Polar loop - reviews? To buy or not ?

Goal calculation is a mystery. The good news is that everything counts towards goal. The Loop really is an activity tracker not just a step tracker. 17K steps sound way to high. being overweight should not be a factor. Same for your short stature (cute).

I'd use the HRM with your loop. Don't bother for walking or running but for your weight-lifting, wear it. Sorry but your HRM won't work in the pool and swimming with the Loop runs down the battery incredibly fast.

You should start the Loop group yourself. It's a good way to accelerate your education about your tracker.

I'm not sure what HRM you have on order but it probably does not matter. Your Loop and your phone are only capable of receiving BLE (AKA Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Smart, and Bluetooth 4.0) transmissions and those only travel an inch or two under water.

The 5.2khz GymLink transmission that the Polar H7 puts out along with BLE is meant for Gym equipment and cannot be used by your phone or your Loop.

As for your Goal question, I went back and looked at the very few days over the last couple of months were I ended up very close to 100%. This is what I found:

DATE

---

% of Goal

---

Steps

---

Active

---

Kcal
4-8

---

104

---

8,026

---

3:12

---

2,274
4-17

---

100

---

11,316

---

4:28

---

2,375
4-29

---

102

---

10,134

---

7:04

---

2,407
5-7

---

102

---

16,075

---

4:40

---

2,602
5-19

---

100

---

3,211

---

2:21

---

2,296

The last two are pretty puzzling. On May 19, I did strap on the HRM and do easy intervals for 50 minutes. Looks like I did very little else that day. On all of these other 100% days I did no HRM "Training".

I'll do a more extensive analysis another day.

Thanks. I agree that number sounds high but I don't know how to change it.

I'll probably stay a group when I get home.

Also, I thought you could use the heart rate monitor in the pool. It says you can with something that transmits 5khz, what ever that is. Is there a way too find out if the loop or polar beat app could pick that up?

What you do in the pool is wear all the stuff, and every 5 laps stop, get chest out of water with loop and let it read the HR.
Then you'll see what the avgHR was when you look at the stats after upload.
Then find similar workout with that avgHR, and now you can figure out how much the swimming burned.

Well I guess I can confirm that wearing a HR monitor while working out changes your step goal. (Thank goodness)
I've had my loop since Wednesday night, so far mine looks like this:

5/29: 105% goal, 17433 steps, 6:24 active, and 2362 calories (no HR monitor)
5/30: 63% goal, 11355 steps, 5:35 active, and 2181 calories (no monitor)
5/31: 51% goal, 10783 steps, 4:33 active, and 2112 calories (no monitor)
6/1: 105% goal, 13546 steps, 5:46 active, and 2311 calories (30 minute work out to test monitor)
And today, I'm already at 101%, 7185 steps, 3:21 active, and 1369 calories (Weight training with monitor)

I'm really hoping I stay motivated, this thing is a great reminder to me because I like to look at the numbers.

PS: In case I missed anyone I started a group called Polar Loop Activity Tracker Users. Please feel free to join and share!

I am finding recently in the last couple weeks that my Loop will not stop recording activity after my exercise session has ended. I've tried everything. Taking the chest strap off and unhooking the HRM from the strap, taking my wrist unit off. And still it is reading a heart rate so even though my workout might be 90 minutes it's still calculating as I'm driving on my way home and sometimes even when I am in the house and have left the strap in the car and the wrist portion is in my purse.

Anyone else having this problem?

I am finding recently in the last couple weeks that my Loop will not stop recording activity after my exercise session has ended. I've tried everything. Taking the chest strap off and unhooking the HRM from the strap, taking my wrist unit off. And still it is reading a heart rate so even though my workout might be 90 minutes it's still calculating as I'm driving on my way home and sometimes even when I am in the house and have left the strap in the car and the wrist portion is in my purse.

Anyone else having this problem?

I had this problem a couple times. I would have to put the Loop in Airplane mode and wiped off the leads on the HRM. This happened a few times on v 1.15 but has not happened on the newest release.

I use the loop EVERYDAY paired with an H7 Bluetooth HRM. I use the Loop and Monitor for HIIT cardio like t25 and p90x. And then use the HRM and the Polar Beat app on my phone for when I do running every morning.

What is great is the Beat App and the Flow app now sync so I can see my cardio and my runs on my Flow app.

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have used all trackers including the new LG one. The LG one was pretty awesome, but no way to track HIIT! That is a major downfall for me so I returned it

I think the goal for the day is based on the activity level you reported when you first set up the Loop. Mine is set at "Mostly sitting" (based on work patterns), and I reach my daily goal pretty easily (usually at less than 10K steps).



PS - I'm new to posting. This was in response to part of the discussion from a few days ago:
"I've had my loop since Wednesday night, so far mine looks like this:

5/29: 105% goal, 17433 steps, 6:24 active, and 2362 calories (no HR monitor)
5/30: 63% goal, 11355 steps, 5:35 active, and 2181 calories (no monitor)
5/31: 51% goal, 10783 steps, 4:33 active, and 2112 calories (no monitor)
6/1: 105% goal, 13546 steps, 5:46 active, and 2311 calories (30 minute work out to test monitor)
And today, I'm already at 101%, 7185 steps, 3:21 active, and 1369 calories (Weight training with monitor)"

I have used the loop for about 5 weeks totally successfully and can not rate it higher the H7 HRM works flawlessly with it giving me the daily activity goal much quicker, it measures steps even when i'm cycling or swimming, which is why i got rid of the pointless pulse 02, withings make some great intuitive kit but the pulse is so limited in not being waterproof, I have a Galaxy Note3 and at first the App was not available but after an email it appeared in the store and now works great, I would suggest getting rid of the blinkered hand holding Iphone and get a decent Android phone as apple will never tell me how a phone should work or what it can do, the only thing I'd like to see is integration of Polar loop data into MFP then my regime would be easier

I could not get it to consistently connect to my HR monitor, it would drop on and off, and finally gave up and returned it. The Vivofit will be here Saturday.

Hi I got my polar 2th of june.. I wear it everyday and use the HR7 monitor while in the gym. I find it absolutely useful to track all day long activity.. This device was what I was waiting for. Before it, I was using nike fuel band and my polar FT4.
I totally recommend it!

Absolutely loving my Polar Loop, so easy to use and sync, would liked the option to change the goal instead of their standard 10,000 steps but this is just a small moan. It works fantastic along with my Polar H7 HRM and I have also worn two HRM's so that I could test the accuracy of the calorie counting during a cardio gym session. I had one HRM connected to Polar Beat app and the other to the Loop in conjunction with the Polar Flow software, have to say the calorie counts for the session were pretty close. I would like integration to MFP but its not the end of the world if it doesn't happen, I just take whatever calories the Loop calculates, subtract the basal calories I would have burnt doing nothing then add them to MFP as my exercise. The polar flow website is very good for looking through your diary of completed sessions and there is a great community forum connected to their customer support with lots of knowledgeable users and Polar employees.

Well i would'nt buy it, actually i threw it away.
I bought it the day before i left for 3 months abroad. sort of travelling holiday after a heart attack. and bypass operation.
I needed a device to monitor my heart rate (taking an additional beta blocker if heart rate goes over 70)

Beeing abroad i did bring my laptop but did not have any internet.
I just wanted to relax.

So the loop was impossible to use because for first use it wants to get synchronized and you can only synchronise it with an internet connection. The software that comes with it also needs the internet.
So it was impossible for me to get it to work. (I was out in the country, the next internet cafe is about 50 miles)

I am to old to drive that far just to get an internet connection. Actually i would not want to post my heartrate and other infos about me on the internet.

When at the end I did travel back, I bought myself a watch from another brand that monitors heart rate. (i cannot use one with a belt around my chest after my bypass operation thats why i wanted the loop in first place)

I was so upset about the loop that I simply threw it into the garbage.

Its my fault, not asking if I had to publish my info on the internet before using it. But when you are in a store and ask for something to view your hartrate without a belt around your chest, that is not the question you ask.

Now i am back, i have my watch that did cost me 3 times as much, it probably has many features i dont need. the only one i use is to check my heart rate 3 times a day (and take a tablet if it is over 70) . I had the GPS chip disabled as i do not want one.
I am very happy with it as i only have to press a little button to see my heart rate. and for the rest of the time i have a normal watch,

So to make a long story short. Before bying one of these c.heck if you want to be obliged to put your data on the internet. Because it wont work if you dont have internet. Not even the simplest features.

Luc

I bought a polar FT7. It looks like a normal watch but with the chest strap, you can set it to show either your heart rate, calories burners, or workout time.

This week I bought a polar loop and the H7 monitor. I love the tracking the loop does for all day activity. I wasn't really happy with the way it works with the chest strap. Because it starts counting the second the loop connects. I put my strap on under my clothes so it starts counting about 10 before and after the workout.

What I love is that the new H7 monitor can connect to both my loop and my FT7 at the same time. I wear one on each wrist while working out. I love how the loop keeps track of everything. But I use the more exact numbers from the FT7 to input into MFP.

Ironically, I went to the doctor today. I need my allergy meds and inhalers refilled. And received the standard lecture on my weight. I actually showed my doctor that I had put myself on a 1500 calorie diet and was tracking how active I am with the loop. I was told to keep up the good work and "that thing" will probably save my life.

Overall, I love my loop. I set my goal at "mostly standing" just to give myself a challenge.

Hi Chris@polar

I noticed that you are very active on several forums to respond to customer feedback.

I have been using polar watches for over 4 years now and absolutely love them (I had the FT60, FT80 RCX3 and now V800). I recently purchased the v800 in order to combine my fitbit, RCX3 and external GPS into one device.

Polar is doing extremely well to satisfy the needs of sports enthusiasts (which I assume is your primary market), but does not fully cater for the needs of those (like us on MFP) who are calorie counting in order to manage weight, as well as training.

Since I started using the V800, I really miss the calorie adjustment that the fitbit provided with its real-time calorie burn monitoring function and integration with MFP. This allowed me on a real-time basis to monitor what I eat in order to stay within my calorie goal for the day. It also ensured that I eat enough to help me recover after strenuous exercise (without gaining weight).

I am really missing this functionality now that I passed my fitbit on to my daughter and am using just the V800. Polarflow and the V800 does not give you an exact calorie burn breakdown between activity and BMR. Calorie burn from exercise one can obviously see. It would be really great if one could in addition determine how many additional calories you burn over and above BMR. First prize would obviously be MFP integration and calorie adjustment like the fitbit does!

Please let me know if there is a way in which I can determine how many additional calories I burn from everyday activity, over and above BMR and training. I am also not sure how many calories polarlfow is allocating for my BMR. This could also help to know.

I would say it is decent for what it is, but the Nike+ FuelBand is better in terms of motivation and getting you to move. Also the battery life is not very good (1 - 3 days of normal usage with Bluetooth syncing on). My suggestion would be: If you need a waterproof band / HRM this is a decent option, but I would not overlook the Garmin Vivofit.

I've had the Loop since Christmas and the Vivofit since March 1. I wore them both through June. The Loop is now retired to a junk drawer. The Vivofit was superior in practically every respect before MFP integration. Once they had that it was game over.