Polar Pacer

I wanted a fitness watch with an accurate and reliable HRM function that I could use for training, with a chest strap HRM. I wanted a watch with an intuitive interface and easy-to-use buttons that I could manage easily even when sweaty and gasping for breath, because, ya know, that's how it goes when you're training. I needed a watch face that I could glance at and read quickly without glasses, while running. And I needed a watch that would show the functions I wanted to know most while I was running... usually time elapsed, HRM, and distance covered. That's apparently a lot to ask from a "simple" training watch, because I've been looking for a long time for one that fits those particular requirements, and I've been SUPER cranky about it. I don't want a wrist-based HRM, because they're always inaccurate. I don't want a $3,000 Garmin supercomputer on my wrist that will show me a 3D rendered topo map of my route. I don't need to know the barometric pressure, or how far off true north the compass function is. I don't need a watch that will recite Hungarian poetry to me while I run, or anything like that. I just need some basic training metrics, delivered in a reliable form. The Polar Pacer Pro delivers. I am solidly wowed by it. The Pacer Pro watch face is easy to read even with my 55-yo eyes; the interface is dead easy to use, and the watch itself is pretty slim and not too bulky for my wee wrists. It measures the functions I want. Paired with the Polar H10 chest strap, it delivers a rock solid HRM readout, updated in real time. (The wrist-based HRM is pretty good, but when I tested it against a chest strap, it was off by as much as 7-8 bpm and lagged a few seconds in updating its reading. Better than a lot of wrist-based HRMs, but still not as good as a chest strap.) I want to be cranky about having to use an app to get full readouts on my workouts, but the app is really easy to use and I've been really happy with how it presents the info. One thing I didn't think I wanted or needed was the sleep tracking function, but having tried it, I'm finding it's really useful. It made me realize that I do not relax well before going to sleep most nights, and therefore get subpar sleep...so I've started doing some meditation and guided relaxation for a few minutes before bed, and wow, I've been sleeping a lot better, which is making me feel better overall every day. The battery life has been quite good; it goes about a week between charging, and the charging itself doesn't take much time. Rather than draining the battery fully between charges, I've been taking it off my wrist occasionally and putting it on the charger while I eat lunch or take a shower, and that's enough for several days' worth of charge. I would feel absolutely confident it would last through a full weekend of ultramarathoning, although I haven't tested it on that long a run yet.

Most watches try to be all things to all people, and generally require phone apps, account setups, up-sell pitches, etc. This is more minimalistic, but does what it should... and does it well. I've had numerous Garmins and have Apple Watch.. I prefer this by far.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: Do not buy this. It says water proof up to 30 meters. Never went below 6 feet of water yet it received water damage after only 3 months of use. Apparently pushing the buttons when there is even a small amount of water in the crevices can cause water to get into the device. I never once intentionally clicked the buttons when the device was wet so as far as I know it simply failed and let water in. i thought maybe I could speak with customer service and they could send a replacement. Guess not though. There is no way to get on the phone with anyone from the company. $200 down the drain for this POS. Do not buy from Polar, buy from somewhere they will give you the decency to at least speak with you if something like this happens to your watch.

I have used Garmin watches and they do a lot very well. Most recently the fenix 7 solar. That is a great watch but bulky and heavy. I thought I would try the Pacer Pro at 41 grams. It is very comfortable, you barely notice that you have it on even when sleeping. The GPS is accurate and connects quickly. It measures sleep extremely well. I run but also do many other cardio exercises and they have everything I do as a workout. Also has strength training. The Polar app is comparable to Garmin for what I look at. I gave up music (although I always had trouble with that with Garmin), maps, and the touchscreen. Also Polar does not give you the abundance of watch face options as Garmin and it seems like replacement watch bands are not as plentiful or really as seamless as with Garmin. All that said, for me, the Polar Pacer Pro brings what I need in a fitness watch at a very good price! And it is incredibly light and comfortable!

I love this watch! It is light enough to wear all day without noticing it and the Pacer Pro has all the features I could want as a runner and cyclist. The build quality is superb and the form factor is sleek though durable. I like knowing I can swap bands if I want to switch up the look! The HR sensor has been accurate and I like that it tracks my HR all day and while sleeping. Also, being able to control my music and podcasts is really handy! The Flow app (works with the Pacer Pro) is a great tool in keeping tabs on my training, measuring my sleep, and guiding my recovery as well as performance. The running programs are also really useful and I have found them to be great for my 5k training. If you’re looking to upgrade your watch game, the Pacer Pro is a great choice that will last for years to come! Highly recommended.

I have had my Pacer Pro for 11 months and worn it almost constantly. The reliability and accuracy have been great. I have not had the issues reported by other reviewers of the watch restarting, losing its memory or losing connection with the phone. Sleep monitoring -- not as great my previous Fitbit (Charge 5). Occasionally a day's sleep is missed from the dairy but adding the sleep time just takes in a few seconds. More often, the start or end of sleep is off (almost always shorter than I think it should be), but again, it is simple to correct, and the added time is analyzed for sleep quality. Until 3 months ago, almost all of my running was done on a treadmill, and the only useful stat from the watch was my heart rate. (For comparison, I start running with an H10 strap also, but the watch and strap were close enough that I quickly dropped the strap.) For the past 3 months, I have been running outside and using a formal training plan (80/20 Endurance for half marathon on Training Peaks), and the watch has become very useful. Setting up my training plan for the next few days is pretty simple on the Polar Flow web site, and when I am running a planned workout, the Pacer will let me know when a phase or interval of the run should start and end and will signal when I am out of the target range of heart rate. Usually just ending the workout on the Pacer will automatically send my workout information to Training Peaks, but occasionally I need to manually trigger a synchronization with my watch to my phone, which will relay the information to TP. My running paths have good visibility to the sky, so my GPS tracks are very accurate. I have not noticed any information recorded by the Pacer that is not echoed to Training Peaks. Overall, I am very happy with my Polar Pacer Pro.

Easy to use. Easy to read. Has lots of activities you can track. I use it for everything from basic exercise walking and hiking to biking and kayaking. Holds a charge for about 3 days unless you use the gps a lot. But it takes a charge impressively fast.

I've had lots of brands of fitness watches, and like many people, it's easy to just go with the familiar like Garmin. I haven't had a Polar watch before, but I had a chest strap at one point which worked well. After a lot of research, I landed on the Pacer Pro because of the amount of running specific data it provides and I didn't want to spend that much money. If you focus on running, this is a great watch with lots of helpful data points that can help you train. I'm a data analyst and I liked how granular data gets and how the app and website present information. For example, at times I struggle with feeling exhausted at the beginning of my runs. The watch has a very easy to use heart rate gauge that makes it very easy to stay in a zone. It makes a big difference. Compared to watches from other companies, I don't think there's another one that offers the suite features the polar pacer pro.