8,160
edits
Changes
From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
no edit summary
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Polar V800 Review}}
The {{Polar V800}} is elegant and has outstanding [[GPS Accuracy]], but it's pricy and has less functionality compared with its [[Best Running Watch| competitors]]. The functionality of the V800 is steadily improving as Polar release newer versions of the firmware and the accompanying 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 short of running on a track.
* '''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.)
* '''Where am I? '''The V800 has limited navigation features, providing only a "back to start" arrow.
* '''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 accelerometer, but no Cadence alerts.
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 [[ShoesBest Running Watch#Watches for Ultrarunning| Watches for Ultrarunning]] for more details.
[[File:Polar V800.jpg|none|thumb|200px|The {{Polar V800}}.]]
=Polar V800 Pros=