I have had my S-710 since 9/2001, and really like it. I have the speed and cadence options, but have not purchased the power unit.

I like the Polar Software 3.0 that comes with this watch. It is terrific for capturing all of my workouts with more data than you can imagine. Does a nice job of tracking time in various heart zones, pace, and lap information.

Before Joe Moya gives his "standard disclaimers" about the S-510, I'll note that the S-710 does NOT have the dreaded "Red Button" problem. Apparently, there is some feature on the 510 that enables you to lose your workout data if the lap button is pushed (at the wrong time? too many times? I don't know.)

The S-710 does NOT have that problem. There is no way to lose data from the Red button. You could restart the watch and record a new lap, but you won't lose old information.

The S-710 also is NOT on a dead-end platform that Joe dislikes about the S-510. The S-510 comes with an old version of PC Coach lite. Well, I purchased the full version of PC Coach, thought it was utter crap, and returned it. So I can understand why Joe dislikes the S-510 software.

The S-710, as mentioned, comes with the Polar Software 3.0. The Polar software is good for capturing workout data, but does not have any training plan capability -- you do not use this software to plan your workouts ahead of time. The S-710 data files are stored as simple text files, and could conceivably be parsed into a program like Microsoft Access if you wanted to do different manipulation. Also, I have heard, but do not personally know, that you can upload your workouts to Friel's Training Bible site if you subscribe to their coaching services.

As far as the wireless stuff goes, I'd say the hardware is finicky to install and tweak to make sure it is operating correctly. But once you've got it working OK, then it simply keeps working reliably without further tweaking. The cadence and speed units are easily adjustable to set the transmission power level. There are instructions on the net on how to do this. I, and most people, had to increase the power from the default setting.

If you use the power unit, you do not have to worry about wireless transmission errors -- the power unit is wired directly to the watch cradle.

I have heard conflicting opinions about the accuracy of the power unit. Some people claim it is inaccurate. In my opinion, this gets back to the setup issues. The power unit is finicky to setup, but then works quite well. Its' accuracy seems to track SRM much better than Powertap according to this website:

http://www.monkeyhillcs.com/chung/rosetta/rosetta_details.html

It compares SRM, Powertap, and Polar. When I look at the results, it is quite obvious that Polar is accurate enough for me. When considering power, realize that even the SRM amateur model is only accurate to +/- 5%.

I have also heard people say the Polar software is better than the Powertap or SRM software. I've seen neither, so take it for what it is worth.

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~~Bob

I agree with Bob. I am VERY satisfied with my S710. The only problems I have experienced are: 1) the signal strength from the cadence sensor (which can be remedied as Bob mentioned) and a weird problem when I hit the night light, which seemed to stop the stopwatch. I stopped using the light and haven't experienced the problem since. Oh, and the altimeter registers all sorts of peaks and valleys when under water (I assume due to pressure changes). I have raced and trained extensively with it and am really happy with it.

As Bob mentioned, the 710 provides a wealth of statistical information and having the bike/altitude info integrated is really nice. If you are numerically/statistically inclined, you will be pleased. If you are not, cheaper heart rate monitors would probably suffice. I think the calendar/log is good but I prefer to track my workouts on a Training Bible-based excel spreadsheet.

I do not have the power sensor but given the delicacy of the installation, I would guess the 710 would be more vulnerable to inaccuracy vs. the other power sensing devices. That said, in my opinion, it is more important that the device be reliable than valid and I would think that the 710 could be reliable once it is installed securely. As long as the 710 consistently measures your various outputs over different sessions, it doesn't matter if the number corresponds exactly to another device. But if it is not reliable, it is pretty much worthless. It seems like it would be very easy to test this... someone with a 710 with power and a computrainer could compare the outputs over multiple sessions.

-Dave

I also agree. I have only had mine for 3 months but love it. It acts as a training diary me for me just by downloading it to my computer. Also the only problem I have had is with the cadence and speed transmission under "HEAVY" power lines, however I will now remedy with Bob's advice. It's a great unit and truly handy with all of it's functions if you like to analyze your workouts by numbers.

Greg

I have the S710 with power option fitted to my Principia TT time trial bike. Everything works as it should and the software is very useful. The only problem is that the power sensor requires being very close to the chain run (within 1 inch?) I can't achieve this on my setup and when my chain is in the large chainwheel its much further than they recommend. Currently the bike is mounted on a Tacx Swing trainer and the power figures I record depend upon whether I'm in the large front or small front. Using the power charts in the Tacx Swing manual the wattage seems to overrecord about 50% when I'm on the small front and underecord about 50% when on the large front.

How accurate is the altimeter? I wanted to buy the 710 primarily for this and did not know if I would be wasting my money.

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"No one ever told me they made black fondant!" - Duff Goldman

I have used the altimeter on mine while running, quite a bit on the foothills around seattle. My only complaint is that I often forget to set it at the trailhead before I head out. I've used it running with a topo map and love it because I can see how close I am getting to the next juncture in the map based on the altimeter data and the contour lines. I'm not a gadget freak and it really surprises me that I'm finding this feature so useful.

Over the course of a 2 hour run with ~2000 ft ascent it might be 10 feet off at the end, but given that it's based on barometric pressure, I'm not sure you could really expect anything different. A friend of mine is really into using his GPS and is always complaining about how bad the alititude plotting is on the GPS, I guess the angles of the satellites just don't allow it to give correct altitude readings.a

Check out the wattage forum on www.topica.com. You'll find all you ever wanted to know about the Polar S710 as well as the other power sensing training devices. Search for "wattage" at the site and two or three choices will come up. It'll be obvious which forum pertains to cycling.

POLAR claim the altimeter is accurate to 1 metre and I believe them. I use this feature quite a lot and I am always surprised by the accuracy. Clearly the atmospheric pressure changes will mess things up but over short periods of time it certainly helps navigation.