Hey people welcome to The Run Testers and our guide to the best Polar running watches you can buy right now. If you’re struggling to separate your Polar Ignite 3 from your Polar Pacer. Or you Polar Grit X from your Vantage V3, you’re in the right place. We’ve tested them all and we’re here to help you work out which Polar watch is best for you based on different running needs. We’ll also reveal our top picks from Polar’s GPS running watch line-up. Let’s get into it.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:24 – Best value Polar watch
2:15 – Best Polar watch overall
5:28 – Best Polar watch for beginners
9:22 – Best Polar for durability
Subscribe to The Run Testers for more running gear reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRunTesters?sub_confirmation=1
Hey people welcome to the Run testers And to our guide to the best polar Watches that you can buy right now now If you're struggling to separate your Polar ignite from your polar Pacer or Pacer Pro or your grit X from your Vantage V3 you're in the right place Because we've tested them all and we're Here to help you work out which watch Will best suit your running needs we'll Also reveal our top picks from polar's GPS running watch lineup so let's get Into It I'll pick for the best value Polar Watch is the polar Pacer Pro Which packs In all the key features Runners and Indeed Tri athletes need into a watch That's a fair bit cheaper than the top Options in the range things like the Vantage and the grit X in the past it Was really good value cuz it had nearly All the best features on stuff like the Vantage V2 and the grit X but with the Launch of the Vantage V3 there are a few Things missing on this watch you do get On that watch like accurate multiband GPS obviously the AMOLED screen and Maps But this does have turn BYT navigation It's got pretty solid GPS that links up Very quickly when you step out to do Your run you're not going to have to Stick around waiting for a GPS fix so It's a very lightweight and reasonbly Attractive watch it's still got that
Kind of lar gen polar look compared to Things like the Vantage V3 but it's not A bad looking watch and it is really Light and comfortable to wear on the Wrist at all times and you've got pretty Feature run tracking here that is a step Up on what you get on the cheaper polar Pacer you got a few extra features like Hill polar's hill splitter feature turn BYT navigation running power stuff like That that maybe just makes it a slightly More well-rounded watch and it is often Available for a lot less than it actual RP as well now because um polar watches Do tend to turn up in sales quite lot so You might be able to get it for under200 It's got an RP of £289 which is a hard Sale given the quality of the watches on The market available from other brands Like the coros pace 3 or the Garmin 4 on A 165 or the Gin 4 on a 255 but if you Are seeing this watch for well under2 200 then it's a pretty solid value watch And certainly a good at Value option Within polar's range where you generally Have to spend quite a bit to get the Vantage V3 which is A Cut Above most of The other watches in the range the poite 3 is also a pretty solid value watch if We're going to look at honorable Mentions just cuz you get that really Bright AMOLED screen and a much cheaper Price than you have with the advantage Of V3 theit V3 does have some problems
In terms of GPS accuracy and stuff like That but it is a really goodlooking Watch and a pretty solid multisport Option all round Pac Pro is probably the Slightly more accomplished actual Running watch I would say and it does Offer the best value for runners within Polar's Range so the watch we've anointed the Best overall running watch in polar's Range is the polar Vantage V3 now I know I know it also happens to be the Priciest but the polar Advantage V3 is Polar's most advanced running tracker And if you want all the bells and Whistles to support your training and Adventures then this is the one that we Think you should shoot for if the budget Stretches now this a rival for the Garmin 4 and a 965 and watch is like the Sunto race and this slick looking watch Is welld designed it offers polar's most Comprehensive package of performance Recovery and fitness tools big hero here Is it now packs a bright Snappy AMOLED Touchscreen that is a step up from past Vantages that brings a bit of the Smartwatch Clarity to your running stats It's nicely responsive uh which is also Something but hasn't been true always of Polar's past touch screens you also get All systems dual frequency GPS here that Successfully boosts the accuracy in Tests this watch rivaled the Garmin for
And a 965 while the Vantage v3's Optical Heart rate as well was about as reliable As risk-based BPM gets now the Vantage V3 also packs polar's most advanced Suite of Bio sensors including ECG it's Got blood oxygen on there and skin Temperature sensors so when it comes to Those 24/7 tracking capabilities outside Of your runs it's a house for Performance sleep and wellness as well Feature-wise you're getting the whole Gamut of training insights including Things like training effect training Load estimates a huge Suite of Fitness Benchmarking tests and polar's Comprehensive recovery pro tool to help You understand when to go again and how You're responding to the training and Life stress that you're facing Advantage B3 also offers real-time fueling Recommendations and estimates whether or Not you've burned more fat or carbs During your long Sunday run that is a Point of difference to some other Watches now speaking of long runs Battery life is competitive here with 61 Hours GPS run time on paper at least That extends up to 190 hours in low Power modes you're going to sacrifice Some accuracy to get that overall big Longevity though but that's better than The grit X pro and the grit X and Significantly better on paper than the 4 And a 965 at 31 hours GPS now in testing
The Vantage 33 came up a little bit Shorter but there easily enough juice Here on a single charge to cover a weeks Training and more and this watch has Ultra and multi-stage staying power now Perhaps surprisingly when you've got the Grit X pro the Vantage V3 is also Poland's most capable navigation tool For a start it offers offline maps That's not on the grit X or the grit X Pro Plus you get run planning tools like Easy route planning elevation profiles For plan routes turn BYT turn guidance Powered by commute mapping the maps Benefit from that bright Amed too so While the grit and the grit X durability Ratings are better than the Vantage V3 The V3 might be better as an off-grid Adventure watch when it comes to Features and staying power now when you Throwing in running power on the wrist Adaptive training programs for Everything from 5K up to the marathon You got the kind of really comprehensive Polar flow platform and you've got Polar's most capable tool to date where It falls short of Rivals like the 965 The 4 and 965 is on Smartwatch smarts It's missing things like offline music Storage support for streaming services Like Spotify and um contactless payments Those kinds of things and on balance of Build battery accuracy breadth of Features it's probably not quite as good
As garmin's top four runner overall but It is 80 cheaper So our top pick of the Polar watch you Should buy if you are just beginning Your running Journey or starting to Track your runs for the first time is The polar Pacer now the polar Pacer is An entry level kind of multisports Watching polar's collection it is a kind Of No Nonsense GPS running watch as well Too it has a lot of the features that You do get on the kind of pricier polar Pacer Pro which we will talk about in This video as well too but it gives you Enough of that kind of experience to Give you enough in terms of tracking Terms of training features and also that Kind of of performance that you'd want From a running watch as well now in Terms of design we're getting something That's small light and compact of that Something that you really like that's Definitely something that the polar Delivers it's something very comfortable To run with now you don't have a Touchscreen display here but you are Getting you know a good series the Physical buttons here and we always say You know the physical buttons always Works better for kind of run tracking Experience and they're very good ones on The Polar Pacer now in terms of the Software and the features that you're Getting here you're not getting the kind
Of dual band GPS you find on kind of Newer polar watches you're not getting Anything in terms of mapping and Navigation but kind of pure running Features you're getting here are very Similar to what you get on the Polar Pacer Pro you are getting kind of Key Training features here that we really Like so things like the fit spark Suggested workouts you are also getting Kind of fuel wise kind of fueling Recommendations to give it that kind of More endurance kind of level of pill um In terms of what you get from this watch As well too in terms of endurance and The stamina that you're getting here the Battery life was good to last for a week Al you don't have an am& a display here So you don't need to worry about that Kind of massive drain if you have the Screen on always or 24/7 so what we're Saying here is the polar Pacer is Available at a good price gives you a Good core run tracking experience a good Level of features both on the kind of Tracking and training side of things and A design that we think a lot of people Are going to like overall as well so if You got a little bit more money to spend And you like the idea of having a kind Of more Smartwatch like running watch Then it's worth looking at the polar Ignite 3 now there is the polar ignite 3 And ignite 3 titanium now the biggest
Difference between the two watches is Around the design so you're getting a Titanium bezel on the titanium version You're getting some features that were Unique on the titanium but those are now Available on the Polar ignite 3 now the Big story here is the AMOLED display it Was the first Polar watch to debut an AMOLED display so that more colorful Vibrant display that we're starting to See on ging watches and obviously we've Seen on smart watches as well too I Would say that screenwise mine has Scratched on my first version that I had So it's something to be mindful of that The durability side of things but Ultimately other guys in the team that Have had it to test have had no issues On that front now in terms of features It is or was the polar watch that Debuted polar's kind of dual band Frequency mode so that kind of Promise Of improved or enhanced accuracy or GPS Accuracy outside where typically he can Be a little bit more problematic now it Wasn't greatly executed for us in terms Of our experience but it is there if You're looking for an improvement in Terms of that GPS performance and the Kind of single band GPS you'll get on Cheaper polar watches in terms of other Features you're getting as I said those Kind of Smartwatch like features so it's Really notifications kind of music
Controls as well too you're getting kind Of training insights as well here so Kind of training load Pro you're getting Kind of energy resources insights as Well too you're also getting some basic Navigation support here as well so There's a back to start mode here so not The kind of feature Rich navigation Features you get on the Fantage 3 3 but You are getting more than you would get On the Polar PESA and you're getting Battery life that should last kind of up To 5 days maybe possibly a week when you Switch to o on mode it's going to be a Lot less than that but if you can live With maybe charging kind of every week Maybe every few days or maybe every day Then the polonite 3 gives you a really Good experience a good run tracking Experience and obviously that added Addition of the AMOLED display that just Makes it a nicer looking watch to live With as Well now a final word for anyone who Prioritizes durability or wants that big Hench rugged sports watch look there are Two options here for polo you've got the Grit X and the grit X pro these are Po's Closest answers to the Garmin Phoenix Range now while the grit X doesn't offer Offline maps like the Vantage V3 which Is a strange one we've got this down as Your best option if you need a robust Rugged build now if you're worried about
How long your watch might last when You're scratching around clambering Off-road Rocky ascents doing all that Kind of stuff or maybe you're a parent To small children the grit X has passed A range of military standard tests Including extreme temperatures drop and Humidity it's just a bit more robust it Has a stainless steel with glass fiber Reinforced back cover and the gorilla Glass display there too it has a higher Water rating as well than the Vantage V3 100 m versus 50 m we chose it over the Grit X pro because it's a big chunk Cheaper and a bit lighter on the wrist But it has the same touchscreen display Size it has the same 40 hour GPS battery Life that extends up to 100 hours in low Power mode and it's generally kind of a Close match on features it is missing Some tools that you get on the X pro Some of the fitness and Recovery tests For example there's also no recovery Pro Insights there's also no rot an Elevation profile or track back Navigation tool so if those things are Important for you you might want to pay More for the grit X pro but beyond that You're getting a very similar Performance just for a bit less it's an Older watch the grit X but it's still Kind of priced quite well up against Advantage V3 the other major emission Here with the grit X is that there's no
Multiband GPS so there you have it That's been our guide to the best polar Watches you can buy right now hope That's been useful in helping you to Decode which polar might be best for Your running for your type of running Give us a like if you found it useful It's dead handy if you share it with Your other running friends if you also Think they might and of course we always Welcome a subscribe here all of the Above will help us keep testing and Sharing what we find on the channel if You're thinking should I get a Garmin Running watch I'm popping a couple of Videos up on the channel just about now That you should definitely Watch otherwise thanks as ever for Watching we appreciate you spending the Time with us and uh yeah we hope to see You again soon on the Run testers happy Running people
