Input: Best Heart Rate Monitor

jenj1313

Okay... My HRM is dying. I've used the same thing (Polar 910XT) for about 7 years. It's an awesome bike computer, but a little clunky. What are y'all using and what do you like / not like about it?

tiggerlove

Ive only had the the Polar A360 for a few weeks now but so far I like it. Waterproof..sleep tracking..calorie tracking..you can use it with or without a chest band. I like polar they have been around for year and I've been with them for at least 10 yrs. Good-Luck with yor decision.

PatrickB_87

I have the Polar H7 heart rate monitor which I pair with the Polar m450 as my bike computer. Love them both. You subject says heart rate monitor but the post also mentions bike computer so not sure what recommendation you want but as for stand alone heart rate monitors I would go with either the Wahoo Ticker HR, The Polar H7, or the Scosche RHYTHM+ if you want something thats not worn on the chest. All depends on what sensor compatibility (The Polar being Bluetooth+ only and the others being both Bluetooth+ and ANT+).

I got the H7 as a bundle deal with the m450, otherwise I would have probably gone with the Wahoo for the dual connectivity but I like the H7 and have had no issues with it.

Sorry I don't have any experience with the watches. Cycling is my main exercise so a dedicated bike computer and separate heart rate monitor were the best options for me. I had the Polar m650 for a short while but sent it back (too big, more than I needed, plus no auto upload to phone via Bluetooth yet).

Shesaleo18

I only have a polar FT4 and wished I never bought it

crystale79

I have a Polar FT7, Polar RS 100 and a Fitbit Charge HR. I absolutely love my FT7 and all of it's features, but it seems like I'm always killing a battery and having to send it in or take it in. Since I also love my Fitbit Flex, I decided to buy a Fitbit Charge HR. My reasons behind it were so I can charge the battery instead of replacing it and also so I could just use one device instead of two. Best out of all feature wise is my FT7.

larissamalcolm

I have a polar h7. I pair it with motifit and rock my run. I like keeping track of workouts and the music speeding up to match my heart rate. It is probably so much overkill just to lose weight but it keeps me motivated. On the days I forget it my work out is not as energized.

Psychgrrl

Went through a Polar, then a Polar Ft7 with my Body Media armband. After s really bad customer service experience with Polar, bought a Garmin Vivoactive and love it. Everything in one. Mega fitness tracker, works with chest strap, gets notifications. Very happy.

thelovelyLIZ

I have a FitBit Charge HR, and as far as I can tell, all the information given to me has been quite accurate.

whmscll

Has anyone used the Mio Fuse? Pros? Cons?

granturismo

whmscll wrote: »

Has anyone used the Mio Fuse? Pros? Cons?

I have the Mio Alpha for about 12 months. I use it for running and it synchs perfectly with endomondo on my phone. Sometimes it doesnt detect a heart rate on the first - it gets it on the second attempt - so I tend to activate it when I'm warming up just to make sure its ready when I run. This happens maybe 1 in every 20 times.

Doesnt irritate my skin and the battery is good.

paulbsr

I have the MIO Fuse. I can't compare it to any other HRM as it is the only HRM I have ever had. After (a) research and (b) unwilling to spend more that €150, I decided on the Fuse for one specific reason - it was mid last year the only waterPROOF HRM at that price-point. I wanted to include Swimming in my training regime (2.5 hours each day Monday to Friday).

I find it okay. It's simple without any gimmicks to distract you. The native Mio Go application SUCKS!. I do not use it at all. I use the iCardio/DigiFit. It is accurate, as I have calibrated it with a multitude of different cardio machines and manufacturers and it's always the same as the machines.

malanvdw

Someone posted a news article elsewhere in this forum that Fitbit is being sued by users for making false claims about their 'dangerously inaccurate' Fitbit Charge HR product and Fitbit Surge.

I got a Fitbit for Christmas, and after seeing how off the charts inaccurate it was, I returned it, and made sure my partner who gifted it to me got a full refund.

jenj1313

RatPat13 wrote: »

You subject says heart rate monitor but the post also mentions bike computer so not sure what recommendation you want

I was looking for HRM's. The Garmin still seems to work fine as a bike computer (I strap it to the bar anyway), but the HR data has become very inaccurate for some reason. For instance, after running the other day, it told me that my instantaneous heart rate was 233, avg heart rate was 213, yet I'd only burned 43 calories in 40 minutes. Distance, elevation, etc still seem to be accurate, so I'll keep using it for a bike computer.

Thanks for the recommendations!

jenj1313

malanvdw wrote: »

Someone posted a news article elsewhere in this forum that Fitbit is being sued by users for making false claims about their 'dangerously inaccurate' Fitbit Charge HR product and Fitbit Surge.

I got a Fitbit for Christmas, and after seeing how off the charts inaccurate it was, I returned it, and made sure my partner who gifted it to me got a full refund.

Good to know... I'll do some reading.

MeanderingMammal

jenj1313 wrote: »

The Garmin still seems to work fine as a bike computer (I strap it to the bar anyway), but the HR data has become very inaccurate for some reason.

Replace your HR strap

If your HR data is being mishandled by the head end then I've got a feeling that you'll need to replace the head end shortly anyway. If the HR data is wrong thenthe strap is at fault.

It does strike me as a bit cack-handed to have HR data in one place and your GPS tracking data in another, when you need both together to get a meaningful assessment.

How old is the device?

Given the age of the device it might be worth looking for a complete new system. The 910XT has been superceded by th 920XT for about 18 months now, but if you're only cycling, rather than using it for multisport, then the newer generation cycling head ends are pretty good.

jenj1313

MeanderingMammal wrote: »

jenj1313 wrote: »

The Garmin still seems to work fine as a bike computer (I strap it to the bar anyway), but the HR data has become very inaccurate for some reason.

Replace your HR strap

If your HR data is being mishandled by the head end then I've got a feeling that you'll need to replace the head end shortly anyway. If the HR data is wrong thenthe strap is at fault.

It does strike me as a bit cack-handed to have HR data in one place and your GPS tracking data in another, when you need both together to get a meaningful assessment.

How old is the device?

Given the age of the device it might be worth looking for a complete new system. The 910XT has been superceded by th 920XT for about 18 months now, but if you're only cycling, rather than using it for multisport, then the newer generation cycling head ends are pretty good.

Given the age of my device, I was looking to upgrade. This is actually my second 910XT b/c I lost the first one, but this one's still about 3 years old. But I don't feel like spending money on the strap if I am going to end up wanting a new unit soon...

I am still using it for multi-sport, plus some endurance biking events, so the long battery life is helpful. I don't use it in the pool currently, mainly b/c the GPS doesn't pick up very well indoors and it's winter, dangit ;-/

I'm a little confused by your comment re: heart rate vs GPS data being in separate locations, but maybe this is because I don't actually use the Garmin software. On the watch, you can set up your data display however you like. I have 4 screens set up, one of which is my GPS data and one is HR/calorie data, but it's easy to switch back and forth.

I have been casually eyeing the 920XT. It gets good reviews on Amazon, but haven't gotten much farther than that because while I want something new, I am also cheap and hate to spend money ;-p. So I was just looking to see what other people are using and if there's something else out there I should consider because I know I'll pull the trigger eventually!

Thanks for your input!

MeanderingMammal

jenj1313 wrote: »

I am still using it for multi-sport, plus some endurance biking events, so the long battery life is helpful. I don't use it in the pool currently, mainly b/c the GPS doesn't pick up very well indoors and it's winter, dangit ;-/

I thought the 910 had the same lap counter as the Garmin Swim? It assesses when you've turned rather than relying on GPS data?

I'm a little confused by your comment re: heart rate vs GPS data being in separate locations, but maybe this is because I don't actually use the Garmin software. On the watch, you can set up your data display however you like. I have 4 screens set up, one of which is my GPS data and one is HR/calorie data, but it's easy to switch back and forth.

Personally I only use the Garmin platform as a mechanism to get the data to Endomondo and Strava, where I can analyse the data.

My point was that you can't get GPS data from Garmin and HR data from A.N.Other and correlate the two at the moment.

If you're not using the data you collect then I guess it's not all that important.

That said, Garmin uses GPS data and HR data together to assess calorie expenditure.

I have been casually eyeing the 920XT. It gets good reviews on Amazon, but haven't gotten much farther than that because while I want something new, I am also cheap and hate to spend money ;-p.

I use the 310XT, but I'm very tempted by the 920XT. Someone else marshalling at a marathon I was at recently was extolling the virtues.