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The Polar RS800sd is not for everybody. It is pricey, although not stratospheric. It does not support cycling. And there are perhaps more beautiful examples of the watchmaker’s art. It is, simply put, the best and most sophisticated training tool for runners that exists today. If you are the type of person who takes note of a statement like that, then this is going to be a great year for you.
In terms of sheer technological prowess, there is no denying that this model does running like no other. It is more accurate than a GPS-based unit, both for speed and distance and also for altitude. It is the most flexible in supporting complex workouts. It is the easiest to live with during the workout. And it adds some things that have never been available to runners before, such as running cadence.
The RS800sd is similar in appearance and features to the RS400sd. It also is offered without the footpod as an RS800 (no sd). There are enough similarities that you should read the Five Minute Review of the RS400sd, and then come back here to learn what is better about the RS800sd. Let’s assume you have read the RS400sd review, and I can just say that the RS800sd has all of those strengths plus those that I describe below.
First off, the RS800sd adds a very accurate barometric altimeter. Altitude data is stored just as frequently as heart rate and speed data, so you get a complete graph of everything.
Next, add a new communication scheme between the chest strap and the watch, and between the new S3 footpod and the watch. Termed W.I.N.D., this new 2.4 GHz protocol is a true digital scheme with error correction and source validation. This means no more problems with crosstalk from running too close to another Polar wearer, and little chance of interference from buried power lines. Earlier models, and in fact the RS400sd as well, have a coded chest strap which works well to avoid interference from other runners, but the S1 footpod was not as robust. And coded chest straps were sometimes clobbered by EMF sources like buried power lines. With the RS800sd and its W.I.N.D. powered attachments, Polar claims to have eliminated problems like that, and with a small amount of testing so far, we have not seen any.
Speaking of the S3 footpod, this is an important innovation in other ways. This brand new technology is only available on the RS800sd. In fact, it is not sold separately at present, so don’t plan to add it to an RS800 later. The S3 is much smaller and lighter than the S1, which is very nice although size and weight were not problems before. It is designed to fit into a special Adidas shoe, but most of us will slide it into the laces using the included bracket just as we did the S1, and that works just great.
The greatest thing about the new S3 footpod is that it can measure your running cadence. This is constantly monitored and graphed out along with all the other data at your chosen sample rate. For years, coaches have tried to get their athletes to increase turnover rate, and it has been very difficult to quantify. If you don’t like this feature, your coach is going to love it!
Next, just to be sure you don’t miss anything, there is a new mode that samples and captures all of your data on one-second intervals, in addition to the 5- 15- and 60-second options that are standard on all Polar high-end models. Your choice affects how long the memory will last (the more frequent the sample rate, the fewer hours you can store). So how much memory is there? The easy answer is, more than you will ever need, unless you are completely careless about leaving everything on the watch. How long will it last? That is more difficult to pin down, because it depends on which features are enabled, especially something called R-R recording. Leave it at this: memory will not be an issue.
R-R recording is something that Polar began to study nearly ten years ago. Simply put, it precisely measures the time between each heartbeat, that is, between the precise peak of the heartbeat waveform (labeled R in ECG parlance) and the peak (R point) of the beat just before it. They have done extensive research on this, resulting in everything from their fitness tests and V02Max calculations to accurate caloric expenditure and overtraining indication. Now they have decided that the rest of the world should be invited to have access to this data as well. The result is that, if you turn on this feature, you get a secondary graph for each workout showing the calculated heart rate for each beat of your heart. While Polar uses R-R information in many of their internal features, the RS800 and RS800sd are unique in their ability to store these values and download them. You are free to study the resulting graph and glean whatever meaning you can. To the science-minded runner, this is fascinating. To the rest of the population, this paragraph is a waste of bytes, and this feature a complete waste of time.
As with the RS400sd, you will need to add an infra-red communications link, and of course, PC Coach. You have two options for the IR link. You can buy Polar’s IR link for $60. We suggest that you save some money and buy the industry standard IrDA to USB adapter we carry, which is functionally identical and costs half as much. We have tested this and it works identically to the one with the Polar logo painted on the side.
There is much more to say about this monitor, but we’ve already exceeded our five minutes. To sum up, if the appearance of the watch doesn’t put you off, if the price is not a veto, and if you want the best tool you can get to help you improve your running performance and technique, then invest in an RS800sd. You won’t regret it.