Question for those with Wearlink 31 Transmitters

KarenBorter

Okay all ... question for those with this type of transmitter. Give me all your positive and negative feedback. I have the standard T31 Coded "hard" chest strap from Polar. I have already sent it back and gotten it replaced ... They just replaced my watch unit (F6) I tried it on today but can't work out (oral surgery) but got into a plank/pushup position and it 00'd out on me again. I suspect it's just a matter of the strap losing contact with my body in this position.

I have been reading that the Wearlink is flexible and the electrodes are in the cloth thereby moving with your body as you move. I would imagine that that 00 ing out issue I am having would be fixed by this.

What say you?

pyroxian

I'm on my 2nd polar watch and 3rd wearlink chest strap in 3 years (and 2 rounds of p90x and half a round of p90x+ so they're not "lightly" used), and the ONLY problems I've had are with the cloth loop the metal hook goes through wearing through after much use and very infrequently with the strap just loosening up enough that it starts to slip down during jumping or plyometric activities. Basically as long as I pre-wet the contacts and make sure the strap is snug bordering on tight, they've been flawless. Basically I wear them out or do stupid things like smash the watch face against rocks kayaking but all of the 0's I've seen have been 100% due to the strap just being too loose.
I've never tried any of the polar "hard" straps, but have tried a couple other brands that are of similar construction and never had very good luck with them maintaining contact - I've always managed to get into positions where they 0'd.

CakeFit21

I have the Wearlink with the cloth and I've only had a problem with it once or twice when it got folded in half under my boobs and sort of squished by my bra ;-)

I love mine and hubby has one too, never had a problem.

Mission4Life

My only problem is when I hold mine at a certain angle my heart rate (on watch) shoots up to 220. As long as I keep my arms down or moving it's fine. If I do the recumbant bike at work I NEVER get a reading on my watch but the machine has a polar monitor built in. Not as much info asked by the machine so my numbers are always off.

pandafoo

i recently bought a wearlink, but the first time i used it, my HR was either registering as in the 220s, or nothing would show up. my trainer knew it was a transmitter issue so he swapped mine out with his, and it worked great. i'm glad he let me keep his. he jokingly blamed the faulty one on amazon because it wasn't directly from the manufacturer. at least with amazon you have free returns within 30 days if there's a malfunction.

other than that issue, i like the wearlink - it's more comfortable than the standard t31.

KarenBorter

keep em coming people this is super helpful. People on my friends list know I have been having issues with my HRM. Doing P90X was a challenge especially on those days where there were heavy planks/pushups/downward dogs. I am going to start Insanity on the 15th of February and really want a good accurate burn count so I am making sure to eat enough food. I am almost at goal weight and that makes it even more crucial to accurately account for calories burned.

Appreciate the responses thus far!

Mads1997

I have both straps, the hard kind came with my treadmill and the wearlink one when I bought my Polar. The wearlink is by far the best and most comfortable to wear.

KarenBorter

I am not unhappy with the "comfort" of the hard chest strap ... It's the connectivity issue.

What are the instances of the Wearlink 00ing out during use?