Dude, I love and hate this watch: Polar s625x review

I know you don't care about what I think about stuff-- and I don't care. It's my blog, so nah-nah-nah-nah-booboo. Anyway, about two weeks ago my new HRM finally arrived in the mail: the s625x. I chose a Polar HRM for 3 reasons:

1) You can't swim in a Garmin, and I want to
2) Garmin products are gigantic, whereas Polar products are just enormous
3) With quite a bit of finagling you can hook a Polar up to a Mac, something you can't do yet with a Garmin
4) Finagling is a word. To be honest, I'm surprised. Thanks abc check!

I love my heart rate monitor. Initial programming was pretty easy, including the calibration of the foot pod, which I wear on my shoe. The pacing from the shoe isn't 100% accurate (I can't decide why... leave it to me to screw up a one-mile steady run), but it gives me a good ballpark. Besides, if anything the pacing seems to be slower than what I'm actually running and I still can tell when I speed up or slow down, which is the most helpful thing for me. The watch capabilities are also great, which I'm sure you already know because, like, the s625x is sooo last year. It's still taking me some time to get through all the functions, but I'm trying to slowly increase what I can do with the watch instead of trying to learn everything at once and getting frustrated. The how-to as far as programming in the user manual is also spot on, probably because it's really hard to mess up step-by-step directions in static menus.

I also really like the new chest strap-- the T31 thingies I think? The strap is much more flexible/comfortable, and I like how you can take the transmitter off and pop it into a Polar/Adidas sports bra or top. Good thinking guys!

As for connecting to my computer, I had some real fears. But once I sidestepped my lack of computer savvy I had absolutely no problems. How cool!

My complaints are much more interesting. I really hate my new watch. First and foremost, Polar people are straight up idiots. Sure, I'm wearing one of their electronics and I like what it can do. By now you know I'm not a tiny girl-- yet I have the watch on the second smallest hole on the wrist band.

Let's think about this. A large triathlete/runner is using the second smallest band hole. She's wearing a watch made for runners and triathletes, folks not well known for their bulk. What the crap?

What's more, the very long excess end of the wristband hangs down and catches the water when I swim. I tried moving the plastic band holder to the end of the band, but it won't stay because the watch band base is too wide. Not very smart. It's stuff like this that ruins an entire product and frustrates the CRAP outta me. Why bother producing something that isn't the best it can be (Microsoft, of course, aside)? After I send my more important West U warmup email, I'm going to write to Polar to tell them to get their heads out of their butts and fix their darn watch bands so someone with a wrist smaller than 12" around can wear them.

Ahem.

Another thing: I really don't like the physical instructions in the owners manual--for example, the required motion to attach the chest strap to the transmitter. I know this isn't rocket science, but I couldn't get it at first. And it wasn't the kind of thing I wanted to force either since those transmitters don't come cheap, ya know? But reviewing the drawing on how to attach/detach the 2" plastic transmitter from the chest strap was no help; instead of something useful, there was a 2-D picture with cryptic arrows drawn in circles around the unit, and written instructions that were equally incomprehensible. Now, I know engineers are pretty crappy writers. I also understand that consumers, for the most part, have a very low standard for the quality of user manuals, especially for technical stuff. But Polar? Wake up! Every engineer in the entire country takes a Technical Writing class. Every single one. Why? Because they can't write but that doesn't excuse them from poor communication in their future careers. Ten, twenty years ago it would have been okay to get something so poorly written, but not anymore. Here's what I suggest to you: 1) hire engineers-- hey, they can be contracted for such a short job-- to write the user manual in their native languages. Or here's an idea: use focus groups to write instructions out for you before you release your product for sale. Everyday people can get this right. It's not a big job and can't possibly cost much more, but it makes the end product substantially higher quality.

Finally, I also have some problems with the chest strap. It's more flexible. It's more comfortable. Except when it was redesigned, the plastic slide thing that makes the strap longer or shorter hits right under my armpit, and there's a lot more sports bra pressure there than its previous position in the middle of my back. It doesn't make me chafe but it does leave a sensitive and ugly red mark on my skin. A minor complaint to be sure, but it would have been nice if someone had, oh, tried on the strap with some D cups and a sports bra. Is that too much to ask?

One closing thought, something that regularly upsets me. The fitness industry virtually brings me to tears sometimes with the way they toss out woman-unfriendly products. Everyone knows women aren't as active as men and are even less likely to use fitness products like heart rate monitors (someone call me out if either of those things are a lie; I am 100% sure I read the first one last week though I don't feel like digging for a citation; the second is my perception from what's available on the market). I liken women and HRMs to Macs and HRMs. Sure, neither group (chicks or Apples) interacts with HRMs much, but is it because they don't want to or they can't? HRMs aren't sized for women: poor design of the watches and the straps make them very unsavory. Why won't anyone pick up on this and design things for women besides the lowest end products like the F4? Chicks dig attention.

And small stuff.

And a wrist band that won't catch the water when they're swimming.

Why won't anybody listen to us? (tear)