Pulse heart rate monitor watches

tmiracle11
tmiracle11 Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
Just curious if anyone else had a pulse heart rate monitor watch. I found one for about $12 and although I'd love to get the expensive chest strapped heart rate monitors, this is about all I need right now IF IT WORKS. I'm skeptical about buying it if it's not that accurate so just wanted some input. Thanks :)

Replies

  • giusa
    giusa Posts: 577 Member
    Good question, also interest in a watch, hope to hear some feed back.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I started with a HRM watch, but it was a New Balance. Got frustrated with it pretty quickly - having to touch the face of the watch to take a reading during the workout is a pain, and it doesn't always read right away, causing longer pauses in the workouts...and they are not as accurate - it's only going by the most recent reading, so the more often you touch the watch, the more accurate it should be, but the more you're pausing your workout.

    I ditched it after about a month and got a New Balance N4 with a chest strap - MUCH better! And I found that the watch-only model was giving me really high burns, so I was over-estimating my daily calorie burn while I had it.

    You can find the chest strap models for less - I had my eye on either a Polar or the New Balance, and found new models of both on eBay. Put the best deals on my watch list and scored the NB for $26 after about a week - brand new, and a huge savings over the retail price of $70.

    In my opinion, it's worth saving up and finding a good deal on a HRM with a chest strap.
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
    Be sure and read the reviews on Amazon. There must have been a bad batch of the New Balance N4 with a chest straps out there. A lot of people get them and have trouble with them. I was a little skeptical after seeing how many people had issues with theirs. I wonder if they don't get resold on ebay...a lot of them seem to be "open boxes". Glad you got a good one, Amy!
  • WandaMM1
    WandaMM1 Posts: 132 Member
    I have a Polar with the plastic chest strap. A HRM with a chest strap is 500% better than the the versions without a chest strap. There are two different types of Polar chest straps. I have 6-8 friends with Polar chest straps and we unanimously prefer the plastic body chest trap over the type with the removal attachment (with a replaceable batter).
  • weinbagel
    weinbagel Posts: 337 Member
    I don't have the pulse one, but I DO have a polar and I can say with confidence that it's totally worth the $$$!! I've had mine about 2 years and I LOVE it!! Good luck in your search.
  • sammniamii
    sammniamii Posts: 669 Member
    There is a new one I was reading about, Mio Alpha (http://www.alphaheartrate.com/) that is supposed to work via light pulses passing thru your wrist (IE: no chest strap).

    I'd love to get one, but I've spent way too much on the 3 Polar ones (and only have 1 working) and the FitBit.

    I'm gonna keep an eye on it and see if it leads anywhere, I'd really love to get that chest strap off - it bothers me (and rubs wrong against my rib which has started to "poke" out).
  • jefflturn
    jefflturn Posts: 41
    I have tried the models without a chest strap just because I thought it would be a pain putting it on everyday for my workout and they just do not work very well. When I did get a chest strap model it made all the difference in the world. I paid $45 for mine.
  • trvtrekker
    trvtrekker Posts: 18 Member
    I bought Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor on Amazon for $35 in Aug 2012 and have no regrets. Its a good beginner level HRM with chest strap. Pros: price point, audible alarm if HR falls out of range so i know if I'm doggin it. Cons: Does not give me the average HR for the duration of workout but with a range set I usually either go with the min or a rough average of the range and calculate the calories using a free iphone app. Bottom line, I know if I am putting enough efforts or not during cardio. I calibrated it with some other methods and its in the ballpark. Good enough for me and would recommend it for anyone who wants a economical but reliable HRM!
  • GlutesthatSalute
    GlutesthatSalute Posts: 460 Member
    I got my first heart rate monitor on sale maybe just a few dollars more than that and used it till it LITERALLY fell apart! My recent one was only 50 bucks and it works perfectly for me =)
  • crossfit_lover
    crossfit_lover Posts: 230 Member
    Just curious if anyone else had a pulse heart rate monitor watch. I found one for about $12 and although I'd love to get the expensive chest strapped heart rate monitors, this is about all I need right now IF IT WORKS. I'm skeptical about buying it if it's not that accurate so just wanted some input. Thanks :)
    If possible I would wait and save up for the Polar Series which average around $100 (Chest Strap) to get accurate and quality one.
  • charlestonairman
    charlestonairman Posts: 1
    My polar chest strap and watch was around 80 at ****s sporting. I trust it more that just the watch.

Categories