Advice/Suggestions about what HRM to buy...

chad_phillips1123
chad_phillips1123 Posts: 229 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Recently I hit a major goal of mine (100lbs lost!). My sort of prize/reward for doing it was to get a heart rate monitor. Unfortunately, after doing some research I have no idea what kind, style or brand would be best. Would love any input from anyone who knows a bit about them or really likes (or hates) a certain model/brand they've had.

Things to note:
My chest is about 53 inches
I'm an android user (though I don't want to carry my phone with me)
I sweat....a lot
Would like to spend less than $120

Thanks!

Replies

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    What activities do you do? What are you looking to track ... heart rate data? caloric estimates? both? Are there any specific fitness apps/sites you want to automatically upload the data to?
  • chad_phillips1123
    chad_phillips1123 Posts: 229 Member
    Mostly I hike, swim, and lift weights (depends on the time of the year); sometimes I walk (~4miles or 5K). I'd like to track primarily a caloric estimate, but also HR. Currently MFP, MapMyWalk, and ocasionally Endomondo are the only sites I use, so I don't think uploading data is a deal breaker.
  • TheWorstHorse
    TheWorstHorse Posts: 185
    I am using a Suunto Quest and it works pretty well. You can find it for about 160 bucks with the HR belt and the USB dongle for logging data to their site, Movescount. The watch accounts for weight and fitness level in determining calorie burn estimates, which seems to be more accurate than not doing so. The website shows you lots of data, the most interesting of which is tracking your heartrate vs. energy expenditure and time spent in each heart rate zone. I use it for all of my cardio training program which is heart-rate based.

    And, by the way, congrats on dropping one hundred pounds. That's freakin' awesome!
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Swim is hit or miss ... many HRMs have difficulty in the water (a tight chest strap and care taken when pushing off walls can mitigate the issue). Caloric estimates from HRMs for lifting are meaningless ... the devices simply are not programmed to do the math because there is no established relationship between heart rate and calories burned for that activity. That leaves hiking and walking. Pretty much any of the Polar or Garmin watches will work for what you want and connect to a watch display rather than to your phone with several options that meet your price range.

    If you do want to connect to an android ... phone type and software version matter ... newer phones can connect to BLE transmitters, older ones can't and require either the older version of bluetooth or an ANT+ adapter ... some phones have built in ANT+ capability.
  • chad_phillips1123
    chad_phillips1123 Posts: 229 Member
    From what I've seen I figured a HRM for swimming probably wasn't going to be worth it. I'm just looking to get more accurate results from hiking/walking to get a better idea of what I'm burning.

    Is there much difference (accuracy, reliability) between a stand alone watch HRM or a chest strap + watch HRM?
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    From what I've seen I figured a HRM for swimming probably wasn't going to be worth it. I'm just looking to get more accurate results from hiking/walking to get a better idea of what I'm burning.

    Is there much difference (accuracy, reliability) between a stand alone watch HRM or a chest strap + watch HRM?

    The only way a HRM can come close to accuracy is through constant monitoring. All chest strap models do that and only a few wrist only models do using an optical sensor (Mio, TomTom "Cardio" series, a new Adidas) ... most of the wrist only are pricey right now.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Polar FT4.
  • _Resolve_
    _Resolve_ Posts: 735 Member
    I use a Polar FT7, reliable, accurate and it fits well.
  • Nicola0000
    Nicola0000 Posts: 531 Member
    Polar FT4.

    1st of all, congrats on your weight loss!!!

    I also have a FT4. On the cheaper end of the HRM price scale, but it does what it says on the tin!! Ive had mine 3 years, and only replaced the batteries once. Polar are very reliable
  • CleanUpWhatIMessedUp
    CleanUpWhatIMessedUp Posts: 206 Member
    I would suggest a Polar FT4 or Polar FT7. They would both be under $120. They measure heart rate and show how many calories you have burned.
  • Laurenloveswaffles
    Laurenloveswaffles Posts: 535 Member
    http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/polar-ft7.html

    Best investment I have ever made. I bought mine from here and I love it!
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    If you are predominantly using it for walking would a FitBit be more suitable for you? I looked into a HRM for swimming but read that the transmission rays just don't work that well through water meaning the connection between chest strap and watch isn't constant enough to be meaningful for calories burned.
  • sc003ro
    sc003ro Posts: 227 Member
    I have the garmin Vivofit with chest strap....I like it...its the only one I have used so I do not have a good comparison

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