I recently bought a recumbent bike and I was curious as to how much of a workout it was actually giving me, so I wanted to invest in a heart rate monitor. Yes, I could have gone much more fancier, gotten something with all the bells and whistles, but I would have paid a ton more.
It works for what you need it for. There is no chest strap, and the idea of needing one bothers me, so for what I was looking for, this does a good job.
Great starter / entry level monitor. Sportline Solo 900 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
I found this heart monitor watch on clearance at a local department store and bought it due to its low price. I was looking for a heart monitor that would stand up to water as my main form of exercise is water aerobics. For the price I figured I wouldn't mind if it did not stand up to the humidity, moisture, and possible accidental drop in water.
It has more than lived up to what I wanted. I even measured its heart monitor rate against my doctor's rate for my heart and it came within two beats. It has endured the pool environment successfully and impressively. I don't have to slow down much to pick the watch up, put it over my wrist and press the button. And yes, I did accidently drop it in the pool without realizing immediately. Less than a minute I did realize and was able to get it from the pool floor with it still working. The display faded out for a few minutes but then it was right back, working without any problems or side effects from the drop in the pool.
Although I paid bare minimum for it I would easily pay this price or more. I am now looking for one that does have a few more bells and whistles. This one is bare minimum on features but has sold me on its brand name.
This heartrate monitor cost under $30 and I love it. It's simple, few bells and whistles, but for my needs right now, it's perfect. I did not want to wear a chest strap because I find any additional encumbrance while working out to be an irritant. With the watch on your wrist, to measure your heartrate you simply depress a large button on the front for a few seconds. It's easy to do even if you're running or working out. The large display gives the reading--according to the literature accurate to within 1 heartbeat per minute--in seconds. Don't buy this if you want to download to your computer or look at a graph of heartrate over time. I suspect that at some point I might want to do that, and I will need to upgrade. But to manually monitor your heartrate during a work out to see if you're in the zone, this watch is perfect. Simple, inexpensive, well-made and functional. (Also includes an alarm, stopwatch, and a large, easily read digital face with a light.)
The heart rate monitor function always works well for me (about a 3 or 4 second wait), but rarely works for my wife. It may have something to do with her slender wrist, but there is a very marked difference in functionality depending on who is wearing it.
This is a good value and a great way to monitor your heart rate if you don't want to deal with wearing a chest strap. It works by measuring the electrical signals from your skin given off by your heart. It has a metal back that lays on your skin and the button you push to check your heart rate is actually a sensor. By pushing on it you complete a loop, which allows the electrical pulses to be measured. There are times when it can't read--I think it's because I have a small wrist and sometimes don't have it high enough on my arm to keep contact with the full back of the watch. I try it again and it works. You have to stop your workout for a few seconds to get a reading as it takes 3-8 seconds to register. That's the only thing keeping me from giving it five stars. For the price, I think this is a great deal. In addition to the heart rate monitor, it's a watch with alarm and stop watch features.
I didn't want to spend $150 for a heart-rate monitor, so thought I'd give this a shot. It is wonderful for giving an accurate reading while you're not exercising. I have found that during exercise, it's difficult to get a reading. Whether I'm at the gym or on trail, it's hit or miss as far as getting a reading at all. When I am able to get a reading (1 out of 10 tries while exercising), it does appear to be accurate.
This watch is exactly what the description says it is: It measures your heart rate at the touch of a button, it has a built in alarm and a stopwatch. No pesky belts/straps, no unnecesary functionality and it looks nice (and discreet) enough for every day personal use without sticking out too much.
Buy this watch if you want to monitor your BPMs during excercise (and why not, at other moments of the day, like sitting in the office) and be able to time how long you've been excercising.
Obviously if you need something with more functionalities (or, have a need to always keep both hands busy and/or gloved, thus not allowing you to press with your bare finger the button for those 3-8 seconds) you should be looking at something else with a chest strap. But for the money, this is a very good watch/heart rate monitor.
I can't comment on battery life since I've owned this watch for less than a month.
Heart Rate Monitor Watch Sportline 900 / B000O3OHAW
I bought this for use with my Youself! Fitness game - a heart rate monitor is one of the items that you can use with Maya in your exercise regimen. As a neophyte to the world of fitness, I was shocked and appalled at how expensive heart rate monitors are, and finally settled on this one as the lowest price with the fewest bells and whistles.
This watch does what it does, and (best that I can tell) does it well. I was initially skeptical about the pulse readings, but having done some research on what my readings *should* be, it does seem that the watch is correct, or at least plausible. The sampling time for the pulse measurement is very low, prompting the concerns about accuracy (a longer sampling time, with an average over that time would be more accurate, I think), but a short sampling time also means that you aren't gripping your watch as you jog, praying for it to hurry up so you can let go (the watch requires you to press and hold a button during the pulse measurement).
Note that this watch is supposed to be unisex. It fits my boyfriend just fine, but the watch band around the watch face is not flexible and juts out from my slightly-more-slender female wrist. As long as you tighten the band accordingly, the watch stays in place and functions just fine, but it looks and feels a little silly. I'd rather cheap out and look silly, but some people may prefer a more expensive non-unisex watch, so I thought I'd mention it here.
~ Ana Mardoll - Exercise - Heart Rate Monitor Watch - Heart Monitor Watch - Fitness'
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