310xt vs RS800CX

Triathlon Forum
1

Hi,

I presently own a RS400SD and I wish to upgrade.
I like the 310xt for his multisport option and is built-in GPS.
I don’t like the smart record (do you loose much information?).

I like the RS800CX for the PPT5 program, not much difference between the RS400 so would be easy to use, smaller than the 310xt
I don’t like the size of the G3.

Is the G3 accurate for realtime speed and distance?
Is Garmin GPS better, worse or about the same

I do duathlon and maybe triathlon this year.

So, what do you think?
Thanks!

2

310XT all the way. Don’t bother with anything else.

3

I have both, and use the 310xt all the time now. Made the switch when I got Powertap wheels, which the Polar can’t talk to. The 310 form factor is a little bulkier, but with its ability to do everything the RS800 does, plus talk to ANT+ power meters, measure swim distances (sort of), and GPS functionality its a much more useful tool for the triathlete. I use the RS800 as a sport watch now, as displaying time is something the Garmin is very crappy at (2pt font).

4

One reason you will like the rs800 a lot is because of the small foot pod you really do not know it is there. The watch is also attractively designed so you can wear it out also.
All of the reasons you listed are telling you to stick with polar , you kind of answered your own question already. I find my polar very accurate outside and on the dread mill. It is very easy to download your workout or to just click a button and right it down. Bulkiness gets bulkier And heavier the longer you go. It is not your freind.
Plus you will get a lot of support on this board from actual Polar reps who care, use and stand behind their product. Wayne and Chris from polar are on here all the time. They are always mow then happy to help. One more reason when you go into a gym most treadmills read your polar HR monitor belt. Yes I really like Polar.

5

I personally own the RS800CX and I use it in my triathlon training. For bike I have speed and cadence sensors and for running the S3 sensor. I also own the G3 which I use sometimes in open water swims, skiing or doing other sports than biking or running. I was actually surprised that G3 worked well in open water swimming (not under swim cap). G3 is accurate enough for real time speed and distance.
And so far I have not had any problems with Polar. I like the PPT5 program but only thing I hate is the infrared data transfer. That gets me to 310XT…

I also recently got my hands on 310XT when we bough one as a present for our friend. And the first thing that struck me was the ease of uploading your training data to your computer. With usb ant+ stick and needed software installed all training logs are transferred automatically. Also 310xt has the possibility for vibrating alarm. I would use that for pacing myself when swimming in the pool (or any kind of pacing).

There are 2 features missing from 310XT which I like in RS800CX. First is the possibility to display and record R-R intervals and the second is the ownOptimizer test. This test is a orthostatic test but the watch gives you an index instead of you doing any sorts of calculation. Regular and long term use of this can help you to know if you have recovered enough from training or it can even give you a hint of possible flu before you notice any symptoms.

You can’t use any power meters with RS800CX.

To sum it up…
To me the RS800CX is more like a tool and 310XT is more like a fun and easy to use gadget.
And I like them both.

6

Hi,

Thank you all for your answers.
But, what about the accuracy of the Garmin GPS and the Polar G3?

Thanks!

7

I used the RS400 for a few years and made the switch to the 310 last spring.

I seriously considered the RS800 but the thing that steered me to the 310 is that I didn’t have to wear something extra for the GPS function. Plus I could use the GPS tracking during the swim.

My GF also uses the 310 and uses the footpod while training indoors. It’s really small and hard to notice while running.

I still use the RS400 for indoor training and it’s a great watch but for triathlon, I like the 310 much better.

jaretj

8

I have the G3 with the rs800cx and have used it for the past two seasons. The GPS pod is very accurate, I frequently input the GPX data file into Map my run or Map my ride (I also use it with the cs600x) and it is consistently spot on. Never had a problem losing signal where I am.
I did use it in rural VT for a training run and although it had a few spots in the thick woods it was able to give me a spot on GPX data file. I don’t mind having the extra pod. I will say I have never used it for racing.

9

I have the 310xt and think it is the best portable electronic device I have ever purchased… above ipods, calculators, any other watches, love it!!

Check out my post on a really good way to mount it to your aero bars without the quick release!

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2962701;search_string=umdrunner;#2962701

10

is also attractively designed so you can wear it out also.
Terrible reasoning behind a training watch purpose.
It is very easy to download your workout or to just click a button and right it down.
Garmin is easier to download, w/o a doubt. Garmin Connect (and all Garmin products) are extremely user-friendly; much more so than any Polar product I’ve ever used.
Bulkiness gets bulkier And heavier the longer you go. It is not your freind.
So you wouldn’t buy a Garmin because you’d be afraid it would weigh your arm down?? I have the skinniest wrists in the world and the Garmin takes up the whole thing; believe you me, my ARM doesn’t get tired because my watch is bulky.
Plus you will get a lot of support on this board from actual Polar reps who care.
Calling Garmin is an exceptionally easy procedure and they are more than happy to answer questions. Plus, the watches themselves are more intuitive than Polars and are much easier to use, thereby reducing the chance that you’ll actually HAVE to call the company to figure out a problem.

11

Your right terrible reason. It is a plus to have something stylish,even the lower end polar watches are stylish. But they are packed with everything you need in a training watch also. It is not just in their top of the line watch. It is in their basic entry watches also. How many watches does Garmin have to choose from?
Never downloaded a garmin but how easy is it to access logs from watch and write down. Lots of us still like to keep a paper journal and polar is user friendly there also.
Yes I do not need another bulky product. I need a well designed thought out product put in a sleek package that works. But then that’s me.
I am happy garmin has good customer service they SHOULD they are in the retail business. Wait how do you know you never had to call them ? I know polar because of the friendly polar people on ST that have been members of THIS forum for years. Polar is top notch and the people you talk to not only work there but do what WE do. I would guess the people at garmin drive cars and use the garmin gps to get back and forth to work they do know maps. But that is just a guess.
Polar knows athletes and the athletes body it is tried, tested and true. You can not go wrong with the rs800

12

One reason you will like the rs800 a lot is because of the small foot pod you really do not know it is there. The watch is also attractively designed so you can wear it out also.
All of the reasons you listed are telling you to stick with polar , you kind of answered your own question already. I find my polar very accurate outside and on the dread mill. It is very easy to download your workout or to just click a button and right it down. Bulkiness gets bulkier And heavier the longer you go. It is not your freind.
Plus you will get a lot of support on this board from actual Polar reps who care, use and stand behind their product. Wayne and Chris from polar are on here all the time. They are always mow then happy to help. One more reason when you go into a gym most treadmills read your polar HR monitor belt. Yes I really like Polar.

Just to let you know, the Garmin foot pod is smaller than the Polar foot pod.

13

Hi,

I presently own a RS400SD and I wish to upgrade.
I like the 310xt for his multisport option and is built-in GPS.
I don’t like the smart record (do you loose much information?).

I like the RS800CX for the PPT5 program, not much difference between the RS400 so would be easy to use, smaller than the 310xt
I don’t like the size of the G3.

Is the G3 accurate for realtime speed and distance?
Is Garmin GPS better, worse or about the same

I do duathlon and maybe triathlon this year.

So, what do you think?
Thanks!

I own both the RS800CX and the 310XT. I pretty much stoppe using the RS800CX in favor of the 310XT. I don’t like the separate GPS pod and the IRDA on the RS800CX. The 310XT is easier to use.

No GPS will be accurate for realtime speed.

14

Doesn’t matter, he’s been sucking the Polar teat for way too long. It’s a “stylish” watch!

15

Doesn’t matter, he’s been sucking the Polar teat for way too long. It’s a more functional and “stylish” watch!
I fixed that for you ;0)

16

Two other things in addition to my previous post:
The 310XT works with ANT+, so you can use it to get data from an ANT+ power meter.
If you are not in a rush, you may want to wait a couple months to see if Polar and Garmin announce new products. But you may have to wait a few months after that to get them.

18

The garmin and polar are both going to be using the 3rd generation gps receiver ship. So one won’t really be a big winner over the other.

I see a couple of really compelling things about each.

Garmin 310 has the ant+ receiver that you can latrer use with a bike power meter. The polar won’t be able to do that.

On the other hand, while some people dislike having a gps thiny separate from the watch, I went away from garmin because one too many times I went to start my run and realized I hadn’t charged my watch. So I went with another system. That will matter if you are like me and forget to charge your watch.

19

I have had my RS800CX for two years and have been considering a switch to the 310XT.

Here area few things I’m considering:

I like the 310XT’s ability to automatically switch sensors. With the Polar, at each transition, I need to push a bunch of buttons to stop the watch, switch to the right the sensor, then restart the watch. It doesn’t take a lot of time, but it would be nice if it did it automatically.

I like a small watch for training. I have nicer, mechanical watches for when I’m not training so the look isn’t important. All things being equal, I like the smaller form factor.

The RS0CX doesn’t need to be recharged. I know that it’s not difficult to charge the 310XT, but I can almost guarantee (for me) that there will be a time that it gets put into the bag and forgotten until it’s time to ride. There is a greater risk of it running out of juice in the middle of a long ride.

I think that software is a wash, and there are decent training tools for both computers. I do think that the 310XT works better with web-based training tools (e.g. beginnertriathlete.com logs, etc)

I like the 310XT’s quick release bike mount. The RS800CX bike mount is just plastic piece that allows you to wrap the watch around the bars. It’s cumbersome in the transition, but the extra 5-10 secs don’t really affect my performance.

What I don’t like about the RS800CX is the W.I.N.D. sensors. They are only compatible with the higher end/expensive products (CS500, CS600). It would have been nice to get one of the inexpensive Polar bike computers so I wouldn’t have to move the watch from my wrist to the bars.

GPS mapping is probably a plus. I don’t have the G3 sensor so I don’t get the benefits of a GPS. To be honest, I really don’t need it. With the 310XT, you get the capability which I’m sure I’d use, but I’ve never really felt that I’m missing out by not having the GPS.

The Polar doesn’t support Powertap, but I don’t see myself investing in a Powertap anytime soon.

For me, I’ve probably invested too much in Polar to switch now. I have speed/cadence sensors for the rod and tri bikes. If an extra $350 starts to burn a hole in my pocket, I’d consider the switch, but for now, the Polar is fine.

I don’t know if I’ve answered any questions, but i hope I’ve given you something to think about.

Ray

20

WoW!
Thank you everyone.
Garmin and Polar owners seems to be happy with their watch.
Still difficult to choose one…

21

I have a 310xt, I’m on my second as the first one died and garmin had to replace it.

they are a steaming pile of sh!te. They may do GPS okay but they do HR like sh!t. you have to use a polar strap with them to get anyway accurate readings and its still not right. I’m switching back to my Polsr S625x for HR data.