sad to see that polar is only making pointless updates on watches instead of focusing on improving their existing ecosystem. Vantage V2 already has all the relevant functions of this grit X update. autonomy improvement is a joke compared to other brands that also come with real features for outdoor activities (offline maps) and more fancy ones such as offline music (and I'm not even talking of the bigger screen). they'd rather produce a watch that is able to match competition or focus on improving their flow platform, wich is great but completely closed to import from other platforms (external plans for instance, which is available in Garmin or coros when you define your plan in trainingpeaks).
Another fantastic review. But let's be honest re wrist sensors. I've been with Garmin for over 12 yrs and have yet to see any of the Garmins sensors work anywhere as good as this review re sensor. Even my fenix 6 and my current 945 the wrist sensors are way off.
"Lots of stuff coming" - you know how to tease... :-D Anyhow, it is nearly in F6 price range if I understand well. If(when) F7 comes out, F6 prices may drop to this. At the same time, those navigation features were already available in F2 I think, but definitely in F3. Regarding the various tests: do you find "figure out from all data" estimates as accurate as these dedicated tests? And is their absolute value actually important (for someone not a pro) or only the changes? (so that absolute errors do not matter that much).
Have you had any issues with Grit and Vantage synching the wrong timestamp to Strava? My files look good on Polar Flow, but when I sync to Strava the workouts are 8 hours behind the actual time (so a 10am workout shows 2am). Any tips?
I purchased the Vantage V2 about 1 year ago and like you said most of these new Git X2 features were already on my watch. To me, the best feature of all Polar watches is Flow web service, I am an analyzer.
I really want to invest in polar for allll that data! With it’s scientific literature history but for the price Garmin is like 5 years (if not more) ahead .. lots of work to do
Garmin is leader in worst intuitive menus. I don't need a watch with map. I follow created roots... If exploring I prefer my phone on big screen... Changed from garmin to Polar... Made life so much easier😎
Polar's having a sale on the Grit X Pro. Do you think it's worth $130 over the Garmin Instinct 2 (Pro X $360, Instinct 2 $230) for general athletic training? Durability, accurate HR reading from the wrist, GPS accuracy and be able to create structured workouts are the most important features to me.
Thank you for great review! But Polar disappoints me more and more. Since introduction of Vantage M and V all Polar watches have almost identical hardware and slightly improved software. The appearance of backlight adjustment in 2021 is a great achievement. No maps, no music and old low resolution display. All new features can be easily added as a software update to Vantage V and M. But Polar refused to continue updating these models for at least year and a half.
@@tams805 it's not great device. Oh the happy day when I finally ditchet my Grit X and get back to Garmin. So yeah it's not a bad watch but it's stucked in 2015.
@@tams805 I'm a 30 years polar customer, believe me, flow is not even at the level of their previous platform to manage your training : you still can't define your own standard plans, which was possible before. The integration with Trainingpeaks or other platform that enable you to define your own standard plans is only here to export your workout data. If you have a standard plan for different types of race, you have to manually plan everything (when you train 5 times a week or more using 12 weeks plans, you are seriously considering this as a key point ! esp. when you where able to create a new plan instance in one click before) Garmin and coros already let you do this with TP. As far as I'm concerned my vantage V will be my last polar watch as flow is a complete regression on the planning and training management part.
@@vincentl3846 really ? I'm still waiting for form power or ground contact in flow (available in Coros for instance) .... unless analyzing your running form is a gadget ...
Polar's long-time user here. I'm a bit disappointed with the Polar new watches. Really, as a competitive cyclist they are of no use to me (sadly). And their cycling computers are stuck in 2015. (Yet, I'm still using my old m460 and I'm kinda happy with it. If it only had navigation / maps...) Moreover, the watch won't help me with my gym workouts. But what I found the most disturbing is that Polar's Training load is kinda different from Coggan/ Skibba's metrics, giving me completely different results. For example, I hit TSB at -10 (according to Friel, I've just reached my proper training stress balance) and Polar tells me I'm overreaching. Yet, the orthostatic test says otherwise - you're good to go! That's a mess. Relaying on Polar's indications made me stuck in a training plateau for a few months. So, having fancy Polar watch forces me to go back to "how do you feel today" technique (RPE). Well... Bad luck I guess. Is it a time to switch to Garmin? The only thing that really keeps me in Polar's corner is the Nightly Recharge.
Screen looks Dark. My Polar Ignite has a very bright screen. It only broke 2 times in a year and somehow came back to life after 2 1/2 months of not working!
After years with Garmin 5 and Garmin 6X Pro, I am unsure if I should switch to either the Polar Grit X Pro or the Suunto 9 Peak...would you recommend me to change environment outside Garmin? If so...Grit X Pro or Suunto 9 Peak?
I really don't get the point of the watch size. What's the point of making the housing and screen glass so big if you're going to use only 60% of the screen size and the rest is unusable. Looks ridiculous!
Well I'm back to my old reliable GXP, because i have no idea what Garmin has been doing to their software but enough is enough. And the Polar Flow app is WAY better than Garmin connect, seriously. I still need to tinker a bit with the settings (i forgot a lot) but it's doing what I need and nothing i don't. 👍😁
Got it. Love it. Wear it 24/7. Easy to track activities. Polar flow app syncs like a charm and has great representational graphics of my sleep, heart rate and activities. It's like having a coach lol. I can't even tell I am wearing it because of its lightness. Recharges really really quick compared to my phone and the charge lasts, like in the last 12 hrs, 3% loss.
Lot’s of stuff coming in October right? Holding on to that info and curious to see what this month will bring! On the Polar side, yes they will not compete with a Fenix on all parts but for the Polar directed audience this will be a sweet new watch. Have the feeling it’s quite big with those lugs even extending more. Wonder if they should offer a smaller (s) version.
October is strong. Maybe not as strong as some want, but strong in general. Well, at least assuming things don't slide. Already seeing word one thing might slide. 😑
@@Dcrainmaker Yep… the market is in a slippery situation so introduction delay’s should not be a surprise. Most likely out of control of the brands as well. Eagerly awaiting some new introductions from Garmin this month, otherwise I most likely settle for a deal on a 6s PRO in the course of Nov.
I don't know as last two fenix been disappointing. The quality just not there for the amount of dollars you have to folk out. Xgrit pro half the price with same features as my fenix 6...I don't know might have to get one instead of fenix 7
Polar hasn’t been great since the M400 Garmin could really blow away the competition with the 7. Meanwhile the Fenix 6x is standing there yelling, “Is there no one else?!“
Is the build it sensor better than OH1+ etc, and the Energy source data are available also? And its also possible do it Recovery Pro with OH1+ or I need H10 ? thanks.
Without reading all comments, has anyone had issues with screen brightness? I've read some other reviews stating the screen is very hard to read. Thanks in advance.
The sunset feature on smart watches is fun, but wish it would calculate in geological data. I live in an area with tall mountains around and the practical sunset is much sooner that watches tell me.
Really helpfull video! Thank you! ONE SUPER TRIVIAL question: In the picture of the analog clock there is three markers, one for hours one for minutes and one for second. BUT when you use the analog watch-setting there is no pointer for seconds? Is it there? Very trivial i know but i just thin it looks good.
Moved from years of Polar products because they dump there product updates as soon the next best thing is launched, moved to a full Garmin system, never looked back
Hi Ray. This is the same dimly lit screen as all the other Polar transflective watches right? You can't change the screen color to white in an activity and have very watch faces to choose from as well I'm guessing. It's still a Polar. I like Polar and have the M2, but they gotta improve that screen brightness.
I have the Vantage V but I want to upgrade this one. Which one is better for triathlon? The Grit X Pro or the Vantage V2? Or is a Garmin FR or Wahoo better?
If for biking, for that price you might as well look at a Wahoo or Garmin that has full GPS mapping with a color map, larger display and you can see it without stopping. I have had several Polar HR monitors and they are good for that.
@@disco.lemonade Garmin is the only game in town for elite level triathlon watches that do 24-hour "activity monitoring". GPS and ANT+ power meters pretty much killed Polar. They could catch up but it seems like the shareholders don't believe it's worth it. Polar was the only game in town for cyclists until Garmin came up with the Edge 500 and some early Forerunners.
@@indonesiaamerica7050 Im not sure what that has to do with my comment, but... ok. Well, Garmin is about 10 times bigger than Polar, and it's American which plays a big role in sales i.e you can buy a Garmin anywhere basically, whereas a Polar is bit harder to find. So, yeah, unless Polar people come up with watches that can catch up and even kill Garmin's 245, 745 and Fenix, then it'll be soon game over for Polar, which would be a complete shame because I like Polar better, their web app is simply much, much better for training and also their algorithms for calories and recovery, just simply better than Garmin's. But sometimes I feel like getting a Garmin because my Polar misses so many feats like customization, music, notifications while training, etc. Gonna give it this whole year, see what they can do
Great Review, im a hobby runner 5km-10k and have had a Fitbit Ionic and now a Sense. I just want something a bot more advanced for running looks well that will also have smart aspects incl sleep, steps etc.. Would you go for this or Garmin 945, Fenix 6,745 ?
Grit X user here. Will polar support structured workouts from Trainingpeaks to be loaded into flow? Also, will it be possible to turn off the touch screen? Huge problem for me when doing a swim start in a triathlon is that the swim activity starts everytime a drip of water thouches the screen. Try keeping it dry until the gun goes off...
Great video ! For an outdoor watch, not having altitude and barometric pressure available on the home screen is pretty inexcusable. Too bad it will not be available for the original Grit X sorely miss that feature (which I had on my Ambit 3), shame on me for not researching the Grit X better before I bought it…
v1 is 2018, grit x 2019, v2 2020, grit x pro 2021 so looks like end of 2022 will be v2 or v2 pro with the same screen, same ohr, same battery life and only minor soft update
@@fitgearhunter Weird, nope, definitely not. I sat there for like 10 mins trying to get it to change. Thought it was kind of a silly setting that way. Must be a bug on mine.
Umm, how so? I literally use these watches constantly, year round. Most watches I use for about a month before publishing a review. The Grit X Pro isn't much different than the Grit X that I use frequently in comparisons - save a few new data fields/pages.
@@Dcrainmaker "I literally use these watches constantly, year round." -- That's why you don't mind it. To a newcomer this whole paradigm of assigning complex multi-level menus to arbitrary combination of four button presses is absurd. If we want computers on the wrist, make the screen much bigger and touch sensitive, like smartphones.
@@mountainhobo Ah, sorry, I thought you were saying me (as in, DCR) wasn't using them enough to learn how to use them. My apologies. On your point, yes, I very much agree with you - many of them are faaaaaar too complex with little discoverability of features.
@@mountainhobo Rather buy an entry-level watch with less features then? There are many options out there. Personally I found my Garmin Fenix overwhelming at first, but as you progress and become more serious with your training, you naturally start using more and more of those features and now I find it extremely easy to navigate all the menus and settings and use just about everything.
@@rodrigorios3271 It's broadcast over ANT+ only. Correct me if I'm wrong. You can pair a bluetooth chest strap but you cannot broadcast over bluetooth.
It’s really sad to see what is happening with the Polar. Once it was my ultimate favorite sport watch brand, but now they are in 4-5 years late compared to the other brands.
Not yet, but I get what you want to say. Polar reminds me of Suunto 2017-18. Steps back, no true innovation and trying to capitalize the brand name it 's built so far. It's a pity.
@Gilbert. I totally agree with you. I own 3 polar watch,FT1, V800, Vantage 1, today I'm only using V800. The rest is collecting dust. I don't think I will invest in polar watches any time soon. 🙅♂️
@@0812016547 I was die-hard Polar fan since 2010 when the FT4 came out, then I had M430, Vantage V ( 1st gen) but I have to confess after Vantage I switched to Garmin about a year ago… I still believe the Flow is superior compared to the Garmin Connect, which is way to overcomplicated for a regular user, and the Fenix series has a lot of unnecessary “fashion functions” but the Polar has years of latency . I hoped something like an offline map function at least for this new Grit-X, but these features in 2021 is just simply not enough. :(
@Gilbert same they ruled the heart rate monitor days before garmin then they went backwards when they introduced their gps and they decided to go into the smart watch scene due to their CEO who had other paths for polar. But since their whole restructuring of their head office and vision they back to their place re sports and although they're might lack some things I still think they will start improving more and more. Garmins quality has been worse over the last two Years and especially with their multi sports watches and fenix 5 and 6.
The problem I have, and it isn't just this watch, is that with my older eyes (I use magnify glasses for reading only) I have problems reading the screen with the fonts and font size they use. On my Fenix 3 I've configured 1 field per page just to make things easier to view. On the Grit X Pro elevation screen I'd have no ability to see all those details they squeezed on unless I could (but can't) hold the watch face 1 metre away from my face. It is just a blur. It's the same when you load a course onto the Fenix 3. At each turn they have an itty bitty arrow in the middle of the screen. Why not make it fill the whole screen? I'd like these things thought of when designing the watch.
@@Dcrainmaker sorry, I have no experience with Polar watches. Can you customize data pages/fields like in the case of a Garmin? I don't have such a bad eyesight, but even I tend to go to simpler an easier to see data pages. I would do the same for training and navigation screens if Garmin would allow, unfortunately it doesn't (yet).
@@vincentl3846 you clearly don't understand the protocol. Try using power meters with cycling or running dynamics without it. Try connecting to a training platform and your watch at the same time without it. ANT+ is the antithesis of useless 🤦🏼♀️
if you are looking for gadgets (music, etc) garmin is leading)). For performance analyzing, polar is far ahead (no useless gadget, etc ! only performance and accuracy) Chose your way...
Great video. Only thing that bothers me with polar watches is the fact they are "Made in China" which can possibly tell stuff about build quality and "hardware bugs". I don't get why they don't build (at least) their mid-to-high tier watches to Finland like Suunto does, despite the fact that Suunto is even a subsidiary to a Chinese company (go figure). Anyone had issues with build quality etc.?
As much as id like everything to be made in europe, being made in china isn’t an indicator of low quality (ex iphones). The days of cheap china manufacturing are gone. They produce everything from ultra high quality to junk.
appreciate you using multiple watches on your review not just apple ! 🎉🎉
“Lots of stuff coming”
The most interesting statement made in the video 😂
I wanted to say EXACTLY the same 😂❤️
New Garmin lineup???
sad to see that polar is only making pointless updates on watches instead of focusing on improving their existing ecosystem. Vantage V2 already has all the relevant functions of this grit X update. autonomy improvement is a joke compared to other brands that also come with real features for outdoor activities (offline maps) and more fancy ones such as offline music (and I'm not even talking of the bigger screen).
they'd rather produce a watch that is able to match competition or focus on improving their flow platform, wich is great but completely closed to import from other platforms (external plans for instance, which is available in Garmin or coros when you define your plan in trainingpeaks).
Another fantastic review. But let's be honest re wrist sensors. I've been with Garmin for over 12 yrs and have yet to see any of the Garmins sensors work anywhere as good as this review re sensor. Even my fenix 6 and my current 945 the wrist sensors are way off.
"Lots of stuff coming" - you know how to tease... :-D Anyhow, it is nearly in F6 price range if I understand well. If(when) F7 comes out, F6 prices may drop to this. At the same time, those navigation features were already available in F2 I think, but definitely in F3. Regarding the various tests: do you find "figure out from all data" estimates as accurate as these dedicated tests? And is their absolute value actually important (for someone not a pro) or only the changes? (so that absolute errors do not matter that much).
Have you had any issues with Grit and Vantage synching the wrong timestamp to Strava? My files look good on Polar Flow, but when I sync to Strava the workouts are 8 hours behind the actual time (so a 10am workout shows 2am). Any tips?
Why would anyone buy this over a Garmin Fenix?
Price. Fenix with Sapphire is $750 regularly
Any dates for Garmin 7? I’m waiting for the new Garmin 7s 👍💪
I purchased the Vantage V2 about 1 year ago and like you said most of these new Git X2 features were already on my watch. To me, the best feature of all Polar watches is Flow web service, I am an analyzer.
Reason I changed from garmin to Polar. Still missing the fitness graph and personal heatmap... ¿When?!!!
I really want to invest in polar for allll that data! With it’s scientific literature history but for the price Garmin is like 5 years (if not more) ahead .. lots of work to do
That routing feature is a joke compered to the Fenix offline maps.
but hey, garmin and polar have something similar, and its the price!
@@redos111 For gadgets ! garmin is leading ! for acuracy polar is the way to go
@@vincentl3846 yeah, I remember "Jesus mode" on vantage v when you could walk on sea when running straight to it 😁
I need a polar watch with garmin navigation and maps.
Garmin is leader in worst intuitive menus. I don't need a watch with map. I follow created roots... If exploring I prefer my phone on big screen... Changed from garmin to Polar... Made life so much easier😎
Why cant they place some of this tech into a cycling head unit. It's sad to see how polar have dropped cycling specific products.
Polar catch-up features. How long has Garmin, Coros and Suunto already have most of these features in older watches? RL
Polar's having a sale on the Grit X Pro. Do you think it's worth $130 over the Garmin Instinct 2 (Pro X $360, Instinct 2 $230) for general athletic training? Durability, accurate HR reading from the wrist, GPS accuracy and be able to create structured workouts are the most important features to me.
Thank you for great review! But Polar disappoints me more and more. Since introduction of Vantage M and V all Polar watches have almost identical hardware and slightly improved software. The appearance of backlight adjustment in 2021 is a great achievement. No maps, no music and old low resolution display. All new features can be easily added as a software update to Vantage V and M. But Polar refused to continue updating these models for at least year and a half.
So Polar released a Fenix 3? Fantastic video as always Ray but even your quality presentations can’t make that watch not a joke in 2021.
It's not a joke.
It could quite easily be better, but it's still a great device. And Polar's web service is the best.
@@tams805 it's not great device. Oh the happy day when I finally ditchet my Grit X and get back to Garmin. So yeah it's not a bad watch but it's stucked in 2015.
@@tams805 I'm a 30 years polar customer, believe me, flow is not even at the level of their previous platform to manage your training : you still can't define your own standard plans, which was possible before. The integration with Trainingpeaks or other platform that enable you to define your own standard plans is only here to export your workout data. If you have a standard plan for different types of race, you have to manually plan everything (when you train 5 times a week or more using 12 weeks plans, you are seriously considering this as a key point ! esp. when you where able to create a new plan instance in one click before) Garmin and coros already let you do this with TP. As far as I'm concerned my vantage V will be my last polar watch as flow is a complete regression on the planning and training management part.
for gadgets, garmin is leading, for analyzing sport performance and accuracy, Polar is the way to go...
@@vincentl3846 really ? I'm still waiting for form power or ground contact in flow (available in Coros for instance) .... unless analyzing your running form is a gadget ...
Polar's long-time user here. I'm a bit disappointed with the Polar new watches. Really, as a competitive cyclist they are of no use to me (sadly). And their cycling computers are stuck in 2015. (Yet, I'm still using my old m460 and I'm kinda happy with it. If it only had navigation / maps...)
Moreover, the watch won't help me with my gym workouts. But what I found the most disturbing is that Polar's Training load is kinda different from Coggan/ Skibba's metrics, giving me completely different results. For example, I hit TSB at -10 (according to Friel, I've just reached my proper training stress balance) and Polar tells me I'm overreaching. Yet, the orthostatic test says otherwise - you're good to go!
That's a mess. Relaying on Polar's indications made me stuck in a training plateau for a few months.
So, having fancy Polar watch forces me to go back to "how do you feel today" technique (RPE). Well... Bad luck I guess.
Is it a time to switch to Garmin? The only thing that really keeps me in Polar's corner is the Nightly Recharge.
Fantastic, thanks for the great review! Do you know if the latest software updates for the grit X pro will also be provided on the V2?
Yes, the Polar Vantage V2 gets total feature parity to the Grit X Pro.
Polar is and always has been about three generations behind Garmin. I’ve tried several and they all failed. Your mileage may vary.
Screen looks Dark. My Polar Ignite has a very bright screen. It only broke 2 times in a year and somehow came back to life after 2 1/2 months of not working!
differrent screen type
After years with Garmin 5 and Garmin 6X Pro, I am unsure if I should switch to either the Polar Grit X Pro or the Suunto 9 Peak...would you recommend me to change environment outside Garmin? If so...Grit X Pro or Suunto 9 Peak?
Même question, polar grit x pro ou Suunto 9 peak ?
It looks horribly laggy, putting me off
Perfect summary. Thank you so much!
you should have shown the grit x2 pro
Waiting for Garmin Fenix 7 review
Yeah, me too. Want massive improvement everything on f7
@@jasonwright9405 been disappointing last 2 Fenix ( 5 and 6 ) for the money you have to spend.
@@alwaystmoza want tactix 7 pro. Could it be better than f7?
Why only breadcrumbs maps 😭 grrrr.
I really don't get the point of the watch size. What's the point of making the housing and screen glass so big if you're going to use only 60% of the screen size and the rest is unusable. Looks ridiculous!
Well I'm back to my old reliable GXP, because i have no idea what Garmin has been doing to their software but enough is enough. And the Polar Flow app is WAY better than Garmin connect, seriously. I still need to tinker a bit with the settings (i forgot a lot) but it's doing what I need and nothing i don't. 👍😁
Got it. Love it. Wear it 24/7. Easy to track activities. Polar flow app syncs like a charm and has great representational graphics of my sleep, heart rate and activities. It's like having a coach lol. I can't even tell I am wearing it because of its lightness. Recharges really really quick compared to my phone and the charge lasts, like in the last 12 hrs, 3% loss.
Lot’s of stuff coming in October right? Holding on to that info and curious to see what this month will bring! On the Polar side, yes they will not compete with a Fenix on all parts but for the Polar directed audience this will be a sweet new watch. Have the feeling it’s quite big with those lugs even extending more. Wonder if they should offer a smaller (s) version.
October is strong. Maybe not as strong as some want, but strong in general. Well, at least assuming things don't slide. Already seeing word one thing might slide. 😑
@@Dcrainmaker Yep… the market is in a slippery situation so introduction delay’s should not be a surprise. Most likely out of control of the brands as well. Eagerly awaiting some new introductions from Garmin this month, otherwise I most likely settle for a deal on a 6s PRO in the course of Nov.
I don't know as last two fenix been disappointing. The quality just not there for the amount of dollars you have to folk out. Xgrit pro half the price with same features as my fenix 6...I don't know might have to get one instead of fenix 7
Polar hasn’t been great since the M400
Garmin could really blow away the competition with the 7.
Meanwhile the Fenix 6x is standing there yelling, “Is there no one else?!“
Still using my M400, although looking to upgrade due to better sleep features on the newer watches
Apple's GPS seems really good. I've watched your video on open swimming gps and Apple seems good there too.
Why did they not add a barometer widget? Weird, since an outdoor watch should be ABC not A!!C
Looking forward to having these updates on my Vantage V2! Particularly the GPS coordinates and Track Back features, will be very useful
Is the build it sensor better than OH1+ etc, and the Energy source data are available also? And its also possible do it Recovery Pro with OH1+ or I need H10 ? thanks.
Without reading all comments, has anyone had issues with screen brightness? I've read some other reviews stating the screen is very hard to read. Thanks in advance.
Everything that Polar advertises as brand new on their devices is in fact "brand old" for any other Company :(
The sunset feature on smart watches is fun, but wish it would calculate in geological data. I live in an area with tall mountains around and the practical sunset is much sooner that watches tell me.
"with tall mountains" - Sounds like you've gotta hike to the top to solve that problem. 😂
Really helpfull video! Thank you! ONE SUPER TRIVIAL question: In the picture of the analog clock there is three markers, one for hours one for minutes and one for second. BUT when you use the analog watch-setting there is no pointer for seconds? Is it there? Very trivial i know but i just thin it looks good.
Thanks for reviewing. So Grit x doesn't even receive sun times and altimeter widgets as well?
Correct.
Moved from years of Polar products because they dump there product updates as soon the next best thing is launched, moved to a full Garmin system, never looked back
Always great 2view ur videos, not much of an update no physical update or screen size, thickness …. not like Sununto 9 Peak,
Hi Ray. This is the same dimly lit screen as all the other Polar transflective watches right? You can't change the screen color to white in an activity and have very watch faces to choose from as well I'm guessing. It's still a Polar. I like Polar and have the M2, but they gotta improve that screen brightness.
デザイン的には表面の角のエッジが鋭すぎる。Ｒ面でもいいのに。
Any recommendation for the best built-in GPS watch?
It's good that products improve, but damn, it feels like the Grit X only recently came out.
Maybe I'm just getting old.
I have the Vantage V but I want to upgrade this one. Which one is better for triathlon? The Grit X Pro or the Vantage V2? Or is a Garmin FR or Wahoo better?
If for biking, for that price you might as well look at a Wahoo or Garmin that has full GPS mapping with a color map, larger display and you can see it without stopping. I have had several Polar HR monitors and they are good for that.
Who in their right minds would buy a Wahoo watch?
@@disco.lemonade Garmin is the only game in town for elite level triathlon watches that do 24-hour "activity monitoring". GPS and ANT+ power meters pretty much killed Polar. They could catch up but it seems like the shareholders don't believe it's worth it. Polar was the only game in town for cyclists until Garmin came up with the Edge 500 and some early Forerunners.
@@indonesiaamerica7050 Im not sure what that has to do with my comment, but... ok. Well, Garmin is about 10 times bigger than Polar, and it's American which plays a big role in sales i.e you can buy a Garmin anywhere basically, whereas a Polar is bit harder to find. So, yeah, unless Polar people come up with watches that can catch up and even kill Garmin's 245, 745 and Fenix, then it'll be soon game over for Polar, which would be a complete shame because I like Polar better, their web app is simply much, much better for training and also their algorithms for calories and recovery, just simply better than Garmin's. But sometimes I feel like getting a Garmin because my Polar misses so many feats like customization, music, notifications while training, etc. Gonna give it this whole year, see what they can do
Grit x pro or Garmin 945? Need a good watch for marathon training, maybe some hiking.
Can tracker was where my watch exactly location .? If I lost my watch
Would have been nice to mention what coordinate systems they offer and if you can change map datums
Thanks for the complete review. Do you know whethter running on power zones (now only available on V2) is available on te Grit X Pro?
How does this compare to the Vantage V2? I like the design of the V2 much better.
It will be the better cycling computer with the feature such as Grit X Pro.
You could not stop yourself from smiling with the lots of stuff coming statement :-)
Could you please tell me the satellite system you used for your tests? Great review as always
Great Review, im a hobby runner 5km-10k and have had a Fitbit Ionic and now a Sense. I just want something a bot more advanced for running looks well that will also have smart aspects incl sleep, steps etc.. Would you go for this or Garmin 945, Fenix 6,745 ?
"Lots of stuff coming" looks at both bare wrist "lots of stuff coming"
Had to turn off couldn’t hear you say rote any more rooooouuuuuuuute argh
Hi DC
Is there any power meter inside the watch (just like in the V2)
Does this watch include inline skating options?
nice, u pay so much money for slow select🤮
How is the Grit X Pro for texting and messaging?? Can we reply by voice ? Or we just get a notification?
None of that. Just simply notifications.
When broadcasting HR, can it broadcast the old-school Polar signal for old treadmills for HR-pace control?
No, just the Bluetooth one.
u talk too fast
Lool 😄
Grit X user here. Will polar support structured workouts from Trainingpeaks to be loaded into flow? Also, will it be possible to turn off the touch screen? Huge problem for me when doing a swim start in a triathlon is that the swim activity starts everytime a drip of water thouches the screen. Try keeping it dry until the gun goes off...
no 2x unfortunately
Great video. thanks for summing it up 😊
Which Whoop strap was used in this comparison?
3.0 - I think it's shown in the text there over the graph, but it's probably too hard to see in the video.
@@Dcrainmaker I was hoping the 4.0 review was brewing.
@@niles_stone2742 Me too. Sadly, they keep pushing back the day each week (for when they're sending out a test unit).
oh you naughty naughty, you teasing me
when can we accepted garmin fenic 7?
Great video ! For an outdoor watch, not having altitude and barometric pressure available on the home screen is pretty inexcusable. Too bad it will not be available for the original Grit X sorely miss that feature (which I had on my Ambit 3), shame on me for not researching the Grit X better before I bought it…
Same here. I’ve just gotten myself back to Suunto with 9 Peak. So far so good.
Couldn’t agree with you more. It’s such a basic feature and should be there on home screen, not just in excercise mode.
Route pronounced “ root” just saying lol 👌😃😷☀️
Not exactly. ;) www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2011/08/route.html
ETE And ETA ?
one of the best channel on youtube
👍
Ecg
Does this get notifications during workouts?
No
Has the Hill Split feature improved?
Same-same, at least by itself. However, you can better use Hill Splitter with the elevation profile to get a bit more information.
Do you have any idea, when V3 comes? Thank you!
I wouldn't expect anytime soon. The V2 just came out slightly less than a year ago.
v1 is 2018, grit x 2019, v2 2020, grit x pro 2021 so looks like end of 2022 will be v2 or v2 pro with the same screen, same ohr, same battery life and only minor soft update
Question as well. With the backlight settings, if you raise it to high will it give you full brightness on the back light in doing a wrist raise?
That's the kicker. There is no way to toggle it to high. It's literally just 'Low' as the only option, plus the secondary option of off.
@@Dcrainmaker nooooooo. I saw on Legrands review that he had med and high listed. Does yours not?
@@Dcrainmaker th-cam.com/video/CmgrQs5i_6w/w-d-xo.html
2:53 into video
@@fitgearhunter Weird, nope, definitely not. I sat there for like 10 mins trying to get it to change. Thought it was kind of a silly setting that way. Must be a bug on mine.
@@Dcrainmaker bizarro! His had it clearly listed. Yes must be a glitch. Thanks for responding
These watches require more time learning how to use them than you spend actually using them.
Umm, how so? I literally use these watches constantly, year round. Most watches I use for about a month before publishing a review. The Grit X Pro isn't much different than the Grit X that I use frequently in comparisons - save a few new data fields/pages.
@@Dcrainmaker "I literally use these watches constantly, year round." -- That's why you don't mind it. To a newcomer this whole paradigm of assigning complex multi-level menus to arbitrary combination of four button presses is absurd. If we want computers on the wrist, make the screen much bigger and touch sensitive, like smartphones.
@@mountainhobo Ah, sorry, I thought you were saying me (as in, DCR) wasn't using them enough to learn how to use them. My apologies. On your point, yes, I very much agree with you - many of them are faaaaaar too complex with little discoverability of features.
@@mountainhobo Rather buy an entry-level watch with less features then? There are many options out there. Personally I found my Garmin Fenix overwhelming at first, but as you progress and become more serious with your training, you naturally start using more and more of those features and now I find it extremely easy to navigate all the menus and settings and use just about everything.
This guy talks so fast he will give you a headache
Settings, playback speed, 0.5? That should work for you. @dcrainmaker fits big, awesome, reviews into just a few minutes.
C'mon Polar, for this price you better add more features. I have to admit though that the HR broadcast over bluetooth (!) feature is unique.
Garmin watches have supported HR broadcast over Bluetooth for ages
@@rodrigorios3271 It's broadcast over ANT+ only. Correct me if I'm wrong. You can pair a bluetooth chest strap but you cannot broadcast over bluetooth.
@@rodrigorios3271 You're actually right. Ignore the previous. ✌️🤜🤛
@@ZotmundSzele yes, you can broadcast over Bluetooth
@@ZotmundSzele I think the Instinct ESport version allows broadcast over BT. Not that it is that relevant, just to complete the picture.
It’s really sad to see what is happening with the Polar. Once it was my ultimate favorite sport watch brand, but now they are in 4-5 years late compared to the other brands.
Not yet, but I get what you want to say. Polar reminds me of Suunto 2017-18. Steps back, no true innovation and trying to capitalize the brand name it 's built so far. It's a pity.
@Gilbert. I totally agree with you. I own 3 polar watch,FT1, V800, Vantage 1, today I'm only using V800. The rest is collecting dust. I don't think I will invest in polar watches any time soon. 🙅♂️
@@0812016547 I was die-hard Polar fan since 2010 when the FT4 came out, then I had M430, Vantage V ( 1st gen) but I have to confess after Vantage I switched to Garmin about a year ago… I still believe the Flow is superior compared to the Garmin Connect, which is way to overcomplicated for a regular user, and the Fenix series has a lot of unnecessary “fashion functions” but the Polar has years of latency . I hoped something like an offline map function at least for this new Grit-X, but these features in 2021 is just simply not enough. :(
@Gilbert same they ruled the heart rate monitor days before garmin then they went backwards when they introduced their gps and they decided to go into the smart watch scene due to their CEO who had other paths for polar. But since their whole restructuring of their head office and vision they back to their place re sports and although they're might lack some things I still think they will start improving more and more. Garmins quality has been worse over the last two Years and especially with their multi sports watches and fenix 5 and 6.
The problem I have, and it isn't just this watch, is that with my older eyes (I use magnify glasses for reading only) I have problems reading the screen with the fonts and font size they use. On my Fenix 3 I've configured 1 field per page just to make things easier to view.
On the Grit X Pro elevation screen I'd have no ability to see all those details they squeezed on unless I could (but can't) hold the watch face 1 metre away from my face. It is just a blur.
It's the same when you load a course onto the Fenix 3. At each turn they have an itty bitty arrow in the middle of the screen. Why not make it fill the whole screen?
I'd like these things thought of when designing the watch.
Indeed, the screen resolution is definitely tougher to see. And there are areas where the UI could be a bit cleaner.
@@Dcrainmaker sorry, I have no experience with Polar watches. Can you customize data pages/fields like in the case of a Garmin? I don't have such a bad eyesight, but even I tend to go to simpler an easier to see data pages. I would do the same for training and navigation screens if Garmin would allow, unfortunately it doesn't (yet).
@@Dcrainmaker agreed with both you and Nathan. It’s a pain getting old…
Ray... tell Polar ANT+ all the things! Great video, as always!
Ant+ is useless now
@@vincentl3846 you clearly don't understand the protocol. Try using power meters with cycling or running dynamics without it. Try connecting to a training platform and your watch at the same time without it. ANT+ is the antithesis of useless 🤦🏼♀️
When is Garmin announcing its Fenix 7. That's what I'm hanging out for
To heavy ! inaccurate, too expensive ! Fenix series are a joke !
@@vincentl3846 🤣
Don't ask me how you did it, you made my Hero 10 turn on lol
That's amazing!
@@Dcrainmaker Yea It is, I did my first cycle video today, I'm in the process of uploading
Oh, they still do watches?
Well, they should, and push hard to catch up with Garmin and Coros
It's literally their main product.
if you are looking for gadgets (music, etc) garmin is leading)). For performance analyzing, polar is far ahead (no useless gadget, etc ! only performance and accuracy) Chose your way...
Great video.
Only thing that bothers me with polar watches is the fact they are "Made in China" which can possibly tell stuff about build quality and "hardware bugs". I don't get why they don't build (at least) their mid-to-high tier watches to Finland like Suunto does, despite the fact that Suunto is even a subsidiary to a Chinese company (go figure).
Anyone had issues with build quality etc.?
As much as id like everything to be made in europe, being made in china isn’t an indicator of low quality (ex iphones). The days of cheap china manufacturing are gone. They produce everything from ultra high quality to junk.
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