26.8.2019

BackgroundI have long been a loyal user of running watches produced by Garmin and my most recent (and much loved) watch is a Garmin Vivo Active 3. I have also recently tested the Polar Vantage M, which also being a Multisport watch, was a good side by side competitor for the Vivo Active (although I felt the Vivo Active was just ahead when it came to functionality and how user friendly it was, along with price at the time).SummaryIn summary the Polar Ignite is an absolutely superb watch and I have a feeling that it is going to become my new day-to-day watch. I much prefer it to the more expensive Polar Vantage M and if the Polar Flow App was slightly more extensive I would most definitely prefer it to the Garmin Vivo Active.If you take the App out of the equation (for lifestyle functions only, as mentioned below the pure training data is maybe better than what Garmin presents) then this watch is a hands down winner and the only people I would not suggest to buy it would be those wanted to take part in Triathlons.Set Up:- You can set up the watch with or without the Polar Flow App. It is recommended to use the app and therefore I did (I also love analyising my fitness data so a watch which isn’t syncing with an app is no fun for me).- The app took less than 5 minutes to download over a reasonably good wifi connection.- Once I registered my profile on the Polar Flow App (took approximately 2 minutes) the phone and watch quickly found each other and began to pair. The initial sync between the devices then took approximately 10 minutes.- I then set up my preferences and was ready to go – less than 30 mins in total to set up.Charging- The watch was ready to charge on arrival. It comes with a USB charger (note: no mains plug, you will either need to charge via a laptop or a mains to USB charger). The watch attaches to the charger via an each magnetic connection. The connection is the same as the Polar Vantage M – useful if you have more than one watch from the Polar brand.- The watch went from out of box to being 100% charged in less than 1 hour (via mains).- Make sure the magnetic charger is correctly aligned, it will magnetically connect but not charge is the alignment is not correct (this caught me out). The charging screen shows when the device is charging – check this before leaving it.Aesthetics, general wearability and day to day use- The Ignite looks amazing on my wrist, it is a really good size for day to day wear and beats the Garmin Vivo Active 3 and the Polar Vantage M hands down in this respect. It really is a joy to wear.- It is very light and as a result it was easy to forget I was wearing it. I also like the fact that it is slimmer than the other two watches so doesn't sit as proud.- The face of the Ignite is slightly smaller than the Vivo Active and the Vantage M (see pictures). The screen also goes right up to the edge of the watch and looks much less clunky than both the Garmin and Vantage M. A real plus in the style stakes.- The strap is pliable and neat (white version – silicone I think), much nicer than the Vantage M strap I have and more comparable to the feel of the Vivo Active strap which I like.Ease of Operation:- This watch is touch screen (hurrah – the fact that the Vantage M is not touch screen was a real detractor for me, having long used the Vivo Active’s touch screen capability).- During use I didn’t once accidently activate the screen so that isn’t a concern.- The watch is intuitive to use and the screens were very easy to navigate.- There is only one button (similar to the Vivo Active in this respect) but most navigation is via the touch screen function.GPS log on- There is nothing more frustrating then your watch taking a long time to log onto the GPS signal when you just want to start running - I had no issues with the GPS link up. I used the watch in a small town and in the countryside when trail running and the GPS log on was very quick in both locations. If anything the Polar watch often found GPS signal before the Garmin.Activities/Running/Distance Accuracy/GPS- As a runner this is what is most important to me.- I road tested this over 5 runs of varying distances in my first week, using my trusty Garmin as a comparator (already calibrated and checked to official race measured distances) to compare distance, time, pace etc.- The Polar measured very accurately for me, both on road and when trail running. Over 10km the difference in distances measured by each watch was less than 50 meters, which I consider to be acceptable.- On set up I selected automatic pause so when I stop running, for example at traffic lights, the device automatically pauses and then restarts tracking once I am running again. This feature worked well.Data screens- Along side the accuracy of data the availability of data whilst running is important to me.- Each data screen can hold 4 pieces of data (e.g. pace, distance, time etc.).- You can customise what data you have via the app.- The data was easy to see whilst running and gave me the information I needed to monitor and improve my performance.Display- The display graphics on the Ignite are much better than on the Vantage M in my opinion (brighter display, more in depth colours). However, the watch does have a ‘black screen’ when not in use to save battery I imagine, so you have to flick your wrist in order to see the data screen light up (to read the time for example).- My main frustration is the lack of ability to customise the standard watch display. The time always shows (you can chose analog or digital display) but you then have to scroll through using the navigation buttons to look at heart rate for example.- I like the fact that there are many watch face options on the Garmin (style and colour etc.) but most importantly you can customise exactly what you include on the watch face – I really like to monitor my daily steps so this is prominently displayed on my Garmin but I can’t do this on the Polar.Interaction with other devices and apps- In common with all runners I know I like to be able to analyse my running data and look at details such as my heart rate, pace and so on over the course of a run.- The Polar uses the Polar Flow app to do this. It was sometimes a little slow to synchronise but this was just a minor frustration and one that can be overcome by forcing a manual sync from the watch.As a training aide- I really like the data you get at the end of the run that is available to be seen on the watch and not just on the App. It is very extensive and useful for an immediate post race postmortem.- Being able to pre-program workouts before setting off makes for much easier interval training.- I used the Polar Flow App to write a training plan with specific work-outs (e.g. interval training), but I couldn’t work out a way to copy and paste the same work out to other training days and therefore it was quite a repetitive process and put me off planning my training within the app.- However, the watch completely redeems itself in the way it helps you to plan workouts by making daily suggestions (note: you can also download full training plans, e.g. for a half marathon from the Polar Flow webpage).- This all starts with the nightly recharge function, to me this is a bit too much of a gimmick, but I found myself somewhat addicted to it. It basically tries to tell you if your sleep has been sufficient for you to recover from the previous days activity levels. As someone who commonly trains multiple times a day this was interesting but I am not sure how accurate it really can be.- This then ties into the watches personal training function (my wording for this function, not Polar’s, they call it ‘FitSpark’), basically the watch suggests training for the following day based on your recovery data, your sleep, your previous activities etc. I found this interesting as it often suggested I should take things a little easier than I had planned. The watch gives you a range of options (e.g. easy cardio for a longer period of time or more intense for a shorter period of time). It even includes details such as how to do your interval training, what strength training exercises to do (with full explanations as to how to do them). I found myself more and more drawn to this as my time with the watch progressed.- Similar to the above there is a ‘serene’ function, this guides you through relaxing breathing functions. I did this for 3 minutes before bed for a few days – not sure I will keep using it.- The swimming data was very good, I used it both in a pool and on my first introduction to open water swimming.Battery life- The battery life on the Polar is good enough, although it was outperformed by both the Garmin and the Vantage M – I imagine this is because of its enhanced screen quality.- After 72 hours of extensive use I had run out of charge (note: I often train 3+ hours a day, up to 2 of which could be in GPS mode so my use is maybe slightly more extensive than other users).Polar Flow App- The app lets down what is a decent activity tracker.- The Polar Flow App isn’t as extensive as other supporting apps.- I am used to being able to track my weight, BMI, menstrual cycle, floors climbed, heart rate etc etc. The Garmin Connect App shows useful charts to see changes in these metrics over time. The Polar Flow App tracks steps, distance, active time, calories burnt and sleep but nothing else. I really miss these features.- I think Polar should invest more in developing a real life tracker of an app to support their products.- For those only looking at running data then the Polar information is brilliant, better than the Garmin (e.g. I like the fact that the Polar app shows average heart rate per KM on its breakdown)Other features- This watch has much improved sleep monitoring features when compared to the very basic data from the Vantage M. I would say the sleep data is on par with that produced by the Garmin Vivo Active, with the exception of the Ignite’s ‘Nightly Recharge’ function (see more above).- There is no triathlon function, you have to stop the watch and restart the next exercise

1.9.2019

This is an initial review of the polar ignite fitness watch.The watch comes well packaged with a charging and sync lead and instructions in numerous languages.NB. Before purchasing be aware that to enable download of the Polar Flow App which is needed to synchronise the data, there is a minimum requirement for Windows and Apple for this to happen: windows 10 for windows applications and IOS 11 or above for apple systems. Due to this, I am unable to use the Polar Flow App on my mobile phone (which will not allow Windows 10 upgrade) and have to use my Windows 10 laptop. It is though, very useful to see the data on the large screen.You can access the Polar Flow App via Bluetooth or USB but so far,I have only synchronised via the USB.The charging and sync lead attaches magnetically to the back of the watch and has a USB connector for charging and synchronisation to a computer. It can also be connected by Bluetooth to a phone, tablet or computer but you need to have minimum operating systems; for example, you need windows 10 for windows applications and IOS 11 or above for apple systemsThe watch is attractive on the wrist and is unisex, the watch I reviewed was in white with a large clear and easy to read display with a button to switch between modes and a touch screen to navigate within those modes.The strap is comfortable and the watch needs to be worn on the wrist bone in order to receive the pulse readings. The strap appears well made and is flexible yet appears sturdy for regular usage.Setting up of the watch is pretty straightforward and the instructions are pretty clear on the ones supplied in the box and in the watch. You need to put in your details in settings. In general settings you put in what units you want to measure your activity and language you want to record in. there is also an inactivity alert function and flight mode on this section. In physical settings you can add your height and weight etc, training background and goals. There is also a watch setting function where you can personalise the watch face display (either digital or analogue), time and date etc.You need to register on the polar flow app and then you can sync your watch on the app to record your sessions.There are various screenshots attached which record activity in quite a degree of detail including distance, steps per minute, calories used, time, heart rate during the session (including highest and average). The watch also has a GPS tracker which is really clever as it will produce a visual map of your walk.I used my watch for walking and it was easy to start, pause and end the session. To start, press the button and go into start training touch the screen and choose which activity you are doing and press the screen again to start recording your activity. Press the button to pause the activity and press and hold the button for three seconds to end the activity. When ending the activity, the watch saves the session and then when you sync the watch to the app, it records your session.There are lots of activities you can record including (but not totalling) walking, cross training, indoor cycling, treadmill / running, yoga, group exercise and strength training.The watch also includes timers for sporting activity including a stopwatch and countdown timer.There is a fitness test mode, and also a breathing exercise mode called serene.There is also a sleep recording ability to monitor your sleep pattern, I have not used this as I personally cannot sleep with something on my wrist.I have never used a watch like this before but am now wearing it all the time and in-between training it shows my heart rate, activity, etc.It has made my walking sessions more interesting and it has been helpful to record and monitor my activity and I am sure I will use the watch for other activities now I am used to how it works.I have not used another fitness watch so its hard to compare to other items on the market but it seems to do what it says on the tin; is stylish, fairly easy to operate and very addictive

30.8.2019

I've been using a Fitbit Inspire HR for the last 4 months and have got to really like the feedback I have been getting back from it with regards my activities. I usually use it to assess my steps/calorie burn and heartrate also I found the sleep monitor interesting if not entirely useful - I wasn't really interested in the deeper functions although I used the cycle one a couple of times. So I was a little wary of trying this Polar Ignite, I needn't have worried.At first it seemed a little bulky on my wrist compared to the Fitbit, a feeling that soon faded - it was just a case of getting used to the larger display. The unit itself is quite a good looking a little understated but not tacky looking.The charge cable is much better than the Fitbit one,it also magnetically attaches but this one stays on, the Fitbit would fall off if moved.A second big deal for me is the display, very cool looking and most of all easy to read, in sunlight the Fitbit was next to useless you couldn't read the display unless you found somewhere darker - with the Polar there's none of that messing about easy to read and easy to navigate. There are absolutely tons of settings to use every so often I find a new one but as I say I only want it for basic monitoring but there must be something on here for every aspect of exercise . The actual watch setting is pretty good too I like the analogue version as it looks pretty cool, although the hands can sometimes obscure data...but then you use the menus to drill down for greater detail anyway and if you set it to digital then you won't have that issue.It has all the information that my Fitbit has and more, in fact it seems to me to be a more "serious" bit of kit especially geared towards those with a proper training regime. One thing I did notice is that it seemed at first to be a little high on the calories expended reading, that seemed to happen first thing in the morning, there was no way I had used that amount of calories - but then I compared it to the Fitbit and towards the close of day after a similar amount of activity it seemed to tally more or less with what I would have expected for the time period. I also noted a couple of times that it had added a couple of steps when not doing anything it didn't do it often but as with any pedometer I tend to factor in a 5% error rate anyway either way these wrist ones seem a lot more accurate to the ones you put on your belt or in your pocket.One thing that did annoy me with the Fitbit was it's Tamagotchi approach, it would alert me to say I needed to walk say 250 steps in the next 10 minutes to achieve a goal, thankfully the Ignite doesn't do that to such an extent, it's like a silent partner although it does prompt you once in a while - I think it has done it twice in the last week rather than 4 or 5 times a day like the Fitbit - I found that feature on the Fitbit annoying I would think you could turn it off but never found out how.The Flow software interface is just as good as the Fitbit one which I found excellent....there's not much between them in all honesty.Now at first I was wary of the Polar as I loved the old Fitbit but if I'm being truthful it surpasses it in every way, ease of use, ergonomically and looks wise. It's a real step up (not the exercise!!).

4.9.2019

I've owned a few smart watches in the past, but this is the first dedicated activity tracking watch. This is basically a direct competitor to Fitbit, its main goal is to help you track your activities via various sensors on the base of the watch.Their main marketing claim is that they have been making heart rate monitors before it was cool, since the 1977 when they made the first wireless heart rate monitor.Inside the box is the watch, a dedicated USB charging cable, and a stack of quick start guides in lots of languages, including all the European and Asian languages I can think of. The instructions are printed in quite a small font though, and covers only the very basic operations.Both Android and iOS apps are available, and registration is simple.Having heard stories of other brands of watches significantly over counting steps, (eg some people have reported 20,000 steps in a day just by pottering around the house, which is just plain inaccurate.) I was intrigued to find out if this Polar watch is any better. Comparing the steps recorded by the watch versus my mobile, the watch is reporting about a 10% more steps than the mobile, which is probably about right since I don't always carry my phone with me every minute of the day.If you were to wear the watch during sleep, it will record your sleep pattern, and display it on a timeline showing when you had light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep or was disrupted. I think it does this by sensing tiny changes in electrical charges on your skin via four metal contacts on the base of the watch, as well as detecting your heart rate via the light sensors. How ever it does it, it seems to be quite accurate.The watch itself has touch screen, plus one physical button on the bottom left around the 8 o'clock position, which is perfectly positioned for wearing on the left wrist and operating by the right hand thumb. If you wear it on your right wrist however, it will probably be a bit awkward. The button is used to start training mode or to force a data sync with your mobile by a long press.One niggle I have is that the screen is usually off, and you have to either press the button to turn it on, or to flick your wrist in a seemingly specific way to turn it on. I have yet to consistently turn it on via the wrist flick method, which makes telling the time rather fiddly.In terms of battery life, when I first took it out of the box, I gave it a short charge before putting it on, so it wasn't quite 100% charged. After 4 whole days of 24/7 wear, the battery was down to 24%. So it would probably easily last another 24 hours.All in all, I really like this watch / activity tracker. I found both the app and the touch screen intuitive to use.

26.10.2019

Polar Ignite Fitness Watch with Advanced Wrist-Based Optical Heart Rate Monitor, Training Guide, GPS, WaterproofIn the box.The watch, strap, charge lead and instructions.Set up.Firstly, charge it up for a USB source. Next download the monitoring app to your phone and pair it. The phone receives the watch’s data and the app keeps track of your activity and recommends improvements to your fitness and general health. I also did a software update so that the watch had the latest bug fixes and features. This also improved stability.Features.Time, stop watch, GPS, heart rate, sleep time and quality, run route, calories burnt, various timers, touch display.Build quality.It is well made with a chunky rubber strap.

5.7.2019

I'm already a fan of Polar products, I have been for years, I purchased the Vantage V when it was first released and did the same with the Ignite.I've spent this week getting used to the Ignite, it's a touch screen like the Vantage V, but with fewer buttons, one to be precise. The watch was easy to set up and synced with my Flow account seamlessly. There were a few updates to do, but that didn't take very long.The touch screen performs really well and I love the screen colours and brightness with the watch coming to life when I turn my wrist to look at the screen or touch the watch face or button.The Ignite Optical heart rate sensors look the same as on my Vantage V and it picks up my heart rate just as quickly.

30.8.2019

This is a review of the Polar Ignite fitness watch, M/L in white as other colours and sizes are available on the listing. It is supplied in a branded box along with a charging cable and instructions. It has a plastic body and strap which feels a little cheap at the price but help its slim and light form factor which is ideal for a sports watch.The strap is secure and adjusts to the slimmest of wrists and the watch is not too bulky and comfortable to wear. It charges via a dedicated cable with a magnetic connection which is OK but a bit fiddly and could do with stronger magnets to make it more secure.The screen is clear and bright and the touchscreen responsive.

12.8.2019

Really happy with this product. I'm a sports and exercise physiologist who has mainly worked with Polar products but also some Garmin, Fitbit and Suunto. I looked at a lot of options when choosing a new activity tracking watch.I mainly wanted it to track the quality of my sleep and it's giving me great information back. It is also easy to switch to a training session so it collects heart rate data accurately and you can make a selection of activities from a wide range of options. It is also an eye opener with regards to how much (or little) activity I do at work and you can easily set your activity goals and track how you are doing against them.It has also been great for giving information on possible workouts that best suit your level of recovery.

10.7.2019

This is just what I have been looking for, a sports watch both for training and also well being. Ignite fits really well on my small wrists and I like the touch screen and one button function. I have used Polar before and the Ignite heart rate and GPS accuracy is spot on. If you do lots of different training, there are over 100 sports to choose from, even yoga, I like this flexibility.But I think the coolest things are the new features. The sleep is broken down into REM, deep, light sleep and interruptions and scored in the Nightly Recharge feature, so you can see if you are getting enough good quality sleep and recovering from your day properly.

5.9.2019

I’ve used a few pieces of Polar equipment in the past but this has been my first fitness watch of theirs. It is lightweight, comfortable to wear and reasonably attractive. It isn’t as good-looking as some of the high-end smartwatches I have seen, but then this is aimed lower in the market and more towards fitness buyers rather than those just looking for a fancy gadget.The screen is great to look at in normal conditions but as you’d expect it can be a little harder to see in very bright sunshine. I like that it’s laid out clearly and the data can be seen easily at a glance. Battery life is pretty good, especially when I haven’t kept the screen in its always-on mode. Typically,

9.7.2019

I was given this watch as a gift. I am a regular gym goer and have to say that I love this product already. I can choose all of the sports that I do – in and out of the gym and see all of my stats in Polar Flow when I sync the watch at the end of the exercise. I am not a techy person but this watch is very simple to use. I just press a button at the end of the exercise and can see everything on my phone in the Flow app. I love seeing how hard I worked but most of all I like to track how my heart rate has spiked and then gone down during the class depending on what we are doing. I go out cycling and running too and love seeing the map where I have been and also the re-live video.The thing that has been the biggest shock to me has been to see how little sleep I actually get.

21.9.2019

I got this for my partner who likes to track her daily activity. After using it for a few weeks she has concluded that it is too complicated for her to use effectively. She is pretty good with IT but finds too many of the features of the watch and app are not very intuitive.She also suggested to me that the step monitoring seemed to be very "generous" so we monitored that by going on a walk together. Our two different devices gave fairly similar results. But I then did a long walk with my dog and when we compared results that evening I was supposed to have taken fewer steps than my partner. I wondered how the watch was measuring steps and discovered that it was measuring wrist acceleration and that this could be affected it the watch was warn on the dominant wrist (which was the case).

24.9.2019

“I really like the look of the watch on the wrist and it’s not too chunky or heavy. I want to be able to wear it in the office, so it’s important that it doesn’t look overly sporty. I’d describe this as a fitness/training watch disguised as a smart watch. The only slight criticism is that the watch face doesn’t wake up quite so readily on the wrist, so if you want to look at the time regularly it might become irritating.The setup on mobile is straight forward. I did have a few issues with the iOS Polar Flow app during first sync, so ended up using the Polar Flow sync software on desktop, which I think might be helpful in future for looking at data from the watch anyway. I have also synced up my Polar Flow and Strava accounts,

17.9.2019

So many feature, so much information!The Polar Ignite Fitness Watch beats a lot of the others around as it can accurately track both pool swims and outdoor swims. Also indoor and outdoor cycling and running so ideal for triathlon training. Options to track Yoga, strength training, group activities, the list goes on.As well as time and distance it also holds info on your heart rate, cadence, lap times, stroke rate, it tracks your entire day and night heart rate and relax times if you need. Easy to use, easy to see as it has a good clear touchscreen with just one back button. Very lightweight and comfy to wear. Charges up to full in around an hour and the charge lasts for 2-3 days on average.

28.8.2019

Polar sports watches are amongst the best, and this Ignite model combines a wide range of features in a slim and comfortably fitting case plus having the utility of the Polar Flow app for your watch to record and track your exercise and sleep etc.After set up, which was a little fiddly but not difficult, you can enter your personal height, weight etc. details, then sync the phone with your watch through Bluetooth for updates to the firmware and so on. Once this is done, a matter of minutes, you can start to use the watch. There is a simple paper guide to get you started, but I found the videos on YouTube the best for seeing exactly how the watch can operate.I'm no great athlete anymore,

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