All the time I do not believe that this watch costs so little. Polar Ignite - review

I've been testing the Polar Ignite watch for almost a month and it's still hard to believe that it was priced at just under PLN 860. Yes, PLN 860.

Ok, PLN 859 costs one of the available versions - the one with a black belt. For a variation with a black or yellow stripe (tested) you have to pay PLN 989. But it's still ridiculously little if we can survive a few shortcomings.

Let's start.

From the outside - solid, nice, without fireworks.

But also without too many weaknesses. Ignite, although not very expensive compared to the competition, is surprisingly solid. The bezel and button are made of stainless steel, while the housing is made of polymer reinforced with fiberglass. In addition, the whole is of course waterproof - in the end, you can swim and monitor swimming training in Ignite.

At the same time the most important - lightness has been preserved. The whole structure, together with the strap, has a mass of only 35 g (21 g without a strap), so it is not a question of disturbing us during the training. Even a quite protruding module with LEDs is not overly noticeable while wearing it - I used to wear Ignite around the clock for weeks without any problems, only take off from time to time to charge it.

The only minus that strikes the eye at the beginning? The display not only surrounds a fairly large frame (although it is not pathological in size), but in addition it is not completely round in itself. The bottom part is quite violently undercut, limiting the space where information could be displayed.

The second minus is revealed at closer inspection. There is only one button on the Ignara Polara. It has a decent jump (although it could be a bit better), but what if we are doomed to use hybrid touch screen?

And just, we can go to the screen right now.

Screen - color is not everything.

At first glance, everything is fine. The display is colorful, has a resolution of 240x204 pixels (and looks really good), a light sensor, and the whole is protected by Dragontrail glass, which is very important, given that it is only minimally recessed.

In addition, although it is the IPS TFT, visibility in a stronger light is the most satisfactory.

Why, then, do I pick on? First of all - it is a screen from the category of those that are not always highlighted. As a result, we are forced to either press a button or perform a wrist gesture. And unfortunately, this second way does not always work, causing that we have to make senseless from time to time. Luckily, there is the option to turn on the backlight permanently for the duration of training, which significantly reduces the level of frustration.

The second problem concerns the touch sensitivity itself. Most of the time, it works without a hitch. We can have sweaty fingers, it can rain on us - everything works. But sometimes ... it just does not work. One brush, the other brush - nothing. One press, second press - nothing more. And suddenly everything goes back to normal and works as it should.

Yes, I know, we live in touch screen times. Yes, I perfectly understand that you have to differentiate watches for beginners from watches for pro (although the division really only concerns the price level). But I would still like Polar Ignite to have a few more buttons.

So let's go to the menu.

And there we find something a little different than what the rest of the producers offer us.

What is so unusual here? Even the fact that on each subsequent screen we see ... a clock. When scrolling from side to side only the information below and above the clock changes, while he remains unmoved. A convenient solution, allowing us all the time to have a screen with our favorite data / abbreviations, without having to go back to the main menu to check the time. Well, in the end it's a watch.

In addition, most of the rules for navigating UI are standard. Pressing the button in most cases means going up by level, dragging the screen down - calling the list of shortcuts, and up - notifying.

Notifications - in a rather basic form - are, moreover, one of the few smart watch functions of Ignite. There is no payment, no music, no music control. There is also no weather application or any additional applications that you can install on this watch. The only thing that apart from sport modes and related functions was given to us, it's timers.

And that would be enough. For consolation - notifications work smoothly and quickly reach the watch.

Now we have this boring part of the review behind us.

Because when it comes to external appearance or menu layout and additional applications - Polar Ignite is not very thrilling.

But the options related to the activities are a real firecracker.

Let's start with the list of supported sports

And for the beginning of bad (although at this price - predictable) message - no, there is no multisport support. And now it's time for these better news.

In addition to the multisport Polar Ignite handles all the most important sports profiles. From gymnastics and strength training, running, running in the mountains, cycling, road cycling and mountain biking to swimming, kitesurfing and judo (ok, probably not counting the parameters relevant to judo, but always something). So it is not important what we want to train - Ignite will allow us to save such training without having to manually change the type of exercise after finishing it. Let's put it together with the competitive Forerunner 45 (about 800 zlotys), which supports fewer fewer modes.

You just have to remember to add these sports modes from the application level first. By default, only running is on the list, and the remaining 19 (yes, there is a limit of 20) we have to add manually. Fortunately, by the way, we can configure the data screens right away, so I count it as a plus, not as a minus.

And when we've chosen all the disciplines that interest us, it's time to move and sweat. The only problem here can be ... a multitude of options. We were given the opportunity (I remind you that it is a watch for PLN 859):

Free mode

So the standard training record, which we can additionally enrich. For example, with timers, intervals (set from the level of the watch) or goals from the Polar Flow website.

Training plans and own trainings

Polar Ignite, although it is the cheapest watch of this brand, fully supports training plans and single training sessions with Polar Flow.

FitSpark

So the function that debuted for the first time in this watch and which can really impress. Especially those who do not follow specific training plans, and just want to move and be more efficient.

What is the FitSpark action about? This solution analyzes the data on our regeneration, sleep and rest (Nightly Recharge - about it in a moment), current condition (oxygen level) and training history, and proposes on a given day from 2 to 4 training sessions in 3 categories - cardio , strength and complementary training (strength and stretching exercises).

Always one of these trainings is suggested as optimal, but if we do not have time or desire on a given day - or we want to do more than one training - we can choose any other one. We do not have to make a choice blindly - we can review every proposed training in detail and only then decide if it suits us. And that it would not be - these are not the kind of "20 minutes of light jog" (although they appear as well). Among them are long, calm runs, and real squeezers. It all depends on how much and how we train and how much FitSpark has learned about us from this data.

Of course, regardless of the training we choose, we are guided through it step by step. If we have chosen running intervals - the watch goes into the right mode, squealing at us when we leave the zone or the recommended load changes. If, on the other hand, we choose one of the other trainings, we present further exercises (in the form of amusing animations), and we are instructed when to do them and when to rest.

And if I do not have the slightest reservations for cardio training, the strength and complementary training can be slightly improved. First of all - the animations are shown only at the beginning of the training, and then the next exercises are described only in words, which in my case leads to pauses and searching on the Internet, what exactly is going on.

Secondly - Polar I could not only warn in detailed instructions that you will need additional equipment and what equipment it will be. The more so because one of the exercise packages was ... an extract. Hello, Polar, I do not have it at home!

After completing the exercises, we can check in the application and on the website how we went - of course, taking into account the individual exercises, not only in the form of one continuous recording.

Why, however, at the beginning I wrote that FitSpark can delight? For example, because I often do not have an idea what to do today. Watching long-term training plans come to me rather poorly, so a hint, what to do on a given day, just to be more fit , is at a premium. The more that Polar uses data not only from the history of training, but also regeneration - the chances of overloading are therefore relatively small (the more so if we look into the detailed analysis, but also about it in a moment).

Not to mention the fact that Ignite and FitSpark remind me also that man does not live by running alone and maybe from time to time it would be worth doing some strength or general training. Well - a beginner (and for that I think) learns all his life.

So if I had to give one reason why I would recommend Ignite (especially beginners or those who sometimes lack motivation), the reason is FitSpark. Anyway, this is one of the reasons why I still find it hard to believe in its price. Even if FS is just a software function that could be crammed into every watch.

And how accurate is it?

Let's start with the pulse, because this heart rate is finally crucial - and to determine our condition, and to analyze the workouts and load, and to the scattering of the next training sessions.

Pulse

Let's go directly to the intervals, in this case 5 short accelerations after 2 minutes each:

Ignite (blue) and my everyday equipment - Garmin Forerunner 945 and Polar OH1 Plus, connected to the Polar Beat application on the XS Max iPhone - took part in the match.

Result? Almost identical results at each storage location. Ignite went head to head with almost three times (!) More expensive Garmin and a dedicated heart rate sensor (though also optical). Differences in average heart rate? Almost zero (144, 145 and 144 BPM, respectively). That it would not be that I am blind - it was not perfect.

While the first interval was flawless, in the second, fourth and fifth, Ignite noted quite strange peaks, about 7-8 BPM higher than the other two devices. You can still understand the latter, because it was registered near the summit, but earlier appeared when the rest of the equipment pointed to an increasingly clear rest between accelerations. At the same time, at the beginning of the training, Ignite jumped more than Garmin and armband, but quickly returned to normal.

That is - it is good, maybe even very good (considering the price). It is possible that the momentary jumps were the matter of the unsealable position of the watch on the hand. The more so because in most cases such spikes did not appear. But be warned - they can (although it is better than in Suunto 5).

And what is the situation when running straight?

Like at intervals. It's ... just very good. Yes, in several places of the graph, it can be seen that Ignite, for a change, scored the minimum holes , but on the other hand - a lot more expensive 945 scored in several places (even in a larger number) equally symbolic space in the other direction.

One must remember about one thing - the main problem with optical heart rate sensors is not about their quality, but about the fact that they work best in the right conditions. You have to place them properly on your hand, properly attach, it is best to have the skin of the appropriate color, etc. Therefore, it does not guarantee that everyone will have equally good results - although there is a good chance.

GPS

Here, in turn ... it happens differently. Below is a run with three devices that recorded a similar distance - 6.32 km (Polar), 6.40 km (Suunto), 6.34 km (945):

When we look at the details, you can see that the worst of the three coped ... 945, which when running through low buildings ... he went sideways, before cutting the corner (the same did Ignite, the best suunto 5):

A bit further, Garmin made a deal with Polar, while Suunto remained unmoved, running almost exactly as I ran:

Moments later - although there was only a field all around, Ignite decided to go to the other side of the street:

Soon I was not good at dealing with a double run under the viaduct (ok, Garmin decided that I was running along the tracks, so I do not get a plus):

On the other hand - in the course of another run as the only one (out of three Ignite, iPhone XS Max, 945) he wrote the course of the relatively straight route (although some runs near the forest):

In this case 945 indicated 10.32 km, the iPhone - 10.34 km, and Ignite - 10.38 km. However, in order not to be praised, here - on a similar to the previous route - Ignite did not manage at all:

Ouch.

Moral? Initially I was very worried about the accuracy of GPS, because the first reviews were not very optimistic in this matter. For some reason, however, I was not able to repeat the mistakes that other people had with Ignite. Yes, the GPS record was not always perfect. Yes, it happened to him once a few times to fall out very, very painfully out of the way.

But also no device that I had so far was in terms of accuracy. In some scenarios, the GPS in Ignite was better than in competing equipment. In others, in turn, worse.

However, to make it so dramatically bad, as some people write - I can not confirm it.

And after training - time for analysis.

And this is another place where Polar Ignite shines. We're flying in a row, starting with the news:

Sleep Plus Stages

That is nothing more than a really, very, very extensive analysis of sleep. Including not only time to go to sleep or waking up, but a whole lot of other parameters, probably presented in the best possible way that I have ever seen.

There is, of course, a complete division into sleep phases, along with their duration, sensation of awakening, measurement of sleep stability , regeneration, and well-presented assessments of each of the individual elements. One glance and we already know what to improve and what we do best. If, on the other hand, we do not have time to analyze each of the strokes in detail, we have a summary in the form of an assessment - we can score 100 points to the maximum. If we want, we can additionally independently assess the quality of our sleep, by issuing a grade in the form of an appropriate emoticon.

However, if the data from a single day are not so important - after all, we know whether we slept or not, the Polar allows what is most important, that is, monitoring trends.

Nightly Recharge

Much more interesting than SPS is the Nightly Recharge system (also new, at the moment only in Ignite), which monitors not so much the sleep itself, as the regeneration it provides. NR uses data on sleep (i.e. based on SPS measurements) as well as so-called the status of AUN (autonomic nervous system), recording and analyzing the heart rate, pulse variability and breathing frequency during sleep.

After sleeping the appropriate number of nights in the clock (minimum 3), we get another chart, which defines the above parameters and short summary. In the app and on the watch you will also find the most important, or information about whether we are fully regenerated and time to conquer the world , or maybe better to let go.

Of course, you can not go into this data, but their very presence and their use by FitSpark is a really powerful combination. And by the way, a reminder that without proper regeneration, intense training may not go out as planned, or even harm us.

Analysis, training activity, fitness and training load

Here I will not go into details, because it's functions known from other Polara watches. But what deserves attention is the fact that Ignite - although it is really cheap - has a lot of features known for more expensive watches.

I omit the standard monitoring of the number of steps or pulses over a 24-hour period. Although, on the other hand, it is great to divide the time during the day when you are sitting, rest, low, medium and high load.

Polar Ignite can also monitor our training load, warning against moments when we risk overtraining and injury. At our disposal are four zones - Underage, Balance, Fatigue and Fatigue. Our head (or Fit Spark) to stay in the other. Of course, the load chart can be viewed for both days and weeks and months, adapting the workouts to our capabilities:

At the same time, do not think that Polar has limited itself to one graph. In the summary of the cardio burden there are two - the status of cardio burden and the distribution of cardio burden. Yes, there is definitely a lot to choose from.

Ignite can also determine our level of fitness, calculating on this basis the probable times that we can get during each race.

He is even able to determine what has given us a specific training - have we improved our base, or maybe this time we have positively influenced our pace, and maybe the benefit is still somewhere else.

And that's not all that Polar Ignite offers in combination with Polar Flow. So if you're fans of bars, charts and data - Polar will give you what you need.

Battery

According to the manufacturer Polar Ignite should withstand up to 17 hours in GPS mode and up to 5 days with active pulse measurement. And in most cases such results are possible - maybe only the time for GPS I would estimate for a little lower, but also I will admit that I never managed to unload it to the end. The more that a small battery (165 mAh) is charged very quickly, so it definitely does not hurt us to remove it from the wrist from time to time and put it on the charger.

Just a note - put it properly. Although the charger seems universal , only one layout of the watch provides us with charging.

What did you run out of?

Considering only things I did not mention earlier. But to a large extent, these are trivialities:

  • lack of any, even the simplest navigational functions (even return to start or running after the dash )
  • lack of several training functions, such as for example a race with activity
  • purposeful training (eg on time, distance, calories) must be created from the application level on the phone / website
  • no information on current training data during the pause
  • no option to manually mark laps (only a predefined time or distance)
  • no possibility to set the frequency of notifications about leaving the training zone - the watch vibrates so often that the hand almost goes out (the vibration can be turned off, but that's not the point)
  • no option to automatically activate the touch screen lock during training (it is only manual)
  • lack of care in designing UI - some elements are set up so that they look just plain ugly (eg battery indicator on the main screen)
  • only two clock faces
  • no contactless payments
  • no support for other sensors except heart rate sensors (and only Bluetooth)
  • no barometer, but it should not come as a surprise

So ... yes, I'm picking on you. The more so because this watch costs 859 PLN.

Worth it?

Let's start with who this watch is not for. And it is not for:

  • triathletes
  • button fans instead of the touch screen
  • people who like bigger and more massive watches

It is also not - and here my biggest objection - for people who do not agree to fight from time to time with how the touch screen works at Ignite. If I had to choose the biggest (and only significant) defect of this watch, that would be it - the fact that from time to time the display requires more touches and brushes than it really should.

But this is where the price comes into play. PLN 859 in the cheapest version (differing only by a bar that can be easily replaced later) is a really great offer. Competitive (and slightly cheaper) Garmin Forerunner 45 has fewer sport profiles, no automatic training prompts (only Garmin Coach and training plans), no swim monitoring and there is no such extensive analysis of training load, and the rechargeable battery will last shorter. On the other hand, Garmin can be used to control music (although I do it myself from the headphones), it supports ANT +, it has buttons to operate and even an alarm function in the event of an accident.

And if I had to choose myself, I would have a very big problem, because Polar Ignite is in many ways an almost complete sports watch (with the exception of earlier exceptions). It has a very good heart rate monitor, good GPS, a good battery, supports training plans and adaptive workouts, generating them based on our actual capabilities of the day, and not generally good habits . For this it provides a detailed overview of our daily activities and analysis of training at the level for some even too detailed. By the way, in the package, we get a very good - though not very beautiful - application and we have almost everything.

Yes, for PLN 859.



I still do not believe that this watch costs so little. Polar Ignite - review

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