Which Heart Rate Monitor is best ?

harleenarang

Hi All,

27th Dec is my b'day and I am gonna ask my husband to gift me a HRM
Just wanted to check with all the current users about which Heart Rate Monitor is best. I don't wish to spend a lot so my budget is $100. Please let me know which is a good deal.
My main concern is I wish to note down the calories burned and intake specifically as I am unable to find my exercises and food on MFP. Basically I do a mix of various cardio and strength and for food its mostly Indian.

So please please let me know. Its my first b'day gift from my husband and I am excited.

Cheers
Harleen

dad106

Polar FT4 or FT7.. Have hubby look on amazon.. Can get good deals on them there.

adjones_21

I have the Pink Mio...it is pretty good I guess. I had one from walmart and it sucked.

gailashton

garmen, found it on amazon the cheapest.... good luck...oh, happy holidays.

eddyca

If you have an iphone or ipod touch you can get a Garmin chest strap and Digifit receiver for $83. Look for the Cardio Bundle here:
http://new.digifit.com/Bundle/Cardio-Bundle.asp
I bought this and love it! Your iphone or ipod can receive your heart rate from up to 9 feet away, plus you get pretty charts and stuff to look at when you go to view the results

thcri

I like the Garmin Products. Polar is good also.

mydeloo78

I have a Polar F6, I have had it for about 8 years now and i LOVE IT! It is single handedly the best piece of workout equipment I have every owned. I have run with it, biked with it, done spinning classes, gone swimming with it, hiked with it... everything. I have sent it to have a new battery put in it twice now and it just keeps running like a champ. Its $130 on amazon but so worth it! I now also have a Garmin running watch with a heart rate monitor but that's more to track mileage and pace but also tracks HR/calories (that's $250-$350.. LOVE my bf for buying it though). However, cannot rave enough about Polar F6.

Rayman79

Personally I have a Suunto, and find it good. Picks up my pulse first time every time and is realy easy to use. I cant really compare it to other brands though as this is the only one I've owned. The general concensus seems to be that Garmin and Polar are the other two top brands.

If you get one without a GPS you will same some money.

MrsNoir

Lol.. My birthday is on the 24th, second present from hubby since we got married, and well, I know he has already bought it as I saw it by accident rearranging clothes in his drawers. It's a polar F7. I made my decision after reading in another forum over here

galvodka

Polar 4TF. It's accurate, reasonably priced, and very easy to use.

harleenarang

Thanks for all your responses - I am checking all the models mentioned by you here and for the ones who messaged me in my inbox. Really appreciate all you guys.
Just another question - Came across this Fitbit - Classic Wireless Activity and Sleep Tracker. Any comments or ideas about how is this one compared to Polar and others.

mariafaires

I'm a personal trainer and dietitian. I love this Polar monitor and recommend it to my clients who consistently tell me its the best too ever!

http://blog.myactivenutrition.com/category/equipment/

dcmat

I have an FT7 and loving it. Upside of a HRM is you get a much better idea of cals being burnt, downside is you find out how few that acually is!

Nicolee_2014

I have an FT7 and loving it. Upside of a HRM is you get a much better idea of cals being burnt, downside is you find out how few that acually is!

Yep, especially with how generous MFP is with giving out 'calories earned' doh

dad106

Thanks for all your responses - I am checking all the models mentioned by you here and for the ones who messaged me in my inbox. Really appreciate all you guys.
Just another question - Came across this Fitbit - Classic Wireless Activity and Sleep Tracker. Any comments or ideas about how is this one compared to Polar and others.

FItbit is a lil different from an HRM because you can wear it all day, where with an HRM you can't.

There is also an extra fee to use it I believe.. and it's counter part is a bodybugg/body media fit.

cravejourney

Love my polar F6, although you may have a hard time finding it. I think they no longer make that model?

WTJoyce

Thanks for all your responses - I am checking all the models mentioned by you here and for the ones who messaged me in my inbox. Really appreciate all you guys.
Just another question - Came across this Fitbit - Classic Wireless Activity and Sleep Tracker. Any comments or ideas about how is this one compared to Polar and others.

FItbit is a lil different from an HRM because you can wear it all day, where with an HRM you can't.

There is also an extra fee to use it I believe.. and it's counter part is a bodybugg/body media fit.

No fees that I'm aware of, and I've been using mine (a gift) for over a month now.

anulle2009

I just got a new one the Polar F4, I can't wait to use it. I just got it saturday! I have heard a lot of good things about Polar. SO far one things i love is the size of the watch. My old one was bigger and more bulky.

grobbygru

I have an FT7 and loving it. Upside of a HRM is you get a much better idea of cals being burnt, downside is you find out how few that acually is!

Yep, especially with how generous MFP is with giving out 'calories earned' doh

I usually cross reference each activity with runkeeper and 9 times out of 10 the calories are pretty much the same for both - would you say they are both out? (generous).

Klein1475

I just went through this... i bought both and tested them... (the fit-bit and polar FT7)...
the fit bit did not accurately count for me... I may have gotten a bad one or something but I took it back.... There is a fee if you want the premiun features but just to use the site for basic stuff it's free...

I kept the polar FT7 and I love it... you can wear it all day if you like... I am testing something today... I have had it on since this morning and monitoring my cal. burned and I have already 9 hours worth burned 2200 cal. today... it also tells you when you are in fitness mode working out or burning cal. I love it and would highly recommend it...

I will not log all that... I was just curious...

harleenarang

Thanks Klein - that was really kind of you to share this information. Now I am surely going for the Polar FT7

Thanks everyone for your help.

carpar1

Not sure what the best is, but I love my Polar FT4!

oneIT

I just got a Polar FT4 off amazon today for $60

blazergrad

I bout a Polar FT7 earlier this year and for the first couple of weeks or so, I loved it. After about a couple of weeks or so, though, I noticed that after the first couple of minutes of wearing it during a workout, it would kind of "zone in" on a heart rate and it wouldn't change ... in other words, my heart rate would get up to 135, for example, and then that's where the reading would stay, regardless of whether I increased or decreased the intensity of my workout. Finally, after about 5-10 minutes, it would register a different heart rate ... but then it would lock in on that one.

I've tried everything that I know of ... I wash the chest strap after every use, I immerse it in water before putting it on, I've tried a HRM gel, I've replaced the batteries ... nothing helps. I don't know if it's something about my body or if I just got a bad one.

I can say, though, that before it started having issues, I really did like it. And seeing as how the vast majority of people that have one love them, I'm fairly confident that the issue that I had with mine is not wide-spread and more the exception than the norm.

Enjoy which ever you go with and Happy Birthday!

MoonShadow_1au

DO NOT GET POLAR. They use an old technology for transmitting between the watch and strap.

The newest (most up to date standard) use the +ANT technology. This will allow a HRM to communicate with a iPhone etc.

Make sure it is +ANT compatible.

I have a Polar and can only use it with the watch, wish I could hook it up to the iPhone but I guess I will need to buy a new one for that.

CMmrsfloyd

LOVE my polar FT4 - I don't have a smartphone so I don't need anything that syncs to any device other than the watch. Not sure what is so bad about the device only transmitting to the watch and gym equipment. Not EVERYTHING has to sync up with a smartphone. LOL

stevenleagle

bump

dad106

DO NOT GET POLAR. They use an old technology for transmitting between the watch and strap.

The newest (most up to date standard) use the +ANT technology. This will allow a HRM to communicate with a iPhone etc.

Make sure it is +ANT compatible.

I have a Polar and can only use it with the watch, wish I could hook it up to the iPhone but I guess I will need to buy a new one for that.

What if someone doesn't have an IPhone? Then that does them no good.

Saying Don't get a Polar is stupid because they are still quality HRM's.. Iphone or no Iphone.