Searching for the right HRM, no chest strap

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susanpullan98
susanpullan98 Posts: 3
edited December 2014 in Fitness and Exercise
I am looking for a heart rate monitor for my husband. He can't wear a chest strap, and the watch has to be black. I want something that monitors heart rate and calories burned on a relatively accurate scale. Can anyone give me any advice? I have read probably 50 reviews on various products and keep coming up with mixed suggestions.

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  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    I had a Jawbone activity tracker, which comes in a variety of colors. A hrm with a chest strap is more accurate.
  • susanpullan98
    susanpullan98 Posts: 3
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    Does the jawbone calculate heart rate and calories burned? He is in the Army and because of regulations he can't wear a chest strap, so I want to find the most accurate product so he can use it all the time.
  • silver_inca
    silver_inca Posts: 17 Member
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    I am waiting for the Fitbit Surge watch, check it out. It will track your heart rate/calc calories in real time. It is out in Jan 2015 i think - it's what i've been waiting for :)
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    HRMs "accuracy" varies depending on the activity. Take away the chest strap and that variance will only increase, making accuracy even more in question.

    There is no good answer here.
  • carencae
    carencae Posts: 25 Member
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    I am looking for a heart rate monitor also. The polar FT7 is what was recommended to me. My problem is there is no way to sinc it with my computer with out this $35 add on that requires a down load. (I am the most technology challenged person you will ever meet.) Plus I went to their website and there are no forums to ask questions get answers or log in food. and their app isn't compatible with my device. Please offer any advise all will be considered.

    Thanks
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited December 2014
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    susanpullan98 wrote: »
    I am looking for a heart rate monitor for my husband. He can't wear a chest strap, and the watch has to be black. I want something that monitors heart rate and calories burned on a relatively accurate scale.

    I think there's a bit of confusion about what he's after here. A step conter will approximate daily calorie expenditure. An HRM isn't really an appropriate tool for that routine activity measurement as the HR that it's using as a proxy isn't high enough to reqlly act as such.

    It may be that what you're thinking of is something like the Vivofit, which is a step counter and HR collector. The HR collection mode is only when it uses an HR measurement pod (chest strap), which is activated for strenuous activity. One doesn't wear the HR strap all the time.

    There are a range of options out there and I'd suggest reading dcrainmaker.com where he has a comparison table.

    The type of thing you're looking at would be Vivofit, Vivosmart, Garmin FR15 etc. I'm not sure what the model names are for Suunto and Polar. Note that Fitbit are just coming into this market from the bottom end, making their pedometers more sophisticated rather than adding a pedometer to a more sophisticated device as those three are. Make a judgement on that as you will.

    Note that from a military perspective, if he's looking at quality training then he'd get more from having two different devices. Pedometer and GPS/ HRM.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    susanpullan98 wrote: »
    I am looking for a heart rate monitor for my husband. He can't wear a chest strap, and the watch has to be black. I want something that monitors heart rate and calories burned on a relatively accurate scale. Can anyone give me any advice? I have read probably 50 reviews on various products and keep coming up with mixed suggestions.

    What activities does he participate in? Is this to track only exercise or all day activity?
  • GI_John_RN
    GI_John_RN Posts: 48 Member
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    The Mio Alpha is supposed to be EKG accurate. It only monitors heart rate, nothing fancier than that. You can track a workout with it and it will give you your average heart rate when you are finished. It will sync up via Bluetooth to a phone, but I haven't been able to link it to Endomondo. My phone isn't smart enough (it doesn't have a new enough version of Android OS).

    If he is military, he can sign up on the GovX website and get a significant discount on it, about 20-25 percent.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    susanpullan98 wrote: »
    I am looking for a heart rate monitor for my husband. He can't wear a chest strap, and the watch has to be black. I want something that monitors heart rate and calories burned on a relatively accurate scale. Can anyone give me any advice? I have read probably 50 reviews on various products and keep coming up with mixed suggestions.

    You're getting mixed suggestions because you're looking mixing up your needs and looking for a product that doesn't exist. If you don't want a chest strap, then you don't actually want a HRM. Well, at least not an accurate one, anyway.

    Sounds like what you really want is an activity tracker. Is there even any reason he needs to know his heart rate?
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    Are you specifically wanting a watch? I ask because Mio had a reputation for being accurate when compared to an ekg. I haven't tried one myself, but it's a good place to start.

    If you want a fitness tracker that does hrm, the Microsoft Band is out, but there's some question regarding accuracy. If you have a small wrist or dark skin, or the band isn't tight enough to block ambient light, it won't read correctly.
  • EPICUREASIAN
    EPICUREASIAN Posts: 147 Member
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    I've been scouring forum threads about activity trackers (esp the new 2014-2015 trackers) vs heart rate monitors. The link to DC Rainmaker's comparison site is a very helpful resource highlighting the different types of scenarios in which to to use each. Thanks for the reference.

    Many of the threads I've come across capture differences in ECG (electrode/chest strap used in Polar) vs Bioimpedance (primarily used in bodyweight/fat scales now used in Jawbone Up3) vs Optical (light sensors used in MS Band/Fitbit HR/Surge) heart rate monitoring. Many net articles and reviews seem to point to ECG being most accurate in measuring continuous heart rate monitoring, while the other 2 tend to be situational. There's conceptual tech that is supposed to encompass all three (i.e. Samsung Simband) but not sure if current trackers and monitors have these capabilities.

  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
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    DavPul wrote: »
    susanpullan98 wrote: »
    I am looking for a heart rate monitor for my husband. He can't wear a chest strap, and the watch has to be black. I want something that monitors heart rate and calories burned on a relatively accurate scale. Can anyone give me any advice? I have read probably 50 reviews on various products and keep coming up with mixed suggestions.

    You're getting mixed suggestions because you're looking mixing up your needs and looking for a product that doesn't exist. If you don't want a chest strap, then you don't actually want a HRM. Well, at least not an accurate one, anyway.

    Sounds like what you really want is an activity tracker. Is there even any reason he needs to know his heart rate?

    this.

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