PolarPacer - Running Smart Watch for men and women - GPS Multi Sport Watch, Gym Exercise Watch, Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Sports Training Program & Health Recovery Tools, Sleep & Activity Tracker

I was planning to upgrade my old Amazfit GTS which has served me well for almost 4 years. I wanted something that was a bit more focused on running rather than an all rounder fitness tracker. I’m a recreational runner, running 5-6k 3 or 4 times a week so didn’t want to pay a fortune for something with lots of features I wouldn’t get the benefit from but at the same time wanted some accurate and meaningful stats from sessions. I did tons of research and the two which kept coming up in reviews was this and the Coros Pace 3. I know Polar have been making running wearables for years and Coros are relatively new to the market but I was leaning towards the Coros mainly because that was the cheaper option for similar features. However, the Polar was at an excellent Prime Day offer price (£70 cheaper than the Corps) so I decided to give it a try.I’ve been using it for about 6 weeks now and I’m absolutely delighted with it. It’s probably a little heavier than my previous watch but from other reviews much more lightweight than similar devices, it looks stylish, and feels solid. I chose it in the black/grey colour which has a kind of gunmetal look to the bezel and the buckle and a very dark grey, almost black, strap. I would have preferred a woven strap but Polar don’t seem to do one for this model and although they provide a connector to attach a different strap I had trouble doing this with an old woven one. That said, the silicon strap is comfortable to wear and I don’t feel the same level of slipping when I’m running as I did with my Amazfit.I found the set up on the app wasn’t as straightforward as it could have been but that’s the case for pretty much every wearable. It also took me a while to work out how to sync the watch and to get used to the lack of touch screen, which I actually prefer now because there’s no accidental turning off or on which used to happen with my old one.While some reviews have mentioned that the display looks basic, I’m happy with the look. In some lights I need to turn on the backlight to see the dial clearly but not really a big deal. The battery life is great. I get roughly a week out of a single charge with 3 or 4 runs.GPS connects very quickly, the watch is easy to navigate, and being able to clearly seen heart rate, speed, distance, etc on a run is great and something my previous watch didn’t have. GPS is also very accurate, and the detailed breakdown of stats and an option to record reflections of an activity through the app is great. Sleep tracking in far less accurate and sometimes doesn’t record at all so if this is a deal breaker for you this might not be the right watch. I have also noticed that the watch has occasionally turned itself off.I’ve tried some of the other sports settings, yoga, Pilates, and climbing but with all of these activities I’m not sure that there’s a meaningful way to record them aside from heart rate tracking so I think it comes into it’s own with cardio based movement activity - running, walking, hiking, bike riding, etc although I haven’t tried the others yet.Previous reviewers have talked about how great the Polar Flow app is. I haven’t had too many issues aside from initially trying to navigate it but I think there are some really basic things missing, mileage per month, for example. You can find this on the web version of Polar Flow but I don’t understand why little things like this aren’t on the app.All things considered, I’m giving in 4 stars, it’s really a 4.5 but I don’t have that option. It’s only the minor points that prevents it being a 5 and I’m prepared to overlook those for the benefits. It’s an excellent watch for the price I paid for it.

I bought the Polar Pacer to record HIIT indoor cycling & swimming. Easy to install the Polar app & pair the sports watch to the app. Many sports to choose from & select on the watch, easy to save & download your sessions. Progress can then be followed on the Polar Pacer app. The watch can also be used as a regular watch. Light to wear on your wrist does not interfere with taking part in sports. Available in a few colours & in different lengths of the strap. In the box is part of the strap, a cable to charge your Polar Pacer along with warranty & instructions to get you started. The watch is fully waterproof I have worn my Polar Pacer swimming lengths. Easy to record your swimming session & then compare sessions to improve your timing. The Polar Pacer is a popular sports watch. Easy to charge your Polar Pacer with the cable supplied, a usb plug is required or a compatible charger. The Polar Pacer holds it's charge well I have charged mine twice a week

Have tried numerous Polar watches in the past and none impressed at all, but the Pacer Pro is very different. Light and easily comfortable for 24hr wear, glitch free bluetooth sync with the app which now (finally!) works with Google Fit. This one is for keeps.

I thought unlike others I would leave a long term review. This was my first dedicated tracker having always used Apple watch. I didn't want to spend much money on a secondary device, so this fit the bill. Honestly I hated it at first. Rubbish screen, can't really do anything with notifications, having to get my head around Polar flow. But I perceveired and after 2 months everything started to come together. Polar flow and fit spark are really powerful tools. Polar flows web app with its guides and planner are really useful tools. But for the watch itself it became a simple fact less is more. It tracks everything I need for training, recovery and sleep. It's screen is really good in sunlight and unlike smart watches with fancy displays, actually gets better the brighter it is. It's GPS is connected rather then on the watch. Truth is it really helps with battery life. There's no touch screen which when running is actually better. No mis-touches or actions. The watch is light and battery lasts in my case between 7/8 days with notifications switched off. I will say the inbox strap isn't great. It irritated my skin but that's probably just a me thing. I've swapped in for a official branded band now. It's fast and responsive and easy to navigate. Continuous HR tracking works great. It charges fast too in around 45 mins. It's been pretty accurate for me on all fronts. In summary it's a very refined simple dedicated tracker that's been reliable for me at least. And 2 years later it's an absolute steel. On release it had a few flaws. They've all been ironed out. At its lower price it's a no brainer if you want a basic solid option for running or general activities. It's not suited for navigation really and I use Suunto for that. But on dedicated routes and general training it's brilliant. Just be realistic about the type of watch it is and you will be rewarded.