HRM - Polar FT4 vs FT7

yecatsml
yecatsml Posts: 180 Member
edited October 19 in Fitness and Exercise
Looking to buy at HRM and wondering what people thought of the two that seem to be the most popular. I would like something to track my HR during workouts and possibly download to the computer (or a website which I think Polar does). It's not essential, but a "nice to have" thing that I may pay a small amount more for.

Does anyone seem to have an issue with the FT4 only storing 10 workouts? I tend to do more than one workout in a day (a walk in the AM then maybe cross fit in the evening).

I use my phone to track distance (MapMyRun) so I don't need GPS. Just looking for something to give me accurate (or more accurate anyway!) calories burned.

Any thoughts? It seems like there are quite a few places on line with good deals on both.

Also wondering the mens vs womens - is it just the size of the watch part that is different?

Replies

  • doogie52
    doogie52 Posts: 53
    I just bought a Garmin FR70 with HRM and should get it today. Amazon had it for $110. Will post how I like it once I get used to using it.
  • confettibetti
    confettibetti Posts: 405 Member
    bump, I'm trying to figure out which to buy also, and had similar questions..
  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    Check them out to see if the FT4 has a user replaceable battery. It may not. I got the FT7 because it did, among lots of other good things. Having to send it in to have the battery replaced as opposed to doing it myself made the decision a no-brainer.

    FT7 is easy to set up, easy to use.
  • UnderConstructionLuis
    UnderConstructionLuis Posts: 331
    I personally have the FT4 and really love it. Like you said, i believe the benefit of having the FT7 is that you can download your workout data to your pc. The FT4 has an internal memory that keeps the last 10 workout sessions saved into it's memory so it can be reviewed later. But again, it entirely your personal preference. The chest strap is suprisingly comfortable. I barely know it's on while working out. The best part, no need to put your index finger to a sensor to get current heart rate. The FT4 & FT7 automatically give you current heart rate, calorie burn, etc. I purchased my FT4 from bodytronics.com for less than $65 (including free shipping). Best money i've spent in a long time. Good luck with your search.
  • mdorsey2010
    mdorsey2010 Posts: 55
    I bough the FT4 about a month ago (pink one) -- first time ever using a HRM and I absolutely love it! Nothing better than testing/challenging yourself to push harder so you can see that high number of calories you've burned. I chose the FT4 because I wanted something simple (and cheaper) but very accurate. It's the best purchase I've made in awhile. I got mine from a local sporting goods store for $89.99 but you the cheapest I've found them is here:

    http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/polar-ft4.html?gclid=CMiLiIKqt7ECFQhahwodpTQA1w

    I think they are around $60 with free shipping

    Not sure about the difference between the Men's & Women's but I;m sure someone on here will know. :)
  • znm100
    znm100 Posts: 148
    I have an FT7 and my wife has an FT4, and I haven't looked closely, but outside of the color I can't really tell the difference. The chest-straps are the same, and they both measure calorie burn as well as heart rate, which is what we were looking for. I believe you can upload both to their website for tracking, but you need another Polar component to do that automatically, which is like $50... or you can load the info in manually... or you can just load the info in to MFP like we do...
  • tacree67
    tacree67 Posts: 5 Member
    Here was a recent discussion on the topic of HRM, which includes discussions of the ones you're interested in, in case you didn't find it.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/628115-hrm-recommendation

    I have an FT7 and I use it mainly for the same thing you are using it for...track calories on my workouts. I like it a lot as it is comfortable and seems pretty accurate. I don't use the Polar services as I generally just enter my workouts to MFP.

    Don't know anything about men vs women sizes.

    Good Luck, Tom
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    the difference is the size of the strap that goes around your chest to monitor heart rate. i have the FT4 and LOVE it. it has really helped me improve my work outs because i can track exactly how much i burn, where my HR is in reference to the zone and how long i worked out. you can even pause between machines.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Both are great monitors.

    If you want to be able to download to the computer then you need the FT7.. The FT4 does not have that capability. In order to download to the Polar website though, you have to buy the Flowlink which is an extra 50 dollars on top of the HRM.

    Also the only difference between the mens and woman's version is the watch size.

    I started out with an FT7 before upgrading to the FT60.
  • LatinaGordita
    LatinaGordita Posts: 377 Member
    I have the FT7 and it stores a lot of my workouts (like months). I workout 4 to 5 times a week. It gives you weekly, monthly and overall totals. I do not download it to the computer. Men vs Women is the size difference. I had an option of putting male in my FT7 womens version.

    I think the one difference in both is that the FT7 tells you how much time you spent in the fat burn zone. However this is not critical for me.

    I also use my FT7 to run, and my phone to track my miles and pace.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
    I have FT7 love it..You can track online, but to upload you need to buy a seperate peice. manully you can enter online to polar site.
    It is easy to use, it tracks weekly summeries, breaks down burn-fat-fit etc. Love it! the link below will anser most of your questions.
    Also polar website has a good FAQ. FT7 has more options. Hope this helps;-)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/284867-hrm-polar-ft4-or-ft7-advice-wanted?page=2
  • SeanNJ
    SeanNJ Posts: 153 Member
    I have a Polar FT60. I believe my model tracks a greater number of workouts and has additional options the other models don't have, but in the 4-6 months I've had it, I've found I don't use those features much at all. In retrospect, I likely could've purchased a different model without the bells and whistles and been just as happy.

    If downloading data to your PC is a priority, I would skip Polar because you would need another accessory to do it; and given the ease with which I can just key the values into some other program, I can't justify the expense. I also tried the Polar website (polarpersonaltrainer.com) and I was pretty unimpressed.

    From my experience, I can say the 10 workout limit wouldn't affect me at all. If your comfortable with the other differences, I'd say go with the cheaper model. Just my .02.

    Can't speak to the difference between the men's and women's watch, although I'd guess it's merely style rather than actual functional difference.
  • CHN_
    CHN_ Posts: 94 Member
    If you're willing to spend a bit more, I highly recommend going for the Polar FT40 or FT70. I have the first, my friend the second. Mine stores workouts for a year I think. There are slight differences between the two that you can read at the Polar site. I've had mind for two years, only had to change the battery once so far. And changing is easily done by yourself. If you have the transfer thingy you can easily get the data on your computer, I've just never bothered with it myself.

    May be a bit more expensive, but worth the upgrade ;)
  • vtachycardia
    vtachycardia Posts: 374
    Buy a polar Ft1, log your own workouts and with the money saved get a gymboss and a set of good cables.
  • avasano
    avasano Posts: 487 Member
    bump
  • yecatsml
    yecatsml Posts: 180 Member
    Thanks for all the info. I will check out the linked threads along with if the battery in the FT4 can be changed (that would be a huge negative for me)

    I'm leaning towards the FT4 unless I can't change the battery, then I will spend the extra $12 for the FT7.
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
    Just got my FT4 yesterday and it does have a user replaceable battery. Have only used it once - but it is very easy to use and comfortable (I had it out of the box and was off on my workout in about 5 minutes).

    I log my workouts into MFP right after I do them (and mapmyrun) - so I have a log long-term.
  • ahhansam
    ahhansam Posts: 1 Member
    While shopping, I found this article about the FT series of Polar.

    http://fitnesselectronicsblog.com/polar-ft1-ft2-ft4-ft7-heart-rate-monitors-review/

    There's another review about the more high tech-ie ones. I haven't bought one yet, but will probably get the FT7.

    :)


    Hope this helps!
  • deerisaw
    deerisaw Posts: 1
    YES, the battery can be replaced by the user in both HRMs.
  • MiriamMckinney
    MiriamMckinney Posts: 1 Member
    You can go for FT7 as there is not much price difference between Polar FT4 and FT7. The FT7 watch has a larger internal memory and can store up to 99 workout sessions.

    Both watch models are unisex...its just the color difference. Since you already have a GPS tracker FT7 is a good choice as it is cheaper than other fitness trackers and the calorie readings are quite accurate.

    Check out the comparison between FT4 and FT7 at http://allfitnessweb.com/polar-ft7-polar-ft4-comparison-review/
  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    I use the Whaoo Fitness Tickr Run. It's Blue Tooth, and ANT+ so it will work with nearly everything out there. It has an indoor training mode [treadmill], it will pick up cadence, smoothness and some other goodies, when you use the Wahoo Fitness app. I've had it for about 2 years and it has never let me down. Awesome little HRM.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Ive got an ft4

    I'd be careful expecting it to give you an accurate calorie measurement for the activities you've mentioned....neither walking (unless power walking) nor cross fit are steady state activities

    See how you go

    Adjust by bio feedback
  • MalkinMagic71
    MalkinMagic71 Posts: 1,433 Member
    I have an FT7. Have been using it since last october. Love it. Have had no issues and its been accurate for me.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    FT4 is ugly, FT7 is a nicer watch.
    FT7 has barely any more features.
    My FT7 was unreliable (losing HR) and died an early death.

    FT7 over-estimated calories quite significantly for me.

    Much prefer my FT60, reliable, reasonable VO2 max estimate, configurable for max HR.
    Seems to give very accurate calorie estimates (for suitable exercise which people don't always seem to understand...) when compared to power meters.
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