Which HRM should I get??

I have the PolarFT4, It was I think about $80 on sale at the time. Amazon might have it cheaper of course, maybe even Ebay.

I really like it. Very easy to use and a chest strap is a must. I've heard very good things about Polar which is what lead me to buy that brand. Very happy with it. MFP grossly over estimates calories burned and I find most machines (treadmills, elliptical, etc) are a bit off as well.

Edit, my Polar FT4 comes with the chest strap (the little monitor thing you plus in the front) and a wrist watch. The watch does nothing to measure your heart rate it just acts as a display piece so you can see your calories burned, see how fast your heart is beating, see how long you've been working out, etc.

Some stores sell a watch that claims to measure your heart rate from your pulse on your wrist. *I* think the wrist watch kinds are junk. You have to have a chest strap!

Thank you so much for asking this question. I am going to get one for my sister for her birthday (and one for myself), and we don't need anything super fancy.

I have seen some that are like a wristwatch, yet people always talk about a chest strap. And I think I have seen some people running with them on their upper arm. I am completely clueless.

I'd like to get one too but don't know which one to go for.

I bought a wristwatch one from AmazonUK last year but it underestimates my heart rate by a huge amount. When I was gasping for breath and could feel my pulse pounding in my head it was telling me my heart rate was 85bpm! Ive woken up with that heart rate in the past so there's no way it's accurate.

So I'll be keeping an eye open for replies too.

Just got my Polar FT4 and love it.
Got it from heartratemonitorsusa.com for under $70 with free shipping.

I agree.. same place, but I got the FT-7 for $76.00 & free shipping.. FAST shipping...

I also have the Polar HRM with the chest strap and it is the best investment I have ever made. It might have been a little more expensive but I figured that my health was worth the investment! You also need to remember that as you lose weight, you go in and adjust your settings so that the readings are accurate.

Timex makes a nice set of HRM's for men and women (Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch series). I have had mine now for just over a month and use it every time I go to the gym or just for a walk. They do what's needed, are rugged and priced right!

I bought the Garmin FR60 primarily because it came with the foot pod (on ebay) and I like to run. If you don't run, that's an unnecessary item. I bought mine on Ebay as a refurbished item with the Garmin 1-Year warranty. I figured if it was warrantied as a new one it should be ok. FR60 with HRM and foot pod was $85. Separately would have been quite a bit more. Garmin also has Garmin Connect which allows me to upload my workouts to the site (wirelessly at the PC) and then view them. So far, this hasn't cost anything.

The Timex brand, from what I understand, require a fee to use thier online workout tracking (whatever you want to call it). I'm not sure about Polar but I understand the batteries have to be replaced by an authorized Polar rep to avoid voiding the warranty. But I don't know how long the warrant is anyway.

I hope you find one you like as they are helpful.

I don't recommend the wrist watch type. The one I had is such a pain, you have to push buttons on it in order for it to read your heart rate, which is kind of hard to do when you are in the middle of a workout or walking on a treadmill. The chest strap ones are supposed to be the best.
I use a BodyMedia armband. It doesn't give you a heart rate readout, but it monitors your activity level, calorie burn, steps taken and sleep cycles all day and night. I don't have to worry about exactly how many calories I burned doing any one activity because I can see how many calories I am burning all day, no matter what I'm doing. It is a little pricey (at least to me), but it has already been worth it for the amount of information I'm getting.

Do not buy the Sportline brand found at Sports Authority. I purchased a mid range version and it failed within 3 months. They would not replace it as I had not purchased an extended warranty. The Sportsline poeple do not return my calls or emails. Buy a Polar brand HRM and buy it from someone who will back it up, just in case.

Not sure if it's a HRM per say, but I love my Fitbit, it links right to MFP, tracks steps, calories burned, sleeping habits.

The only thing with the FitBit, if u do spinning or bootcamp work outs, they don't work as well as the HRM! But they r great for getting u off ur buns, lol:laugh:

True, but for the price I got it at (Target had them mismarked for $50 a few weeks ago) I can't complain LOL

I've got the. Polar ft4 and I love it. But if you are into running there are more expensive ones

Depends on what you want it for I use a Garmin Forerunner it is a HRM does Pacing outdoors when I run I can upload my runs to their website and it tracks my pacing, HR, and elevation on nice neat graphs it is a Garmin Forerunner 305 it can be set up to alert me if my pacing goes below the desired set point. Same feature is available for the HR if my HR falls below a certain level it can be set up to alarm even if it goes above a certain level. this is more than just a HRM if that is all you want you can get something cheaper. I use mine to run outdoors I love it.