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115 of 121 found the following review helpful:
 Nice looking, plagued with funcitonal problems... Dec 25, 2008
By Christofer Hoff
Sadly I must report quite a bit of disappointment with this product:
1) The screen is so poorly contrasted it's nearly impossible to read except in the best of light and the backlight only makes it tolerable -- and only for 5 seconds in a row.
2) I've unfortunately fallen victim to a problem that has affected hundreds of people as represented on the Polar forums -- the inability (over time, randomly) to synch to the web service. This bug is a software/synch. issue between the watch, windows software and the web service. It prevents the upload of your training results and if you're using the STAR program means you don't get the adaptive training routine downloaded to your watch. Further, it means you don't have access to the snazzy zone/interval graphs.
3) The feature set is misleading as it comes to being able to use certain functions; the realtime graph and rest interval display is really only available in the strength training routines and not for general aerobic activity as defined by the training program you choose on the web service.
4) There's no basic interval timer.
5) The buttons are difficult to operate and the bottom button requires more force than the top to push.
If you're a runner or cyclist, this is probably a fine watch, but the FT60 looks like a much better unit that you can actually *see*
Some of these might seem like minor issues, but I am basically left with a watch that does less than my $80 Mio Drive watch that doesn't require a chest strap for the pulse reading.
I'm very disappointed with this purchase.
Be very, very sure what sort of activity you wish to monitor for this price...and the screen absolutely sucks.
I can't see how this would be released as a saleable product. That picture to the right is NOT an accurate representation of the display...
50 of 52 found the following review helpful:
 Avoid the FT80 until the technical issues are solved Jan 15, 2009
By Dave Cowling
I purchased an FT-80 just prior to Christmas. Whilst I was fairly happy with it for the first couple of weeks (the dim back-light and anemic audio tones notwithstanding), I came across a significant bug in the workout data tracking that renders it useless. There is clearly an issue with the firmware or the memory - after my Monday workout the stats for the week switched to 255 sessions, 65535 calories burned and 99:59:59 hours of exercise. Anyone familiar with computers will realize the significance of these numbers - it looks like the entire data slot got corrupted.
I thought this might be an isolated incident until I checked the Polar forums for the FT80. The posts are full of people complaining about this same issue, along with a host of other issues. There has been no official response from Polar, which is extremely poor. I contacted Polar technical support and have not heard back yet.
I strongly suggest anyone considering this model checks the Polar forums here:
[...]
30 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 Worth it.. Updated review after a year of use. Nov 12, 2008
By V. Pardo
Figured I would expand on my review now that I have used the product now for quite some time.
Overall I think the FT80 is worth the price, and is a fantastic tool that has completely transformed my life and motivated me to workout more. I will outline the the pros/cons below and hopefully I can shed some light on some other reviews as well from having the product for so long now.
What I love : The star training program and fitness test have worked as my complete motivator and those two features combined have helped me get back in shape after a longish layoff. The star program helped me not overtrain and burn myself out in the begining which was very important and the improvements shown in ownindex kept me motivated along with the trophies.
The design is great and I get complimented on it all the time. I have never had an issue with the display, yes it is reverse black/white but once I got use to it I actually prefer this now.
It was dimmer, but now the contrast is even brighter.(more on this later)
The transmitter is very comfortable. VERY. I have used every transmitter on the market, this is the most comfortable. I also have a Numetrex Tshirt with the strap built in I wear all the time. This GETS RID OF THE STRAP COMPLETELY for you users who are new to HR transmitters and feel you won't like it.
Polar's customer service here in the states is phenomenal. Unfortunately I had to talk to them though:(. I was one of the first people in the US to buy the Ft80, I worked in electronics for a long time, and I knew the risks of buying a 1st release. Software always has issues, in fact every OS I have had since the inception of computers have had problems that updates have fixed -- this computer was no different. After 6 weeks of using the star program the software in the watch froze up and gave me some crazy numbers and wouldn't let me download. Next morning I called Polar and got right through , spoke to a guy who was super nice and confirmed the problem to be a bug in the software that required a firmware update - no problem that is what I figured. But wait - I can't just update it from my computer? They have to do it?? Ugh..
So the nice cs guy walked me through a repair ticket thingy on their website and off it went back to Polar.. I was slightly annoyed I had to send it back because I have grown so fond of using it every day. So I went to the post office, sent it back(polar gave me a free label) and off it went this was a Monday. I get an auto email next day from Polar telling me they got the package, great.. That night I got home to find another email- this time a funny one telling me its on its way back and I don't have an excuse for not exercising now..lol. I laugh because they were right, I wouldn't workout without it hehe. I got the package back Thursday afternoon with everything fixed. DISPLAY brighter and a hand written thank you and I'm sorry card with little Polar hearts on it..
Afterwards I spoke with a rep at a local marathon - and he confirmed that the first version of FT80 had a bug and he guaranteed everything was fixed entirely and some even brought back from stores for the firmware to be updated.
So in all, I have used it about 5 months since the update and it has become an essential part of my training.
The product would have got 5 stars from me if:::
1)The Firmware at that point and in the future could be updated by me, automatically from my flowlink when I download.
2) The strength training was more versatile. And I could save my own workouts instead of using the preset ones.
3) If the Website could have an upload feature so I can share my workouts of Facebook.
I sincerely hope this helps peoples buying decisions.
22 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Greg Aug 15, 2010
By Greg
I can't believe how stupid i was to purchase the Polar FT80 without researching any reviews of this product. Now that i've learned my lesson thanks to Amazon, no more purchases without first checking Amazon reviews.
My previous Polar HR monitor was an Accurex. I had this for nearly 20 years and it was flawless, but is not Mac compatible and finally the serial port transmitter stopped working. Time for a new unit! The Polar marketing literature on the FT80 makes it look so cool and functional. But the FT80 is really another story.
The display is extremely difficult to read, and in fact impossible to read in many lighting conditions. It is a low contrast negative display and it does not have a "brightness" adjustment. Can you believe it!?! Who would design such a thing. So you are screwed if you want to brighten up the very dim dingy yellow green graphics (that's right, they are not white as every picture would indicate!!!) Every picture i have seen of the FT80 marketing literature, and from Polars web site, shows this unit as bright white numbers and graphics. Nothing could be further from the truth! The display can't be read UNLESS you are in a very well lit room or sunlight.
AND then in well lit rooms or sunlight, you have to contend with the immense glare from the face of the polished plate glass. Really, you are screwed in either direction.
When I called Polar to ask if there was a way to adjust the brightness, the rep was curt and said the information was on their web site. To her defense, she must be very tired of handling they myriad of calls each day of complaints about this product display.
Then a few calls later, i finally received the instructions to enter into the diagnostic mode. Believe me when i say the keypress sequence is so tricky, that you will literally have to try over and over for an hour to get the "timing" of it just right so that you can even enter into the diagnostic mode...but a little determination you will succeed. I digress!
In the diagnostic mode you can adjust the LCD contrast. All this does is change the BLACK background to less black. This does nothing for the already near impossible to read display and actually makes it more difficult to read. After talking to Polar again, i learn that the factory has optimized the display settings before they send it to you. The moral of this frustrating experience is "don't waste your time trying to adjust the contrast as it will only frustrate you more".
What Polar forgot to design in was a "brightness" control. What really upsets me is Polar's marketing literature which has obviously "tweaked the product photos of the display" to indicate a beautiful bright white graphic display. Anybody ever hear of truth in advertising? BUYER BEWARE. Polar's direct sales are final sales and can not be returned. Although, I will try as the advertising pictures and literature is dishonest!
I rely on Polars superior product performance. Imagine your on a run and trying to stay within various HR limits, and then the HR data goes all screwy and chaotic - loosing transmission, then wrong HR, then settling down back to what you would expect. How could the transmitter be all screwed up in the FT80 - but apparently it is.
The G1 - can't begin to describe how disappointed I am in this performance or difficulty of use to get even a signal. It's not what you would expect in a GPS so please research the features carefully before you purchase the G1. It appears to my shock to only provide average speed and distance...huh? There does not appear to be any mapping, or terrain, or area covered with the details of routes and speed, no way points - nothing!
The "user" manual that comes with the FT80 is hardly "useful" and not worth the paper its printed on. It's very sparse on the exact steps and explanations of features. There are so many features of the FT80 and website interaction that are not documented, that it will leave you researching and making calls for days on end until you get it figured out, and i doubt you will get it all figured out.
I still believe in Polars superior products overall, but the FT80 is a waste of money and time.
Sadly, the unit is near un-useable due to the display alone, not to mention the erratic behavior and poor GPS integration -- anybody want to purchase my "new" FT80G1? Its your for a song!
34 of 39 found the following review helpful:
Great workout companion Dec 04, 2008
By Moonlight Graham
"Ben"
I just received this watch and have only worked out with it once, but so far, it is great. I did a bit of research on this watch, and the biggest complaint seemed to be the screen. A lot of people were complaining that theirs was too dim and they couldn't see it inside. I had absolutely no issues with it; perhaps it could have been a little brighter, but at no point during my jog did it require more than a quick glance.
The reason I got this watch was the strength training aspect. The idea of having something monitor your rest period really intrigued me. I have to say, it seemed to work as well as one could hope. You can create workout programs through Polar's website, although the site is still clearly geared toward runners. They have a very limited number of pre-set lifting exercises; however, it is extremely easy to create your own on the site.
The watch works extremely well while using it for cardio. It works with the cardio equipment at my gym. It also breaks your rate into three different zones and makes it very easy to see which zone you are in.
Synching the watch with the computer is very easy. It comes with a USB device that allows you to synch easily.
The watch fits really well, although I have a slight issue getting the watch off due to the clasp. It's not a big deal, but I do feel that could have been designed better. The watch looks good enough to wear in casual situations.
I'll try to update this review as I use it more; I just wanted to get a review up here. I was trying to gather as much information on this watch as I could, and I was struggling to find any reviews on the web. So far, I'd recommend getting this watch if you want to use it for cross training. You may want to see it in person if you are concerned about the screen's brightness.
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