Heart rate monitor without chest strap

I think the Polar FT 4 doesn't have a chest strap. I have the FT 7 with a chest strap and love it. To me, it was worth the extra $20 for a chest strap.

Me too. I've been researching them, and am torn between polar, omron and others. Would love someone who has used a good one to make a recommendation...

I have the FT 4 and it does have a chest strap. I believe this helps your calories burned estimation be a lot more accurate than without one. So i recommend the FT4 if you are looking for an affordable HRM that works great.

I am not really sure why you wouñd want one without the chest piece when they are not as accurate. If you are worried about comfort, please remember that the straps are adjustable and you can make them be comfy enough for you. At first you'll be thinking about how here is something around your chest but sfter a while the thought really goes away and you cannot feel it anymore

I started with a watch-only model, a New Balance I found on clearance at Target. To take your heart rate you have to put two fingers on the edge of the watch face during exercise, and wait until it beeps. Not too bad if you're just walking, but got tricky during more strenuous workouts to try to get the pulse without slowing or stopping exercise. Also, since it's just periodic readings rather than a continuous read like you get with a chest strap, it's not as accurate, and it doesn't always read right away or correctly the first time, etc. which was very frustrating. After about a month I started looking for a model with a chest strap.

I got a New Balance N4 on eBay, brand new and it works perfectly, for $26 - about $3 more than what I paid for the watch-only version. :grumble: I also found that the watch was giving me much higher calorie burns than the chest strap does, which probably led to me eating more than I should have! :noway: