I started in the Polar ecosystem with a unite when it came out. Then Garmin won me over with the Forerunner 245 when it was on sale for $225 6 months ago. The Forerunner 255 seems very impressive but went up in price. The pacer at $200 might be all I need to get back to Polar. They’ve stepped up their game.
The Pacer for $200 is a great option at that price point. It really depends on what features you'd use and if you enjoy that Polar ecosystem. I've been very impressed with the new 255 as a triathlon watch but again, it all depends on what you're up to. Thanks for checking this one out Eric!
I think I'd save $100 and forgo the Pro. The mapping and barometer features seem to be the only real advantage that the Pro has. I rarely find myself training anywhere that I'm apt to get lost, so mapping isn't too useful, to me. I also live, essentially, in coastal NC. You could measure elevation changes, where I typically train, in inches and still have a small number! As such, the hill splitter feature, and most others tied to the barometer, fall flat. Great video, Matt, and a great comparison review!
Was going to go pacer then pro popped up on sale for not much more. Ended up with both, got a pacer for missus as well 😂. 30+ yrs since my first polar watch. Just getting back into fitness so hopefully will give good encouragement
Good comparison, so it's $100 more for things for running. I'll go for the Pacer since I do crossfit, It's amazing how they improved the accuracy of the HR Sensor.
@@kristenh.565 Calories are just a rough estimate, not the reality of what's going on in your body. It doesn't really help to see something that is not accurate, you can see Garmin, Polar, Apple watch that differ between 500-1000 calories or more so it is not possible to say which is more accurate, only what one believes. Train without seeing that number is the best way to live
One thing i'd like to see is an automatic lap based on GPS on a track. A track splitter if you will. It could have a learning software that detects i'm on a familiar track running.
great review, i wish these came out a few months earlier.. as my sister V800 died and she got the Vantage M2 i think... for what she needs i think one of these would have check all the boxes also i got something in the mail from you - thank you
I would expect some kind of sale from Polar. But who knows 🤷🏻♂️ Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
very disapointed, no rep and set counters like the pacer pro or every other watches, polar is stricktly aimed at people who only practice running / trail / cardio training and lack more frequants updates and taking into account other sporting profiles (gym, pull ups, sqats etc ... ) Neverthe less, nice video man, keep up the good content :)
Very informative comparison Matt. Did you notice much of a difference with the buttons? I had read comment that Pacer buttons were somewhat harder to press whereas the Pro's buttons stuck out a bit more making them tactile.
Hi! As always, thanks for the review. I'm a open water swimmer and love travel on bikepacking too, so what do you think is the best choice for me? The Polar Pacer or the Suunto 5 Peak? Any other option around 200€/$? Thanks in advance.
I haven't tested the Suunto 5 Peak. The Polar Pacer would be a great option. It'd be a big jump in price but the Garmin Forerunner 255 tested as one of the best watches for me when I tested about 12-15 watches for open water swimming. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FNAygQtqKBU.html
Yeah, I can't wait to see what Polar does with the V3. Keep me posted on how you're liking the Pacer Pro. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
I am curious Matt. If I have a different brand watch, that I like but is a bit disappointing for health metrics - would something like the pacer as an 'everyday' watch make sense for the health and sleep metrics _in your opinion_? I am thinking especially, whether I could (manually if needed) import my workouts from my other watch to get recovery data too, or whether it only does that on workouts recorded on the pacer? Edit: the base pacer is really cheap second hand
Polar does have some of the best general heath tracking metrics on the market. Polar also has the Flow app and can enter a manual entry or have it upload from the watch. This entire workflow doesn't sounds good to me. What's the other watch?
@@mlegrand coros. I don't mind manual export/import (although I have since found an app that will sync to flow from strava), if it means I were to get the recovery data - but I imagine I would only get that via a .fit file - if at all. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me Matt.
Hi Matt, how is the handling of phone notification, like phone call, whatsapp, etc. Can the watch show the full message and does it show caller name if I have a miss call. Also can it get calendar notification right?
It’ll show full notifications if they are selected. It’ll show who is calling and you can click a button to answer the call. But the call will take place on your phone. I’m not sure about calendar details but some times those come across as notifications. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍
So the Pacer (non Pro) won't/can't report on elevation change at all? My running routes do contain hills and I like to see how my pace has been impacted by elevation. Thanks!
It'll report it based on GPS but not based on barometer elevation changes. So it'll be very inaccurate. (think 60% off for example) GPS isn't a good judge of elevation typically. I you use Strava, I'd recommend using the elevation correction trick when evaluating your data.
Wow, interesting. I'd be very curious to hear what you think about those two. My wife actually likes the slimmer Pacer Pro compared to the V2 but she also misses the touch screen. 🤷♂️
