Polar F6 question

slieber
slieber Posts: 765 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm thinking of buying one, as I've read that one needs more info than just weight for more accurate calorie calculation.

Question is: How long does the battery last before it has to be replaced? I ask because I've read that the whole unit has to be sent back to get a replacement, which is a royal pain, in my opinion.

Just want to know before I buy.

Thanks!

Replies

  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
    I'm thinking of buying one, as I've read that one needs more info than just weight for more accurate calorie calculation.

    Question is: How long does the battery last before it has to be replaced? I ask because I've read that the whole unit has to be sent back to get a replacement, which is a royal pain, in my opinion.

    Just want to know before I buy.

    Thanks!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I havent had an issue......never really thought about it!! :laugh:

    But..is your kitty ok? looks like a bit too much cat nip to me!:laugh:
  • SallyAnn
    SallyAnn Posts: 43 Member
    I have had great luck with the polar Heart Rate Monitors. The replacement chest straps are much cheaper than the whole system. You replace the chest strip yearly with normal use. I have and would recommend the F4. It is less fancy but probably more what you need.

    Non-coded Chest band replacement - $49.95 www.polar-usa.us
    Coded Chest band replacement - $69.95 www.polar-usa.us

    Tips:

    If you are running/walking with a group of people you need an individually "coded" system. However the coded systems is bulkier and have less battery life.

    PS if you are treadmill running at the gym you may only need the chest strap. Many Treadmills can read from the chest band directly
  • artschoolgirl
    artschoolgirl Posts: 598 Member
    Oh thanks for that information SallyAnn. I was looking in to buying the F6 yesterday too, but they just had the Men's F6, I don't know what the difference is. But they had the F4 and I wasn't suer if that would be okay. Thanks for the tip!
  • TamaraRR
    TamaraRR Posts: 93 Member
    I reccently bought the polar f4 and it works great. I havent had it catch on any one elses heart rate monitor at the gym either.
  • SallyAnn
    SallyAnn Posts: 43 Member
    Art school girl - the only difference between the men's and women's is the watch. (Woman's watch is smaller and baby blue/pink) Compare them all at www.polar-usa.us
  • artschoolgirl
    artschoolgirl Posts: 598 Member
    Art school girl - the only difference between the men's and women's is the watch. (Woman's watch is smaller and baby blue/pink) Compare them all at www.polar-usa.us

    Thanks so much! I think I'll consider the F4 now. My only real need for it is getting a more accurate sense of the calories i'm burning. It's great that it's cheaper too!
  • sassyredgirl
    sassyredgirl Posts: 162 Member
    I love my Polar F6 and can't imagne not having one. Is the best investment by far.
  • CoachFoland
    CoachFoland Posts: 564 Member
    I purchased the F11, because it HAS the user replaceable battery on the chest strap. So far, I love it. I think it was only $30 more than the F6. With having to replace the chest strap once, makes up the difference in the upsell.
  • Chellekk
    Chellekk Posts: 421 Member
    Mine is going strong too! I love it. The booklet inside says to go to a licensed Polar Replacement "place" for battery and/or fixing. I thought...man what a pain, but found later my local Fred Meyer (grocery store) has one there. He's the guy within the jewerly dept that replaces batteries in watches. Totally convenient!! And...he said the HRM goes a long time before needing replacement.
  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
    I havent had an issue......never really thought about it!! :laugh:

    But..is your kitty ok? looks like a bit too much cat nip to me!:laugh:

    LOL! I picked this one off the internet. Likely the little fellow fell asleep while eating. They do that on occasion... ;-)
  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
    So what's the recommendation: F4, F6 or F11? Come on... I need help with this one, majorly!!!
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    I have the F6, just got it about a month ago. It's awesome! I thought the price was right and don't mind having to get the battery replaced when it needs to be replaced. I got the pink one and it makes a nice watch too. :bigsmile:
  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
    I purchased the F11, because it HAS the user replaceable battery on the chest strap. So far, I love it. I think it was only $30 more than the F6. With having to replace the chest strap once, makes up the difference in the upsell.

    Does the F11 have the same features as the F6? And can it be tuned or, rather, do either of them have to be "tuned" to show up on a gym exercise machine display, or is it locked out of those with that lock out feature?
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    F11 has more features then the F6. And it has the user replaceable battery.
    The batteries usually last about 2 years or so maybe a little less.

    One note, if you only use the chest strap with a gym machine, it'll transmit your heart rate, but you're still using the calorie calculations of the machine (which are generally off because they use a more generic formula).

    You can usually find one of any model on ebay for about 20 or 30 bucks less then retail (usually).
  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
    Wish I'd read your post before ordering the F6. I haven't had a chance to get back here and went ahead and ordered it. A user-replaceable battery would be such a luxury. Oh well.

    I like to see the heart rate on the machine, but I use the wrist receiver for calories on my Timex model (which only inputs weight, btw - the main reason I'm switching to the F6).

    Thanks again for all the info!
  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
    Well...got it yesterday, set it up and used it today. Wow! What a difference from the Timex one. The Timex one had me with more cals than the machine.

    The Polar F6 had me with about 300 cals LESS than what the Timex would have had. And, while my bubble has burst, I think I love it anyway. Reality hurts but better that than not losing the weight I need to lose.

    Interestingly, I was still losing using the Timex HRM reports, but perhaps I'll be able to lose more now that I have a more accurate calorie count.
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