POLARIgnite - GPS Smartwatch - Fitness watch with Advanced Wrist-Based Optical Heart Rate Monitor, Training Guide, Waterproof

I own both the Ignite and the Grit X and wear each for part of every day. I originally bought the Grit X but decided to add the Ignite for two reasons: screen brightness and size/weight. So here's a comparison, in several categories.Displays: The Ignite is *much* easier to read than the Grit X. This was my first issue with the Grit X: even pressing the button to get full brightness leaves you with a dull-looking screen in some situations. In full daylight, the Grit X is fine, and it's nice that its screen doesn't automatically turn off to save battery life. So I prefer the Grit X 's display on runs. But when I'm not outdoors, I much prefer the Ignite. When it's on, the Ignite has a display that's really quite beautiful. The only issue is getting the display to turn on. You can't set the display to stay on except when you're doing a training session. So during the rest of the day, you're going to have to rely on a wrist-shake or button-press to turn it on. The wrist-shake mechanism is pretty unreliable. It's a definite trade-off.Size/weight: Here the Ignite is perfect without qualification: very light, very unobtrusive. I have the M/L version, and I swapped out the strap for reasons of color preference. (I think the original strap was okay, but I swapped it out within minutes.) I owned many Garmin running watches before switching to the Grit X in July 2020, and the Ignite is the most comfortable running watch I've ever owned.While running: No comparison -- the Grit X is a far superior running watch. The Ignite relies too much on the touch screen and lacks some important functionality, but the main thing I notice is a difference in GPS tracking. The Grit X is much more accurate. If I were buying a watch only for running, I'd regard the extra $200 as entirely worth it. If I couldn't afford that, I'd stick with a $200 Garmin watch.Syncing: These two Polar watches mesh perfectly via Polar Flow. To switch watches while preserving data, sync the watch you've been wearing, then sync the watch you're about to put on. The new watch now has all the day's data. When I tried something similar with Garmin a few years ago, the result was a mess, but Polar has made switching watches nearly seamless. The only small bump is that there's an extra step if you're syncing both watches to the same phone (you have to make a cognate switch in the 'devices' settings). I have two phones, so I sync one watch to each. Or you could sync one watch to phone and the other to computer via cable. Or both in turn to computer.Sleep tracking: The Ignite tracks sleep just as well as the Grit X but is much more comfortable to wear in bed. Generally, the watches seem equally good at tracking heart rate (though I haven’t tested this carefully).Generally, the Grit X is an excellent running watch but rather uncomfortable to wear 24/7. And the Ignite is a rather poor running watch but extremely comfortable. (If you've never used an excellent running watch, you might not notice how the Ignite falls short. You certainly can use it for running or cycling or the like. Your GPS tracking will be a bit off, but it works well enough for many training purposes. I think a comparably priced Garmin Forerunner 35 series or 45 series watch works better, though.)

The Ignite is a good looking, comfortable watch to wear with lots features. Together with the Polar Flow app, it does a pretty good job of monitoring your workout, daily activities, and sleep. It even has a relaxation/ meditation program called Serene. All are integrated to the point where the Ignite not only provides feedback on them, but suggests a preferred workout along with two alternatives. Pretty cool and mostly accurate.Here's the not so good. Compared directly wirh the H10, heart rate monitoring during a workout is not as precise. First, it's slower to react. This really is apparent during interval training and is most troublesome entering zone 5. Because of its lag, you consistantly overshoot both your intended maximum heart rate and desired time in the zone. After a month of use, I've got a better feeling as to when I need to ease off.Secondly, there are a few heart rate dropouts and and spikes. I've shaved my wrist and tightened my band, but they still persist. While the H10 almost never has this issue, it's not enough of a problem with the Ignite for me to discount it.I do wish it worked with Polar Beat so I could watch my workout in real time on my phone. It's way more difficult to do that on the watch during intervals, for example.Previous reviews have mentioned difficulties viewing in direct sunlight, inconsistency with screen activation, and sluggish swiping response. I agree, but again it's not so bad that it's a deal breaker for me.At 67 years old, I no longer run. So I can't comment on its GPS accuracy. But I've used it on walks with my dog and it provides feedback on steps, cadence, minutes per mile and lots more. Too bad it doesn't pick up his poop.All said, this is a feature packed Fitness watch for $160 and one that I personally would buy again.

I bought this because I wanted a clean and lightweight design watch in a casual environment and would also keep me honest about my training activity/ recovery. So far it has met my expectations.To date, I have used this watch for swimming (25M pool), road cycling, trail and road running and especially for the “sleep tracker” feature. I have found the watch was easy to use for all these activities and after one week, the experience in my training has improved as I make small changes recommended by the device.Pro: Function wise, I like having only one button to push and the touch screen is intuitive. The watch GPS hooked up quickly for workouts and the heart rate information was easy to see. Program wise, I like the suggested work out routines and have started to follow those. I also like the polar flow app and how the device easily syncs and uploads my data from the day’s activities. When I use the app, I feel a sense of accomplishment as I review my activities and see the “evaluation” that comes with it. This motivates me to want to work out again the next day!Con: this is a minor complaint, but to enable “auto stop” and set lap length in miles, I had to sync my watch with the Polar Flow App instead of making the adjustment on the watch. That said, this only had to be done one time and the watch works perfectly for me now.Bottom line is that this Triathlete really likes this device. I have read that the watch straps are easily changed so my next step is to buy two new watch strap colors (black and yellow) just to keep my look fresh for the rest of summer through fall.

Bright and very readable display. Easy initial setup. But for my use, I needed to peruse the online user's manual and explore Polar Flow and Polar Beat on the web and free iPhone Apps. The watch face can be configured for different sports - very nice. Can be synched with iPhone and online. The pulse rate monitor seems accurate usually. However, today my heart rate during spinning was way off, whereas the readings were reasonable 2 days ago.

Vorab möchte ich sagen, dass ich ungerne Rezensionen schreibe. Bei diesem Prachtstück mache ich aber mal eine Ausnahme. Ich benutze seit gut 25 Jahren Polarprodukte. Als ehemaliger Leistungssportler habe ich seither immer auf die Uhren von Polar gesetzt. Leider habe ich mich von den positiven Rezensionen hinreissen lassen und mir die aktuelle Ignite zugelegt, nachdem sich meine M400 nach gut 4 Jahren nicht mehr laden ließ. Es scheint mittlerweile Mode zu sein neueste Pulsuhren mit Touchdisplays auszustatten. Und da fängt das Fiasko auch schon an. Polar ist ein finnischer Hersteller, einem skandinavischen Land in dem der Skilanglauf seine Wurzeln hat. Welche Utensilien benötigt man zum Langlaufen? Richtig: Handschuhe. Wie in Gottes Namen soll ich diese Uhr bedienen? Gut, das wusste ich vorher. Aber das dieses Display so grottenschlecht ist hätte ich nicht gedacht. Selbst mit verschwitzten Fingern (ohne Handschuhe) verschmiert man nur das Display bis sich was tut und man gar nichts mehr erkennt. Da komme ich auch schon zum nächsten Fehler. Das Display hat einen Ruhemodus. Es ist mir unverständlich warum man diesen für das Training nicht grundsätzlich deaktivieren kann. Es geht nur wenn das Training gestartet ist (nach unten wischen = Schmierfilm)) und das bei jedem Training. Hat man das geschafft und zufälligerweise scheint noch die Sonne, dann ist der Kontrast des Displays ultraschlecht.Der nächste Kritikpunkt ist die GPS- und Pulsmessung über diese komischen Sensoren an der Uhr. Ungenauer geht's kaum. Hier zum Beispiel eine Standardstrecke welche bereits mit M400, M430 und V800 eingemessen wurde (innerhalb dieser Uhren 20m Unterschied), misst die Ignite 200m weniger. Was ist da passiert bei Polar? Dann die Pulsmessung am Handgelenk: Bei gleichem Tempo ständige Sprünge zwischen 95 und 150 Puls. Da bleibe ich lieber beim H7 Gurt, bin ich auch dran gewöhnt. Jetzt aber der absolute Clou: Polar hat sich bei dieser Uhr selbst übertroffen. Es ist nicht möglich manuell Zwischenzeiten zu nehmen. Welche Zielgruppe soll denn damit erreicht werden? Garantiert nicht die Zielgruppe der Sportler welche eine Uhr für die Trainingssteuerung braucht. Stattdessen hat dieses tolle Gerät den neumodischen Firlefanz von Atemtest und Erholung während des Schlafes. Atmen kann ich und sollte es damit nicht mehr so richtig funktionieren dann würde ich vorschlagen einen Arzt zu konsultieren. Selbiges mit dem Schlafgedöhns. Wenn ich nach einem Training am nächsten Morgen dicke Beine habe muss mir die Uhr garantiert nicht mitteilen, dass ich mich nicht anständig erholt habe. Das weiß ich selber.Polar scheint mit diesem Produkt auf den Zug der Möchtegern-Fitness-Workout-was weiß-ich-Community aufgesprungen zu sein. Mit dieser Zielgruppe lässt sich halt Geld verdienen. Diese Zielgruppe trägt die Uhr Tag und Nacht und trackt sogar den Toilettengang um danach auf Insta, FB usw. damit prahlen zu können.Für Leute die eine Trainingskontrolle benötigen = Finger weg. Polar war mal gut. Meine Uhr von vor 15 Jahren konnte das besser und war deutlich günstiger. Heutzutage kann das sogar eine 30 € Uhr aus dem Supermarkt besser als die Ignite.Mein persönliches Fazit: Meine M400 hat noch nicht ausgedient. Die geht zur Reparatur und eine M430 ist schon bestellt. Da sind nämlich Knöpfe dran. Dieser Schnickschnack geht zurück.

Llevo dos meses con el Ignite. Al recibirlo, la primera semana llegué a pensar en devolverlo por diferentes motivos. Aquí mi review.- Pulsómetro. Soy usuario de Polar H10 como pulsómetro, necesito máxima precisión para los ejercicios de HIIT. El único dispositivo de muñeca que alcanza la precision de una banda como la H10 es el apple watch 4/5, dispositivos cuya batería no dura más de un día y que superan los 400 euros fácilmente.El pulsómetro del ignite es fantástico para cualquier ejercicio al aire libre, pero es incapaz, como todos los de muñeca, de coger bien las pulsaciones en ejercicios de HIIT. De todos modos, es sumamente fácil conectarle la banda H10 y registrar las pulsaciones con la banda H10.- Sueño. He usado relojes withings, apps para iPhone, todas opciones incompletas. El ignite con las funciones Nightly Recharge y Sleep Plus Stages es otro nivel. Llegué al punto de que lo primero que quiero ver por la mañana es la puntuación de mi sueño que me da el Ignite.- GPS. Precisión casi milimétrica. Comprobado comparando con google maps. Increíble que un dispositivo de este tamaño sea capaz de esta precisión.- Estética. Es un reloj muy ligero, nada que ver con los armatostes de relojes que se suelen ver para running o montaña.No pesa nada en comparación incluso con el Apple Watch. Quizá se eche en falta que solo disponga actualmente de dos coronas, la digital y la analógica.- Serene. Es una función del reloj que ayuda a relajarse mediante ejercicios de respiración. Nada especial, como muchas apps de movil o de apple watch. Bien, pero sin más.- Fitness test. Test para medir la VO2max. Desesperante las primeras veces que intenté medirlo. Interesante cuando por fin pude terminar el test.- Entrenamientos. 20 tipos de ejercicios diferentes en el reloj, a elegir entre más de 100 desde la app del móvil. Muy fácil registrar los ejercicios.- App PolarFlow. Sin lugar a dudas una de las mejores cosas del reloj es la app con la que se sincroniza. Para los obsesos de los datos esta app es maravillosa. Queda registrado TODO de la actividad física diaria.Inconveniente del reloj. Se enciende solo al girar la muñeca. NO funciona bien, a veces hay que repetir el movimiento. Por la noche, si no tienes activo la función no molestar es una verdadera molestia para dormir. Lo mejor es activar desde el movil la función no molestar de 22h a 7h y así no es necesario activarlo manualmente. Creo, de hecho, que debería estar configurado así por defecto.Poco más que añadir. MUY contento con el reloj. Funciones y precisión propias de relojes de más de 400 euros a un precio competitivo y una estética muy conseguida.Muy recomendable.

BackgroundI have long been a loyal user of running watches produced by Garmin and my most recent (and much loved) watch is a Garmin Vivo Active 3. I have also recently tested the Polar Vantage M, which also being a Multisport watch, was a good side by side competitor for the Vivo Active (although I felt the Vivo Active was just ahead when it came to functionality and how user friendly it was, along with price at the time).SummaryIn summary the Polar Ignite is an absolutely superb watch and I have a feeling that it is going to become my new day-to-day watch. I much prefer it to the more expensive Polar Vantage M and if the Polar Flow App was slightly more extensive I would most definitely prefer it to the Garmin Vivo Active. If you take the App out of the equation (for lifestyle functions only, as mentioned below the pure training data is maybe better than what Garmin presents) then this watch is a hands down winner and the only people I would not suggest to buy it would be those wanted to take part in Triathlons.Set Up:- You can set up the watch with or without the Polar Flow App. It is recommended to use the app and therefore I did (I also love analyising my fitness data so a watch which isn’t syncing with an app is no fun for me).- The app took less than 5 minutes to download over a reasonably good wifi connection.- Once I registered my profile on the Polar Flow App (took approximately 2 minutes) the phone and watch quickly found each other and began to pair. The initial sync between the devices then took approximately 10 minutes.- I then set up my preferences and was ready to go – less than 30 mins in total to set up.Charging- The watch was ready to charge on arrival. It comes with a USB charger (note: no mains plug, you will either need to charge via a laptop or a mains to USB charger). The watch attaches to the charger via an each magnetic connection. The connection is the same as the Polar Vantage M – useful if you have more than one watch from the Polar brand.- The watch went from out of box to being 100% charged in less than 1 hour (via mains).- Make sure the magnetic charger is correctly aligned, it will magnetically connect but not charge is the alignment is not correct (this caught me out). The charging screen shows when the device is charging – check this before leaving it.Aesthetics, general wearability and day to day use- The Ignite looks amazing on my wrist, it is a really good size for day to day wear and beats the Garmin Vivo Active 3 and the Polar Vantage M hands down in this respect. It really is a joy to wear.- It is very light and as a result it was easy to forget I was wearing it. I also like the fact that it is slimmer than the other two watches so doesn't sit as proud.- The face of the Ignite is slightly smaller than the Vivo Active and the Vantage M (see pictures). The screen also goes right up to the edge of the watch and looks much less clunky than both the Garmin and Vantage M. A real plus in the style stakes.- The strap is pliable and neat (white version – silicone I think), much nicer than the Vantage M strap I have and more comparable to the feel of the Vivo Active strap which I like.Ease of Operation:- This watch is touch screen (hurrah – the fact that the Vantage M is not touch screen was a real detractor for me, having long used the Vivo Active’s touch screen capability).- During use I didn’t once accidently activate the screen so that isn’t a concern.- The watch is intuitive to use and the screens were very easy to navigate.- There is only one button (similar to the Vivo Active in this respect) but most navigation is via the touch screen function.GPS log on- There is nothing more frustrating then your watch taking a long time to log onto the GPS signal when you just want to start running - I had no issues with the GPS link up. I used the watch in a small town and in the countryside when trail running and the GPS log on was very quick in both locations. If anything the Polar watch often found GPS signal before the Garmin.Activities/Running/Distance Accuracy/GPS- As a runner this is what is most important to me.- I road tested this over 5 runs of varying distances in my first week, using my trusty Garmin as a comparator (already calibrated and checked to official race measured distances) to compare distance, time, pace etc.- The Polar measured very accurately for me, both on road and when trail running. Over 10km the difference in distances measured by each watch was less than 50 meters, which I consider to be acceptable.- On set up I selected automatic pause so when I stop running, for example at traffic lights, the device automatically pauses and then restarts tracking once I am running again. This feature worked well.Data screens- Along side the accuracy of data the availability of data whilst running is important to me.- Each data screen can hold 4 pieces of data (e.g. pace, distance, time etc.).- You can customise what data you have via the app.- The data was easy to see whilst running and gave me the information I needed to monitor and improve my performance.Display- The display graphics on the Ignite are much better than on the Vantage M in my opinion (brighter display, more in depth colours). However, the watch does have a ‘black screen’ when not in use to save battery I imagine, so you have to flick your wrist in order to see the data screen light up (to read the time for example).- My main frustration is the lack of ability to customise the standard watch display. The time always shows (you can chose analog or digital display) but you then have to scroll through using the navigation buttons to look at heart rate for example.- I like the fact that there are many watch face options on the Garmin (style and colour etc.) but most importantly you can customise exactly what you include on the watch face – I really like to monitor my daily steps so this is prominently displayed on my Garmin but I can’t do this on the Polar.Interaction with other devices and apps- In common with all runners I know I like to be able to analyse my running data and look at details such as my heart rate, pace and so on over the course of a run.- The Polar uses the Polar Flow app to do this. It was sometimes a little slow to synchronise but this was just a minor frustration and one that can be overcome by forcing a manual sync from the watch.As a training aide- I really like the data you get at the end of the run that is available to be seen on the watch and not just on the App. It is very extensive and useful for an immediate post race postmortem.- Being able to pre-program workouts before setting off makes for much easier interval training.- I used the Polar Flow App to write a training plan with specific work-outs (e.g. interval training), but I couldn’t work out a way to copy and paste the same work out to other training days and therefore it was quite a repetitive process and put me off planning my training within the app.- However, the watch completely redeems itself in the way it helps you to plan workouts by making daily suggestions (note: you can also download full training plans, e.g. for a half marathon from the Polar Flow webpage).- This all starts with the nightly recharge function, to me this is a bit too much of a gimmick, but I found myself somewhat addicted to it. It basically tries to tell you if your sleep has been sufficient for you to recover from the previous days activity levels. As someone who commonly trains multiple times a day this was interesting but I am not sure how accurate it really can be.- This then ties into the watches personal training function (my wording for this function, not Polar’s, they call it ‘FitSpark’), basically the watch suggests training for the following day based on your recovery data, your sleep, your previous activities etc. I found this interesting as it often suggested I should take things a little easier than I had planned. The watch gives you a range of options (e.g. easy cardio for a longer period of time or more intense for a shorter period of time). It even includes details such as how to do your interval training, what strength training exercises to do (with full explanations as to how to do them). I found myself more and more drawn to this as my time with the watch progressed.- Similar to the above there is a ‘serene’ function, this guides you through relaxing breathing functions. I did this for 3 minutes before bed for a few days – not sure I will keep using it.- The swimming data was very good, I used it both in a pool and on my first introduction to open water swimming.Battery life- The battery life on the Polar is good enough, although it was outperformed by both the Garmin and the Vantage M – I imagine this is because of its enhanced screen quality.- After 72 hours of extensive use I had run out of charge (note: I often train 3+ hours a day, up to 2 of which could be in GPS mode so my use is maybe slightly more extensive than other users).Polar Flow App- The app lets down what is a decent activity tracker.- The Polar Flow App isn’t as extensive as other supporting apps.- I am used to being able to track my weight, BMI, menstrual cycle, floors climbed, heart rate etc etc. The Garmin Connect App shows useful charts to see changes in these metrics over time. The Polar Flow App tracks steps, distance, active time, calories burnt and sleep but nothing else. I really miss these features.- I think Polar should invest more in developing a real life tracker of an app to support their products.- For those only looking at running data then the Polar information is brilliant, better than the Garmin (e.g. I like the fact that the Polar app shows average heart rate per KM on its breakdown)Other features- This watch has much improved sleep monitoring features when compared to the very basic data from the Vantage M. I would say the sleep data is on par with that produced by the Garmin Vivo Active, with the exception of the Ignite’s ‘Nightly Recharge’ function (see more above).- There is no triathlon function, you have to stop the watch and restart the next exercise

I loved the look and feel of this tracker. It did a fantastic job of heart rate monitoring and workout tracking. Personally I really like the polar flow app as well and prefer it over fitbit or garmin apps. The built in workouts are very cool as well and actually challenging. I loved the variety and suggestions and I think the polar system does a good job of challenging you.If I was only looking for sleep and workout tracking, I would have kept this watch and overlooked the flaws. That said, there are 2 major issues which caused me to return this.Firstly the step count was wildly inaccurate. I would get hundreds of steps laying down in bed wat hing TV. I use myfitnesspal and track calories and like to have my fitness tracker connected. This resulted in very very skewed figures, I would be allocated far more calories than I should because I was racking up thousands more steps a day than I was actually taking.Secondly the way polar estimates calories burnt also seems extremely inaccurate. When compared to fitbit or garmin this device was always giving me hundreds more per day, no doubt partly due to the hugely inflated step count but also seperately in terms of calories burned during a workout etc. It was always a lot higher than my other devices despite heart rate data being relatively similar across all 3 (I tested multiple devices at the same time).If I didn't care about steps or didn't use the calorie estimates, I would have kept his device. It might be perfect for you if those things don't matter to you, because what it does well (accurately and reliably measure heart rate during workouts, track sleep, polar flow app insights and layout-the way they present the data is so much nicer than others if you use the website instead of just the app and the built in workout function) is as good as or, in my opinion, better than more expensive competitors. That said those things were too important to me to sacrifice so I returned this device.It's worth mentioning it is quite a comfortable and light watch and the screen is also nice and bright. It certainly looks more like a watch than many others on offer. This isn't a smart watch so it doesn't have apps or lots of faces etc. But you can use it for notifications from your phone.

Da quando l’ho messo al polso non l’ho più tolto, bello esteticamente, leggero e discreto, dimentichi di averlo anche di notte. Il display è luminosissimo, con colori accesi e perfettamente visibile anche al buio o alla luce del sole. Facile e comodo da usare, il touch screen è molto sensibile e intuitivo. Al mattino ti dice quanto e come hai dormito in ogni fase del sonno, anche quella REM e indica quanto hai recuperato dalla stanchezza e dallo stress, suggerendo un allenamento ideale, con una guida dettagliata che ti mostra cosa fare esercizio per esercizio, anche con delle animazioni… praticamente un personal trainer a portata di mano! Il GPS prende il segnale rapidamente ed è molto preciso. Anche la frequenza cardiaca, rilevata dal polso, è precisissima e si può visualizzare in qualsiasi momento del giorno, non soltanto in allenamento. Trovo utilissimo il Fitness Test, che misura il VO2 max: davvero semplice da effettuare, basta rilassarsi e avviare il test che dura circa 5 minuti. Un’altra cosa che mi piace tantissimo: la guida agli esercizi di respirazione! Non li avevo mai fatti, ma ne sto traendo molto beneficio. Quando avvii l’esercizio di respirazione, sul display compaiono delle bolle che si muovono guidando il ritmo di inspirazione ed espirazione. Davvero utile per rilassarsi. L’app Polar Flow è fatta molto bene, semplice e completa e permette di gestire anche tutte le impostazioni per l’orologio. Le notifiche del telefono poi sono una grande comodità. Sono contentissima di questo acquisto e trovo che il rapporto qualità / prezzo sia davvero eccezionale!