heart rate monitors--feeling really overwhelmed!

feetjustgo
feetjustgo Posts: 36 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
hi all!
do you have a HRM that you love?
i have finally decided to splurge and get one (hopefully below $100) because i really really want to see how many calories i'm burning in body pump. also, soon it'll be nice enough to run outside again and i'd like to do some run/walk training using my HR as a guide. and i'm tracking calories here, so it would be nice to be able to input cardio calories that are maybe more accurate guess work?
i am pretty sure i want continuous monitoring instead of the kind you have to touch (in part because the HR things on the treadmill NEVER work for me, so i'm very skeptical that you can touch something and -bam- HR), and i definitely want something that tracks duration and calories burned. easy to use is a major plus and i could care less about long term reports or whatnot.
i was leaning toward the polar ft4, but a few bad reviews made me really nervous ($70 is a lot if I end up not being able to use it!) and then i started reading about other choices and now i feel completely overwhelmed. are more features worth it? will i want to upgrade later and wish that i had spent this money on a different model? i've never used a HRM so i'm having a really hard time figuring out which features will be useful to me.
basically, i would love to hear personal testimonials and/or recommendations. spending money makes me SO nervous, so thanks for your help!

Replies

  • Richard269
    Richard269 Posts: 56
    Nothing at all wrong with the ft4 ! I have a ft7 . If I was you I would have a look at there web site .
  • reneecgc
    reneecgc Posts: 179 Member
    I like my polar, but I only use for exercise. All machines that have a HRM will pick it up so you can visibly see your HR without looking at you HRM watch. I use it for body pump.
  • Thisisnotadiet
    Thisisnotadiet Posts: 89 Member
    I have a Polar FT60, but bought an FT4 to give to my cousin fro present and I think FT4 works great and it is more than enough for most ppl. FT4 was about 60 bucks in amazon. I am not sure though whether you could use it the whole day (is this what you mean for "continuous monitoring"?). If so I wonder whether they are better alternatives, but I have not explored them.
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
    love my polar ft4, but it is not something you would wear all day. comfy and easy to use. was a gift, but they are about 60 on amazon, 75 to 80 at local sporting goods store. i researched it pretty thoroughly before asking for it, and based on what i wanted out of it, it seemed like the right choice for me. check the polar website. good info there.

    good luck.
  • CarolinaBeachGirl2
    CarolinaBeachGirl2 Posts: 31 Member
    Polar is an excellent option. My watch blinked out and they replaced it! Three years after purchase. So happy with it.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    FT4 works for me when I lift or jog and bike even in zero degree weather. I even use it sometimes when I play hockey or practice pitching for baseball. I'm not a swimmer, but its waterproof as long as you are not pushing buttons underwater. I'm sure there are others HRM that have more gadgets, but it suits me.
  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
    Another FT4 user here.

    Check out some of the HRM reviews/tutorials on youtube, that might help you make a decision.
  • Bookaholic88
    Bookaholic88 Posts: 106 Member
    bump
  • stewarthaus4
    stewarthaus4 Posts: 17
    just bought the polar ft4 and i love it!! in 5 minutes i had it programmed an was headed out the door to my workout
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    If it's constant monitoring you want a FitBit might be better for you?
  • Apples38
    Apples38 Posts: 54
    Polar FT4 all the way!! I asked the same question to the forums a week ago and am over joyed with the results, never wanted to exercise sooooo much!! X
  • feetjustgo
    feetjustgo Posts: 36 Member
    Thanks everyone for your input! I think I'm going to go with the FT4... and I'm pretty excited!

    And I'm going to use it for exercise, not all day. The "continuous monitoring" bit was confusing, but I was just trying to differentiate between the band and touch models.
  • xaMErica
    xaMErica Posts: 284 Member
    I love my Polar FT4 =D My Mommie and Dad got it for me as a support/ motivation to lose the weight.. they also didn't want me to have a mini heart attack or something doing Insanity! =) I do love it.. On occasion I get annoyed putting the strap on... but it doesn't bother me at all.
  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
    Wow this topic is so helpful. Guess I know what brand of HRM to get when I purchase one in a few weeks.
  • MikeInAZ
    MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
    I have a Polar FT7, but the FT4 is great too (they are almost identical). You can also get the H4 which is just the transmitter via BlueTooth to your smart phone. My preference is the watch (FT4/7), who wants to pull out their phone to see their HR when exercising?

    You said that you might not be able to use it, why would you think you wouldn't be able to? What did you read?

    The only problem I HAD was with the older strap. I had it about 18 months and it basically died. I got a new one on Amazon for about $18. The new style is a little better and has less problems.

    - Mike
  • skcardiog
    skcardiog Posts: 316 Member
    Has a Polar FT7 - No complaints so far. Does what I need it to do.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    FT7 here, got it off ebay, new in package.
  • Luv2h1k3
    Luv2h1k3 Posts: 66 Member
    I have an FT7 and I love it! I was like you and wanted continuous monitoring. I looked at the HRMs that are just the watch with the sensor on the side. Didn't like them at all! Thought the chest strap for the FT7 would bother me but I've gotten so used to it sometimes I forget I have it on. :)
  • marand94608
    marand94608 Posts: 67 Member
    Polar FT4 fan here! I got it for $45 at Sears about a month ago. It's easy to use and kind of fun to experiment with. I bike commute 40 mi/wk so I time my ride and calories every day (~400 calories round trip - and I eat those back!). I find interesting things like I burn more cals in the morning when it's colder. I also wear it around the house when I'm doing major cleaning, cooking or going out shopping if it involves a lot of walking, etc. I use those cals to justify drinking beer/wine while doing the cleaning/cooking. :happy:

    I'm still playing around with finding my baseline calorie burn - sitting on my butt at work or in front of TV - and comparing variances in time of day. What can I say - I'm a numbers geek!

    Have fun with it!
  • Keto_T
    Keto_T Posts: 673 Member
    Polar FT4 user here too. It was intuitive to set up and fairly intuitive to use. The chest strap is comfy and I usually don't even remember I have it on. The watch is a little on the large side and I have hit the buttons by bending my wrist and hitting buttons with the back of my hand - not often and really no biggie but it's happened. A couple of times the watch couldnt get signal from the chest strap even though the elliptical I was on could. I lost the data from those workouts. The calories shown on my FT4 are always about 100 fewer than shown on whatever machine I'm working on. I go with the lower reading. Overall I recommend it.
  • chellebublz
    chellebublz Posts: 568 Member
    I got a FT4 because I wanted to be able to check my HR sometimes, I use a Bodymedia Link that I love. The calorie burn is almost identical on both so I very rarely use my FT4. The chest strap bothers me alot

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