Polar cs200 or Garmin 800.

What I need at the moment is a HRM and Cadence for a bit of training. What I (think) want for later is a Garmin 800 for long solo rides as my sense of direction is rubbish. I can read a map but that involves stopping but I have to turn it which is bad form, Mrs Eye tells me. 😳

So should I bite the bullet now and just get an 800?

Merlin have got a 800 (HRM, Cad and Maps) on for £365, has anyone regretted getting an one?

Thoughts/ recommendations / anecdotes / better offer welcome.

I previously used a Polar S725, have had an Edge 705 for a couple of years, so older versions of each, but the Garmin is far better in every way.

Even taking the mapping out of the equation the number of fields is better on the Garmin, the numbers are easier to read, it handles interval sessions better (the inbuilt interval thing in the Polar S-series could only manage intervals of one length, no pyramids or owt, may be different on CS-series). It doesn’t need sensors on every bike, it’s easier to upload to WKO, Strava etc (again, dunno what the interface is on the CS ones but the Infra-red on the S725 was crap).

Polar has good on line training diary. Its free to have a look.

Winstanleys had a better deal for the same package… liking my 800.

I had an 800 but found It frustrating so sold it for a satmap. I prefer the satmap but that’s only for navigation, it won’t do cadence, HRM ect….

I just got a Garmin in that Merlin deal, you can also save a few quid by going through Topcashback or Quidco.

As for the device itself, I’ve only done a couple of longish road rides with it so far, but it was dead easy to set up and seems pretty intuitive to use. The screen is very easy to read and can be set up with whatever readouts you want (70-odd metrics available if you have all the sensors, up to five screens with up to ten items displayed on each). I’m looking forward to giving it a more thorough going over in the course of a JOGLE next month…

I like Garmin. No real reason as I’ve never tried a Polar but similarly I’ve never cared to switch from the Edge.

I have polar and Garmin. Garmin for navigation polar for training. garmin on line diary isnt much use except for recording. So I guess it depends on your intended use.