Polar FT4--Reviews Anyone?

EuroReady

HELP PLEASE! I have been looking into getting this one too. But my skin is extremely sensitive to nickel and even more so when I sweat. I cant seem to get the specifications for the metal pieces of this monitor online. While they are probably stainless steel, I have had watches that were stainless steel backs but the lower quality buckle part made it impossible to wear. Any input??

heybales

HELP PLEASE! I have been looking into getting this one too. But my skin is extremely sensitive to nickel and even more so when I sweat. I cant seem to get the specifications for the metal pieces of this monitor online. While they are probably stainless steel, I have had watches that were stainless steel backs but the lower quality buckle part made it impossible to wear. Any input??

For this new cloth strap type, there is no metal touching the skin. Even the little piece of metal on the side for hooking the ends together, they included a fabric piece between your skin and that. Very thoughtful design.

Most I've used though, are totally plastic, no metal at all. Because, after all, there will be sweat all over it - very bad idea with metal.

kattydid65

Polar FT4 is awesome. Even though I got a lttle discouraged using it. I have to face the truth. I was using the machines to calculate my calories burned but when I use the FT4 it's telling me alot lower. :sad: So I thought I was really pushing myself. Obviously I wasn't pushing hard enough. I wanted to burn 500 calories a day. Oops but Ft4 is saying I am burning 300 calories. But overall I really like it. I have to adjust the strap a little, the buckle part rubs my skin a little and is irritating but I will work thru it. Silly me but I also ordered the Fitbit. I want to try it out as well.

Best of Luck to you!

sblueyez

I have the FT7. I like it. It shows calories burned and stores the data. If I had a disposable income then I would buy a sensor that is compatible with Bluetooth so I could upload data instantly to a program on my phone. They make one by polar now. To the person wondering about the back, mine is a thick plastic. The buckle part is some kind of metal. Some times it irritates me to have the watch on while on the treadmill so I will take it off and hook it to the strap itself an it works that way too but looks a little funny. The only downside to this hrm is that the belt has to be extra dripping wet to work properly and it is just so cold when I put it on because of it. One bonus is that you can change the batteries yourself. Some of them have to be sent in, older models I think. I believe the calorie counting is accurate as I've tested my pulse the old fashioned way simultaneously. It uses an equation based off of your hr, age, height, weight, gender etc. As you lose weight you need to change it in the watch, which is simple to use. It knows when it is your birthday (shows you candles and all) so you don't have to update age. When the battery ran out all my old data was still there so that was nice. Sorry this is so long. I just really love my hrm. It helped me lose 20 lbs already.

EuroReady

HELP PLEASE! I have been looking into getting this one too. But my skin is extremely sensitive to nickel and even more so when I sweat. I cant seem to get the specifications for the metal pieces of this monitor online. While they are probably stainless steel, I have had watches that were stainless steel backs but the lower quality buckle part made it impossible to wear. Any input??

For this new cloth strap type, there is no metal touching the skin. Even the little piece of metal on the side for hooking the ends together, they included a fabric piece between your skin and that. Very thoughtful design.

Most I've used though, are totally plastic, no metal at all. Because, after all, there will be sweat all over it - very bad idea with metal.

Thanks, this is very helpful! The new strap one-- is it a new version of the FT4 or something different entirely? Thanks!

sblueyez

To the one asking about the strap size:

Mine says it fits size medium through xxl. Half of it is stretchy. I find it is true to size as I currently wear a medium and it won't get much smaller than it is. I looked up the specs before I bought it and it did tell me how many inches it was on the polar website.

heybales

Thanks, this is very helpful! The new strap one-- is it a new version of the FT4 or something different entirely? Thanks!

Sorry I didn't think of the back of the watch, as other poster mentioned, I always take it off and strap to a bar on treadmill, or spin bike. Just easier. But it actually is plastic.

The straps used to be like this, hard plastic with no metal.
http://www.amazon.com/T31-Coded-Hrm-Chest-Strap/dp/B005ERW9YY/ref=pd_sim_sg_3/180-6957208-4868952

They are now this, and there are 2 cloth areas that have sensors under them that you can get wet and it stays wet better until you sweat more. I don't need it drenching as other poster.
http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Wearlink-Strap/dp/B000OL06A4/ref=pd_sim_sg_1/180-6957208-4868952

This last picture actually lets you zoom in on the hook and cloth cover I'm talking about. If you are not careful, you could push that cloth the wrong way, and no covering. That may be the reason for several comments about it pinching.

Legally_Natural

I love my Polar FT4!!!! It is the bomb.com! I also like the fact that I can tell if I am losing weight by the chest strap.

sblueyez

Thanks, this is very helpful! The new strap one-- is it a new version of the FT4 or something different entirely? Thanks!

Sorry I didn't think of the back of the watch, as other poster mentioned, I always take it off and strap to a bar on treadmill, or spin bike. Just easier. But it actually is plastic.

The straps used to be like this, hard plastic with no metal.
http://www.amazon.com/T31-Coded-Hrm-Chest-Strap/dp/B005ERW9YY/ref=pd_sim_sg_3/180-6957208-4868952

They are now this, and there are 2 cloth areas that have sensors under them that you can get wet and it stays wet better until you sweat more. I don't need it drenching as other poster.
http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Wearlink-Strap/dp/B000OL06A4/ref=pd_sim_sg_1/180-6957208-4868952

This last picture actually lets you zoom in on the hook and cloth cover I'm talking about. If you are not careful, you could push that cloth the wrong way, and no covering. That may be the reason for several comments about it pinching.

Right, I forgot about that flap. Mine looks like this: http://s.wiggle.co.uk/images/polar-wearlink-strap-med.jpg?w=350

But, for this person I'm worried about the tiny metal buckle on the wrist part. It seems like it is kinda heavy duty metal to me. I looked at mine and it doesn't say stainless steel at all.

And the m to xxl strap extends all the way to 60".

ElisaMarie82

I was going to buy the FT4 model because the reviews are so great, but I ended up finding them on bodytronics.com for super cheap, so I decided to spend a few extra bucks and bump up to the Polar FT60! Best investment EVER!!! I have to admit at first I got a lttle discouraged using it though, because the machines at the gym would tell me I burned massive amounts of calories, then I looked down at my watch to see I burned waaaay less! On the plus side, it motivates me to push myself even harder than before!

jennifershoo

How accurate is it about calorie counting?
I have a Timex and I hate it! It always overestimates soooo much that it's unrealistic.
For example, my treadmill said I burned 325 cals in 45 min.
My Timex HRM, said I burned 677 cals! Yeah right! I wish!
I tried wearing it for an hour doing nothing (just sitting on the couch watching TV) and it said I burned 200 cals.
Like if I burn 4800 cals per day!

As anyone tried to wear their Polar FT4 for an hour watching TV just to see the results?

No HRM will be accurate outside a zone of about 90-150. The formula's break down badly outside that range.
As you confirmed. The Polar will do that too though.

The Polar, and some others, can be more accurate on the calorie count because they ask for more stats, making the calc's more accurate.

Gender, age, weight, MHR, VO2 max are needed to be as accurate as you will get. Which for women is still possible 13% off sadly.

If you don't enter known measured estimated MHR or VO2max, those are calculated for you based on age. For women, that means up at 33% off now.

Oh, those % off is for Polar HRM in a study, others may be similar or worse.

And the Polar watch function to measure VO2max is no where near accurate. And the MHR calc for women has a very wide bell curve for accuracy in general.

But it seems to be the best out there.

Thank you! Those are very interesting infos.

JannineOwen

i have the FT4 and absolutely love it, its easy to use and well...its just great, i wouldn't be without it, well worth the money.

paulwgun

Polar FT4 its the dogs dangles :bigsmile:

Butterfly3730

I love my FT4. Very good investment!

gfrisk

I've been using my FT4 for a couple weeks now and it works fine. But today I jumped through hoops trying to upload the data to the "Personaltrainer.com website offered with the Polar unit and discovered you Can Not upload the data to the online trainer web site to integrate the data which I believe was a feature I was looking at before I purchased this unit and it clearly describes in the user manual that this "can" be done.
Set up an account, search community forums for the F4 and F5 you'll save your self the trouble of downloading and installing their "websync" utility and another which neither will accommodate the F4 or F5 units.
Otherwise I'm enjoying using this unit and keeping track of my heart-rate and calories and (target zone after the workout)

lisakammwang

I absolutely love mine!

susannahcooks

HELP PLEASE! I have been looking into getting this one too. But my skin is extremely sensitive to nickel and even more so when I sweat. I cant seem to get the specifications for the metal pieces of this monitor online. While they are probably stainless steel, I have had watches that were stainless steel backs but the lower quality buckle part made it impossible to wear. Any input??

even the silver buckle on the watch appears to be plastic - its meant to be waterproof. And it's very lightweight - not heavy enough to be actual metal i dont' think. (I suppose it could be stainless steel, but its probably a coating or something)

I love mine - i use it swimming (although the first time or two i used it in the pool, i had to fiddle with the chest strap to make sure it was sending to the watch. i don't have that problem anymore), running, weight lifting, playing volleyball. I even (accidentally) washed and dried it in the dryer and it still works (although it took a day to remember itsel). Be sure you reset your weight as you lose, it does calculate based on the weight you tell it. Its more accurate than MFP and most cardio machines (in fact most machines will pick up your heart rate from the chest strap if you don't want to hold onto the bars), but its not the end-all be-all. if you don't eat back every exercise calorie, you're probably safe to use it as a pretty accurate guide. Oh - most of the time I don't wear the watch, but i keep it in my pocket, or around the strap of my swimsuit - it works up to a few feet away if you're not a watch-wearing person. I suspect that the distance is related to battery though..

rainwalkerSK

I love my Polar FT4!!!! It is the bomb.com! I also like the fact that I can tell if I am losing weight by the chest strap.

Yep, that was my most recent NSV-- my chest strap slipped down during my workout. Hooray, time to adjust the strap!!

Healthy_Melva

bump--note can go swimming in FT4

lucky48

I tried wearing it for an hour doing nothing (just sitting on the couch watching TV) and it said I burned 200 cals.
Like if I burn 4800 cals per day!

Your body surprisingly will burn calories in what you think is doing nothing - it's part of your Basal Metabolic Rate. Each person needs a certain number of calories in order to sustain living and carrying out normal processes.

And you won't burn that many while you're sleeping so 4800 is a high exaggeration of what you burn in the course of a day.

However, in response to the post, I have the prior version of the FT4 and love it!

abayallday

I just ordered one of these and I have a question: does the transmitter on the chest strap hinder you from doing certain exercises? Specifically, the "superman" exercise where you lie on your stomach and arch your back?

morkiemama

I just ordered one of these and I have a question: does the transmitter on the chest strap hinder you from doing certain exercises? Specifically, the "superman" exercise where you lie on your stomach and arch your back?

No, the transmitter is quite small and sits right below your breasts/chest muscles. I have never had it cause me pain or any issues doing any type of exercise.

This is just my personal experience though. Where it sits. My breasts prevent the transmitter from ever touching the ground while laying on my stomach sooooooo..... yeah.... no problems with it pushing in or anything for me, ha ha.

abayallday

Thanks! That is good to know. I'm pretty small-busted, so I'll just wait to see how it sits once I receive it.

lucky48

I just ordered one of these and I have a question: does the transmitter on the chest strap hinder you from doing certain exercises? Specifically, the "superman" exercise where you lie on your stomach and arch your back?

I don't think you'll have a problem - I'm pretty small as well and I don't have a problem with it. As long as you're not doing anything where you intentionally push the transmitter into your chest, I don't think you'll have an issue.

shannonkk

HELP PLEASE! I have been looking into getting this one too. But my skin is extremely sensitive to nickel and even more so when I sweat. I cant seem to get the specifications for the metal pieces of this monitor online. While they are probably stainless steel, I have had watches that were stainless steel backs but the lower quality buckle part made it impossible to wear. Any input??

Can you not just put some tape around the buck when you use it?

Victoriav99

I got mine a year ago and I LOOOOVE IT!

JS0811

Don't mean to be a jerk but you really cannot give advise if you just bought one a week ago, advise should be given by people who have used one for quite some time. I ordered one today and I would not even think of reviewing it, something to think about

jmcreynolds91

Thanks everyone! In the market for a polar hrm and thinking im gunnna go with the ft4 also!

april_mesk

I have the FT60. Have had for three years. Love it!

SarahBeth0625

Yesterday was my first workout with the FT4.

31 minutes on the elliptical. The Matrix machine said I burned 376 calories. The FT4 said 290. I will now be using the HRM numbers as I know they are based on my height, weight, and heartrate. I love this thing!

I am even wearing the watch part during the day because my son broke my other watch. LOL. Think it will stick out as "not a regular watch", or not? I got the gray/black one.

ETA: will be interesting to see what it says when I workout even harder (I have gotten up to 435 cals in a half hour on the elliptical, according to the machine).