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Watts / Power
Rating
Power in watts is an objective physical unit measuring the amount of work a cyclist performs per unit of time — unlike speed, it doesn't depend on wind, gradient, or road surface quality.
In detail
Power meters measure force directly at the pedals, crank arms, or hub, which makes power-based training more precise than training by speed or even heart rate (heart rate lags behind effort and depends on many external factors — heat, fatigue, caffeine).
How to use it
If your budget only allows for one cycling training device, a power meter gives more objective data for progress than a heart rate monitor, though using both together is more informative than either alone.