HRM - please help me find one!

babykell19
babykell19 Posts: 72
in Fitness and Exercise
there are sooo many out there and i am overwhelmed! and i didnt realize how pricey they are! does any one have a favorite and why?

Replies

  • Sundance722
    Sundance722 Posts: 20 Member
    I own a woman's polar fitness (sorry, can't think of the model # right now. When I get home later, I'll update this post.) It's my favorite because it's the only one I've owned and it's never given me any problems -- that is, when I've used it. Haha
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
    I second the recommendation for a Polar HRM. I've had two over the years and find them very dependable. Plus, the customer service is awesome!
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.
  • maritza327
    maritza327 Posts: 100 Member
    Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.


    I bought this one off of Amazon for $60 and its great!!!
  • jen7eleven
    jen7eleven Posts: 83 Member
    I have the Polar FT4, which is what was recommended to me by a lot of users here. It's really easy to use and i love seeing the "calories burned".

    My only gripe is that, because I still have chubby forearms, the watch head makes it difficult to do planks, push-ups, etc. because it digs into my hand.

    It might be cheaper online if you can find a good deal on shipping. I bought mine in store at REI for about $90, which was worth it for me because I don't like buying things online.
  • Evarell
    Evarell Posts: 143 Member
    *bump*
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I have a Polar FT60
    I HIGHLY recommend the Polar brand. You definitely want one with a chest strap.
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
    Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.

    I have this one too and I agree about the chest strap.
    I got my polar ft4 on amazon for $63 a year ago, haven't checked the price since.

    =]
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member

    My only gripe is that, because I still have chubby forearms, the watch head makes it difficult to do planks, push-ups, etc. because it digs into my hand.

    I never wear mine on my wrist it's too annoying lol. I fasten it to my sports bra or set i down next to me.
  • lexagon
    lexagon Posts: 495 Member
    I have a Polar FT7 and love it. It's not a whole lot different than the FT4 if price is an issue. Probably one of my best investments that I've made. :)


    I found that if you put the watch farther up your forearm it doesn't cut into your wrist when you have to do exercises that require your wrists to bend (planks, push-ups etc). Or I just throw it in my pocket. That can be a little inaccurate sometimes, but it still works.
  • Dare2BThin
    Dare2BThin Posts: 211 Member
    Mine is a Polar FT4.....most inexpensive of the Polars, for accuracy be sure to get one with a chest strap.


    ^^^^^THIS!!!
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    BUMP
  • ready2tryagain42
    ready2tryagain42 Posts: 202
    I like mine..in fact I have two. It is the Timex Personal Trainer HRM. The only reason I bought two is because I use one for water aerobics. It was $42.50 on Amazon and easy to program. And it comes with a chest strap.
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
    I have a Polar FT60. Loving it. Its got a built in fitness test and training program. If I achieve my workout goals for the week my watch presents with me a trophy! (no idea it did that, but a cool surprise) While working out, I can view my heart rate, calories burned, the fitness zone I'm working in, % of max heart rate, length of workout. It keeps track of maybe 100 workouts at a time. When I'm ready to advance, I can get a foot pod for it that will track my speed and distance traveled, or even an adapter for cycling. You can also purcahse a flowlink that will auto input all your workout data to the polar personal trainer site.
  • _the_feniks_
    _the_feniks_ Posts: 3,412 Member
    Polar FT7 ftw. The ONLY complaint I have is that there is no lap timer or true stopwatch feature. Aside from those small complaints, I love it.
  • babykell19
    babykell19 Posts: 72
    i found a a polar with a chest strap on amazon for $70. thanks everyone!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I have a Polar FT60. Loving it. Its got a built in fitness test and training program. If I achieve my workout goals for the week my watch presents with me a trophy! (no idea it did that, but a cool surprise)

    Noooo you spoiled the surprise!! :)
    I love that it tracks your weekly goals and you can review past data. I'm considering purchasing the flowlink... do you have one? I've heard the GPS sensor kinda stinks :\ I wish I could use it with an existing gps (like my phone that I always keep with me)
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    there are sooo many out there and i am overwhelmed! and i didnt realize how pricey they are! does any one have a favorite and why?
    http://www.bodytronics.com/c/polar_ft_series_heart_rate_monitors

    This seems to be a good place to purchase them, free shipping and the lowest place I've found yet.

    If there's really not much difference in the FT4 & FT7 I may go with the less costly. I know the FT4 holds 9 workouts (this is what I was told by Polar on the phone, unless someone has been told differently?) and the FT7 holds 99 and you can purchase extra equipment for $50 or so gear to download your workouts if you so desire for the FT7 only.

    Here's the current price for each on the above site:

    FT4 = SALE PRICE: $61.88
    FT7 = SALE PRICE: $76.11

    Often I see codes for discounts for Bodytronics, one may pop up on this page since we're discussing the company now.

    I'll go with one of these and for some reason I still can't make a decision which one. Probably because they are so close in comparison it doesn't matter much and might be why I'm stuck trying to decide.:laugh:

    Hope the info above helps someone:happy:
  • piper4596
    piper4596 Posts: 52 Member
    bump
  • jen7eleven
    jen7eleven Posts: 83 Member

    My only gripe is that, because I still have chubby forearms, the watch head makes it difficult to do planks, push-ups, etc. because it digs into my hand.

    I never wear mine on my wrist it's too annoying lol. I fasten it to my sports bra or set i down next to me.

    I put it next to my mat once during a yoga class but it lost my heart rate halfway through. I might try the sports bra route though!
  • melb747
    melb747 Posts: 10
    Chest strap? I dont get it... how does a HRM work? I thought it was just like a watch or something!
  • morninglilli
    morninglilli Posts: 194
    Chest strap? I dont get it... how does a HRM work? I thought it was just like a watch or something!


    The chest strap holds the heart rate monitor, then it sends a signal to the computer in the watch where you can track the data.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Bump - need to get me one of these!

    Anyone know if you can get one with a GPS (to track hiking routes in the UK)?
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
    I don't have the flowlink. I used to enter everything by hand and it got very tedious. I've just been logging things here on MFP. I'm strongly considering asking for one for my birthday though. As for the gps, I already have a pretty good pedometer that keeps track of my pace and distance. But I liked the ability to 'upgrade' without having to buy a new watch.
  • jendon7
    jendon7 Posts: 9 Member
    i was just looking at these on amazon when i saw your post! thanks for posting. i had NO idea what i was looking at. i'm ordering an FT4 right now. :)
  • luvsAR12
    luvsAR12 Posts: 11
    I have the polar FT4, I love it. Its the most basic on but totally does the job!
  • dogacreek
    dogacreek Posts: 289 Member
    I love my Polar FT7 and I do have the Flowlink. I bought it a couple of months after the HRM and it is worth it to me. I got tired of pushing all the buttons to write down all my statistics for tracking.
  • Sundance722
    Sundance722 Posts: 20 Member
    I own a woman's polar fitness (sorry, can't think of the model # right now. When I get home later, I'll update this post.) It's my favorite because it's the only one I've owned and it's never given me any problems -- that is, when I've used it. Haha

    Since I couldn't edit my original post, I have a Polar F6.
  • kettle_belle83
    kettle_belle83 Posts: 94 Member
    I also recommend the Polar brand. I've had one for quite a while now and love it! Very easy to use as well. Mine is the FT6 model.

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