Calling all Polar HRM users!

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Tiff4378
Tiff4378 Posts: 45 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm in the market for a calories burned/ heart rate monitor. I've done a little research and at this time I've narrowed it down to the Polar RS 100 and the Polar FT 4. Consumer reports lists the Polar RS 100 as number one for 2013 compared to many other name brand heart rate monitors. But it seems the MFP community really loves their Polar FT 4. I'd really like one that can monitor my heart rate for calories burned but also tells me time and distance of my runs. So tell me about your heart rate monitor. Pros/ cons? Suggestions needed and highly appreciated.

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  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
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    The FT4 is really easy to use, but it doesn't have a GPS feature for tracking runs. If you're looking for time and distance for your runs along with heart rate and calories burned, you'll want to check out a Garmin. Some of them are a bit pricy, but they track everything you want.
  • Tiff4378
    Tiff4378 Posts: 45 Member
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    So the FT4 would show me the calories I burned during a run but wouldn't actually show me the distance/ time of a run? Am I understanding that correctly?
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
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    So the FT4 would show me the calories I burned during a run but wouldn't actually show me the distance/ time of a run? Am I understanding that correctly?

    yep! I use my iphone and nike run keeper for that. My ft4 was simple and cheap(er). But if you want it al in one then go for something by Garmin.
  • caseye98
    caseye98 Posts: 34 Member
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    I have the FT60 and LOVE IT! I won't work out without it. There is an additional piece you can buy if you are tracking distance but if I want to track distance, I use Nike app on my iphone. :) I got the FT60 for about $125 on bodytronics.com. Now I think it's about $140 but that's better than $200. Ha! :)
  • dondimitri
    dondimitri Posts: 245 Member
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    I'm not an owner but have considered both. To my eye they have similar feature sets. www.polarusa.com allows you to do a product comparison that would be helpful for your decision.

    Neither has a GPS capability.

    At that price point (~$100) you can have GPS or you can have HRM but I am not aware of a watch that provides both. But then I haven't checked the market for some time now so maybe things have changed.

    Check out www.dcrainmaker.com. He has a website dedicated to GPS/HRM watches and reviews a lot of them.

    If you want GPS checkout Garmin and Timex. Don't limit yourself to Polar.

    I ended up buying a Timex without HRM capability for about the same price as the FT4/RS100.. My wife bought the Garmin 210 which has both GPS and HRM. It is around $200 as I recall. If I had it to do over I'd get both GPS and HRM.

    I'm waiting for the new Timex Run Trainer 2 to come out. It seems to have a nice feature set and both GPS/HRM. I'll probably get that if it checks out ok or maybe just go with the Garmin 210.

    Good luck.
  • swishandflick
    swishandflick Posts: 42
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    I have the Polar model.

    A word of warning, the first week I got it, it was registering "00" as my heart rate. Unless I'm dead, that's just not right. Turns out I'd been missing a key step. You have to make sure and thoroughly wash the chest strap before you use it the first time, and wash it after every time you work out.

    There's a thread somewhere on the forums explaining why. But what it comes down to is that I haven't had any problems with it since then.
  • Tiff4378
    Tiff4378 Posts: 45 Member
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    Thanks to everyone for the advice and suggestions. They were all really helpful! Still not entirely sure what I want to do just yet but you've definitely given me some guidance and education on these devices.
  • zhvah18
    zhvah18 Posts: 158 Member
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    So the FT4 would show me the calories I burned during a run but wouldn't actually show me the distance/ time of a run? Am I understanding that correctly?

    I own an FT4. It will show you the time of your workout, but not the distance of your run.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    I have the Polar FT4. It tells me my heart rate, if I'm in the zone or not, and at the end it will tell me the total time, but it can't tell you the total distance. Maybe just getting a decent pedomoter to tell you the distance would do the trick.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I've had three Polars (the battery used to run down and shops couldn't reinstall it.) I think it's a great tool for interval training and in general, to see how hard my heart is working on the day in question. I don't pay attention to the calorie burn estimate. It's too unreliable and might cause me to overeat.
  • charleneagilmore
    charleneagilmore Posts: 37 Member
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    Good timing- I just ordered the Polar 4 last night. My husband is a long time distance runner (talking 35+ years) and he contends that HR and time are actually more important than distance. Also, Garmins- while they have improved greatly- do not track distance quite like you'd expect. If you run anywhere w/ trees or lots of coverage, it'll miscalculate your distance. He's measured every single run he does w/ survey equipment and the Garmin is always off.

    If your focus is really on maintaining certain HR zone, then I'd suggest measuring a couple of routes, marking .25 or .5 splits, and then running them a couple of time to establish your baseline. Then you don't really have to worry about the distance part and you can focus on time and HR.

    Just one way to do it.. Others swear by their Garmins so it all comes down to personal preference.
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
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    So the FT4 would show me the calories I burned during a run but wouldn't actually show me the distance/ time of a run? Am I understanding that correctly?

    Correct. If you don't want to shell out money for a Garmin, you could use the FT4 to track your heart rate and calories and get an app like MapMyRun for your phone. It will track time/distance. Sometimes the GPS gets a bit goofy (like telling me I'm walking at 30 mph) because it's trying to catch up with waypoints. The readout at the end is correct, though.
  • filthyfit12
    filthyfit12 Posts: 80
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    Love my FT4!
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
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    I use a Polar Bluetooth HRM with the SportsTracker PRO app on my phone. The Bluetooth monitor allows your phone to pick to the heart rate, so no watch to wear. The SportsTracker PRO app will work with your phone's GPS to track your mileage, speed, map your route,etc. You won't need as much equipment. Check online. I don't think you'll find it in stores.

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