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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Polar V800 Review}}
The {{Polar V800}} is elegant and has outstanding [[GPS Accuracy]], but it's pricy and with time its price has less functionality compared with dropped and its [[Best Running Watch| competitors]]. The functionality of the V800 is has steadily improving improved as Polar release released newer versions of the firmware , the app, and the accompanying their web site. For a simple evaluation of a GPS watch, I look at how well it can answer some basic questions:* '''How far did I run?''' This is the most basic question, and the V800 has 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. Without the ability to display current [[Pace From A Footpod]] while getting all other data from GPS, the V800 has a poor display of 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 Footpod errors. Unfortunately, the The V800 has almost no great support for the [[Stryd]] footpod, and you're better off with the [[Polar M400]] and Strydmaking it a great choice.
* '''Where am I? '''The V800 has limited navigation features.
** '''Course Outline'''. This is an outline of a route 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 Waypoint'''. You can mark a location and 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 GPS to give you a sense of direction.
* '''What's my cadence? '''[[Cadence]]''' '''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 supports Cadence measurement from the internal accelerometerand from Stryd, but no Cadence alerts.
[[File:Polar V800.jpg|center|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.
** If you tap the V800 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 does not seem to be a touchscreen and I found you 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 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 a [[FootpodStryd]], but the 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 press the lap button than other watches, as well as far more useful data at the end of the run.
* Like the [[Suunto Ambit2]] 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 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, 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, which provides poor accuracy. If you need an activity monitor, I'd recommend the [[Basis Activity Tracker]] which has sensors for heart rate, skin temperature and perspiration.
* While 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 still not up to the standard of the Garmin web site, but I quite like it. Below is the analysis of a workout using [[Stryd]] power. <br/> [[File:Polar V800 Stryd.jpg|center|thumb|300px|]]
* The V800 includes a thermometer, which I rather like, though obviously the accuracy suffers because it's attached to your arm.
* You can use a Smartphone to upload your workouts to the Polar web site via Bluetooth.
=Polar V800 Cons=
* 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 V800 uses Bluetooth sensors rather than the more common Ant+, which has some practical implications.
** For [[Heart Rate Monitor]], the Polar H7 works well.
** The options for a [[Footpod]] are more limited (see below).
** An Ant+ sensor will broadcast data to any device that's listening, so you could have two watches both receiving information. Bluetooth sensors are currently limited to sending data to a single paired listening device. So if you're wearing the Polar H7 Heart Rate Monitor, the data can go either to the V800 or to your iPhone, not both. (The V800 will rebroadcast the signals, but currently only the Polar App can receive them. Later revisions of the Bluetooth specification will allow for broadcasting of data.)
* The V800 has no way of displaying your current support for a [[Pace From A Footpod]] while using GPS for overall distance and course. If you select "speed from Footpod" the Footpod is used for distance as well. * The support for a (other than [[FootpodStryd]] ) is more limited than I'd like. ** The Polar Stride Sensor is fully supported by the V800, with automatic calibration and it will display stride length as well as cadence. However, the Stride Sensor is huge when compared with modern Footpods, weighing over three times as much as a Garmin See [[Footpod. Because of its size and weight, it requires lacing into the shoelaces, making it a real pain to move between shoes. <jfs id="B00CCASIMS" noreferb="true" n="Polar Stride Sensor"/>** Some third party Bluetooth Footpods, like the "i-gotU" will pair with the V800, but then won't display cadence and will prevent the V800 from recording any distance travelled. ** The Adidas miCoach Speed Cell will work with the V800, but it's not easy. By default it will pair with the V800, but you can't set the calibration factor nor can you set the V800 to use GPS ]] for pace/distance. You have to pair the V800 with the Polar Speed Sensor to activate the menu items you need to configure the Adidas Footpod, which is far from ideal. However, once you've overcome these problems, the Adidas Footpod is a reasonable size and provides cadence (though not stride length). <jfs id="B00FEJ7FBO" noreferb="true" n="adidas miCoach Speed Cell "/>.** Even though the V800 has an internal accelerometer, this is not used to display cadencedetails.
* The V800 uses some visual tricks to appear smaller than it is. If you look at the picture below, the watch body appears to be the silvered area, which is quite small. However, the first bit of the watch strap is really part of the watch body, with the strap starting much further out. The only problem is the watch body is 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 problem with watches that appear to be bigger, like the [[Garmin 310XT]], but I have to wear the V800 over a sweat band.)<br/>[[File:V800 Size.jpg|none|thumb|300px]]
* A minor irritation with the otherwise excellent user interface is that the beeps and vibration are extremely weak and ineffectual.
* The V800 will predict your [[VO2max|V̇O<sub>2</sub>max]], but unlike the Garmin devices that used [[Firstbeat]] technology and give a good result, the V800 is wildly wrong for me. Obviously this is a sample of one and Your Mileage May Vary.
* Another irritation is that the V800 will sometimes ask you a question when you press the start button, which is not the ideal time.
