Hey everyone,
I’m VERY close to buying the Polar s625x, but I just read this review on roadbikereview.com and am VERY concerned about how difficult it “appears” to switch between functions. Can anyone read this and let me know if it’s true or off???
Summary:
Following up from a previous rewiew (posted 12/26/05), I have now sold this heart rate monitor because of multiple problems and poor customer service.
These problems have included running speeds from 2 km/hr to 34 km/hr when running a steady pace of 10-12 km/hr; altitude readings varying from -1000m to +7500m when at 340m; and temperature readings of 40C to 60C on an 11C day.
The other inherent problems with the S625X also remain and are described in other reviews on this site.
I challenge the technologically-savvy reviewer below to change between cycling and running with the press of a single button, let alone 10 buttons. For a triathlon, using speed and cadence sensors on the bike and the running pod, the minimum number of buttons to press to get through the race are 50, with the following breakdown:
Swim exercise set: Start (1) > Stop (2)
Transition from swim to bike: Stop (1) > File (2) > Options (3) > Options-Start (4) > Exercise Set-Start (5) > Swim to Cycle (6) > Cycle-Start (7) > Interval-Stop (8) > Cycle-Stop (9) > Memory (10) > Function (11) > Speed (12) > Speed-Start (13) > Speed Set passed Run (14) > Speed Set to Bike 1-OK (15) > Speed Bike 1 (16) > Wheel (17) > Cadence Off (18) > Cadence-Start (19) > Cadence to On (20) > Cadence-OK (21) > Cadence-Stop (22) > Bike 1-Stop (23) > Speed-Stop (24) > Options-Stop (25)
Bike exercise set: Start (1) > Stop (2)
Transition from bike to run: Stop (1) > File (2) > Options (3) > Options-Start (4) > Exercise Set-Start (5) > Swim to Cycle (6) > Cycle-Start (7) > Interval-Stop (8) > Cycle-Stop (9) > Memory (10) > Function (11) > Speed (12) > Speed-Start (13) > Speed Set to Run (14) > Speed Run-OK (15) > Run-Stop (16) > Speed-Stop (17) > Options-Stop (18)
Run exercise set: Foot pod on (1) > Start (2) > Stop (3).
Finally, it is interesting to note that the visitor rating is lowest for the two S625X reviews that provide the most objective information and, in the case of my previous posting, that this visitor rating was posted within a day of informing Polar about my poor review of their product. Maybe I’m being cynical, but this is too much of a coincidence. Pity their customer service is not as efficient.
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
Cycling: no automatic start-stop
Running: inaccurate speed, and hence distance, readings
Other functions: inaccurate altitude and temperature readings
Not user friendly with too many buttons to press for multisport activities (and this is the main claim of the S625X).
Cost: you don’t get what you buy for the Polar S625X.
Similar Products Used:
Polar S510: better than the S625X, but saves only one complete exercise file.
Garmin Forerunner 305: like a reviewer below, I have replaced the S625X with this GPS unit and have not regretted it for a second. Accurate speed, pace, distance, and fairly accurate altitude and grade information. No foot pod. True one button transition between multisports. Fantastic software with a wealth of information and ability to download exercise information on to Google Earth. Good customer support.