Which Heart Rate Monitor Should I Get?

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  • Shelleybean29
    Shelleybean29 Posts: 95 Member
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    I have a Polar FT 7 and I absolutely love it!


    Me too! Love my FT 7
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    polar is "fine" for fitness only, the foot pod can be inaccurate at times.

    but if you want GPS capability, garmin is the one.

    I want to use it for both fitness workouts and running outside. Had a garmin 305, loved it, it died after a few years of daily use.

    Researching a new one, plan on getting the 310 xt.

    Love it, all the same great workouts can be programmed.

    Also uses FirstBeat algorithms for calories burned, though I wish they did allow manual input of VO2max stat, instead of calculating it for you based on the amount of your workouts.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Can't go wrong with Polar or Garmin
  • mjnyx
    mjnyx Posts: 35
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    I have a Polar ft40, and I love it! I can change the battery myself. Woohoo. Last time I checked the FT line lets you change your own batteries, but the other lines do not. Maybe that's where the confusion comes in.

    Thank you, that was my next question--if the FT40 was any good and if it was user battery changeable.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Be aware the FT7 only has 1 upper zone alarm - no lower.

    So if desire is to stay in a zone, not possible.

    Also, the FT4 and FT7 base one of the more important HRM stats for calculating calories burned, the VO2max stat, on your BMI.
    Assumption is worse your BMI, worse your fitness level. Which is bad assumption.

    Can lead to overestimated calorie burns when starting out, to very underestimated as you get more fit, but the weight doesn't happen to move much and your BMI doesn't change much either then.
  • mjnyx
    mjnyx Posts: 35
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    I have the scosche arm band one. I like it because it has Bluetooth and connects to my iPhone. I use an app which tells me which zone I'm in. The app also posts directly to MFP which is a bonus when I complete the workout. The HRM can be finicky sometimes but there is a newer one out now called rhythm and I suppose they worked out some kinks with that one.

    Looks really awesome but unfortunately, I live in this day and age and I do not have an iphone or an ipod touch or the equivalent.
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
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    LOVE my Garmin. You really can't go wrong with them.
  • mjnyx
    mjnyx Posts: 35
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    Be aware the FT7 only has 1 upper zone alarm - no lower.

    So if desire is to stay in a zone, not possible.

    Also, the FT4 and FT7 base one of the more important HRM stats for calculating calories burned, the VO2max stat, on your BMI.
    Assumption is worse your BMI, worse your fitness level. Which is bad assumption.

    Can lead to overestimated calorie burns when starting out, to very underestimated as you get more fit, but the weight doesn't happen to move much and your BMI doesn't change much either then.

    Do you know if the FT60 does this as well?
  • mjnyx
    mjnyx Posts: 35
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    Has anyone had both the Polar FT7 and the FT60? What are the main differences you have found? Which one did you like better? I'm thinking the FT60 sounds like it's got a better system but does anyone have personal experience with them both?
  • mjnyx
    mjnyx Posts: 35
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    I have the Polar FT60
    I LOVE it
    I can change the battery myself

    I know lots of people who have either the FT4, FT7 or the FT40 and love those as well

    Polar Rocks!

    Would you recommend the FT60 over the others?
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    I am looking for the answer to this same question.

    I've read reviews about the Polar options and they all seem to say the same thing ... AVOID ... because you can not change your own battery...you have to send it in and than pay like $50 for it. Seems odd. (I read the reviews on Amazon.com)

    Can't wait to see the responses you receive.

    1. Polar has been INDEPENDENTLY tested and verified to provide accurate calorie burn figures. See, e.g.,
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/490909-the-accuracy-of-calories-burned-in-polar-heart-rate-monitors/

    2. You are reading OLD and OUTDATED reviews. Polar changed their design YEARS AGO and now you can change your battery all you want. I change mine at Batteries Plus for about $7. No biggie.

    3. I own the RS100. Not sure what the equivalent model is, if it's not still available. It has all kinds of alarms and warnings on it... but I hate to hear them, so I turn them off. LOL

    4. They are LONG lasting and durable. My last one went through the windshield of the car that hit us. BOOM!!! As I laid on the pavement impersonating road kill, it continued to let me know how my heartrate was doing waiting for the EMTs. It continued to work for 2 years after that. It may even still work, but when I had to replace the belt (the old kind with the battery goes- you replace the whole strap style)... I decided to upgrade models.

    5. The kind I have can also be worn swimming. Nice feature.
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    Oh yeah... and mine tells you how long you spent in your zone, above your zone, below your zone... you can do laps (which I do to divide segments of my workout) and it tells you what your HR was avg and max for each "lap". LOVE mine.

    And, yes, it is still available....

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Polar-RS100-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Black/7983244
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    P.S. There are some new APPS out there that will connect with MFP, like Digifit and endomondo... and IF you get an HRM with bluetooth capability... it will log your workouts directly into MFP and store your data that way.

    I don't have that feature... but if I were buying one now... I'd see how much extra it cost to have it available to play with. Just sayin.
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,069 Member
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    Bumping for information so I can buy a HRM soon.
  • buckslayer85
    buckslayer85 Posts: 26 Member
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    i have the mio drive it is only like 50 works greeat
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    1. Polar has been INDEPENDENTLY tested and verified to provide accurate calorie burn figures. See, e.g.,
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/490909-the-accuracy-of-calories-burned-in-polar-heart-rate-monitors/

    Really? Did you read the article? 75% is accurate?

    As VO2max is one of the main stats that assists in getting an accurate picture.
    This study using the more expensive Polar's that even have a self-test for VO2max, forget the cheap ones even getting close.
    This is bad news for men.

    http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineOctober2011Esco.pdf

    And is 33% off for women tested accurate? Bad news for them too.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study

    Let's be honest with our tools as to what they can and cannot do.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn

    And in case you don't believe those studies, go test yourself with your own HRM.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

    Now, if you can get independently tested for VO2max and HRmax, and use the nicer Polar to enter your own stats in, and keep those updated as you lose weight or get more fit - then the Polar can indeed be decently accurate, probably within 5% as study shows.

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