Does anyone use these or have any experience with them? It seems like the most popular brand I found was Polar but every watch had a chest monitor that you need to wear. I also found some Reebok heart rate monitors without the chest monitor. So I'm wondering what are the benefits to using these (are they necessary?) and what would be a recommended watch? If you use one that has a chest strap, is the strap uncomfortable after long use?

Thanks

 

how do you expect the monitor to pick up your HR without a chest strap?

 

Strapless hr monitor

 

Since you obviously know everything there is to know about hr monitors, why don't you give me some advice instead of being a dick

 

there's & brand call Mio, that makes strapless monitors

the advantage is... No strap, the disadvantage is... your heart won't be constantly displayed... there are two buttons on the watch, you' press with your thumb and index Finger for about 2-3 seconds, and your HR will show up, but the second you let go, HR Gone. It's fairly accurate, I tested it before against a polar

 

http://www.miowatch.com/content/view/19/73/

I'd just go eBay

or Big 5 I got one there that was a display model for $40

 

what is your goal in getting an HRM?

are you a runner? cyclist? body builder?

IMO, one with a chest strap is the only way to go. I have both a polar and a powertap. The powertap records @ 1second intervals for up to 7.5 hours. the Polar's best is once per minute for an hour.

a lot depends on why you want to track your HR, how much of an Interval you feel is sufficient. Then it's a matter of if you'd like GPS, interoperability with your computer, data logging etc...

 

Heheheh.

But seriously, where do you think it's going to be easier & more accurate to measure your heart beat? Against your chest, naturally. I can't imagine measuring anywhere else, to be honest.

Sure it's possible, but it's going to be annoying and/or inaccurate or most likely both.
I had a cheap polar heart rate thing, it worked fine.

 

...well, it's like I said... I've actually tested it (the strapless watch by Mio) out before, I have both... and the 3-4 times I tested it... (wearing both the Polar w/strap and the Mio), the Mio was either dead on with the Polar or off by 1 or 2 heart beats/minute at most.... I don't know at what point do you need to know the EXACT heart rate... but I guess if you're "that" anal about it then...

It's all preference... I have the Mio watch because since I live in a beach city, and in the summer, it's so nice out, you can't help but want do some running on the beach or next to it on PCH... it's nice to NOT have to wear a strap when you're running shirtless... (and NOT get the tan line around the chest)

on the other hand, I like how all the cardio machines at the gym picks up the signal from the Polar's strap... and displays your HR constantly... I love how you can set them to a program and they (cardio machines: treadmill, eliptical, etc. etc.) will change the level accordingly to your H.R... can't do that with the Mio...

 

You're right, it's an opinion thing.

That's a pretty interesting point about getting a tan-line with the strap, never even considered that.

It's not really a when you check your heart rate, it's how. If you are doing cardio which uses both hands, it's annoying to have to stop (or alter) what you are doing to check your heart rate. I do most of my cardio via a bike, for example. But I imagine same problem with a rower. It's probably a non-issue with treadmills though.

 

yeah, if I was a cyclist... I'd definitly wouldn't want to deal with letting go of the handle bars just to check my HR... but when I run (which isn't often... I hate running), I only check my HR every so often... so, the Mio watch works just fine... BUT prefer the Polar strap on the eliptical and don't even bother wearing the watch, cause it just automatically appears on the display...

 

I'd definitely go with the Polar HR monitor! The chest strap is really comfortable and it's nice to have the constant output. The cheapest ones are about $50 (from Target or Walmart) and the great thing about them is that they're compatible with a lot of cardio equipment. If it has the "Polar" logo on the machine, the chest strap will transmit directly to the machine so you don't have to wear the watch. Love it!