Cheap but effective HRM

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melissa2807
melissa2807 Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I know that most people on here recommend the Polar HRMs and I may look into getting one of those in the future, however I'm not really into the whole 'zone' training thing and I don't know how I'd get on with wearing a chest strap for every single workout - I just want something to use every so often to check that the 'calories burned' figures I enter into here are reasonably accurate.

Has anyone ever bought a cheap (I'm talking £15 MAX, the sort of thing you find on ebay :P) HRM and found it to be pretty good?

Thanks,
Mel

Replies

  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    I bought mine from lloyds the chemist online, it works great, and only cost just over £15 with shipping.
    It's an Internet only deal, go check their website out and search "heart rate monitor".
  • em435
    em435 Posts: 210 Member
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    bump - interested in this too
  • r_keller
    r_keller Posts: 21
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    bump... i'd like to know as well. I bought a New Balance Duo Sport (not super cheap but it was on clearance) and ended up returning it because it wasn't working properly. Would love to replace it with something that works!
  • katetaylor999
    katetaylor999 Posts: 54 Member
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    I was going to say the Lloyds Pharmacy one - I've not got one but have heard and read good things about it - I think it's about £12.99, in fact hang on...yes...and here's the link

    http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/lloydspharmacy-watch-and-heart-rate-monitor-35281

    ETA: It DOES also have a chest strap...
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    If you want any sort of accurate estimation with calories burned, then you need a chest strap... hate to tell you.

    I'm not in UK, but Polar really is one of the best.. and Cheap ones tend to either be really off on calories burned or break pretty quick.. So bottom line is, pay a good chunk now and have it for a while or pay twice as much when the cheap one craps out.
  • melissa2807
    melissa2807 Posts: 35 Member
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    Oh I don't mind wearing the chest strap, I know that's the main way that they work - I just wouldn't use the monitor all the time.

    It'd be more like, I'll wear it for a couple of sessions of body combat to get an average number of calories burned, then I'd not bother with it for a while, then check again once I'd lost a bit more weight/ when the new release comes out, etc. That's why I don't really want to fork out for a more expensive one, because it wouldn't really get much use.

    I'll have a a bit of a look at the lloyds pharmacy one and keep my eyes open for Polar on clearance!

    Thanks for your opinions everyone :)
  • mostaverage
    mostaverage Posts: 202 Member
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    Lidl had one a couple of weeks back, good range of functions and easy to set up. I've been using it and just started having an issue with the chest piece losing sync with the watch, I've replaced the battery and it's been fine since but I wouldn't have expected to replace a battery within a month. Guess you get what you pay for but I wanted to see whether an HRM is something I would use, turns out I use it every run/game/workout - just wish it worked when I am swimming too!
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Yeah, the lloyds one has a chest strap, and if you set it up properly is just as accurate as a more expensive HRM.
  • obeserat
    obeserat Posts: 218 Member
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    I got a cheap one off ebay for £11.50 , seems to be accurate - I took an auction like the one below with 0 bids and 12 hours left , I bid £7.50 , won the auction then paid £7.50 postage -
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K920D-PULSE-SONIC-HEART-RATE-MONITOR-WATCH-CHEST-STRAP-/370602842840?pt=UK_Sporting_Goods_Activity_Monitoring_MJ&hash=item5649a69ad8
  • obeserat
    obeserat Posts: 218 Member
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    Lidl had one a couple of weeks back, good range of functions and easy to set up. I've been using it and just started having an issue with the chest piece losing sync with the watch, I've replaced the battery and it's been fine since but I wouldn't have expected to replace a battery within a month. Guess you get what you pay for but I wanted to see whether an HRM is something I would use, turns out I use it every run/game/workout - just wish it worked when I am swimming too!

    The one I got uses a cr2032 battery , I bought a pack of 6 of these from a £1 shop

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