HRM

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AylaBean
AylaBean Posts: 140 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For those who use a heart rate monitor...

Which one do you have?
How much was it?
What are some pro's and con's about it compared to others?
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Replies

  • nicolemariedwyer
    nicolemariedwyer Posts: 46 Member
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    I just purchased the budybugg and it is arriving in the mail today.... i'd love to hear feedback on it
  • felicityksr
    felicityksr Posts: 208 Member
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    I have a Polar F6 and love it. There are no cons about this HRM. You can find them on eBay all day long for a very good price. One recently went for about $34 in excellent used condition. It is pink and more feminine looking than most.
  • nbgarza
    nbgarza Posts: 6
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    same here I would like to hear from those who own one....which one they recommend??
  • felicityksr
    felicityksr Posts: 208 Member
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    The only downside to the BodyBugg is the monthly subscription which I think is about $10 per month. I can download my info into Polar.com for free.
  • shellyc7182
    shellyc7182 Posts: 261 Member
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    Bumpity bump... bump.
  • lik_11
    lik_11 Posts: 433 Member
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    I just bought a SportLine brand from ****'s for $70. It has several features I really dig:

    heart rate, time, and calories all in one glance. Date, time, chronograph, dual time zone. The history of 7 workouts including the time, and how much time you spent above, in, and below your target heart zone.

    the only bad thing is that the amount of calories I burn is depressingly low as compared to what the machines have predicted. :(
    wah-wah-wah

    I've only had it for a little bit- but it's working out great for me!
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,423 Member
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    I have an older model Polar with a chest strap that I love but I'm probably going to ask for a Polar F4 for Christmas since some of my buttons are getting "sticky". The pros are I can tell it how old I am, my gender, my age and my weight so it can accurately measure my calories. I can also adjust the limits because the defaults are set for the average person and their age and since I workout so much, my limits are different. I have no cons with it (other than that sticky button thing but that's an age thing). Get one with a chest strap so you can constantly monitor your heart rate. The ones with just a watch aren't as useful.
  • lik_11
    lik_11 Posts: 433 Member
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    I did not type anything nasty... the athletic store I bought the HRM from has the same name as a male anatomical feature...
  • nikkicarter13
    nikkicarter13 Posts: 231 Member
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    I just bought a Polar F4 off Ebay, brand new for $42 (which includes shipping). I have been using it for a couple days now and I like it. Pretty simple, no frills. Just two buttons on the watch, I have the "guys" version but its not that bulky. I bought it to replace a Timex HRM that went nuts on me. If the Timex didnt go nuts I probably would kept it a tad longer but I like this polar a lot better. The Timex I felt was too bluky for me and it was a little more high tech. I like seeing my calories burned, HR and duration, I didn't need the other stuff.
  • az82
    az82 Posts: 152
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    I bought my Polar FT7 from Amazon a few weeks ago for about $80 and I love it. I don't have any complaints but it is the first HRM I've ever owned so I dont have anything to compare it to. It is easy to use and program, keeps track of the calories I burn, and I barely notice the chest strap. I definitely recommend it.
  • evselc
    evselc Posts: 15
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    The Polar brand is the most reliable and easiest to use. They have models from about $35 up to several hundred depending on what features you want. I would recommend at least getting one that will calculate total calories burned, average heart rate and target HR zones.
  • evselc
    evselc Posts: 15
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    I know someone who has one and she absolutely loves it!
  • antimike
    antimike Posts: 24 Member
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    I actually have 3 - in order of awesomeness

    1. Timex Run Trainer GPS with HRM Soft Strap (for use when in the gym, walking, running, and anything non-bike) Newest
    2. Garmin Edge 500 GPS with HRM Hard Strap (for use while cycling both mountain and road) Newer
    3. Bowflex Precision XT (don't really use anymore, bought for cheap off some random website a couple years ago) Old

    The TRT is probably the most versatile because it has GPS and heart rate. I use it for things when I'm not on the bike. I use it in the gym, and it allows me to turn off the GPS so I can just get heart rate. It has an optional foot pod for running inside that is good for tracking cadence and also pace (it over rides the GPS if running outside). You can toggle on/off whichever feature that you want (HRM, Footpod, or GPS) which makes it very valuable to me. The TRT uses a specialized version of Training Peaks which is a bit overwhelming at first, but offers a ton of features.

    The Garmin Edge 500 is a cycling specific computer HRM and GPS that doesn't really fit my non cycling activities because of the size of it. All in all it does a great job tracking though. I could probably sell it now that I have the TRT, I do like the Garmin connect website for tracking my training. It is simple and straight forward which I like.

    The Bowflex is my oldest HRM toy and my wife seems to have a liking to it now. She wanted something similar to the TRT and she found that even though it doesn't have GPS, it fits her needs fairly well.

    Out of all of the straps, I do like the soft strapped HRMs the best out of the 3 straps. It seems to be the most accurate, slips the least, and is the most comfortable to me.

    Hope this helps!
  • AylaBean
    AylaBean Posts: 140 Member
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    The pros are I can tell it how old I am, my gender, my age and my weight so it can accurately measure my calories.

    ooh I like that!



    Thanks for the info everyone!
  • AylaBean
    AylaBean Posts: 140 Member
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    I actually have 3 - in order of awesomeness

    1. Timex Run Trainer GPS with HRM Soft Strap (for use when in the gym, walking, running, and anything non-bike) Newest
    2. Garmin Edge 500 GPS with HRM Hard Strap (for use while cycling both mountain and road) Newer
    3. Bowflex Precision XT (don't really use anymore, bought for cheap off some random website a couple years ago) Old

    The TRT is probably the most versatile because it has GPS and heart rate. I use it for things when I'm not on the bike. I use it in the gym, and it allows me to turn off the GPS so I can just get heart rate. It has an optional foot pod for running inside that is good for tracking cadence and also pace (it over rides the GPS if running outside). You can toggle on/off whichever feature that you want (HRM, Footpod, or GPS) which makes it very valuable to me. The TRT uses a specialized version of Training Peaks which is a bit overwhelming at first, but offers a ton of features.

    The Garmin Edge 500 is a cycling specific computer HRM and GPS that doesn't really fit my non cycling activities because of the size of it. All in all it does a great job tracking though. I could probably sell it now that I have the TRT, I do like the Garmin connect website for tracking my training. It is simple and straight forward which I like.

    The Bowflex is my oldest HRM toy and my wife seems to have a liking to it now. She wanted something similar to the TRT and she found that even though it doesn't have GPS, it fits her needs fairly well.

    Out of all of the straps, I do like the soft strapped HRMs the best out of the 3 straps. It seems to be the most accurate, slips the least, and is the most comfortable to me.

    Hope this helps!


    With the TRT are you able to input your age/sex/weight ?
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
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    I just got a Polar FT4 about 3 weeks ago. I have never had another so I can't compare.
    But so far I love my FT4. Glad I bought it. I had been wanting one for months! :)

    I bought it on pedometersusa.com for $60 free shipping and it came in 2 days. they only have 2 color choices. heartratemonitorsusa had more color choices but prices were a bit higher. I did have a coupon code. When I removed items from my cart, it gave me a coupon code. I suppose they thought I wasn't going to buy after all and they wanted to change my mind. ;)

    So far my calories burned have been about 5% less according to my HRM than what MFP gave me before.

    ETA--the FT4 shows estimated calories burned, whether you are in your target zone, duration, time in zone, average heart rate, max heart rate. You also set it up with your gender, age, weight, height. It has a soft strap and it's very comfortable imo. Easy to set up and easy to use.
  • SabrinaG1986
    SabrinaG1986 Posts: 135 Member
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    For those who use a heart rate monitor...

    Which one do you have?
    How much was it?
    What are some pro's and con's about it compared to others?

    New Balance N4
    89.99 @ London Drugs
    I'm not sure cause I didn't really compare. I just wanted something inexpensive that would count calories and had a chest strap. I also liked the way it looks lol.
  • AylaBean
    AylaBean Posts: 140 Member
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    I just got a Polar FT4 about 3 weeks ago. I have never had another so I can't compare.
    But so far I love my FT4. Glad I bought it. I had been wanting one for months! :)

    I bought it on pedometersusa.com for $60 free shipping and it came in 2 days. they only have 2 color choices. heartratemonitorsusa had more color choices but prices were a bit higher. I did have a coupon code. When I removed items from my cart, it gave me a coupon code. I suppose they thought I wasn't going to buy after all and they wanted to change my mind. ;)

    So far my calories burned have been about 5% less according to my HRM than what MFP gave me before.

    ETA--the FT4 shows estimated calories burned, whether you are in your target zone, duration, time in zone, average heart rate, max heart rate. You also set it up with your gender, age, weight, height. It has a soft strap and it's very comfortable imo. Easy to set up and easy to use.
    Awesome thank you! :) I was wondering how accurate MFP is for calorie burns.. and the easiest and safest bet would be to get myself a HRM :)
  • AylaBean
    AylaBean Posts: 140 Member
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    New Balance N4
    89.99 @ London Drugs
    I'm not sure cause I didn't really compare. I just wanted something inexpensive that would count calories and had a chest strap. I also liked the way it looks lol.

    Do you input your age/sex/weight into it?
    I like the way yours looks too :)
  • SabrinaG1986
    SabrinaG1986 Posts: 135 Member
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    New Balance N4
    89.99 @ London Drugs
    I'm not sure cause I didn't really compare. I just wanted something inexpensive that would count calories and had a chest strap. I also liked the way it looks lol.

    Do you input your age/sex/weight into it?
    I like the way yours looks too :)

    I know I put SOME info in, but I can't remember what. I think it was my age, weight and height... I'll check tonight cause Im going to see if i can update it since I've lost weight lol.

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