???What is the best HEART RATE monitor to use???

The best one is the one that has the features you want at a price you can afford.

Having said that, are you interested in also keeping track of distance and pace? If yes you might want to look at a Garmin GPS/HRM - you can usually find great deals on the Forerunner 305 (& it's multi sport so you can track your biking too if you ride).

If you're looking for time, heart rate & estimated calories burned (the Garmin does cal too) then one of the Polar FT series would probably be ideal.

I agree with above - the Garmin is a good piece of kit, but can be expensive. I train with a Polar CS300 so I can measure my bike miles, but I spent years with my Polar F7 - still going. They're great - not the cheapest HRM out there, but reliable and easy to use.

I love my Polar FT7. Keeps HR, time, and calories burned for all my workouts. I like the look of the watch, too -- sometimes I wear it even when I'm not working out.