Optical HR sensor arm (not wrist)

yirara

My Scosche Rhythm+ seems to be dying and I need a new one. Looks like I only have three options for an optical sensor I can wear on my upper arm:
The newer Rhythm24, Polar OH1 and Wahoo Trackr.

Anyone has any experience with either of those? The Polar one seems to have the best sensor based on reviews/tests by DC Rainmaker, but it's very small and might turn over and hence not measure anymore. Plus the charger would block two usb ports instead of just one. The Scosche seems to have quite a few dodgy units, as does the Wahoo one.

Any suggestions?

disclaimer: I'm using it for HR while running to get an idea of how well my run went as I have quite a few issues that influence HR. If a run went badly and I see my HR was too low or high I have my reason right there and might stop for a few days. No, fitness trackers are not suitable as they tend to average data and don't offer integration with good running apps. And I'm not using a chest strap.

The_Enginerd

I was just in this same situation a week ago after my second Rhythm+ broke at the strap attachment. Again... I seem to get a bit over a year out of each one.

In the end, I just got a replacement Rhythm+. The Rhythm24 had quite a few reviews noting the strap attachment point broke within a week, and the Polar unit had a lot of reviews noting battery life wasn't great and quickly deteriorated to uselessness.

yirara

I tried to get a rhytym+ replacement, but they don't seem to be available anywhere anymore. Apart from a few nutters on Amazon or Ebay who sell them for over 150 Euro

For me it's not the string attachment that breaks (though I'm on the long string as the shorter one stopped sticking ages ago). I get completely confusing readings out of mine all of a sudden. Either it stops working completely, or measures HR about 20bpm above my maximum HR (checking by hand revealed I was about 30 below HRmax!) or it measures far too low for most of my run. Each time with reasonable variation: bit higher when I run over a bridge, bit lower when running with the wind, etc.

I don't need all the extras of the new Rhythm, and it's the most expensive of the lot. Not sure about the small size of the Polar and the rubbish charger. The Wahoo is the cheapest but not the best. Hmpf.

The_Enginerd

Ouch, still available in the United States for now at least.

I've had issues where the HR readings starting getting unreliable as the strap wears and loses it elasticity, and a new strap was able to extend the life. Don't know if you've given that a shot.

I wish there were some better options for the standalone optical heart rate monitors. My Garmin has one built in, but it's just not reliable enough during a run unless I keep the watch tighter than I'd like, so I always use an external one.

pierinifitness

I train with kettlebells and must use a strap. I'm an old school HR monitor junkie so a strap is what I'm accustomed to. Sometimes I'll go strapless if it's a walk but otherwise, I wear my strap. Whenever I get outlier readings, it's generally been strapless.

yirara

pierinifitness wrote: »

I train with kettlebells and must use a strap. I'm an old school HR monitor junkie so a strap is what I'm accustomed to. Sometimes I'll go strapless if it's a walk but otherwise, I wear my strap. Whenever I get outlier readings, it's generally been strapless.

I can't wear a strap as I a) don't want to squeeze my breasts on it and b) have very irregular rib bones which make for poor contact and hurting ribs. I can only use an optical sensor. And arm is better than wrist in that respect.