Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

I wasn't sure about this, because I've never used a "heart rate monitor" before and I pictured something they'd hook you up to in a hospital. However, the good reviews here on Amazon sold me, and it wasn't that expensive. Well, I couldn't be happier. The strap isn't bulky at ALL--I really do forget it's there! I thought it was weird that you have to wet the "electrodes" before use, but I just literally rinse them for a second and then put it on. When I'm done working out, I immediately take the strap off, rinse it off thoroughly, and hang it to dry (after taking off the little monitor thing, of course). I've washed it a few times with gentle soap, as per the instructions. This is exactly what I wanted for my fitness goals. I'm not a huge fitness nut, but I wanted to get healthier and lose some weight, and I hated estimating how many calories I was burning. Proof--on MyFitnessPal, which I use to track my activity and eating, it wanted to give me around 150 calories for a 51-minute I took with my dog today. However, this HRM said 350--because it picked up on the fact that most of it was uphill and I was going at a fast pace, hence burning more calories. I also like seeing my heart rate fluctuate because it motivates me to keep moving--not to let my dog sniff too much! I've always hated going up hills, and now I know why--my heart rate jumps at least 15 BPM when I'm going up a hard hill! But that's how I burn so many calories (that and the brisk pace). So, I'm more motivated to go up hills because there's an explicit pay off. It's also very encouraging to look down and see how many calories you're burning! And to know that it's realistic and not something a computer comes up with. I will say that the elliptical at the gym is pretty darn close to this thing, but it says I'm burning about 20 more calories than I really am at any given time. So I've burned, say, 250, but the elliptical says 270. Not a huge deal, but I like knowing it's really 250 because I don't want those 20 calories to make me go over my "budget" for the day. Again, I was pretty skeptical with this, because I pictured it being really bulky and not accurate. But I find it's very accurate, and very motivating! I also like that you can set up the heart rate goal so you know if you're getting too low or high. This thing really encourages me to keep moving and to keep my heart rate up--which is just what I wanted! Very easy to use, too. A great purchase! BONUS - I plan to try to start a family in the near future, and this will be great for monitoring my heartrate while walking, etc. so I don't go over the safe limit. It's just good to see where your heart rate is.

I purchased the Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor Watch about a year ago after doing a lot of research on the countless fitness trackers out there on the market, and I rely heavily on Amazon reviews. I typically do not write reviews myself, but I have been so happy with this purchase I was compelled to share my support for this as well. The ratings and reviews on this monitor are spot on. When I was looking for a fitness tracker I was taking a few things into consideration: truly reliable heart rate monitoring (running & lifting weights), calorie tracker, workout timer, and price. I was not concerned about a step counter, sleep tracker, and or a fancy app tracker to go along with it. Don't get me wrong, those Fitbit watches are slick, but I personally didn't really need all of that. Plus, I didn't want a fitness watch to wear all day; I prefer to wear my other daily watches. Last thing about Fitbit, while they do have a good track record of accurate heart rate monitoring while walking/running, I've read that their watches do not track heart rate as well when doing strength training/lifting, which was personally a deal breaker for me. My goal was to monitor my daily calorie intake to lose weight, so I paired this watch which tracks calories burned during workouts and the free Under Armour calorie counter app which tells you exactly how many calories are in the food/meals you eat. They worked amazing together. To date, I'm down 23 lbs. and I seriously don't think I could have done it without this watch. It is so simple to use, and it provides instant gratification at the end of the workout to know exactly how many calories you've burned. One thing I've always struggled with while running/working out was the guessing game of how many calories I burned, did I really push myself as hard as I could, and constantly looking at the clock on the wall to figure out my rest time. This watch takes care of all of that. The workout timer is also amazing because I like to do a lot of circuit training, so whenever I am done with a lift, I know exactly how much time I have to rest until the next set. Such a simple concept for a fitness watch, but Polar just makes it so easy, it’s amazing. No issues with batteries, malfunctioning, or anything like that either. I could go on, but in all, I couldn't be happier with this purchase. If you are looking for an easy to use, reliable, and functional heart rate monitor, then I can tell you this is it. Awesome job Polar, I think you've made a lifelong customer because of it. Good luck everyone!

So I bought this in September and have not been to the gym without it ever since. It is truly my companion and I will not workout with it on. So the pros of this are that it does exactly what it says it does, it tracks your heart rate, calories burned, gym time, and even stores this information as training files on the watch itself. The heart rate monitor itself is tiny and easy to put on. It is very comfortable, as in you do not notice you are even wearing it (if i run errands after the gym I usually forget to take it off until I get home to shower). It is a very reliable device and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to keep track of calories burned and how much time they spend in the gym (or outside running). CONS: When you receive the watch it comes with the soft strap in a generic size of M-XXL. I am a very petite girl and so I had a lot of trouble with keeping the band up on my chest. It would often slide onto my stomach and so there's me at the gym, doing cardio, trying to get this heart rate monitor back in the correct position (I wear it directly under my sports bra). It was tightened as far as it would go and it still fell down. It really started interfering with my workouts and so I contacted Polar and they replaced the soft strap with an XS at no charge to me. Now it fits perfect!:) Also, for some odd reason this watch DOES NOT have a stopwatch. I mistakenly thought that because it was a sports watch it would have a stop watch, nope. Just keep in mind when buying this if your a tinier person like I am the soft strap will give you grief. However, I still gave this 5 stars because it is an EXCELLENT watch, does what it is supposed to do, and Polar customer service was super nice and completely understood my situation. When this watch poops out on me (which I hope isn't for a long time) I will definitely be buying this brand again!

I bought this because the monitors on most of the equipment at our gym aren't reliable, and I wanted the option of using it outside, too. I've seen it referred to as a women's model, but the blue color is close enough to be unisex and the size is comparable to the men's Timex Expedition, which isn't an overly large watch. The pre-formed band is a little on the stiff side, but is big enough to accommodate small women to medium-sized men, and easier to secure; I will usually wear both since the Polar doesn't have a stopwatch or lap counter. I've been using this almost daily since May 2013. It's now the first week of August and it has developed a tendency for the heart rate to drop out 3/4 through a cardio session. It happens maybe 15-20% of the time, maybe a little less. Others have mentioned an issue with synthetic materials, but it has happened with all of my shirts, from dry-fit to 100% cotton. It will almost always return if I adjust the strap or remove and reattach the sensing unit, but on at least one occasion I was unable to restore it at all and had to stop the monitor entirely. It was near the end of my workout anyway, but I still had to finish an guess what my max HR was. I've noticed that the chest strap is already starting to show signs of wear. I bought a backup strap early since others had noted that it wears out early. At this rate, (5-6 days/week) I don't think it will last beyond 6 months. Otherwise, I'm happy with it; it works well most of the time and has a nice array of features for the money. The calorie count is less aggressive than most machine-based algorithms, and the formula that I found on Livestrong.com. I probably should do a little more research, but I've decided to use it when tracking my calories burned. The Polar monitors also seem to be compatible with the greatest variety of on-board monitors, if you like using treadmills or ellipticals and don't want to wear the watch.

This monitor is great. Being able to track my heart rate has enabled me to finally have enjoyable and effective outdoor and at-home workouts. Before, I always either questioned my efficiency and often pushed myself way too hard, leading to injury and loss of motivation to continue, or avoided home workouts because I thought I wouldn't be working hard enough with them. Now, I know exactly how intense I need to be going because of the heart rate tracking. Ever since I was 12 (I'm 21 now), between half and all of my workouts took place at the gym because I always thought that was the only setting in which I could have a good workout. I can definitely say that was just a psychological thing! Even though this monitor is somewhat of an investment, it's definitely going to save me money because I don't feel like I will need to join a gym in order to get fit. In addition to the heart rate tracking, the calorie counting function is really motivating. This is a really simple, no-frills kind of device, which I really like. I once had the bodybugg device and it really irritated my skin and was quite ugly to wear. It also did not track my heart rate, just calories, making it a poor device for improving athletic performance. It (like the Fitbit and many other devices) had an online tracking software that in theory was cool, but for me, was just too meticulous and annoying. To my knowledge, there is no complicated online tracking app for the FT4; instead I just retrieve my data straight from the watch. I also had the Fitbit and it just measured way too many senseless parameters that I did not need to know about during my workout (i.e., flights of stairs per day, a vine of leaves that showed my "activity level"(duh, I'm working out, I know I am being active)). I also prefer that I just have a device to measure my workout and not something like the FitBit that I need to remember to take with me everywhere I go. I think it would be nice to have a distance tracking function on the polar FT4, but other than that, it really is the perfectly simple device to help motivate you during your workouts!

Just got my monitor, and the box includes a TEENY tiny piece of paper that flutters out upon opening. I bend down to read it and on it is the following ominous Grimm fairy tale-like message: "WARNING: This product and its packaging contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm. This notice is provided in accordance with California's Proposition 65." its dated 4/2013. I'll give Polar the benefit of the doubt and assume that the Monitor's bloodthirsty killing spree went undetected by the corporation until April of 2013, at which time Polar (or this merchant) immediately and very responsibly took URGENT action by slipping in these notes which are about the size of the fortune slip in a fortune cookie. I mean who could miss that? Buyer beware..... of poisoned heart rate monitors. The bottom line: This HR monitor is a great price at $60, but one would expect it not to kill the customer even at such a steep discount. Perhaps a monitor that kills you should be discounted even more, to better represent the personal risk of life to something say, like $10. Even so we must calculate the cost of the unborn children that will be doomed once the monitor's toxins have entered the customer's bloodstream. Given that human egg donors are compensated over 5k for giving up their eggs, I figure that this merchant now owes ME who has now worn the monitor, $4,940 in compensation. I'll be waiting for my refund check to arrive ASAP. In conclusion: I ask YOU, Polar: how many more have to die so thatyou can sell more pink hrms? HOw... Many...Polar??!!! HUNH? *sniff* I looked on polar's website and it does not indicate what in this product or packaging is going to murder you and your unborn. I mean, if I knew it was only just in the cardboard box, I'd still wear it. It is only $60.

I have tried so many heart monitors, and none of them suited me. They either didn't work well, weren't comfortable, didn't have a continuous reading of my heart rate, which is important, or the chest strap was too big for my rib cage. I had heard good things about Polar, so I decided to try the FT4, and it works really well. The chest strap is really easy to put on, and I am able to get it tight around my chest. It does start slipping a little sometimes when I sweat a lot or move fast, but it does not seem to interfere with transmitting my heart rate. I either put electrode gel or water on it, and both seem to work well. The wrist monitor shows a continuous heart rate, and you can cycle through different screens to see calories burned, how long you've been working out, etc. I would have liked to have been able to set a maximum and minimum heart rate, so it could alert me if I went over or under either, but this model does not seem to have that. It is not a big deal, though, since I can just easily look at the screen if I'm worried my heart rate is getting too high. After your workout, it gives you a summary of the calories you burned, what your average heart rate was, what your maximum heart rate was, how long you were "in the zone," and so on. It is very, very helpful. I was not aware that I was burning so many calories at the gym because MyFitnessPal apparently thought I wasn't working out very hard and would estimate my calories at 200. I was actually burning way over that. This is very useful because I base my caloric intake on how much I burn. The only minor problem I have had with it is that in some yoga positions, it loses its signal. I don't really care, though. It's understandable that it loses its signal because I'm twisting myself into a pretzel. It also makes faint beeping noises sometimes. I have no idea why, but I figured out how to turn them off. If I am remembering correctly, if you press pause while it's in workout mode and press down (I think), you can go to the screen that lets you turn off the sounds. I'm very happy with my heart monitor, and it has proven incredibly useful. My husband bought the black one and has been very happy with his, as well.

This is a nice heart rate monitor when it works, which is not always. It has a tendency to pronounce me dead (prematurely) or to claim that my heart rate is 240 beats per minute (extremely unlikely). You can get an erroneous reading of zero if the chest strap is too loose or the sensors are too dry, but that was not the case here. I have been using Polar heart rate monitors for approximately 29 years, and this is the most temperamental and unreliable unit I have ever owned. I have owned and used a total of five Polar heart rate monitors. The greatest practical problem for the buyer is the lack of a complete printed manual that comes with the heartwatch. There is a little leaflet with very little information and you are supposed to surf to Polar's web site and read the real manual on line or print it out yourself. If Ford or General Motors did this with their cars, there would be a loud cry of outrage, and possible government action. I don't own a smartphone and my home gym is in the basement. My basement computer does not have a connection to the Internet. I tried to set up my FT4 during a basement exercise session, using the inadequate little leaflet they sent out with the unit, and I got stuck in the Spanish language! I know a few Spanish words and phrases, but not enough to get this unit back into English. I e-mailed Polar about my problem and a technician e-mailed me detailed instructions on getting my unit back into English. Very good customer service. Because of the unit's generally poor reliability, I followed the instructions on the Polar web site and returned the unit for service or replacement. Let me say again that Polar's customer service was good. Free of charge, they replaced the huge chest strap that came with the unit with one more suited to a person of moderate size. I had had to make a large tuck in the chest strap with a big safety pin in order to get it to fit. They also replaced my wrist unit. I wish they had sent me an e-mail or printed note telling me what they had done, but as soon as I tried to use the unit I found that I had to reinitialize everything. A quick check on the serial number revealed that I had been given a new wrist unit. The new unit works better, but not as well as my new blood oxygen meter that clips onto your finger and cost less than half as much. The blood oxygen meter also supplies your heart rate. The FT4 looks good, has informative displays, and has batteries that the user can change. There may be something unique about the wave form of my heartbeat that gives this unit difficulty, but I must tell you that my old Polar FS2c tracks my heart rate very well all the time.