Good Heart Rate Monitor?

bcalvanese wrote: »

I have the following devices, and will list them in order of my personal experience of accuracy and dependability.

1. Suunto Ambit 3 Peak with Suunto Smart Sensor (chest strap heart rate monitor)
2. Polar V800 with Polar H7 (chest strap heart rate monitor)
3. Garmin Fenix 3 HR with Optical heart rate monitor (also Garmin HRM-Run chest strap monitor)

The Suunto Ambit 3 Peak is by far the most accurate and consistent device I have ever used (so far). It does not have all of the bells and whistles as the Garmin, but it does have advanced features, and I can actually depend on it every time.

The Polar V800 is a great and very dependable device, but seems to miss calculate the calories much of the time for some reason.

The Garmin could be the best device, but over the past year of using it, I have had many many issues with the software. The data I get doing the same workouts at the same intensities is not consistent all the time, and there were times when it lost entire workouts when trying to save them. It's a shame because it's an awesome device, but every time I use it again, I have to wonder if it's going to freak out and lose my workout or not.

If you want accurate heart rate monitoring during workouts I would say to go with a chest strap monitor paired with a device that has a good GPS (if you want accurate distance/pace/speed data).

I recommend the Suunto Ambit 3 Peak if you are looking for accuracy, consistency, and a device that absolutely works every time.