Heart Rate Monitors

jax71868

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good heart rate monitor? I priced them yesterday and they range anywhere from $30-$200. I don't want to spend a fortune, but I want a good-quality monitor that gives (at a minimum) heart rate and calories burned. Thanks.

kinmad4it

The most popular and also most highly rated are those made by Polar.
Just be aware that this thread will probably descend into you being shouted at for not knowing that heart rate monitor readings aren't totally accurate, with some people going to great lengths to patronise you about how inaccurate they are, whether you asked for that advice or not.

rileysowner

If you want an in any way meaningful calorie estimation you have to have one with a chest strap. So if it does not come with a chest strap, don't even consider it.

Brendajo510

Originally, I bought a cheap Pyle Sports HRM. The information gathered from me was odd (I think weight was in kg and it wanted a VO2 which I never did feel confident about measuring). I didn't feel like I was getting an accurate reading and the strap was blocky and uncomfortable. I finally gave in a bought a Polar FT4 and I love it. The strap is washable, the battery changeable, and seems to work much better. I would recommend getting a HRM with a strap. I can understand the annoyance of it but just a watch is not going to be very accurate as the monitor needs to be constantly touching you to accurately measure your heart rate.

There are also neater new models that I believe can send data to an app on your phone so that may be something to look into. Personally, I use amazon to find reviews about the models before I consider purchasing. I believe all HRMs will offer you the heart rate and calories burned, it’s the accuracy and other features that will send the price up.

jax71868

Thanks everyone. I will definitely get a monitor with a chest strap. I was pricing some monitors at Target. There were some Polar monitors there and I believe one with a chest strap was $69.99. I'm not sure if it's the Polar FT4 or not. I will do some more research this weekend. Thanks for the help and information.

rjdunn87

I recently bought a Polar FT4 from Amazon for about $60 or $70, I can't quite remember. But I love it so far! I bought it knowing all the caveats about it potentially not being entirely accurate, but I thought it would at least give me an idea of what my burns are and from there I can make the decision about how much, if any of those calories I should eat back.

qtgonewild

im biased as i have only tried one. I got a polar ft7 2 weeks ago and i LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it. true story.

kaned_ferret

It's worth checking out ebay also - I got myself an ft4 for £20 delivered, bargain!

Can't recommend it enough for accuracy as well, and it's a great motivator watching those numbers change - not just the calories burned, but for me today I noticed that my hr recovery from exercise was so much quicker than it used to be, indicating my fitness it improving - win!

silver_arrow3

im biased as i have only tried one. I got a polar ft7 2 weeks ago and i LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it. true story.

I have tried a couple of different ones, but when it comes to a HRM that has actually been able to pick up my heart rate, the FT7 that I just got seems to work. There were a couple of monitors that I tried that said I burned about 50 calories after two solid hours of sweating my *kitten* off. They also kept losing my heartbeat. Made me wonder if I had some sort of arrhythmia or something.

ETA: I know HRMs aren't the most accurate, but I'd rather have some sort of estimation based on me vs. whatever is in the MFP bank.

qtgonewild

i also got mine on ebay

disney_girl125

I got a polar ft4 this weekend and I love it!!! I have used it for all my workouts. I got it at best buy and they price matched amazon.

jonchew

If you workout with a phone for music - consider getting one of the bluetooth monitors. I have a Zephyr HxM that I've paired with my Samsung Galaxy S3... works great! There are several apps that work very well, my 2 favorites are Endomondo & SportsTracker.

Rebeccamosley86

I have a Polar FT7 got it brand new on ebay love it best HRM I have ever bought.