Polar Ft80, FT60, or polar loop with HRM

AlicesNirvanaHealthWellness

Hi, I've been looking at HRM for awhile and haven't been able to decide. I walk/jog a lot, and I do strength train too. I have come to understand that Polar seems like a very good brand and have narrowed down my search to the above three. Can anyone who uses any of them explains some of the pros and cons they have experienced. I appreciate the help

Soccermavrick

I was just logging on to post a similar question, so I will post just so I can find this again and see every ones responses.

Immerito

I'm deciding between these myself. Looking forward to the responses.

Cre8veLifeR

It really depends what you want it to do. I think if you want a BASIC HRM then the FT60 is the way to go. I knew I wouldn't use my HRM to plan my workouts and set goals and such...I was going to buy a Polar FT60 but decided on the Mio Alpha instead after doing TONS of research! The Polar products you have to wear the heart monitor around your chest in conjunction with your wrist piece. I wasn't crazy about that personally speaking. The Mio reads your heart rate through the wrist piece itself. It was a bit pricey ($200) but not ridiculous - I have only had it since Christmas (hubster got it for me) but it has TOTALLY changed the way I work out! It synced easily with MapMyRun which I love, and I am also using DigiFit - I LOVE being able to accurately know if I am working out at a pace that is conducive to my goals.. I think having an HRM is a wonderful tool! Good luck on your choice!

Turtle003

I bought my Polar FT60 about 2 years ago. I wear it 6 days a week working out with the chest strap and LOVE it! I change the batteries pretty often..but I use it about 1-1.5 hours a day. It seems pretty accurate for the calorie burn and HR. The only thing I wish I had was the GPS unit...I use my Nike Run app for that.

conidiring

I got the Polar Loop for Christmas, nice price, nice product. But after wearing it everyday, and it only recording 60 calories burned for my spin class I did some more lookiing and according to Polar it doesn't measure exercise calories unless you wear it with a specific bluetooth chest strap. So, now I've ordered that and $80 later (waiting for it to come in) I'll see how that works. It works well measuring calories burned, steps taken, etc. and lets you know how much activity you have left to make your goals, which is nice. But, I wish I had known about the additional charge for the chest strap. Easy integration into the Polar Flow web app and can also be linked to an IPhone (don't know what models as I have an android and didn't pay attention to that part of it, although they are supposed to have an android app sometime in 2014). I like it over all and can't wait to get the chest strap so I can start recording the exercise too.

sassyjae21

I have a Polar FT7 and it works great. At first I was a little put off by the chest strap, but you don't even feel it.

thatdwayne

I was a fan (and long-time user) of Fitbit, but am now sold on the Polar but only if you use it with the chest strap for non-walking/running workouts. It does a great job of tracking your exercise intensity for things where you don't really move your wrists enough to register.

Now, my only complaint is that it doesn't directly sync with MyFitnessPal, but I'm hoping that comes at some point.

AlicesNirvanaHealthWellness

I was a fan (and long-time user) of Fitbit, but am now sold on the Polar but only if you use it with the chest strap for non-walking/running workouts. It does a great job of tracking your exercise intensity for things where you don't really move your wrists enough to register.

Now, my only complaint is that it doesn't directly sync with MyFitnessPal, but I'm hoping that comes at some point.

Thanks thatdwayne, which polar do you use?

ema727

I have a Polar FT7 and when it works, I like it. Be aware though, they consider the chest strap is as a disposable item and is designed to last only 1-2 years and you need to keep buying a new one.

thatdwayne

I have the Polar Loop with the HRM 7. After a longer period of use, I love the Loop as a device, but the apps (and connectivity to things like MFP) are the biggest limitation I've seen. I still love the accuracy of the HRM especially when doing things like cycling, stair machines, etc. but am experimenting with using the Fitbit for step tracking, etc. and using the HRM with the Polar app on my iPhone. I just started that today. I still have the Polar Loop and will keep checking in on the app to see how well they evolve it.

thatdwayne

ema727 I've only had mine for a couple of months and it is holding up fine. Do they sell the strap alone?

Also, I have had good luck using a product called "Buh-Bump" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000HZD2NU/thatdwayne-20) to get better contact between my chest and the strap. It only takes a tiny drop but I find it works better for me than just water.

allergictodiets

I bought a Polar Loop yesterday and I have to say so far I am not impressed. It is 1 p.m. and the web account still hasn't "noticed" that it is a new day ( the Polar app only started showing the 23rd about 8 a.m. ). I am based in Europe so maybe they have some time zone problems.
Also when I use my HRM with the Polar Beat and not the Polar Flow app it doesn't seem to count for the activity tracker even though the workout is visible in the online account ( Polar Beat and Polar Flow theoretically sync with the same Polar account ).
Last but not least there is a massive difference in the steps counted between my Fitbit and the Polar Loop ( about 4000 steps vs. more than 8000 steps )!!!

kristy6ward

I've had an FT60 for over two years. I don't think i've properly taken advantage for most its features because I can never stay in the lower zones unless I'm walking. The training program was nice in the beginning, until I started to train for races. The programs want you to focus on zone 2 mainly, then zone 1 with hardly anything in zone 3. However, when I run, my heartrate stays consistently in zone 3 for the length of the run and I essentially get a failing grade that week. "Train more in Zone 2" or "Train less in Zone 3" is the kinder way it puts it. You are able to alter the zones manually as well as the maxHR and the built in fitness test will give you a resting V02max for better calorie calculation, I am just not sure what those zones should actually be for me personally so I leave them at default.

If you enjoy walking/running does distance make a difference to you? I wish I had considered buying a hrm with a built in gps. My race traing was based on milage, so tracking actual distance became imporant. Sure I could have bought the polar footpod to judge my distance but the price was just as much as a garmin forerunner 10 and had poor reviews. So now I run with both the polar and the garmin. Both give me different calorie burns, I use polars simply for the sake that I followed its burn counts for a whole year before I got the garmin.