HRMs (Owners please?)

shadus · July 2013

I'm looking at picking up a HRM, there are a slew and a lot of good recommendations I've seen for a wide variety of them (both in searching the forums and in general research).

So, Owners of HRMs, are there any that really stand out as being exceptional in your experiences or any you have had experiences with and would out right say "OH HELL NO! THIS THING SUCKS!"...?

Preferably I'd like one that integrates in some manner with MFP... but if there is one far superior I'll deal with just moving the info over on my own.

Thoughts?

abansal · July 2013

I have a Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black / Grey). I choose it because it was good compromise between price and features. This is the my first HRM, and I am quite happy with it. I bought it in January and have been using atleast 2 times a week since.
I play badminton twice a week, and monitor my workouts using this. Initially, the belt would slip as badminton requires a lot of jumps, starts and stops. Then I figured out how to wet the belt properly and it works 99% of the time which is great. This does not have a sync mechanism, so I log my cals manually into MFP. Some of the more advanced (and expensive HRMs) I have seen have online analysis tools to determine effectiveness of workouts. But playing badminton is not an individual sport and there is little control the workout in general. So, I dont use those features much. I am very happy usually to see avg heart rate and cals burned to keep me motivated.

MobOfBricks · July 2013

Hi there,
I dont know about "exceptional" but I have 2. The Polar FT7 and Zephyr HxM.
They both do what they are supposed to do. I prefer the Zephyr due to the fact that uses BT and works well with my Galaxy S2.

The reason I use HRMs is to only monitor my heart rate since I am not "sold" on the calories burnt feature.

Good luck!

PS there must be a thousand threads here about HRMs that are probably more helpful than my reply

scrapjen · July 2013

I recently invested in one (PolarFT4) after reading many rave reviews ... I have to say I DON'T like it at all! It keeps telling me my calorie burn is WAY under what I thought it was *Ü* ... so, that really isn't a reason to dislike it, especially if it is correct.

I did purchase the HRM to double check my calorie burns from MFP, my machines and my Fitbit. It does seem to come in consistently lower, although it does line up with the Fitbit much of the time (and tops it for some activities). It's been an interesting experiment for me, and it's also been interesting to pay attention to heart rate and "the zone" - which I really hadn't before. I don't know that it really changes my workouts though.

Mine was about $60, I have to input the data manually (I know some of the more expensive models do have wireless transfer, which would be nice, I'm used to that with my Fitbit). I do many small workouts throughout the day, so after my initial experimentation, I don't always go to the trouble of putting it on for those activities that I feel like I already have a pretty good read on. I do just go with my Fitbit for most calorie burn estimates. I do prefer the Fitbit, leaving it on all the time and having the info transfer automatically. I am glad I bought it though, and I'll still use the HRM here and there ...

pastryari · July 2013

hungryhobbit1 · July 2013

I've had a Polar FT7 since May. I really like it. I wear it daily for workouts, and I've worn it in the water several times (even saltwater) and it's never had a problem. (They just warn you not to push the buttons when it's wet.) I have to enter the data into MFP manually but it's not a huge chore.

It does require that you wear the transmitter on a strap across your chest, which would be visible for a man if you are going shirtless. (I've worn mine under a bathing suit and it doesn't show at all.)

deedzzz · July 2013

I have the Polar FT4, and i like it. It does what it says it does.
it doesn't have a wireless transmission though. As everyone else mentioned, it has a chest strap and a watch.
If you need an HRM just to monitor burned calories/workout, Polars are the best

KahuNZ · July 2013

I have a Garmin watch and HRM for outside runs. Also have Adidas miCoach which has a HRM and stride sensor. Adidas has just bought out a bluetooth HRM which may be worth checking out. I guess it depends on what you want to do with it.
In the gym I started wearing my HRM but it does not give me anything useful as I am only doing weights. For my running on the treadmill or outside it is very useful to monitor my heartbeat. For a simple one, I would look at Adidas.

dsjohndrow · July 2013

I have a Polar with a watch and a Wahoo Blue. Both BT to my iPhone, and the Polar works in the Precor equipment at the gym.

I mostly just run now, and use Endomondo on the iPhone and the Android. Endomondo will post to MFP.

LaurenAOK · July 2013

You aren't being very helpful.

Reported

Reported for linking the OP to the exact information they were looking for? Okay then :huh:

OP, Polar is generally considered a great brand, though I have a Sportline from Walmart and I love it.

masson24 · July 2013

I have a Garmin HRM and I love it! I do lots of biking and outdoor running and I like that it tracks my distance and MPH. You can also sink to the Garmin website and it will show progress, elevation etc. I've never had a problem with it locating the chest strap and it's a breeze to use.

shadus · July 2013

(both in searching the forums and in general research)

Just in case you weren't aware of this feature, when you go to the message boards section, there is a button called search and you can type in a keyword (ex: HRM or heart rate monitor) and you can see the threads that have already been created on the topic. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Ahh, good old cut and paste replies.

Edit: It's pretty bad when you don't bother to read the post you're replying to. Pretty useless results too since over half of those are related to accuracy, calorie burn, what exercises it works with, etc... this person pretty much posts this to anything with HRM in the title without bothering to read the posts at all.

dsjohndrow · July 2013

You aren't being very helpful.

Reported

Reported for linking the OP to the exact information they were looking for? Okay then :huh:

OP, Polar is generally considered a great brand, though I have a Sportline from Walmart and I love it.

My Sportline made me crazy. But the chest strap worked with the Precor equipment at the Y.

pastryari · July 2013

You aren't being very helpful.

Reported

Reported for linking the OP to the exact information they were looking for? Okay then :huh:

OP, Polar is generally considered a great brand, though I have a Sportline from Walmart and I love it.

I'm friends with her. :flowerforyou:

chell53 · July 2013

I have the Polar FT4 and it is pretty accurate to me! I don't mine that I need to manually enter the data, didn't cost much and I only use it for certain exercise most of the time I use my FitBit.

Good luck to you and your search!

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk · July 2013

I went with the Polar F60. I really wanted to go a little higher, bu tdidn't want to spend that much money. I chose th e60 because of the 30 m water resistance rating. I swim on occasion, and wanted to measure my HR and cal burns while I did.

The Polar F80 supposedly has features that work for lifting. That's also what I wanted, but as i said, too much costwise.

littlelaura · July 2013

Love my polar ft4 its easy and simple to use, most men I know like more techie gadget features so get the polar ft7, up to you.
I have had mine 2 years with no issue, both models I believe are good also for swimming.

LaurenAOK · July 2013

You aren't being very helpful.

Reported

Reported for linking the OP to the exact information they were looking for? Okay then :huh:

OP, Polar is generally considered a great brand, though I have a Sportline from Walmart and I love it.

I'm friends with her. :flowerforyou:

:drinker:

HRMs (Owners please?)

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