Heart Rate monitors!!!

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smalltowngirl504
smalltowngirl504 Posts: 183
in Fitness and Exercise
I am buying one finally.. YAY :)

Anyways I need input and suggestions, the internet is an overload of information and I want to know from personal experience you prefer.. but I am not trying to spend a small fortune.. Thank You!!!!

Replies

  • sportsqueen32
    sportsqueen32 Posts: 115
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    My husband and I have the Polar models. I have the F6 and he has the F5. We absolutely love them.
  • bucky17h
    bucky17h Posts: 120
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    I have New Balance N4 Pearl - I got it at Target for under $70 and am very happy with it and easy to use and has a chest strap. I tried Polar but returned it to the store twice, I kept getting 00s or --s, the second one I returned I decided to switch to New Balance.
  • salterry
    salterry Posts: 1
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    Polar FT7
  • QueenVee
    QueenVee Posts: 4
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    I have one that is a watch -- The MioSport. I like it.
  • lisaj950
    lisaj950 Posts: 5 Member
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    My husband and I purchased the simple Timex heart rate monitors. Inexpensive and easy to use! Got them from Amazon
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    Make sure whatever you get, that it is compatible with the equipment in your gym (or whatever equipment you're using). Not all watches will synch with all equipment. In our gym, the Polar watches synch (I have a Polar FT40 - LOVE it), but Timex won't, for ex.
  • kimamw
    kimamw Posts: 4 Member
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    I have a Polar F4 and I love it! I never exercise without it!
  • Jbonar
    Jbonar Posts: 29 Member
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    I have a Timex with the chest strap. Annoying at first, but easy to get used to. The straps are much more accurate because it takes a continuous reading.

    If you usually workout in a gym or class setting, you might look in to ones that will not pickup readings from nearby machines/HRMs.
  • VeggieTart
    VeggieTart Posts: 140
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    Polar F6. It's waterproof so I can swim with it, has a chest strap and a "watch" so I can monitor all my stats during exercise. I LOVE it!
  • fatty_77
    fatty_77 Posts: 3
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    I have the Suunato M1. Basic, functional, and even a bit stylish.
    I bought mine from MEC - http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524442633797&amp;FOLDER<>folder_id=2534374302888901
  • katapple
    katapple Posts: 1,108 Member
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    I have a Polar FT7 and love it! :)
  • smalltowngirl504
    smalltowngirl504 Posts: 183
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    Thanks everyone, They really should make them ALL in pink too, because Im such a girl that its a selling point....HAHA, I am looking at the Polar 6 in Pink coral on Amazon for 109.00 , seems reasonable right?
  • greengold
    greengold Posts: 34 Member
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    I have a Polar FT4, which I love. I find that most of the time, the machines do sound more optimistic about the calories I've burned, but sometimes it's a bit less (not as much though - usually only around 20-30 calories.). On the other hand, I found that I burn MORE doing some things I usually do, like barn chores! :smile:

    The FT4 is one of Polar's cheaper models - it lists for about $85; I found it on Amazon for $62 (and also had a gift card for $20, so it felt like a real bargain to me!) The only drawback I can see over the better models is that it only keeps 10 records, which can fill up really fast, say on a day when I might do 2 kinds of cardio, lift weights, then maybe take a dance class later, and then do barn chores (twice in a day) - and there is no direct way to transfer the results to a computer. (You do have to pay for the transfer equipment on the higher end models separately). You can input results on the Polar website, but I find their website really slow, so I just created my own Excel spreadsheet where I'm tracking things.

    I also find that watching my heart rate drop while putting out the same effort really shows my fitness improving; I also use it to track how fast my heart rate recovery is (need to watch the second hand on the clock after stopping exercise and seeing how quickly my HR drops in 2 minutes) - and also to notice my resting heart rate, which I found surprizingly much lower than I thought....
  • VeggieTart
    VeggieTart Posts: 140
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    Thanks everyone, They really should make them ALL in pink too, because Im such a girl that its a selling point....HAHA, I am looking at the Polar 6 in Pink coral on Amazon for 109.00 , seems reasonable right?

    That's the one I have. I ordered it from Heartratemonitors.com. I called on Friday, 12/31/10 got an answering machine, left a message and didn't think I'd hear from anybody until after the Holiday weekend. The owner (Alan) called me back later that evening and shipped the next day, Saturday. I had it by Monday or Tuesday. GREAT guy and GREAT customer service!
  • lyla29
    lyla29 Posts: 3,549 Member
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    Thanks everyone, They really should make them ALL in pink too, because Im such a girl that its a selling point....HAHA, I am looking at the Polar 6 in Pink coral on Amazon for 109.00 , seems reasonable right?

    That's the one I have. I ordered it from Heartratemonitors.com. I called on Friday, 12/31/10 got an answering machine, left a message and didn't think I'd hear from anybody until after the Holiday weekend. The owner (Alan) called me back later that evening and shipped the next day, Saturday. I had it by Monday or Tuesday. GREAT guy and GREAT customer service!

    I have that one also. I recently had to buy a smaller chest band after losing weight and ordered it from heartratemonitors.com. They have free shipping and it was shipped the same day so I got it a few days later. Good luck.

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