Heart monitors

kiki40

Hi all,
Just looking to purchase a heart monitor to better track my calories burned during exercise. Any advice about which one to buy?

thanks!
Christine

fiendiish

You will get quite a few responses for Polar models. Either the F6, F7, or F11 and probably more. I personally have the F6 and LOVE IT!

Whatever you purchase, be sure it has a chest strap..they will be the most accurate. Also avoid buying one from your local Walmart or Target...they are typically crap. LOL Don't let the cheap price con you. You DO get what you pay for in terms of HRMs.

FabulousFifty

bump...shopping too.

lilchino4af

I've got the Oregon Scientific SE300 and LOVE it! It was a Valentine's Day gift from my husband. :flowerforyou:

That reminds me... I need to buy a new battery for the chest strap; it died on me yesterday :laugh:

Beleau

Hi,

Purchased the Polar F6 last week...first time using it was yesterday...and so far I am enjoying it...especially the heart rate chest strap...purchased at Sears for approximately $85.00 plus tax

jsablack

I have a Suunto t1c which works fine - has a chest strap which I think is a pain and is not waterproof. Because I swim, the waterproof thing is an issue so I bought a Mio Motiva which doesn't use a chest strap and is waterproof. Love it! Interestingly enough, I've used them together to see if I get different results and the readings are the same. Thought that was pretty cool.

cattiemac

I have a Timex Ironman Race Runner and I absolutely love it!!! The chest strap is so comfortable that I usually forget that I am wearing it. I like it's ease of use because after entering your personal information it's just a matter of putting the strap on and waiting for it to read your heart rate and then hitting start. It saves 10 workouts on the watch and there is an add on which allows you to transfer your workouts to your computer if you want to track your progress for more than 10 workouts.

By far the best money I ever spent on a fitness tool!!

Azdak

You can see if there is any useful information here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

Bottom line: Be wary of buying an HRM solely for the "calorie counting" feature--even the good ones are not accurate enough to justify buying one for that reason alone. DO get an HRM as a tool for keeping you focused and motivated during workouts. And lastly, if you are going to invest in an HRM, don't go cheap. The Suunto "t..c" models and Polar models F6 and above have the minimum level of technology that is useful IMO. I would argue against a Polar F4 or anything lower, as well as any of the off brands. Even though many HRMs advertise having similar features, they are NOT all of the same quality. Suunto and Polar use sophisticated and proprietary technology that does make them more accurate.

kiki40

Thanks for the information~~ very helpful!

Christine