Your favorite <3 rate monitor?

WeCallThemDayWalkers
WeCallThemDayWalkers Posts: 259 Member
edited September 29 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all you MFPers!

I'm in the market for a heart rate monitor (my first one ever).

I know a lot of people really advocate that it's just about the most instructive piece of equipment you can own.

What do you use? What do you like/dislike about it? Is there a chest strap? Just a wrist watch? Satellites? Calorie count? Does is sync with a particularly good website? ...and so forth.

My main pursuits are running and circuit training and I'm looking to spend no more than $150.00 (unless there is an argument for a bit more spending).

Replies

  • FAtGiRLFItGiRL
    FAtGiRLFItGiRL Posts: 156
    i just ordered the MIO PETITE from bestbuy.com love it plus its on sale for 59.99 right now check it out on the website plus you can read other reviews. i purchased the fitbit first but was unhappy about $50 extra charge a year if you wanted to see you cals burned w/out the bmr cals burned. so i returned it and got the MIO PETITE. hope this helps :)
  • abra526
    abra526 Posts: 213 Member
    I know a lot of people here are big Polar fans, but I just didn't have the money for one when I bought mine. I found a Sportline SX from Walmart with a chest strap (a must) for $47. There are people out there who don't like Sportline, but I absolutely love mine, and it seem extremely accurate.
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
    i just ordered the MIO PETITE from bestbuy.com love it plus its on sale for 59.99 right now check it out on the website plus you can read other reviews. i purchased the fitbit first but was unhappy about $50 extra charge a year if you wanted to see you cals burned w/out the bmr cals burned. so i returned it and got the MIO PETITE. hope this helps :)

    Don't you have to touch the watch with your fingers before it tracks your heart rate?
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
    I know a lot of people here are big Polar fans, but I just didn't have the money for one when I bought mine. I found a Sportline SX from Walmart with a chest strap (a must) for $47. There are people out there who don't like Sportline, but I absolutely love mine, and it seem extremely accurate.

    I saw that one and I was considering buying it but everyone seemed to think the only way to go is Polar or Garmin. I'll have to check it out again.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    For what your looking for, an entry level Polar should be just fine. You def. want one with a chest strap as they are more accurate then ones without a chest strap. You also want one that lets you enter age, sex, weight and height. Since you'e a runner, if you want to track your distance you can get HRM's that have GPS's in them. Both Polar and Garmin make them.

    With all that being said, I have the Polar FT7. It comes with a chest strap, and lets you input all the information I stated above. It counts calories, shows your heart rate and what "zone" you're in while working out. I find it too be very comfortable and easy to use/set up, and so far I have had no problems with it. I paid 79.99 dollars for it on drugstore.com.

    Before I bought the FT7, I had a Timex Unisex HRM that you can get for about 50 dollars. This HRM is one that I would not recommend, because even tho it has a chest strap and lets you enter things like weight and max heart rate and counts calories, the calorie count is absolute crap. It is very high and overestimated. The only nice part was that you could change the batteries on it your self.
  • crazymama2two
    crazymama2two Posts: 867
    im sooooo sick of polar/garmin snobs


    i have a new balance that tracks HR and calories...sorry snobbies, im poor and 70 bucks at traget was a lot but i didnt have to pay shipping nad handling and it does EXACTLY what i want it to do.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Also read this link about HRM's.. it explains a lot!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

    Coming from a polar "snob" you could have bought an entry level Polar FT4 or even the FT7 off a website like amazon or heartratemonitorsusa.com with free shipping for 70 dollars or less. There are lots of good deals on polars going on right now... you just have to shop around and do some research.
  • NayaP
    NayaP Posts: 46
    Thx! Needed this info - want to get one in the next couple of mos. ;o)
  • yeabby
    yeabby Posts: 643 Member
    I definitely recommend a chest strap. In my experience they are way more accurate. I have the Polar F6 and love it. It's been working for a few years with no problems. Before I had a Timex. It was okay though not as intuitive to use. It didn't last as long - year and a half(ish).
  • WeCallThemDayWalkers
    WeCallThemDayWalkers Posts: 259 Member
    dad106 - Thanks for the breakdown on the entry-level Polars. A sales guy at a sporting goods store was pitching them to me and you just gave me about 5X more info than he did!
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    dad106 - Thanks for the breakdown on the entry-level Polars. A sales guy at a sporting goods store was pitching them to me and you just gave me about 5X more info than he did!

    Aw, not a problem! I love my Polar.. that's why I get so defensive and even "snobby" about it!

    If you have any more questions, please feel free to message me... I'll ry to help out as best I can!
  • kayleeblue
    kayleeblue Posts: 273
    Polar FT4 here. First one purchased for me and I was able to figure it out. Came with a chest strap and was just about $70. I like it and am very happy with it. Good Luck.
  • WeCallThemDayWalkers
    WeCallThemDayWalkers Posts: 259 Member
    i just ordered the MIO PETITE from bestbuy.com love it plus its on sale for 59.99 right now check it out on the website plus you can read other reviews. i purchased the fitbit first but was unhappy about $50 extra charge a year if you wanted to see you cals burned w/out the bmr cals burned. so i returned it and got the MIO PETITE. hope this helps :)

    Don't you have to touch the watch with your fingers before it tracks your heart rate?

    Hmmm....that's a good question! I don't think I'd want to have to do that.
  • healthyjen342
    healthyjen342 Posts: 1,435 Member
    I use a Polar FT7...LOVE IT
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    A few weeks ago I got a Garmin 405CX and I absolutely love it. It has a very comfortable chest strap. It also has GPS, so you can keep track of distance, speed, and route. I use it for runs and for cycling (it basically doubles as a cycling computer). The data gets synced up to garmin's website, where you can view all sorts of interesting info about your workouts and generate reports.

    It's a bit out of your price range, but probably not by too much if you look for a good deal.
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