What kind of HRM should I buy?

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NeekyRae
NeekyRae Posts: 34
in Fitness and Exercise
looking into a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate calorie counts.

They have one with a chest strap and a watch.

Or just a watch that goes by pulse.

Is there any difference? Or do they work the same?

Replies

  • NeekyRae
    NeekyRae Posts: 34
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    I guess what I'm asking is what are the advantages and disadvantages to not having the chest strap?
  • Alwaysnancy
    Alwaysnancy Posts: 51 Member
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    The one I have is a chest strap that came with my Garmin GPS 310 Forerunner Watch. My husband had a much cheaper heart rate monitor. Sorry can't recall the name but we got it at drug store. It's not that user friendly but it did the job. My heart rate monitor seems to work well. It goes just under the chest and I don't feel it at all. And I've only had one instance where it didn't give a reading when I went running and I found out it was on upside down.
  • Sheila_Ann
    Sheila_Ann Posts: 365 Member
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    I was just about to post the exact same question :laugh: . I'm looking to get one as well. But not sure what to get!
  • Emagali74
    Emagali74 Posts: 132 Member
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    I have a Polar FT4 that has a chest strap, I got it cheap off ebay (Im from the uk) I dont know about the ones without a chest strap but mine is very accurate and I love it.

    I believe Polar is very popular and a lot of people on here seem to have them.

    Emma x
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    Without a chest strap is no good! Waste of money. Polar FT range is amazing and worth the investment. I got the polar FT60 cheapest of ebay and I love love love it! X
  • Mamafred
    Mamafred Posts: 196 Member
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    I have a Polar ft7 and love it. It does have a chest strap. I hear that the HRM with chest straps are much more accurate that the pulse watches. They cost more but if you aren't going to get an accurate reading, why bother with one at all.
  • mathen2
    mathen2 Posts: 134 Member
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    I have the Polar Ft7 and I like it. I think its close to being accurate as no HRM out there will ever be on point when it comes to your calorific burn. The only thing I wish it did have was a GPS feature (especially if you were running to give you the total miles you ran)
  • samtrois
    samtrois Posts: 27
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    I have a cheapish one, has a chest strap, seems fairly accurate, but it doesn't calculate calories, or even give me an average heart rate over a session,

    so come tax time im getting a polar ft4, ft7
  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
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    have you ever consider doing a search. cause this gets asked nearly every day.

    I had a polar ft4 was a great hrm. did it's job, sold it cause I needed to upgrade to something that has a gps, so I've gone with the garmin 405cx

    at the end of the day you need to decide what you want out of a hrm.

    if you are just looking for something to count calories while exercising then go the ft4

    if you want something that has a virtual trainer or interval timer then you will need to look at other models. More features means more money.

    But also think about what you want for the long term. See I didn't think about that, and I wish I did.
  • SteveTries
    SteveTries Posts: 723 Member
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    Accuracy.

    The chest strap wins out over watch only for accurate measures. I got my Polar FT4 a month ago and it's really easy to use and comfortable. One time I didn't have it tight enough and it kept slipping, ruining my concentration during my run but otherwise has been great.

    I bought it to track caloric burn but have since been using it for heart zone training which has helped add a new dimension to my workouts and keep me interested and motivated.
  • gracehutchinson
    gracehutchinson Posts: 12
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    I'm looking into buying the Polar FT4 as I want to know calories burned during things like exercise classes and 30 day shred!
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
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    I too have a HRM with a chest strap. I would think it would be more accurate but what do I know. If you are looking for decent priced ones I got mine at heartratemonitorsusa and it was really well priced and no shipping, I actually had to just buy a new chest strap as mine was too lose from losing weight and it was starting to shift so i was seeing 00 sometimes. The chest strap replacement was a mere 7.95.

    Good Luck, mine is just a general fitness one, FT6 which I'm not sure they even make anymore, but it's exactly what I need for what I use it for.
  • jonski1968
    jonski1968 Posts: 4,498 Member
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    I have a Polar ft7 and love it. It does have a chest strap. I hear that the HRM with chest straps are much more accurate that the pulse watches. They cost more but if you aren't going to get an accurate reading, why bother with one at all.


    This..
  • NeekyRae
    NeekyRae Posts: 34
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    Thanks so much everyone!
    I think I'll go with the chest strap. I was thinking that they probably would be more accurate but with technology, one never knows so I wanted to ask those who have used them. Thanks again!

    I looked for another topic on this but didn't see one, that's why I started my own, mmk137.
  • sherry9300
    sherry9300 Posts: 149 Member
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    I have an Polar FT60 and love it. It allows training in different zones for different objectives (one IS weigh loss). Yes, it has a chest strap.

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