hi all,
can any of you with first hand experiences give me some feedback on the polar 625x vs the timex bodlink system. i’ve done my research and have a good idea what each one does, but am looking for 1st hand accounts of pros and cons of each, or anything that you have directly witnessed w/ training partners. any and all is appreciated
cheers
I only know about the timex, that’s the one I have. I like it alot and my only “buts” are:
My data recorder does not work, so no downloading workouts, I think I have to send mine back to Timex.
Also, no altitude and temperature. I don’t miss the temp, but wish I had the altitude.
I wear my watch all the time, is that something you’d do with the polar? I know garmin has one but you wouldn’t use it for your only watch, to big.
One thing to find out is will be can you get a gps signal where you run. In the pacific northwest you have to go for miles sometimes before there is a gps signal because of all trees.
I have the timex bodylink, wife has the polar s720i, similar I think to the 625. I hardly ever hook up the gps on the timex anymore but it was useful mapping out my local running trail distances. I think I’ll use it again more when I want to up my speeds, tempo intervals etc. On the other hand I’m always nicking the wife’s polar, the altitude function is way more useful than the gps function especially riding in hills or xc skiing. The downloaded graphs hr/ rate of altiude change is much more interesting info. If I picked just one I’d go with the polar unless I was strictly running.
Peter
I haven’t used either watch but wanted to let everyone know of a good sale at REI until Oct 17th… the Timex Speed & Distance is $100…
It’s true… just check www.factcheck.com 
… or is it .org
I have a 625 but sell both.
Polar, more useful features, HR features far superior to Timex (but for most people way overkill), more programmable workout settings (again with the overkill), Altitude which is really cool, temp which is cool but usually inaccurate, nice big display is easy to read and very customizable, Bike features are very very very useful and downloading is a cinch. The run pod is pretty accurate, not spot on 100% but closer than I would have guessed. The Polar also has hands down, no argueing about this the best new chest strap in the industry. NIght and day ahead of the rest. Plus a killer 2 year warrantee. Compatible with most gym equipment.
Downsides: Polars aren’t all that great looking, everyone has one, prone to water leakage (well the S720, 625 models at least), Price…
Timex: much nicer watch and easier to learn setup, GPS is more accurate than the Polar unit IF and only IF you get clear GPS reception. New GPS shipping now is even tinier than the old unit. New unit is shiny black and not the rounded “8” shape, smaller and I think it says GPS in big letters along the bottom. Well basically the Timex is cool because it’s a timex and it just looks better, fits on your wrist better and Timex has thier shit down in ease of use. Plus when the GPS is working well it’s really working well and you can use that very cool motionbased website Tom talked about.
Downsides: GPS is spotty man a time, not the best warratee and they take FOREVER to come back, think POlar takes a while try Timex. Chest strap often breaks and they don’t sell replacements, GPS eats batteries to fast for bike use, big chest strap, only one size in chestrap. You have to buy a seperate download kit for $70 and it’s one more piece to carry so that’s the watch, chest strap, GPS unit and a download kit. That’s two things on your waist band, the Polar is much more transparent.
The lower level Timex HR monitors kill Polars offerings on price style and are on par with performance. If you are comparing just the speed and distance capabilities for running they they are pretty even. But add in Polars biking features, advanced heartrate settings, better downloading… they are overall a much better watch imho.
I agree with Tai’s comments re: the Timex Bodylink. I would add that the Data Recorder is a waste of time and money. The software is primitive at best and not very useful for analyzing training and performance. The GPS unit is fantastic when I receive a signal, which is ~ 50% of the time here in Boston. Otherwise, I find myself just using the HRM, which somewhat negates the whole purpose.
… not the best warratee and they take FOREVER to come back, think POlar takes a while try Timex…
Just a quick note with my experience with this:
I bought the Timex system a couple months ago and discovered that my watch was a defect since it would not make any audible sounds. I e-mailed Timex, they had me check a couple things, concluded it was a defect and sent me a brand new watch within a week. I have been more than happy with their customer service!