD2|AZN=Polar V800}} 

* The Polar V800 has considerably better [[GPS Accuracy]] than any other GPS watch I've tested. It's better than some of the older devices that have surprisingly good GPS Accuracy, and it's far better than most of the newer devices that have mediocre to appalling accuracy. (Note that even the V800 does not have sufficient GPS accuracy to give a good display of current pace.) * The V800 also has a more rapid initial satellite acquisition than earlier watches, though it's not as fast as the watches that use a satellite pre-cache download. Note that while the GPS accuracy is quite remarkable, it is still not good enough to give a reliable readout of your current pace.* The Polar V800 has elegant styling and it's made from beautiful materials. It's so aesthetically pleasing that it makes me think it's an Apple product. The V800 is actually quite heavy, but this tends to convey a sense of quality rather than excess. The V800 hides its bulk quite effectively, as of the watch extends out into what appears to be the first part of the watch strap. * The elegant design continues into the user interface; the buttons, display, and the menu system combine aesthetics with usability. The V800 has five hard buttons, which I much prefer over a touchscreen interface, especially when wearing gloves or in the rain. In addition ** If you tap the V800 has screen, that acts like an extra button. You can set the tap to take a lap, turn on the backlight or a few other things. (This tap action that appears you does not seem to use the accelerometer rather than be a touchscreen, and I found this did not work terribly wellyou have to whack the V800 pretty hard, even on the lightest setting. I think Polar is using the internal accelerometer to detect the impact. )** If you're wearing the heart rate monitor strap, you can touch the V800 to the transmitter for an additional another action, such as activating the backlight. * Polar updated the V800 firmware to have great support of the [[Stryd]] footpod. It supports Stryd as a native power meter, which allows you to see not only the current power, but also average power, lap average power, and maximum power. You get the outstanding distance/pace accuracy of Stryd, along with the power estimate. * The V800 supports [[Cadence]] from it's an internal accelerometer, something that was added in Feb 2016. You can also get a more accurate reading of Cadence via [[Stryd]], but other [[Footpod]] options are currently quite limited (see below). See [[Cadence]] for details of the internal accelerometer accuracy. * The V800 provides more information when you pressed press the lap button than other watches, as well as far more useful data at the end of the run.* Like the [[Suunto Ambit2 R]] and [[Suunto Ambit3]], the V800 can be configured via the website, which is easier than fiddling with the watch itself. Most of the options can be also set on the watch, which means you're not stuck if you're away from the Internet.* The battery life is 13 hours with With GPS recording set normally. If you change the recording interval to once per minute, the battery life extends is 13 hours which is adequate for most runners, and I managed to 50 get nearly 24 hours, but there are no settings in betweenmy testing. For most runners 13 hours is adequateHowever, but ultrarunners may need to use the extended power save modethat extend the battery life up to 50 hours (I got just over 50 in my tests). Recording While the documentation claims that the power save mode records GPS point location once per minute, I've found that in practice it's a minute little more random than that (see below for details). The V800 can provide reasonable accuracy for straight, point-to-point coursesbe charged on the run by plugging it into a portable USB battery. I have had instances where the V800 would reset on disconnect, but could I suspect this might be very misleading in other situationsan issue with the battery overall.* The V800 provides some interesting analysis of your training. This is similar to the [[Firstbeat| Firstbeat Training Effect]] used by Garmin and Suunto, which is a simple number between 1.0 and 5.0. The V800 provides more detailed analysis with a text description of its evaluation. It has 17 different classifications including things like "maximum training", "tempo training", or "steady-state training". Each classification has a little congratulatory message associated with it that explains the benefit of that particular type of training. This is a nice feature, though it can be a little simplistic and may not be it was far less accurate for youme than the [[Firstbeat]] approach. If you're prepared to take it with a pinch of salt, it's a nice feature. (This requires the [[Heart Rate Monitor]].)* The V800 also provides some guidance on your recovery. Again this is a little more sophisticated than the Garmin and Suunto approach which give the number of hours until you are recovered. ** The V800 will tell you how many hours of recovery are required for the latest workout, and if which gives a nice evaluation of that workout in isolation. ** The V800 will give you are not recovered, it your overall recovery/stress level as a bar graph.<br/>[[File:V800RecoveryBar.jpg|none|thumb|100px]]** The V800 will then tell you what time and day when you will reach specific the next recovery thresholdslevel. <br/>[[File:V800RecoveryTime.jpg|none|thumb|100px]]** I think this is rather more useful informationthan the [[Firstbeat]] systems used by Garmin and Suunto, and the but I'm not convinced it's as accurate. ** The V800 can include stress/recovery information from general daily activity as well as exercise sessions, which is nice. However, because the V800 is a poor activity monitor (see below), this value is a little limited.

** The orthostatic test measures your [[Heart Rate]] and HRV lying down and when you stand up to evaluate your recovery status. This test takes six minutes and it needs to be done on a regular basis in order to detect patterns of change. Looking at the scientific research, the reliability of this test is unclear.

* The V800 will only upload the data to the Polar website, but Polar has introduced the ability to export workouts in TCX format data. This is not as good as some other devices, but it's workable. * You can use the V800 as a simple activity monitor, but this uses something that's common to many new sports watches. However, when the V800 acts as an activity monitor it only has only an internal accelerometer, so its value is limited compared with devices like which provides poor accuracy. If you need an activity monitor, I'd recommend the [[Basis Activity Tracker]] that include which has sensors for heart rate , skin temperature and other informationperspiration.* Unlike Ant+ based sensors that broadcast data to any device thatWhile the polar website at the release of V800 was more of an unfinished beta release rather than a complete solution, it has improved with time. It's listeningstill not up to the standard of the Garmin web site, Bluetooth sensors are currently limited to sending data to but I quite like it. Below is the analysis of a single paired listening deviceworkout using [[Stryd]] power. <br/> [[File:Polar V800 Stryd. jpg|center|thumb|300px|]]* The V800 will rebroadcast the signalsincludes a thermometer, which I rather like, but currently only though obviously the Polar App accuracy suffers because it's attached to your arm. * You can receive them. Hopefully this will be fixed in the future, and later revisions of use a Smartphone to upload your workouts to the Polar web site via Bluetooth specification will allow for fore broadcasting of data.

* One of the big downsides to the V800 is its cost, which is far more expensive than the watches that I highly recommend. Given the V800's functionality, though it's too expensive been out long enough for the price to be "highly recommended" at this price pointhave dropped dramatically.* The second problem with V800 uses Bluetooth sensors rather than the more common Ant+, which has some practical implications. ** For [[Heart Rate Monitor]], the V800 is its support Polar H7 works well.** The options for a [[CadenceFootpod]]are more limited (see below). Even though the V800 has an internal accelerometer** An Ant+ sensor will broadcast data to any device that's listening, this is not used to display cadenceso you could have two watches both receiving information. Cadence is only available with a Bluetooth Footpod, and the options here sensors are currently quite limitedto sending data to a single paired listening device. There is So if you're wearing the [http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Stride-Sensor-Bluetooth-Smart/dp/B00CCASIMS Polar Stride Sensor] but this is enormous and heavy compared with H7 Heart Rate Monitor, the data can go either to the Garmin equivalent. It actually weighs about 1oz/30gV800 or to your iPhone, which I believe is unacceptablenot both. There are other Bluetooth Footpods on (The V800 will rebroadcast the marketsignals, but none currently only the Polar App can receive them. Later revisions of these function fully with the V800Bluetooth specification will allow for broadcasting of data.)* Compounding the lack of Cadence The support, the V800 has no way of displaying your current pace from the for a [[Footpod]] while using GPS for overall distance and course(other than [[Stryd]]) is more limited than I'd like. If you select "speed from See [[Footpod" the Footpod is used ]] for distance as welldetails. * The V800 will only upload uses some visual tricks to appear smaller than it is. If you look at the picture below, the data watch body appears to be the Polar websitesilvered area, which is quite small. Polar has introduced to However, the first bit of the export watch strap is really part of TCX format datathe watch body, but this export with the strap starting much further out. The only problem is the watch body is incomplete inflexible, so on small wrists like mine it does not sit well, and I suspect it will dig into those with particularly large wrists. (I have no laps). You can work around this by using problem with watches that appear to be bigger, like the open source projects [https://github[Garmin 310XT]], but I have to wear the V800 over a sweat band.com)<br/pcolby/bipolar Bipolar] and >[[httpsFile://githubV800 Size.com/profanum429/v800_downloader V800_downloaderjpg|none|thumb|300px]], but this is a far cry from the open approach that Garmin has taken.* A minor niggle irritation with the otherwise excellent user interface is that the beeps and vibration are extremely weak and ineffectual.* Unlike the The V800 will predict your [[Suunto Ambit2 RVO2max|V̇O₂max]], but unlike the Garmin devices that used [[TomTom Cardio Runner]], or [[Garmin Fenix 2Firstbeat]]technology and give a good result, the V800 does not show any graphs is wildly wrong for me. Obviously this is a sample of paceone and Your Mileage May Vary. * Another irritation is that the V800 will sometimes ask you a question when you press the start button, heart rate, or other data pointwhich is not the ideal time.* I have had some issues with the battery on my V800. It's nice When I allowed to see fully discharge by not only your current data valueusing it for weeks I had problems getting it to take or hold a charge. The V800 would claim it was fully charged, but then give a low battery warning almost immediately after disconnecting from the graph of how power. Leaving it on charge for a few days seemed to resolve the issue. =What's Missing=While I don't consider these missing features as 'cons', it's changing during your runworth understanding the features that are missing compared with other watches.* There '''Navigation.''' Navigation capabilities are useful if there is no support for displaying a map or outline risk of getting lost, and the track better watches will provide a display showing where youhave run. I've covered for navigationmade good use of this feature when running in an unfamiliar city, or when running remote trails. There is The V800 has a rudimentary "back to start" functionality that gives you an arrow pointing back, but that's a poor substitute.* '''Downloadable Apps'''. Smart watches have got is used to the idea of a device that can be extended with new functionality, and this concept is being introduced to running watches.* '''Graphs'''. Instead of simply displaying a numeric value for things like heart rate, some watches will display a graph of the value over time, giving you a sense of how things are progressing.* '''Running Dynamics'''. Some of the newer Garmin watches can show and record Vertical Oscillation (VO) and Ground Contact Time (GCT). * '''Alerts'''. Some watches will alert you when a metric is out of range. The alert for [[Cadence]] is really useful and one of my favorite features. =GPS Accuracy=The polar website V800 has some basic functionalitygreat GPS accuracy, the best of any device I've test so far. The V800 uses the SiRF chipset, which seems to have the capacity for great accuracy. {| class="wikitable" |- valign="top"|[[File:BridgePolar V800.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|The Polar V800 is one of the most accurate devices I've tested, and you can see that the majority of the tracks are green indicating good accuracy. Notice the problems the V800 is having at the bridge. Rather strangely the lap markers are far more spread out than I would have expected on a device this accurate. ]]|- valign="top"|[[File:AccuracyPolar V800.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|This is a detailed image of a small zigzag in my course, that shows up how well a device is tracking. The Polar V800 follows this small zigzag quite well. The overwhelming majority of the lines are green indicating a good accuracy, even though the lap markers are quite spread out. ]]|- valign="top"|[[File:ZigZagPolar V800.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|Here is the zigzag with the tracks color-coded for direction, with green coming from the right, blue from the left. Typically GPS watches record tracks that have the green lines shifted slightly down and to the left, blue up and to the right. As you would expect from a device as accurate as the V 800, but it has the feel tracks are close together and follow the line of the zigzag nicely.]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Polar V800 Power Save.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|The GPS track from the Polar V800 in power save mode. Each blue dot is a GPS point from an unfinished beta release than out and back run that, with the route covered twice at a complete solutionsteady pace. You can see areas where the V800 is recording the GPS location quite frequently, and other times the frequency is quite low.]]|}=Visual Comparison={| class="wikitable"|- valign="top"|[[File:Polar V800-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Polar V800 top]]|[[File:Polar V800-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Polar V800 side]]|[[File:Polar M400-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Polar M400 top]]|[[File:Polar M400-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Polar M400 side]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Suunto Ambit3-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Suunto Ambit3 top]]|[[File:Suunto Ambit3-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Suunto Ambit3 side]]|[[File:Suunto Ambit2-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Suunto Ambit2 top]]|[[File:Suunto Ambit2-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Suunto Ambit2 side]]|- valign="top"|[[File:TomTom Cardio Runner-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|TomTom Cardio Runner top]]|[[File:TomTom Cardio Runner-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|TomTom Cardio Runner side]]|[[File:Garmin Epix-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Garmin Epix top]]|[[File:Garmin Epix-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Garmin Epix side]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Garmin 920XT-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Garmin 920XT top]]|[[File:Garmin 920XT-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Garmin 920XT side]]|[[File:Garmin 620-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Garmin 620 top]]|[[File:Garmin 620-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Garmin 620 side]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Leikr 1-top.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Leikr 1 top]]|[[File:Leikr 1-side.JPG|none|thumb|150px|Leikr 1 side]]|}