EverymanTri "Gotta Have" Latte Rating Scale:
Rating Scale (based on the amount of lattes per day you'll give up to buy this product)
•
4 Lattes: A must have product that will make your friend's jealous and
your competitors cower in undisguised fear and trepidation
• 3 Lattes: A very good investment that is well worth forgoing a year or two of your children's college fund
• 2 Lattes: One of those products that actually does what it says it does, but with the same pizazz as a Q-Tip
• 1 Latte: The best thing said about this product is that I wouldn't send it back if I got it for free
•
No Latte: So excruciatingly lame that you would get more value by
crossing the street for some discarded and well chewed gum before
buying this product.
Polar FT60 with G1
http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/products/fitness_crosstraining/FT60_G1#black2
Retail Cost of Product $329.95
EverymanTri "Gotta Have" Latte Rating Scale:
For "Ironman" type Multisport Endurance Athletes: 3.0 Lattes
For Amateur Fitness and Cross Training Athletes: 3.5 Lattes
Race Test (or in this case training test):
I recall a few years ago trying to go for a Personal Record at the Moab Half Marathon with a friend. We had trained together, and we came up with a tight race strategy to PR. We knew exactly what splits to run each mile to come home in record time. I was relying on my new Garmin with the built in GPS sensor, and he had a new Polar watch with the Foot Pod to calculate his speed and pace.
The gun boomed and within about 5 steps of the start of the race his Polar Foot Pod went flying from his right foot and into the nearby Colorado River. No problem, I though until I looked down at my Garmin. "Uh no," I almost screamed as I quickly figure out that I had no satellite signal in the deep canyon.
So we both now wore very expensive stop watches. I tried to do the math in my head as I ran down the canyon to calculate my speed and pace, but it was pretty hopeless. Honestly, I don't think I could do that calculations sitting at home in my favorite comfy chair let alone running at top speed for a half a marathon.
I bring up this story because a similar thing happened to me the first time I tested the new Polar FT60 with G1 satellite sensor. As you may be aware, I'm training for Ironman Arizona. Two weekends ago I went for my first 14-mile training run with the new watch.
The watch hooked up with the GPS sensor and heart rate monitor almost immediately...so far so good, I thought. I ran the first seven mile loop and the watch gave me my:
- Total Time
- Distance
- Speed
- Heart Rate
- Calories Burned
- Intensity level (percentage of time spent in 3 different heart rate zones)
I looked at the watch and it said I had run 7.2 miles. "Great," I though as I fueled up for the second loop with some Cliff Blocks and water.
I retraced my steps, and ran the same loop in the opposite direction. When I got back to my car I scrolled through the easily understandable watch menus until I reached the "Distance" screen.
It read "12.9" miles. That's odd I thought as I glared at the number 12.9. That is very odd indeed, unless somehow I was transported by aliens I had run 1.3 miles less on the identical second loop. I suspect that the GPS sensor had lost the satellite signal during my second loop, and that's why the watch had been beeping at me as I ran.
I must confess that I tend to ignore when a watch beeps at me because I a bit scared that I'll get lost in a forest of menus and sub menus instead of doing my workout.
Recommendations:
So would I recommend the Polar FT60 with G1?
You bet!
I really like this watch for a number of simple reasons:
- The numbers are really big...not that I need big numbers as my eyesight is just fine...thank you very much! But when I'm running and its raining (like it was on that 14-mile run) and I'm cold and tired BIG numbers are really nice, and easy to see and comprehend. Plus Polar uses a sort of euro-style font that makes them look chick...if that's possible for a training watch.
- The watch (and yes I know the fine folks at Polar like to refer to it as a computer, but until I can check my email with the thing its still a watch) is extremely easy to navigate. It took me about 10 minutes to set it up, and another 10 minutes to comprehend all of the functions. In today's world of smart phones and blue tooth enable sun glasses that's pretty straightforward.
- My friends think it looks cool. I know that's probably not a criteria that comes to mind right away, but that's certainly something that makes many athletes very happy after they spend good chunk of change on a new watch.
Style Review:
Which bring me to the style review. The watch comes in several styles and a several different colors. I suspect the pinkish red one (pictured here) is aimed at the female athlete.
I have a friend who manages a large sports gear brand (that shall remain nameless for reasons you'll soon understand). I recall that she once told me that her company's idea of women specific was, and I quote, "Pink." We'll leave it at that.
The Nitty Gritty:
There are a few small nitpicks that I have with the watch.
- I'm not at all convinced that having a fairly heavy GPS sensor that is separate from the watch is a practical or elegant solution to tracking the needed satellites. I wore the sensor around my upper arm and it kept sliding down to my elbow as I ran. This meant I was constantly fiddling with it (pushing it back up), and it became a little bit of an unwanted battle on a long run.
FYI: I'm not sure the Garmin solution of bundling the GPS with the watch is much better as the watch becomes much bigger, and the rechargeable battery makes it impossible to use as an everyday time piece.
- The watch told me that my physical fitness was "moderate."
Say What?
Let me explain. When you first turn on the watch it asks you to input all of your vital stats like age, and weight. After which it invites you to lie down for five minutes with the heart rate monitor around your chest as it preforms a fitness test.
There are several possible results including: "Fit like a rhino in heat" to "Fat and Lazy like an old and very tired worn out sloth" I am of course paraphrasing the results. Anyway, the watch informed me that my physical fitness level was "moderate". Image that...after three Ironman races and heaven knows how many other triathlons I'm just "moderate"
My Conclusion:
If you are a hard core Ironman type triathlete this is probably not the watch for you. Polar now offers a new watch just for triathletes (RS800CX).
However, if you are typical amateur athlete and you are looking for, dare I say a "sexy" watch/heart race monitor/GPS, that will fulfill 99 percent of your fitness needs, the FT60 fits the bill. More importantly, it does it with style, elegance and an ease of function that is uncommonly straightforward. Plus, your friends will think it is cool, and sometimes that's what buying a watch (or is it a computer?) is all about.
Just The FT60 Facts:
Automatic age-based target zone
Backlight
Graphical target zone indicator Heart rate (displayed as % of maximum heart rate)
Heart rate (displayed as bpm)
HeartTouch™, button-free operation of wrist unit KeyLock
Manual target zone (% / bpm)
Sound volume level setting Visual and audible alarm in target zones
Water resistant - 30m