HRM - please help me find one!

babykell19

there are sooo many out there and i am overwhelmed! and i didnt realize how pricey they are! does any one have a favorite and why?

Sundance722

I own a woman's polar fitness (sorry, can't think of the model # right now. When I get home later, I'll update this post.) It's my favorite because it's the only one I've owned and it's never given me any problems -- that is, when I've used it. Haha

fittocycle

I second the recommendation for a Polar HRM. I've had two over the years and find them very dependable. Plus, the customer service is awesome!

gsager

Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.

maritza327

Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.

I bought this one off of Amazon for $60 and its great!!!

jen7eleven

I have the Polar FT4, which is what was recommended to me by a lot of users here. It's really easy to use and i love seeing the "calories burned".

My only gripe is that, because I still have chubby forearms, the watch head makes it difficult to do planks, push-ups, etc. because it digs into my hand.

It might be cheaper online if you can find a good deal on shipping. I bought mine in store at REI for about $90, which was worth it for me because I don't like buying things online.

Evarell

*bump*

secretlobster

I have a Polar FT60
I HIGHLY recommend the Polar brand. You definitely want one with a chest strap.

deadstarsunburn

Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.

I have this one too and I agree about the chest strap.
I got my polar ft4 on amazon for $63 a year ago, haven't checked the price since.

=]

deadstarsunburn

My only gripe is that, because I still have chubby forearms, the watch head makes it difficult to do planks, push-ups, etc. because it digs into my hand.

I never wear mine on my wrist it's too annoying lol. I fasten it to my sports bra or set i down next to me.

lexagon

I have a Polar FT7 and love it. It's not a whole lot different than the FT4 if price is an issue. Probably one of my best investments that I've made.


I found that if you put the watch farther up your forearm it doesn't cut into your wrist when you have to do exercises that require your wrists to bend (planks, push-ups etc). Or I just throw it in my pocket. That can be a little inaccurate sometimes, but it still works.

Dare2BThin

Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.

^^^^^THIS!!!

donyellemoniquex3

BUMP

ready2tryagain42

I like mine..in fact I have two. It is the Timex Personal Trainer HRM. The only reason I bought two is because I use one for water aerobics. It was $42.50 on Amazon and easy to program. And it comes with a chest strap.

kristy6ward

I have a Polar FT60. Loving it. Its got a built in fitness test and training program. If I achieve my workout goals for the week my watch presents with me a trophy! (no idea it did that, but a cool surprise) While working out, I can view my heart rate, calories burned, the fitness zone I'm working in, % of max heart rate, length of workout. It keeps track of maybe 100 workouts at a time. When I'm ready to advance, I can get a foot pod for it that will track my speed and distance traveled, or even an adapter for cycling. You can also purcahse a flowlink that will auto input all your workout data to the polar personal trainer site.

_the_feniks_

Polar FT7 ftw. The ONLY complaint I have is that there is no lap timer or true stopwatch feature. Aside from those small complaints, I love it.

babykell19

i found a a polar with a chest strap on amazon for $70. thanks everyone!

secretlobster

I have a Polar FT60. Loving it. Its got a built in fitness test and training program. If I achieve my workout goals for the week my watch presents with me a trophy! (no idea it did that, but a cool surprise)

Noooo you spoiled the surprise!!
I love that it tracks your weekly goals and you can review past data. I'm considering purchasing the flowlink... do you have one? I've heard the GPS sensor kinda stinks I wish I could use it with an existing gps (like my phone that I always keep with me)

Hearts_2015

there are sooo many out there and i am overwhelmed! and i didnt realize how pricey they are! does any one have a favorite and why?

http://www.bodytronics.com/c/polar_ft_series_heart_rate_monitors

This seems to be a good place to purchase them, free shipping and the lowest place I've found yet.

If there's really not much difference in the FT4 & FT7 I may go with the less costly. I know the FT4 holds 9 workouts (this is what I was told by Polar on the phone, unless someone has been told differently?) and the FT7 holds 99 and you can purchase extra equipment for $50 or so gear to download your workouts if you so desire for the FT7 only.

Here's the current price for each on the above site:

FT4 = SALE PRICE: $61.88
FT7 = SALE PRICE: $76.11

Often I see codes for discounts for Bodytronics, one may pop up on this page since we're discussing the company now.

I'll go with one of these and for some reason I still can't make a decision which one. Probably because they are so close in comparison it doesn't matter much and might be why I'm stuck trying to decide.:laugh:

Hope the info above helps someone:happy:

piper4596

bump

jen7eleven

My only gripe is that, because I still have chubby forearms, the watch head makes it difficult to do planks, push-ups, etc. because it digs into my hand.

I never wear mine on my wrist it's too annoying lol. I fasten it to my sports bra or set i down next to me.

I put it next to my mat once during a yoga class but it lost my heart rate halfway through. I might try the sports bra route though!

melb747

Chest strap? I dont get it... how does a HRM work? I thought it was just like a watch or something!

morninglilli

Chest strap? I dont get it... how does a HRM work? I thought it was just like a watch or something!

The chest strap holds the heart rate monitor, then it sends a signal to the computer in the watch where you can track the data.

SRH7

Bump - need to get me one of these!

Anyone know if you can get one with a GPS (to track hiking routes in the UK)?

kristy6ward

I don't have the flowlink. I used to enter everything by hand and it got very tedious. I've just been logging things here on MFP. I'm strongly considering asking for one for my birthday though. As for the gps, I already have a pretty good pedometer that keeps track of my pace and distance. But I liked the ability to 'upgrade' without having to buy a new watch.

jendon7

i was just looking at these on amazon when i saw your post! thanks for posting. i had NO idea what i was looking at. i'm ordering an FT4 right now.

luvsAR12

I have the polar FT4, I love it. Its the most basic on but totally does the job!

dogacreek

I love my Polar FT7 and I do have the Flowlink. I bought it a couple of months after the HRM and it is worth it to me. I got tired of pushing all the buttons to write down all my statistics for tracking.

Sundance722

I own a woman's polar fitness (sorry, can't think of the model # right now. When I get home later, I'll update this post.) It's my favorite because it's the only one I've owned and it's never given me any problems -- that is, when I've used it. Haha

Since I couldn't edit my original post, I have a Polar F6.

kettle_belle83

I also recommend the Polar brand. I've had one for quite a while now and love it! Very easy to use as well. Mine is the FT6 model.