Bowflex SelectTech 2080 Barbell with Curl Bar vs Polar Vantage M

[Music] [applause] Okay, so what Bowflex has done is they've taken their very popular Selecttech technology that they use in their adjustable dumbbell...

Finally, the combined cost of the Vantage M and H10 was the same as the Suunto 5 by itself.

I've been complaining about rust on my black oxide vulcan curl bar but I totally get the advantage of black oxide now - it is far grippier and feels a lot like bare steel. Combined with a more aggressive knurl the vulcan bar feels a lot better to use but oiling it once a week still isn't stopping rust coming through in the cambered areas. I'm soaking the Vulcan bar in WD-40 now per their instructions so hopefully that will stave off the rust for a while (though it hasn't before, so I'm not that hopeful).

A month ago I bought the Polar Vantage M because it was on sale, and I much prefer the Coros interface. The big plus is how comfortable all Coros watches feel and how lightweight they are. I can sleep with the Coros Apex on while the Polar watch hurts my wrist.

My job requires me to keep a standard of fitness to perform my duties, and I am almost 60 years old. So to keep up with all the young guys, I need to put in a little more work at home to keep fit. Bowflex helps with that a lot. If you want to get in shape, Bowflex will have the equipment you need

This watch really focuses on fitness, the recording of your heart rate, miles, time are all very accurate. The sleep tracking gives you a indepth review on your sleep each day which has now become a habit to check when I wake up. This watch is not touch screen, this button controls are very easy to operate and turns out very useful when doing activities such as running, just click the bottom left button and your workout is paused. The phone notifications is OK, they show them but you have to press a few buttons, scroll down, click on them to expand the message

Pros: - Both curl and straight bars provided - 80lbs total weight with option to upgrade to 120lb - Compact size for the weight range available - All tools and parts provided with clear instructions for installation Cons: - Plastic tabs to hold the plates together - definitely concerned with durability considering they tried this with their dumbbells and had to go back to the metal tabs - Adjusting the weight cradles for the final step was time consuming and frustrating (if not adjusted correctly, weights don’t lock or unlock easily when placing or removing the bar) - Stand is an upgrade for $200 but I feel should be included as standard in the current package Overall works well and is great for a home gym. My only concern is the durability of the plastic tabs that lock the plates against each other. With 80-120lb and regular usage not sure how long these will hold up. Overall installation took me about 45min with clean-up and unboxing

I've had this watch for around 5 months now, brought over lockdown as was going through a bit of an exercise rut and hoped this would re-motivate me. I generally train around 5 days a week with a mix of running, weights, rowing (water and machine) and I've found the extra data useful and interesting. I quite like the design of the watch as well, which I think looks quite sleek compared with some of the garmin ones, which swung me towards polar when buying. In terms of the accuracy, I tend to use a HR monitor when I'm trying to stick to a zone for training, so haven't noticed a massive issue with accuracy as when just using the watch I'm OK with being given a more general idea of where my HR is

I'll continue battling through it until I feel I've gotten my grand back. Then I'm driving over the nearest bridge and tossing the entire system, stand and all.

I did shave the hairs from my wrist and tied the watch really tight (see picture). It makes no difference at all. Personally for me this is unacceptable. It makes the watch unrelaible