Polar FT60 HRM Review
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cmw72
Posts: 390 Member
I had previously posted that I was looking for an HRM that met the following critera:
As you can see from the title, I settled on the Polar FT60 (after weeks of research).
In the end, I satisfied all but two of my requirements. I'm forced to wear a strap, and since it's a Polar, I wound up spending an arm and a leg after all. Here's my (lengthy) observations after one day of use.
Since swimming was a priority with me, I made sure to order a T31C transmitter & strap as Polar states that the Wearlink model will not function in the water. This was one of the primary reasons I decided on Polar, as it's the only manufacturer I've found that even suggests their product may work while swimming. Though, they also state that it may not ...
I also ordered the Flowlink USB interface so I could upload my workouts to my PC.
Upon removing the unit from it's box, I was instantly impressed with the build quality. It feels rugged and I think it looks nice. I haven't worn a watch in years (since I started carrying a cell phone around), but this made me rethink that decision.
That being said, I can't see myself wearing this full time as a watch full time. As a chronograph, it's functions are severely limited. It will tell you the time, and the date, but that's about it. It has a stopwatch of sorts, but activating it begins a new training session, and there are no lap timers or countdown timers, or alarms. A twenty-dollar Timex watch blows this thing away on that front.
Upon activating the FT60 for the first time, I asked me for the current date, the current time, my preferred units of measurement, my sex, birth date, height, weight and age. Entering these values was straightforward and easy. Well, all except for my weight. The default is somewhere around 150lb, and I thought my arm was going to fall off before I managed to scroll all the way up to 299. It gets faster when you hold the button down ... but not that fast. Still though, It was a minor inconvenience.
Since I was at work, I went to the restroom for some privacy, and put on the Wearlink strap and transmitter. I have a 52" chest, and had ordered a larger strap, based on the reviews I had seen online. The larger strap was pretty comfortable, though I did sort of feel like I was wearing a push up bra for my man boobs. The transmitter was surprisingly small, and even though I was wearing a white cotton polo shirt, none of my coworkers could tell that I was wearing the Wearlink strap and transmitter underneath.
When I got home from work, I performed the Fitness Test, which entailed lying down for about eight minutes while the watch analyzed my heart rate and assigned me a value. It gave me a 34 and described that as "fair". Supposedly from this test, the FT60 can determine my V02max. However, it did give me the option to enter that value myself, should I wish.
Next I created a training program. The FT60 asked me what my goal was, weight loss, fitness, etc. I chose weight loss and it created a plan for me. It wants me to train for five hours a week, and during that time, burn 4000 calories. I'm also supposed to achieve the proper ratio of heart rate zones during that five hours. I think I'm supposed to have 80% in zone 2 and 20% in zone1 (and zero percent in zone 3).
After that, I went to the gym.
First, I hopped on the treadmill. I found that my default routine of walking at a 3.5mph pace, swinging two 4lb dumbells, and with a 2% elevation quickly put me in zone 3. I toned it down a bit. I found I could either have the dumbells, or the elevation, but not both. And even then I was at the upper limit of zone 2. It almost felt like I was cheating, by not actively trying to kill myself on the treadmill...
After about 45 minutes, I took a break and went over to the power cage, where I usually do 30 reps of incline bench press at 70lb (resting for a minute or so every 10 reps). I was curious what my heart rate would do during strength training. What I observed was that during each set of 10 reps, my heart rate would climb to about the middle of zone 2. Between sets, it dropped rapidly to below zone 1, at which time the Polar will display "Out of zone".
After my brief weight session, I ran back over to the treadmill and finished out the hour. I hit stop on the FT60 and was told that I had burned 828 calories. MFP usually only credits me for 517 for one hour of "Walking, 3.5 mph, brisk pace", so I came out ahead there.
Next I headed down to the pool. I tossed the Wearlink strap in my locker and put on the T31C. When I asked my wife if she thought the strap looked dorky when combined with swimming trunks, she tried to be kind... Personally, I thought it was kinda hardcore. I've never seen anybody wear a HRM in the pool so I felt special somehow, like I had a purpose. I'll admit though, but the time I got my earplugs in, my goggles on, and the transmitter strap firmly in place, I was starting to feel like James Bond ... all I needed was a harpoon gun!
After reading about all the potential for failure when using an HRM in the water, I was exceedingly pleased to see that it all worked perfectly from the outset. I had zero problems receiving a signal while underwater. I started my training session and proceeded to swim for the next hour. This is when I discovered that it is much harder to achieve Zone 2 while swimming. And in fact, if I just swam leisurely, I was getting the "Out of Zone" message. In the end, the FT60 credited me with 583 calories burned which is a couple hundred less than I would have gotten credit for on MFP.
After returning home, I placed the FT60 face down on the Flowlink USB device, which is connected to my laptop. I had to download and install software from the Polar website to make it work, but the installation process was painless on Windows 7, and I encountered no errors. It took only a few moments to sync that data in the FT60 with the polarpersonaltrainer.com site. I haven't explored the PPT site that deeply, but I was quickly able to review (and even edit) my workouts, and see my training targets for the week.
All in all, I'm very impressed so far. Even though I trained less strenuously on the treadmill, I found myself training even harder in the pool. I found that in either case, having access to that data, and trying to achieve set goals was highly motivational. For now, I'm going to let the FT60 direct my workouts for the next few weeks (at least) and see what kind of results I can achieve. Personally, I'm hoping it will be the key to taking my fitness to the next level. At this point, I'm completely satisfied with my purchase. I'll update this thread should my opinions change with prolonged use.
I hope this helps anybody who is on the fence (as I was) and is trying to decide if the investment is really worthwhile.
:drinker:
A few additional thoughts:
The FT60, and the Wearlink transmitters have user-replaceable batteries, which is somewhat of a new position for Polar. Many of their other units must be sent back to Polar to have the batteries replaced, at some expense to the consumer. The batteries in the T31C unit cannot be replaced at all (from what I understand) and when it dies, it must be completely replaced.
One of my primary reasons for choosing Polar, and the reason their units cost more than other brands, is the supposed accuracy of their calorie counting algorithms. By allowing the user to enter more personal data than other brands (and in particular, the Fitness Test that is available on their higher-end models), they are theoretically able to achieve that higher rate of accuracy.
- Is accurate
- Is strapless
- Displays calories
- Looks like a wristwatch
- Tells time
- Is waterproof
- Works underwater (while swimming)
- Can be worn all day
- Can sync / export to my PC
- Doesn't cost an arm and a leg
As you can see from the title, I settled on the Polar FT60 (after weeks of research).
In the end, I satisfied all but two of my requirements. I'm forced to wear a strap, and since it's a Polar, I wound up spending an arm and a leg after all. Here's my (lengthy) observations after one day of use.
Since swimming was a priority with me, I made sure to order a T31C transmitter & strap as Polar states that the Wearlink model will not function in the water. This was one of the primary reasons I decided on Polar, as it's the only manufacturer I've found that even suggests their product may work while swimming. Though, they also state that it may not ...
I also ordered the Flowlink USB interface so I could upload my workouts to my PC.
Upon removing the unit from it's box, I was instantly impressed with the build quality. It feels rugged and I think it looks nice. I haven't worn a watch in years (since I started carrying a cell phone around), but this made me rethink that decision.
That being said, I can't see myself wearing this full time as a watch full time. As a chronograph, it's functions are severely limited. It will tell you the time, and the date, but that's about it. It has a stopwatch of sorts, but activating it begins a new training session, and there are no lap timers or countdown timers, or alarms. A twenty-dollar Timex watch blows this thing away on that front.
Upon activating the FT60 for the first time, I asked me for the current date, the current time, my preferred units of measurement, my sex, birth date, height, weight and age. Entering these values was straightforward and easy. Well, all except for my weight. The default is somewhere around 150lb, and I thought my arm was going to fall off before I managed to scroll all the way up to 299. It gets faster when you hold the button down ... but not that fast. Still though, It was a minor inconvenience.
Since I was at work, I went to the restroom for some privacy, and put on the Wearlink strap and transmitter. I have a 52" chest, and had ordered a larger strap, based on the reviews I had seen online. The larger strap was pretty comfortable, though I did sort of feel like I was wearing a push up bra for my man boobs. The transmitter was surprisingly small, and even though I was wearing a white cotton polo shirt, none of my coworkers could tell that I was wearing the Wearlink strap and transmitter underneath.
When I got home from work, I performed the Fitness Test, which entailed lying down for about eight minutes while the watch analyzed my heart rate and assigned me a value. It gave me a 34 and described that as "fair". Supposedly from this test, the FT60 can determine my V02max. However, it did give me the option to enter that value myself, should I wish.
Next I created a training program. The FT60 asked me what my goal was, weight loss, fitness, etc. I chose weight loss and it created a plan for me. It wants me to train for five hours a week, and during that time, burn 4000 calories. I'm also supposed to achieve the proper ratio of heart rate zones during that five hours. I think I'm supposed to have 80% in zone 2 and 20% in zone1 (and zero percent in zone 3).
After that, I went to the gym.
First, I hopped on the treadmill. I found that my default routine of walking at a 3.5mph pace, swinging two 4lb dumbells, and with a 2% elevation quickly put me in zone 3. I toned it down a bit. I found I could either have the dumbells, or the elevation, but not both. And even then I was at the upper limit of zone 2. It almost felt like I was cheating, by not actively trying to kill myself on the treadmill...
After about 45 minutes, I took a break and went over to the power cage, where I usually do 30 reps of incline bench press at 70lb (resting for a minute or so every 10 reps). I was curious what my heart rate would do during strength training. What I observed was that during each set of 10 reps, my heart rate would climb to about the middle of zone 2. Between sets, it dropped rapidly to below zone 1, at which time the Polar will display "Out of zone".
After my brief weight session, I ran back over to the treadmill and finished out the hour. I hit stop on the FT60 and was told that I had burned 828 calories. MFP usually only credits me for 517 for one hour of "Walking, 3.5 mph, brisk pace", so I came out ahead there.
Next I headed down to the pool. I tossed the Wearlink strap in my locker and put on the T31C. When I asked my wife if she thought the strap looked dorky when combined with swimming trunks, she tried to be kind... Personally, I thought it was kinda hardcore. I've never seen anybody wear a HRM in the pool so I felt special somehow, like I had a purpose. I'll admit though, but the time I got my earplugs in, my goggles on, and the transmitter strap firmly in place, I was starting to feel like James Bond ... all I needed was a harpoon gun!
After reading about all the potential for failure when using an HRM in the water, I was exceedingly pleased to see that it all worked perfectly from the outset. I had zero problems receiving a signal while underwater. I started my training session and proceeded to swim for the next hour. This is when I discovered that it is much harder to achieve Zone 2 while swimming. And in fact, if I just swam leisurely, I was getting the "Out of Zone" message. In the end, the FT60 credited me with 583 calories burned which is a couple hundred less than I would have gotten credit for on MFP.
After returning home, I placed the FT60 face down on the Flowlink USB device, which is connected to my laptop. I had to download and install software from the Polar website to make it work, but the installation process was painless on Windows 7, and I encountered no errors. It took only a few moments to sync that data in the FT60 with the polarpersonaltrainer.com site. I haven't explored the PPT site that deeply, but I was quickly able to review (and even edit) my workouts, and see my training targets for the week.
All in all, I'm very impressed so far. Even though I trained less strenuously on the treadmill, I found myself training even harder in the pool. I found that in either case, having access to that data, and trying to achieve set goals was highly motivational. For now, I'm going to let the FT60 direct my workouts for the next few weeks (at least) and see what kind of results I can achieve. Personally, I'm hoping it will be the key to taking my fitness to the next level. At this point, I'm completely satisfied with my purchase. I'll update this thread should my opinions change with prolonged use.
I hope this helps anybody who is on the fence (as I was) and is trying to decide if the investment is really worthwhile.
:drinker:
A few additional thoughts:
The FT60, and the Wearlink transmitters have user-replaceable batteries, which is somewhat of a new position for Polar. Many of their other units must be sent back to Polar to have the batteries replaced, at some expense to the consumer. The batteries in the T31C unit cannot be replaced at all (from what I understand) and when it dies, it must be completely replaced.
One of my primary reasons for choosing Polar, and the reason their units cost more than other brands, is the supposed accuracy of their calorie counting algorithms. By allowing the user to enter more personal data than other brands (and in particular, the Fitness Test that is available on their higher-end models), they are theoretically able to achieve that higher rate of accuracy.
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Replies
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Thank you for posting this - I am stuck between an FR60 and the new FR110 (GPS) - I tried a dummy one of both on, the FR60 is much nicer to wear, the 110 has a big bulky GPS element in it which makes it feel like a brick!
Have fun training!!0 -
Apparently posts on MFP can only be edited within an hour after first posting, so here is some additional info that didn't make it in time:
Another reason I went with Polar is their compatibility with third party vendors. Polar is to HRM's what iPods are to MP3 players. They are the gold standard. There are companies that make compatible transmitters as well as wearable transmitter holders such as shirts and sports bras. I can imagine that for the ladies, wearing the chest strap for extended periods of time could be uncomfortable, and a custom sports bra could be an attractive option. There are also some other hardware / software combos out there that can talk to the Polar transmitters and process their data. I know of at least one iPhone app (ithlete) that can do this (though it is pricey). Also, supposedly the Polar transmitters are compatible with most of the cardio machines you will find in the gym (though the old StarTrack treadmill I tried it with could care less).
And finally, a caveat:
Polar only honors the warranty for products purchased from authorized dealers. I was lucky enough to find a deal on the FT60 at zappos.com (owned by Amazon). While Amazon does have a robust selection of Polar products, and they are in fact an authorized dealer, be aware that Amazon will advertise the lowest price available, which is commonly through one of their third-party sellers. If you buy from Amazon, make sure you are buying from them directly. Unfortunately, their prices are typically higher than the unauthorized dealers (though in-line with all of the other authorized ones). Since I planned on using this unit for swimming, it was important to me to ensure I got the full 2-year warranty. There are deals to be found out there, but you may have to be patient.0 -
Thank you for posting this - I am stuck between an FR60 and the new FR110 (GPS) - I tried a dummy one of both on, the FR60 is much nicer to wear, the 110 has a big bulky GPS element in it which makes it feel like a brick!
Have fun training!!
Thanks! Glad I could help!
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Thank-you for posting that. I found it very informative. I purchased the Polar FT60 a couple of weeks agao and so far, I am happy with my purchase. I don't swim, but I am training for a duathlon next month, so I thought a HRM would compliment my training well. The one problem I'm having is finding an online vendor who sells the Polar G1 GPS Speed and Distance sensor for when I do my training outdoors. I live in Canada, and Amazon.com doesn't ship this item to my address, and Amazon.ca doesn't have it on their site. Do you have any suggestions?0
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I took a look at the list of authorized dealers on the Canadian Polar site. Looks like there are a few retailers to choose from:
http://www.polarca.com/us-en/buy_online
TriNowFitness carries the G1 and I assume they ship to Canada, since they seem to be located there!
http://www.trinowfitness.com/en/Polar-G1-GPS-Sensor.html0 -
Thanks for the tips. I found a site that ships to my address, and ordered my Polar G1 GPS unit! It should be here in 5-7 days! I can't wait to try it out :happy:0
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I have mine for a week now. I love it so far.0
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I liked mine so much, I ordered a second unit for my wife.
She really likes it so far. She has tiny wrists and it's a bit large, but it's not too bad.
I hit a bit of a snag though using the Flowlink USB device to sync our data to the PPT website. It seems it is not possible to link a specific FT60 to specific PPT account. I learned this the hard way when I synced our devices tonight and the data from both of our FT60's were uploaded to her account. And, when you sync ... it uploads everything that is in the watch. I then had to go through her account and delete all the data that came from my FT60. As a workaround, you can disable the auto-login on the Flowlink software, which means that every time you sync, you need to enter your account credentials. It's a minor annoyance, but It sure caught me off-guard and took a bit of time to clean up.
Other than that, we're both loving it!0 -
I have not purchased the flowlink yet, because Polar's web site does not support Mac computers. Do you know if this will change any time in the {hopefully in the near} future?0
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Everything I've read on the Polar forums suggests that, for some time now, Polar has been saying they are looking into Mac compatibility but nothing has yet to come of it.
Their FAQ (http://bit.ly/aCq7qy) states:Polar WebSync software and FlowLink data transfer accessory are not supported for Mac. Currently we support only Windows PC environment.
Many Polar users have, however, been able to use Polar software on Intel-based Mac computers through using a Windows emulating software, such Apple Boot Camp.
So that might be an option for you.0 -
I got the Garmin FR60 in the end - I absolutely love it!!
It's great for cals, OK it has a heart rate strap but I think that's OK, and is waterproof to 50m although not tried it in the pool yet!
It's not got GPS because I dont really need it, just a foot pod, and for me it is a little bit of motivating heaven!!
Just thought I'd share that!!
:happy:0 -
Hey CMW72 - just wanted to say a quick thanks for your review. I just ordered my FT60 today after doing my research and reading your review, it helped me to make a more informed decision from a user perspective.
It was such a refreshing surprise to find such a detailed review.
Thanks again.0 -
Great review but just one thing. You mentioned strength training. Heart rate monitors don't give you accurate calorie burns for anything other than cardiovascular activity. Also one other thing is that any activity where arms are raised overhead will give exaggerated numbers. Just thought you should know that. I'm really glad things went well in the pool and I'm glad you're happy with your purchase.0
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Thanks for your review. I'm bidding on the FT60F on Ebay right now (at 122$ USD (a little less in Canadian $) and put my max bid at 160 (plus 13$ shipping)
What did you all pay for yours? It seems like the Ferarri of HRM's ... your post helped ... .I've been doing research for a month now on a good one (Currently using a Mio - that sucks)
I did see some nice bras that have a belt for HRM straps! can't wait!0 -
Thanks this was uber helpful and detailed!0
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Anyone use polar FT 60? Can it track distance and speed? Or I have to buy its additional accessories? :'0
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can someone honestly just help me work this thing
naijasdime@yahoo.com0 -
Thank you for the wonderful review. It helped me to decide and my watch should be with me by tomorrow!0
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