Polar S510 or S710?



Eldron

New Member
Jan 24, 2002
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I've finally done it! Admitted that my 8 year old Cardio Sport monitor is due for reaplacement! I've decided to buy a Polar but am not sure whether the S710 is worth the little bit extra...

S710 - £185
S510 - £160

As far as I can see the only difference is the temp meter and the altimeter on the S710.

There is a difference in data download too - infra red vs. sonic. Is either one better?

The question is - which one? What say you? Pros? Cons?

My heart rate fate is in your hands!!! (no pressure hehehehe)
 
As far as I can see the only difference is the temp meter and the altimeter on the S710.
personaly i dont have a hr. i want to get one when i get into A grade to improve my performance.
you can see a lot more detail with the s710 with the temperature/altitude functions. you can see a ride altitude profile. see how your heart rate and speed changes in certain gradients and temperatures. this would be cool.
 
go the 710.....i've got one and i'm pretty happy with it

You can also get a cadance and power sensor, the £25 diff is only pocket money....
 
Right - just stumped up the cash!

Decided the altimeter function would be cool for my trip to France next month - got some serious 'koppies' (hills for the non SA's) there and need to get some proof to brag to my buddies back home!

For that price this thing better cook breakfast, clean and lube my bike, increase my lactic threshold, shave my legs and get 50 TV channels!
 
What a winner! It's been 4 weeks and I'm still loving my S710.

The amount of info you can get off it is dazzling. I recommend you get the IR computer interface (USB or Serial). It makes creating and maintaining a training diary really simple and the graphs are pretty cool.

The fitness test is pretty good too - it's a pretty repeatable method of seeing how fit you actually are.

My only complaint is that you have to push a few buttons to start - not like the old bike computer where you start rolling and forget about it.

Next up I think I'm going to buy the power sensor - the info sounds pretty good (left vs. right leg power) but not sure it'll look too pretty on the bike (wires and plastic bits all over).

Overall rating: 9/10 (it's loses a point for being HUGE and butt ugly)
 
What a winner! It's been 4 weeks and I'm still loving my S710.

The amount of info you can get off it is dazzling. I recommend you get the IR computer interface (USB or Serial). It makes creating and maintaining a training diary really simple and the graphs are pretty cool.

The fitness test is pretty good too - it's a pretty repeatable method of seeing how fit you actually are.

My only complaint is that you have to push a few buttons to start - not like the old bike computer where you start rolling and forget about it.

Next up I think I'm going to buy the power sensor - the info sounds pretty good (left vs. right leg power) but not sure it'll look too pretty on the bike (wires and plastic bits all over).

Overall rating: 9/10 (it's loses a point for being HUGE and butt ugly)

I think the power sensor is about $800, which is about double the cost of the monitor here in Australia.

The cadance sensor was only $70 and is also a must have item ;D
 
At long last I got my S720i yesterday. Difference from the S710? The casing is stainless steel and you can link directly to a notebook with post Win95 by not using the iRDA adaptor.

Code:
Overall rating: 9/10 (it's loses a point for being HUGE and butt ugly)

Problem solved with the new S720. The stainless casing looks very nice. My only problem is that you don't get audible warnings when you go out of your HR zones (only on bike :mad: )

Overall rating: 9.75/10 (only warnings)
 
Ewep - got any more info on the S720?

Checked out the Polar website and can't find it - does it have altitude, temp and options for power and cadence like the S710?
 
I used to own a 610 (because I could not get a 710 anywhere) and recently &quot;upgraded&quot; (persuaded somebody to buy by 610) to a 710.<br /><br />I am really happy with it. The IR is pretty fast. I don't know how fast the Sonic link is ? The altitude and temprature functions come in very nicely.<br />I tend to do a lot of hiking and therefore have found use for the latter functions outside the normal cycling use.<br /><br />The software makes keeping a training diary a doddle.<br /><br />I also believe that it has more memory capacity than the 510<br /><br />I would vote for the 710 any day.<br /><br /><br />Leon