I bought a sportline s7 heart rate watch

now_or_never13

When buying an HRM you need two things:
One that has a chest strap, and one that lets you enter age, sex, height, weight, and VO2Max if it has that option.

If it does not have either one of those things, then go return ASAP! Without those two options you are not getting an accurate calorie burn.

I have the Polar FT7 and it is very accurate. It's also very easy to use/set up. I bought mine for 79.99 on drugstore.com but i know that amazon has some pretty good deals on them.

This! I used to have a Sportline watch HRM... had it all of two days. It was not worth the money because it couldn't get enough information to give an accurate count. I took it back after two days and manually took my HR and calculated calories burned until I saved some money.

I ended up getting a Polar FT7 when a fitness store in my area was closing down... save 70% which is why I ended up buying it... and i had just gotten a bit of money from my dad for my birthday... best purchase (besides my elliptical) so far in my fitness journey. I love it... it has the chest strap, and allows you to enter height, age, weight and sex for more accuracy.

wswilliams67

Keep in mind, no HRM will be all that accurate for weight lifting or low intensity exercise. They are designed to be used with an increased HR. No HRM will be accurate unless your HR Is higher.

Also, if it just asks for age and sex it won't be that accurate. Your weight and height play a large role in how many calories you burn...I would say a larger role than just your age and sex does.

I beg to differ on the low HR accuracy... I'm wearing it right now and have been checking it's readings against the tried and true finger on the neck @ 15 seconds x 4... I have to say its accurate to within 1-2 beats. I'm sitting at my desk and it's reading 62-65 consistently. I am however, wearing it on the bottom of my wrist not the top, so it is right against my blood vessels.

As for lifting use, it is very easy to get your HR up into the 120's if lifting intensely (I don't throw around 10lb dumbbells here). For example, I'd like to know where my HR goes when leg pressing 550+ pounds for 15 reps. ;-) My purpose is to get a general idea of where I'm at quickly rather than having to feel my neck all the time. To each his own though.

I don't need Ivan Drago super-human fitness level accuracy or a GPS or any nonsense like that. I just need a timer and a quick and dirty HRM. If I was into Zumba, Insanity or the 100 other HIIT programs OR I had Caloric Count OCD where I had to know every micro-calorie I burned, then yes I'd invest in a much more expensive chest/pod model to make sure I don't drop dead of a coronary. But I'm looking for a ballpark here.

Bottom line.. it's $28. For beginners it should be fine. If you are more advanced or want that bullseye accurate calorie count, invest in a more expensive model and keep the S7 as a backup or for a friend.

I DO suggest that you wear it on the bottom of your wrist when exercising though. It's a tad easier to get a reading.

MikeInAZ

Take that thing back. Spend a few extra dollars and get a polar try the polar FT4 it's about $65-$75 but well worth it and it has a chest strap and is very accurate. What a pain to have to sit there and keep touching the watch in order to get your heart rate. My first foray into heart rate monitors was with the exact same when you got I used it once and decided that it wasn't for me I took it right back. I thought that wearing a chest strap would be a pain or inconvenient or uncomfortable but it's none of the above I don't even notice it's there.

jmcreynolds91

Hi. i got the sport line hrm for Christmas and it says i burn a ton of cals. Like, too many! So i read the manual and put a water-based gel underneath the silver part and check it very often. It might not be right but i feel like its a good estimate. I paid about 36 at kmart. Would have liked a polar one but this one works for now!

presleys89

I have the Sportline S7 Any Touch from Walmart ( about $40). It has no chest strap and works fantastic! No need for a chest strap, this device take your heart rate anytime it detects an increase and calculates your calories burned based on heigh, weight and age. People think it calculates "too many calories burned" but REMEMBER, the average person burns 2,000 calories a day with normal (healthy) physical activity. That is where the recommended 2,000 calories a day (consumed) comes from. If you wear your device all day, don't be surprised if you burn over 1500 calories, or even over 2,000. You burn calories every time you move! So stay active all day! These devices are pretty accurate for a healthy lifestyle with normal physical activity!

Izzie69

I have a sportline S12...so far it has been pretty accurate. I did have to through the steps of finding my resting hear rate, stride and entering all my info (age,weight,etc...).I agree that having some indication of your heart rate is better than none. I got mine at a sporting goods store when it was 40% off so didn't pay much more than the prices quoted here.