Best Heart Rate Monitor to buy

taintedbutterfly18
taintedbutterfly18 Posts: 189 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am looking into getting a heart rate monitor. Which brands have you tried and with what kind of results. Thanks!

Replies

  • eganita
    eganita Posts: 501 Member
    I have a Polar FT7 and like it.. it's easy to use, and the chest strap isn't too uncomfortable (and it generally stays in place). It stores a good amount of historical workout data as well, which can be useful. It was about $70-80 when I got it on Amazon.com.

    I'm not sure exactly what you mean about what kind of results, but I can try to answer any questions if you have any. I've never used a HRM other than the Polar FT7, though.
  • kajpen
    kajpen Posts: 120 Member
    I'm a fan of the Polar HRM's. I am currently using the Polar FT4 (just using it to track HR and estimate calories burned). I have used Sportline Duo and Timex Ironman. Both of those were okay too.
  • alasin1derland
    alasin1derland Posts: 575 Member
    I just got the ft7 because others were saying they can wear it swimming. I have used it for insantiy, biking, and swimmng. It is very comfortable, no seams on the chest strap that would cause chafing. I am happy with my purchase.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,241 Member
    I have a Polar FT4 and absolutely LOVE it. It gives me the information I need in an easy to use format. I haven't had any problems with it and have had it for almost 4 months. I did a bit of research before I bought it, this one seemed like a fairly simple one that may not have all the bells and whistles but is pretty accurate and easy to use out of the box.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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  • stephrivas84
    stephrivas84 Posts: 40 Member
    Me too!!
  • eatcleanNtraindirty
    eatcleanNtraindirty Posts: 444 Member
    I have a Polar F6 and I've had it for about 4 years now. It's been great! I just wish instead of the chest strap there was a wrist strap that constantly measures my HR. The ones that you touch with your fingers to get your HR are garbage and at best are just an estimate of total calories burnt.
    There's also a new Motorola one out that uses a chest strap but it doubles as a HR monitor, MP3 player that tracks which songs get your HR up, and a GPS. That's the one on my list of things to get .
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Another vote for Polar - I have the FT4 - super easy to use. Love it.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    I've had the Polar FT4 for about 8 months now, and it was my second heart rate monitor. It cost me about $65 on Amazon. I really like it; a couple of my Spinning instructors have the same one. My sister got a more expensive Polar, and mine does all the same stuff that hers does, except hers has a longer data/workout history. Once my workout is done and logged on MFP, I don't care whether it's on my HRM or not.

    At the Spinning studio I attend, they recommended either Polar or Garmin. From what I understand, Garmin is better for outdoor workouts (I think because they have more capability to estimate speed, etc.) and Polar for indoor.
  • arock1000
    arock1000 Posts: 61 Member
    bump
  • doug4018
    doug4018 Posts: 130
    I have the Polar RS100 and like it a lot, not only does it interface with the gym equipment at the gym I go to, but I think it tracks the calories you burn more accurately during cardio since it takes into account all your personal info, instead of it being solely based on weight.

    I would say that if you go look at Polar's site, there are several different models and they are are similarly priced, so if you buy one, research them there, before you buy in case you buy from a site like Amazon instead.
  • akjmart2002
    akjmart2002 Posts: 263 Member
    I've used the Polar FT7 and FT40. Both are great watches. The FT40 is nice because you can adjust your "OwnIndex", which is the Polar equivalent of your VO2Max. That makes the calorie burn estimates more accurate.
  • taintedbutterfly18
    taintedbutterfly18 Posts: 189 Member
    I decided to order the Polar FT4 today from Amazon. Looking forward to some more accurate readings on calories burned. I think MFP over estimates these.
  • Bhabs10
    Bhabs10 Posts: 20 Member
    Does the FT4 come with a chest strap?
  • nixirain
    nixirain Posts: 448 Member
    I have a Polar F6 and I've had it for about 4 years now. It's been great! I just wish instead of the chest strap there was a wrist strap that constantly measures my HR. The ones that you touch with your fingers to get your HR are garbage and at best are just an estimate of total calories burnt.
    There's also a new Motorola one out that uses a chest strap but it doubles as a HR monitor, MP3 player that tracks which songs get your HR up, and a GPS. That's the one on my list of things to get .

    The motorola one sounds awesome!!!

    I have a polar ft4. Its pretty and awesome. I got it from bodytronics.com for like 60 bucks.

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