Heart Rate Monitors

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2

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  • kyrstensmom
    kyrstensmom Posts: 297 Member
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    Garmin 405cx gps/hrm. Love it!


    Hey there,

    Thanks for the response. Questions: How long have you had it? Do you use it constantly and is it water resistant? Do you think the calorie count is fairly accurate?

    I am so ready to drive to walmart's to pick one up....not sure of MFP's accuracy on the calorie count on aerobic exercises or my elliptical's calorie count either unfortunately.

    I have had mine for about a month...I read lots of reviews before I bought it and it got great reviews. It is water resistant up to 1 meter (as I remember) for up to 30 minutes. Definitely not for swimming. The calorie count is accurate as far as I can tell. I got mine through Amazon for $179, which is kinda spendy if you're only looking for a HRM, but I needed GPS for running, so it was totally worth it to me.


    I read that in changing the battery, you have to send it back to the factory, no other options.

    Has that been a inconvenience for anyone - does it hamper the positive affects?

    No issues with the battery so far. Its rechargeable and I leave it on the charger when I'm not using it so its always ready when I am.
  • kyrstensmom
    kyrstensmom Posts: 297 Member
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    I have a Garmin Forerunner 405 too (not the CX though, I think that is similar but waterproof) - but be aware that it is primarily a GPS system with heart rate built in. It doesn't use your heart rate to calculate calories, I think the Garmin models ending in 0 do, but 5 don't.
    If you want to use it for treadmill or indoor workouts you have to buy an extra foodpod so it tracks your activity without using the GPS.

    For me, it's about perfect because I run or walk or cycle outside. I have used it inside when I'm doing strength training, but I just use it to get my average heartrate and then use that to calculate calories burned. I love it because it gives me contstant feedback on my pace which is really useful for me, although I'm starting to use heart rate more as a guide too.

    So, make sure you think about what kind of workouts you will do and what you want from the HRM - then you will get one that is a good match for you.

    One of the main differences between the Garmin 405 and 405cx is the 405cx uses the heart rate in its calorie computations and not just distance/time, which is why I picked the 405cx over the 405.

    OK, thanks for the info. I didn't do any research until after I got mine - as my husband bought it for me for a Christmas surprise!

    Awesome Christmas surprise!!
  • mrFerris
    mrFerris Posts: 122 Member
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    Hi Katie ... My FT7 is settling in nicely. It has the chest strap which is nice and comfortable and you forget it's there after a while. The watch part looks stylish and appears to work well. I have no idea how accurate it is compared to MFP but I can tell you that it records very different calorie burn figures. I would trust the HRM over MFP simply because it actually measures my heart rate where as MFP guesses. My daily 2.5mile walk records 200 ish kcal while the HRM records 300. My rate gets to 120bpm. I bet MFP doesn't expect that.

    So far, I am totally happy with it.
  • Ahluvly
    Ahluvly Posts: 389 Member
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    Hey hon, I have the Polar FT60 and it's brilliant to be honest! I'm going to buy the FlowSynch device too so I can monitor how much my fitness is improving!

    Hope that helps!
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    i used my polar ft7 for the first time yesterday, and it synched itself to the treadmill at my gym. i didnt even have to touch the treadmill and it knew by heart rate. it was kind of creepy, but convenient.
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
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    I used a new Timex Iron Racetrainer a few months back and it was fine. I don't think Timex is junk.

    My current favorite, though, is the Wahoo Fitness Run Kit for my iPhone.
  • WandaVonDunajew
    WandaVonDunajew Posts: 184 Member
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    I have a Kalenji one, which is Decathlon's own brand. Dunno if you have this chain in the US. It was cheap (around 50 dollars) and from what I understand, pretty accurate with the cal burning (needs data like weight, height, sex etc). and comes with a fitness monitoring program. The only thing that bothers me is that it does not measure distance and speed (that would be a higher end model, 80 dollars was out of my price range) but I can live with that, I haven't started the couch 2 5 k program yet anyway.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    Here is the low down:

    Timex is junk... Does not estimate calories accurately at all because it assumes you are a male and thus gives you the calorie burn of one.

    Polar is one of the best brands that you can buy... I had an FT7 since April of last year and recently upgraded to an FT60. I love and they are easy to use/set up and give a pretty realistic calorie estimation.

    I've heard good things about New Balance but I can't personally testify if they are or not.

    Bottom line what ever you decide, make sure it has a chest strap at the very least.. and remember that you get what you pay for. Go for a super cheap one from Walmart and you will most likely wind up with a junky HRM that is going to break and not be accurate.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I went with the Polar FT60 and have had it for a few month now and Love It. Tracks your HR training zones and times spent in each zone. alarm to notify when in/out of zone, has a built in training program to help give you incentives whether your training for fat loss/cardio strengthening, etc... setable MHR, Fitness test to find V02Max (also can be set manually), has uplink for 40 bucks(set watch on link uploads all data to your own personal page on polar site to track all exercise, is GPS upgradeable (just need to buy foot pod at a later time), and I find it pretty darn accurate figuring your calorie burns, interfaces with gym machines to show HR on machine (which is nice , don't have to look down at my watch to see HR).
    Got mine off:
    http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/ft60.html

    They have/had a promo if you put POLAR in at checkout you get an extra 5% off.... Also I know alot of people just wet the strap and it works fine but I decided to use the electrode cream called Buh Bump and my HR monitor hasn't skipped a beat once been working great since day one.....
  • 1546mel
    1546mel Posts: 191
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    Polar FT 7 here, has the chest strap but i also heard that it is more accurate than ones without one. the calories on everything seem to be higher than what my Polar says, but i beleive my Polar :)
  • DevanEve
    DevanEve Posts: 130
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    Love love love my Polar FT7!! :love: Very nice and accurate.
  • tnfphelan
    tnfphelan Posts: 23
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    I bought the Garmin 405cx gps/hrm for my daughter for Christmas. She loves it. Not only does she know what she is burning but while she is on her long run, she can't get lost because it has the gps in. She runs marathons in different states, so I guess that's a plus but it was pricey.
  • jimmie25
    jimmie25 Posts: 266
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    My cardiologist said that Polar and Suunto are the best brands on the market as they use your heart rate to calculate calories, GPS is not the most reliable for counting calories, i think. i'm no expert though. Also I live in Northern Europe and there aren't so many other brands on the market here.

    I have a polar fSomething and I love it. I guess it's pretty accurate, tested it a few time at the gym by comparing the amount of calories burnt with the one on the treadmill. and they were about the same. of course I don't know in the end how accurate the treadmills calorie counter is :D

    i guess you just have to try and find out.
  • MarieAnneN
    MarieAnneN Posts: 205
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    Polar RS300x. Old model, been done by Polar for 7 years but really reliable and GPS unit available for runners.

    You can find at a reasonnable price on eBay or Amazone.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=new+balance+n4&x=0&y=0 = :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
  • sgm73
    sgm73 Posts: 16 Member
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    I got my Polar FT7 last week and love it so far!
  • Bekzness
    Bekzness Posts: 122
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    I've just ordered a Garmin 405cx Katie... I was going to go for a cheaper model till I found a deal on a refurb (untouched, just a replaced box from stoarge)...

    £122 inc delivery... couldn't go wrong :D

    It will be arriving in the next few days so will let you know!
  • lruthruff
    lruthruff Posts: 18 Member
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    I use the M5 by Suunto and love it!!!!:bigsmile:
  • RockChick1984
    RockChick1984 Posts: 239
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    I use a Polar FT7 and it is FANTASTIC!!!... really accurate and trustworthy and always keeps me motivated.. love it!!
  • Danpellizzari
    Danpellizzari Posts: 130
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    I bought the Garmin Forerunner 110. If you're running for fitness it's great. It's a little pricier but I have seen the newer models of Garmin for significantly less at stores like Costco and Sam's. You also get the Garmin Connect which is great for tracking progress.

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