Why I ditched the Garmin Fenix 3 for the Polar V800

A strange thing happened: I changed my free Polar V800 watch for the one I bought on the day the Garmin Fenix 3 was released. A year later I returned to the Polar V800 again. The latter were bought with their own money, so the experiment can be considered clean. Below I explain the reasons for such throwing and give my arguments in favor of the V800 and the software solution from Polar, which influenced the choice.

To remind you of the situation a year ago, it is worth mentioning that the first version of the Polar V800, provided to us by the representative office in Russia, was very strange. Despite the fact that this watch is positioned as a triathlon watch, it did not have half of the functions that were supplemented with software updates on the fly. There was no stroke measurement, no swimming style was determined, it was impossible to plan intervals by heart rate, but it was possible by pace.:) It was such a LEGO constructor that not all came, but the instructions meanwhile stated the opposite. Then came the monthly updates, and what I see on my hand today is in no way inferior to the same Garmin Fenix 3 for me.

The second ambush was more creepy - the open power connector rotted (oxidized) after 3 months, the body swelled and let water in. The watch is dead. Today, discussing the problem with friends, I understand that the Thai pool in our villa was to blame. Some kind of poison was poured into it, from which teeth gritted. The teeth survived, but the V800 did not.

Rotten Polar V800 connector

The water is already inside (perspiration inside). The gadget is sinking

Anyone who bought a Polar himself got it changed for free after shipping to the US. I didn’t buy and fix it myself.

Now let's talk about why I decided to go back to the V800 after going through all of the above.

Work on bugs

An open connector now covers a plug. I will check the reliability of the connector after a while, but the experience of one of my friends says that in a year and a half nothing bad has happened to him. I hope that it will be the same for me.

Appearance

This is not a decisive factor, but a very important factor for me. After wearing the Fenix 3 for a year, I have not been able to get used to either their size or the fact that they look like a sports watch. No, I know that there are such very wealthy and not so wealthy people who take delight in the fact that their "triathlon" or "running" can be seen from afar. I know that many are amused by the fact that an athlete of an athlete sees from afar through the weird pager-shaped profile of the 920XT. But I want to have a clock that looks like a clock. In my opinion, V800 looks exactly like that and shines equally decently in a business suit, in a beach outfit, and in something average …

Blue - for sports, black - for daily wear

But it would be unfair to keep silent about the fact that Fenix can change the color of the strap, and therefore hold on to the desired look. One strap - 35 USD without taxes and shipping to us. How do I change the color of the straps in Polar? No way. Although, it would not be superfluous to say that Fenix straps last 3-4 months and then break. So it was with me and two other friends.

Garmin Fenix 3 interchangeable strap with programmed breakage

I'm also not at all ready to accept a color screen on the Fenix 3. It doesn't look like an advertisement. He's much worse. And after the same Apple Watch is generally perceived as a mockery. For me, contrast is more important in a sports watch, and here the V800 wins. Attentive readers may remember about applications and custom watch faces on Fenix 3. I played with them - it was useless, ugly, I did not see anyone who would be happy with it.

Mobile app

For the entire time of Garmin's operation, I could not really understand how its mobile application works. It is constantly changing and “improving”. But from this it becomes more and more incomprehensible and incomprehensible. Why do I see steps and steps on the main screen? How do I find a workout plan? Why do I have some kind of distance competition on the second button? And if, for example, I am a sprinter, then why do I need this top at all? Why is there golf all the time?

I confess that I have never used it at all. The problem is solved by the fact that the Fenix 3 watch has Wi-Fi and can upload workouts on its own to Garmin Connect, but I watched them on Strava, because everything is clear there, but not on garmin.com.

The Polar Flow mobile app is the exact opposite! Daily activity without useless focus on steps, the training calendar is always clear, you can easily evaluate the week programmed by the trainer, everything is large and easy to read. The workout page has everything without switching tabs.

Web service

The site is quite new, it looks modern and cool. There are a couple of mysteries in it, but basically everything is exactly where you expect to find it. There is no golf, badges or other junk that has accumulated over the decades. Why do I need all this in the sidebar? Why would anyone need this at all?

The Connect system also reminds me of Windows. No matter how much you mask the past DOS and old interface solutions, they will sooner or later overtake you. So it is here. Look at beautiful pictures, and suddenly a piece of code from five years ago that shows your workouts falls out on you.:(

Below, I'll just attach a few screenshots that show the differences in web services:

The value of Polar Flow is felt when you need to plan your interval training. No matter how much I tried to do it at Garmin, every time as the first, everything is intuitively clear.

In general, companies have different approaches to watches. While you can do almost anything on a Garmin watch without going through the web service and app, with Polar, you do everything on the web service. Therefore, the watch does not have bulky menus and looks primitive at first glance. But when you go to a web service, you get everything thought out and convenient.

For example, I made a video of how an interval training session is created using heart rate zones that were marked in advance after my functional testing.

Integration

Many people drown for Garmin with such a main argument - integration. Indeed, there is no gadget more integrated into everything than Garmin. But the thing is, the only integration I'm interested in is called Strava. Once Polar Flow began handing over training to this great service, Garmin's other competitive advantage was eliminated.

If we talk about third-party sensors, then V800 works only with Bluetooth and there is no ANT + in it. Garmin, by contrast, has both interfaces. It uses ANT + to connect to sensors like heart rate, speed, cadence and power (maybe it also connects to golf clubs?), But Bluetooth is used to synchronize with the AP. But it is also not needed, since we have Wi-Fi, which from the clock delivers everything directly to the web.

Polar V800 uses Bluetooth for everything: sensors and sync. There are no problems with either the first or the second today. The watch can, for example, take a pulse from your ears if you have Jabra Pulse headphones. The same Fenix 3 cannot work with them. Although the Fenix has a much cooler heart rate monitor, thanks to the measurements of the running dynamics. Read about it in the technology overview.

Price

I bought my second Polar V800 a week ago for 7,200 hryvnias (288 dollars ≈ 19,000 rubles) with a heart monitor. My current Fenix 3s in the same store cost 12,450 hryvnia ($ 499 ≈ 32,700 rubles) with a heart rate monitor. If you take a more "business" modification of the Fenix 2 Sapphire, then add another $ 100.

The great thing is that in both cases we get the same thing! Especially if you are a runner or a not-so-confused triathlete like me.

Questions?