Omron HR-100C is better than my Polar!, way better!
922260
The sender's battery can be replaced unlike the Polar. The watch part is also a watch and has date, day of the week. Just strap the sender and immediately it is already working.
The cost to replace battery on the Polar was too much so I bought this Omron monitor instead. As a bonus it came with a great bag. I love it as you can tell.
483367
I have received this product in exchange for an honest review.
I have used multiple polar products in the past, and I also have a garmin forerunner 305 GPS watch with heart rate monitor. I however have not used the latest offerings from Polar and Garmin, but from quick research they seem more expensive than this product, although this product lacks a watch, which is the prefered interface by many. Hopefully, as explained below, it'll add support for an android watch you may already have.

This is an interesting heart rate monitor that pairs with your cell phone via bluetooth.
It uses an adjustable chest strap, and works not unlike the old polar heart rate monitor I used to have, except that this one has a rechargeable battery and uses bluetooth to communicate.
Now I have to be fair in saying that it's a fair thicker than my polar and garmin heart rate monitor chest straps, and that using bluetooth seems to use a lot more energy compared to the polar or garmin wireless protocols (they both use a small CR2032 like battery that lasts a year or more). As a result, quoted runtime is around 20H or so. Totally fine for a days' use and charging at night, just more power hungry than the average HRM you might be used to.
The device itself is easy to use: one button, you pair, the app tells you to recharge your device battery before it can upgrade the firmware, and you're on your way.
You select what kind of workout you want and it'll keep track of your energy burned and heart rate, with a target heart rate and hints on whether you can work harder or not.
All in all the app is nice, and it just worked on my Android Nougat phone, so it should be compatible with all android devices, even the newest ones.

Things that are missing though are:
1) integration with Google Fit if you care about that (it'd be nice to have both your exercising recorded through GoMore and other regular exercising recorded via your android watch if you have one, or your phone, including number of steps walked per day)
2) there is no android wear integration, so if you have android watch, you still have to look at your phone/hold it if you want to see what's going on while you're running with GoMore.
The good news is that those shortcomings are software only and that new software versions could very well address them.
In the meantime, the current app and device are totally usable as is.
I think if the software can be improved to address those shortcomings, this product will be worth 5 stars.

So, if you're active indoors or outdoors and want to track your activities with your heartrate included, this is a good option.
If you care about google fit integration, you can also look into more expensive alternatives from polar.
4828949
We just bought one of these from our local dealer.  Previously, we had a 5.17 for 4 years.  Once you go Precor, it's very hard to use anything different - the quality, the motion, it's wonderful.  The warranty is a big selling point.  I called them up after 3 years to inquire if newer wheels would make things quieter; they sent out new wheels right away as a courtesy, no shipping or anything!  Fantastic customer service.

The biggest change from the 5.17 is how SMOOTH and QUIET this thing is!!  I thought our 5.17 was amazing, but jumping up to this premium model really makes a difference.  Somehow the wheels are practically silent, and it's pure luxury to exercise on this thing.  But it sure gives you a workout!!  I religiously use the heart rate monitor, and while the smoothness makes things feel easier - my heartrate still shot up just like the 5.17.  That's what counts!!

We love the new model - the electronics on this are amazing compared to our old model, but the nicest feature is the convertible arms.  Being able to go back/forth, depending on our mood, was a total selling point.  We could have saved $200 by getting the 5.35 which drops a few features, but when you're spending this money - $200 is totally worthwhile to get the top of the line.

Only real advice I can give?  Our local dealer was much, much cheaper - plus they came and setup everything.  These things have healthy margins, so negotiate.  If you don't get a discount of at least 20% off, something is wrong.

We bought our old 5.17 for $2500, and sold it for $1000 4 years later.  That's about $400/year, which is comparable to a decent gym membership - but it's so much easier to exercise at home.  Precor is awesome!!
839435
Many years ago I used a simple, relatively inexpensive Polar HRM to indicate my heart rate in BPM, and had no problems with it at all, aside from the fact that when the battery in the transmitter died you had to send it off to Polar to have the battery replaced. So recently, when I needed a new HRM, the first brand I checked out was Polar. But from the reviews I read it seemed like the new Polar HRMs were not as well made so I decided to give this Timex a try. I'm aware that many HRM manufacturers have changed the design of the transmitter strap, and Timex is one of them. But I had no idea just how stupid the current design is until the unit arrived.

The old Polar (and other brands as well) strap design was so easy to use it wasn't even worth mentioning. This new strap design is just ridiculous. It's one solid piece, so you can't just lift up your shirt, position the strap in place, and hook the two ends together. No. That would have been too simple. You have to take OFF your shirt, and then either wrestle with the strap over your head, which results in the whole thing getting totally twisted up, or....MY PERSONAL FAVORITE: bring it up from your feet and up over your hips and up to your chest. SERIOUSLY?!!!!!!! The PTB at Timex honestly think THIS is a GOOD IDEA?!!! (At least bringing it up from your feet results in a lot less twisting of the band, but it's an absurd way to have to put on a HRM strap.)

The other main problem with this HRM is that in order to have any data recorded you have to operate the unit in Chrono mode. Personally, I prefer to use it in the regular watch mode. That way, I get to see the time and the BPM. In Chrono mode, you only get the BPM and/or split times.

Also, what sense does it make to have a water resistant watch, and a water resistant strap, but a total inability to use this HRM in the water?

On the positive side, the watch is very comfortable. (I don't know if it was an optical illusion or not as far as that photo comparing the top of a soda can to the watch, but it scared me when I saw it, yet the watch is perfectly comfortable on my wrist.) And the watch and the transmitter connect instantly without any glitches. So that's good.

But for this amount of money, I expected a useable strap and a logical layout with the operation of this HRM. I was disappointed to say the least on both counts.

FINAL NOTE: The paper instruction manual that comes with this unit leaves out a rather important step when it comes to changing the transmitter battery: PRESS THE RESET BUTTON AFTER CHANGING THE BATTERY. That step is listed in the online PDF owner's manual, but it's not included in the owner's manual that comes with this unit. I wonder if it might account for why some people have had problems getting the unit to work properly after changing the transmitter battery.
4211143
I decided I wanted a Polar heart rate monitor as I've used their HRMs before and was happier with them than with some other brands.  Right now I'm on a bit of a budget, so decided to go with the lower-featured FT1.  I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised.  After a little learning curve with the 1-button controls, I've found it easy to use, informative and the audible alarm is helpful.

The only thing I didn't love about my Polar FT1 was the chest strap it comes with.  The higher end Polars come with a softer fabric strap, but the FT1 comes with a strap with a sort of flexible plastic piece on the front that isn't as form-fitting.  It's not terrible - honest! - but it's not great, either.  I ended up getting a Polar H7, and it works great with my FT1 plus I can simultaneously use it with various fitness apps on my phone; I like it best with Endomondo, which also sends your workout to My Fitness Pal.

The features I was looking for that the FT1 has:
A large-ish, easy to read display
An alarm you can set so you're alerted when your heart rate gets too high or too low during workouts
The ability to change your max heart rate
Comfortable wrist band

Overall I'm happy with my FT1, and even happier when I paired it with the Polar H7, but honestly it works fine with the strap it came with.  I may upgrade someday, but for now my FT1 has/does everything I need and works great.
1884788
I recently bought the Polar F11 heart rate monitor at the suggestion of my trainer. I have been working out consistently for several years but it's just been within the last 6 months that I've really gotten serious about getting into shape. My trainer told me that a heart rate monitor would be a great way to track my progress and make sure I'm working out at the proper level.

After doing some research it was no secret that Polar is absolutely the best of the best. Hands down they receive the best ratings, are very user friendly, and seem to have a lot of repeat customers or customers that come based on recommendations. It was a little difficult for me to choose a model, and I asked several of my workout buddies which they preferred. After looking at all of the different monitors, I went with the F11 model for the following reasons:

Fitness test and program: There is a fitness test that tests your heart rate for 5 minutes and then gives you a number. Based on that number you can choose to create a program that will maintain, advance, or maximize your fitness level. Based on what you want to do (I chose maximize) it creates a program for you. Mine says to work out 5 days a week (you can change this) and tells me to do a total of 3 normal length sessions, 1 long, and 1 short. It gives times and target calories for all of these. If you reach 80% of your goal you are given a picture of a trophy that is displayed on the main screen of your watch. For me this was very motivating, as I wanted to keep that trophy on my screen! It was a reminder that I worked hard and it made me want to keep working hard.

Storage: It stores all of my daily sessions for about 12 days and probably about the same amount of weekly sessions (I've only had mine for 6 weeks so its not full). Within each day or week you can see how long you exercised total, how many calories you burned, how long your heart rate was at each zone (light, moderate, or hard) and how many sessions you had (each week). It's great to be able to track your progress over time and see your progression.

As a bonus, it syncs with all of the treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers, and bikes at my gym (they aren't a Polar model). I think that any cardio machine that has a place for you to put your hands and measure your heart rate will sync up with this heart rate monitor. It was really nice to be able to see my heart rate vary as I was exercising without having to always look down at the watch.

The strap was very comfortable, I didn't even feel it when I was exercising.

The watch was pretty user friendly, but it took me some time to get the hang of everything. This was my first heart rate monitor purchase and I would absolutely recommend this to anybody. It's a great deal for the price you'll pay, not too expensive but with a lot more features than a basic model. You don't have to be a super jock to get a lot of use out of this, it's been very motivating for me to use in every day use. I got it primarily to be able to workout outdoors in the summer and skip the gym a little more often and it's been great for that. I wear it when I go hiking, running, at the gym, and even walking the dogs. I don't forsee ever using a different model as these are very high quality and very useful for my workouts. I would absolutely recommend this model!
913925
I love this new polar strap sensor. the bluetooth is so much better than my old generation RF one. The app is cool as well.
303604
2014.10.05 ---Update --- Still one star ---
Polar was great enough to send me a replacement belt...this helped for a few months ..then problems again...
I switch back to my old belt...worked for 1 month...great...but since then, all I have is an expensive Polar watch sitting on my shelf all year...

Maybe since this was a new model, had lots of bugs...I learned my lesson...I will never again buy a brand new model from either Suunto NOR Polar.
Better to buy old/tried/true/simple models that I'm hopeful they got all the bugs out of...

What am I using now?  My tried/true, but in-accurate, Timex...but it works....!  Unlike this Polar system... The Timex only counts calories, and has
no memory, and overestimates the calories...so I just do the math (1000 Timex calories ~ 700 Polar calories)....but it is working though....

I'll save later for a cheaper/older model Polar.... or maybe go back to Suunto older model....

2013.10.17 --- Update --- 1 star ---
Well, I did get it back from Polar, and it was working great.  Buttons still sticky...maybe even a little more now...but whatevers...it worked...For a few months.

But now it is not working again.  Watch now has message "Check transmitter".  New batteries did not fix anything.

My recommendation is do not buy it.  Maybe Polar is good, but not this watch/system.

2013.04.08 --- Initial rating --- 2 stars ---
First off, package was not sealed tight...which made me feel it was a return?  Oh well...
Worked great for 3 workout sessions.  However buttons felt "sticky"...like there was
little movement to them / not smooth pressing...felt like I had to press harder to get
buttons to activate...I could never "feel" the button being pressed, so I had to look for
visual feedback on watch to tell me when to stop pressing hard..usually a half second
after I press...this could lead to buttons wearing out....Oh well...

Belt was super comfortable, though latch to join ends seems flimsy.
Sensor on chest really protrudes out, so people at gym can see I have a monitor
underneath my shirt.  Had a Suunto and Timex earlier that were more flat.  But I don't
care...so long as it works great....(so long as...?)

As far as graphing of sessions on Polar Training site, well, I noticed on 2 of my 3
workout sessions, there is a minute where there's a steep drop to 0 for heart rate near
the beginning of my session (10-15 minutes into the workout)...only there..so looks like
the watch lost connection to the sensor...sigh...I hope this is not a repeat of my
Sunnto t4d problems...

Oh well, like I said, it worked great for 3 workout sessions.  Last session, no detection
of heart beat.  Opened up sensor, and saw condensation ON THE BATTERY...so it is
definitely not water resistant to 50 meters.  Aired it out to dry.

Replaced battery next day with new one and still problems, but I wore it anyways throughout
my workout.  Checked on it after workout and once again saw condensation.

Returning it to Polar for maintenance.  My worst expectation is they won't do anything
about the buttons, and probably test the whole thing and say it works fine for them, and
return it to me unmaintenanced..we will see...I hope not....

I had high hopes for this after my Suunto t4d had poor sensor/watch connection, and
my Timex over-reported calories burned.  I REALLY wanted a good heart rate monitor
and spent the extra for this one...so far I am bummed...but I am hopeful...
1334505
Wow, this thing is amazing compared to other Garmin devices I have owned.  I had it's predecessor in the forerunner 310xt.  No comparison on quality.  The charging is way more secure, the wrist bank more plyable, upload works without messing with it.  I love it!
2826313
Love my Polar HR monitor. More accurate than any other ive tried. Works flawlessly with ease every time! This is a great product at a great price!
149453
Ive been doing triathlons for over 20 years and always had a Polar watch monitoring my training and competitions. My old S610 still works fine, except the infrared data transfer which never worked, but thats a different story.

Let's talk about the Polar RS300x:
Ive been using it for a number of years and the wrist band broke yet again: this is the 4th time; this one lasted just about 8 month. So every time I have to buy the entire housing just to find out its still the same bad quality.
The screen is another piece of quality equipment: after I had the RS300x for a while, conveniently after expiration of the warranty, some vertical data lines went blank on the screen, just one in the beginning, soon another one and now were at three. The screen was always very dim, now its almost impossible to read, especially while running. And don't try to do it while your cycling: by the time you figure out whats on the screen you might be in the ditch.

Nave as I am, I thought Polar is interested offering an exchange, a trade-in for me as a loyal customer. After all I owned 6 Polars so far. And sure enough: they have a so-called Customer Loyalty Program (CLP). In their endless generosity they allow existing customer a generous 20% discount, nevertheless with a catch: basis is their very high suggested retail price. Heres just one example, feel free to double-check:
V800 with HRM
Polar price: $499.95 less 20% = roughly $400
Amazon: $375.58
I also call it CLP, Camouflaged Legalized riPoff.

And don't get me started on the T31 HRM: its just a cheap plastic with sealed-in battery, stiff as a brick and uncomfortable.
Polars excuse: they want to make sure the HRM is waterproof  nice try.
My take: why would they sell a $2 replacement battery if you can package the battery and charge 20 times more, plus shipping of course.

You'll excuse my sarcasm, I'm just tired of dealing with this kind of attitude. Im done with Polar, there are plenty of other brands out there who really care about customer service.
439074
I have run religiously with my Polar  RS400 for the last 5+ years.  I run by heart rate and depend on my RS400 big time.  I finally broke down and bough the M400 because I needed a GPS, but still live and die by the RS400. The M400 work fine, as advertised. The sync software is poorly written, both the Windows version and Android, very inconsistent. I have synced with the Android Flow and all looks good, but the training session does not get uploaded to flow.polar.com. The Windows client is very flaky and sync inconsistently. I have not fully debug the issue (I am a professional software engineer), but never had ONE issue with the R400 and Polar Trainer 5. The issue maybe in the use of the micro-usb connection that is very sensitive. If you want the sync software to just work, look elsewhere!
283350
Polar, king of the heart rate monitors, misses the mark with their first attempt at a fitness tracker.  I have used a Polar RCX5 training computer for years, and love it.  I bought a Polar H7 bluetooth chest strap to work with my treadmill, and had been using a FitBit One for daily activity tracking.  I was looking for something to integrate the two, and the Loop syncs with the H7. "Great!" I thought.  Well, the Loop has its own app, Polar Flow, which as far as I can tell, does not communicate with with the Polar personal trainer website or app, Polar Beat (why 2 apps??).  It exists wholly outside the Loop.  (See what I did there?)  I miss my FitBit One but I gave it to my hubby after I got the Loop. The battery life on the One is far superior, lasting up to 2 weeks on a charge, whereas the Loop lasts maybe 3 days?  On the One, there is a silent alarm feature, the sleep tracking is better, and it can also count vertical steps.  What I really want is: a fitness tracker that has a user-friendly app with GPS maps, syncs info  with multiple apps (MapMyRun, MyFitnessPal, WeightWatchers, etc.), links with a HRM, has a sleep tracker with intuitive silent alarm (wakes you within a 30 min window when you are in your lightest sleep).  The FitBit One with app does /nearly/ all of that...  Someone build this for me!
738387
Had i known how good this watch was, i would have purchased it sooner.
  The Garmin 910xt 0xt is a great improvement over my old 305.  But I will not address all of the improvements from the 305 to the 910xt. I will focus on the improvements from the 910xt to the 920xt.

1.  The menu are more logical.  Triathlon mode is listed with all the other modes,  and is really easy to use.
2.  I have a bad habit of getting the watch ready for a ride or run with friends,  but while I'm waiting for them,  i forget to start the timer.  The 910xt will eventually time out and silently drop back to battery saving mode.  I often miss recording full rides.  However, the 920xt will beep and vibrate 3 times in the last 30 seconds before dropping back to battery saving mode.  This one feature may be my favorite!
3.  It is a limited Smart Watch!  It will alert me of incoming calls and texts. I had a Sony Smart Watch that was better, but I had to wear two watches during exercise.  Now I only wear the Garmin! Id does everything that I need.  It's not a full function smart watch,  but it does what I need most.
4.  Battery life is great!  I exercise 1-2 hrs a day,  running,  riding,  or swimming and i only have to charge it on the weekends.
Note: it will record run metrics ONLY with the proper HR monitor.  The HR monitor that comes with it does,  but if you purchase the HR monitor separately, be sure to get the one with the run metrics built in. The Proper HR monitor has accelerometers in the HR monitor that can detect an uneven stride.
4558197
I had a very old Polar HR watch that was excellent for many, many, years but finally went. Decided to try Timex Ironman (for a change) it worked very well for about 3.5 months (5 workouts p/wk)  then became very erratic. So for me I just wasted money. Well pack to Polar.
19068
I love Omron products!  I have their pocket pedometer, their blood pressure monitor, and now I've been using their&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Omron-HR-310-Heart-Rate-Monitor-with-Strap/dp/B005DKJIVO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Omron HR-310 Heart Rate Monitor with Strap</a>&nbsp;for a couple of weeks, now, and it's very accurate and amazingly versatile.  Most of the time I use it for its watch and calendar mode, but when I'm walking or exercising, I switch it over to its heart rate monitoring mode.  You can use it either way.  The chest strap is adjustable, and you must be wearing it for the heart rate mode to work, but it's no hardship to just wear it all the time so you can switch modes at will. No wires, either.  The information from the chest strap is radioed directly into the wrist strap. A little complicated to set up, I was still able to do it without help by reading the instructions...and then reading them again!  BTW, when it asks for your weight, do not lie about it.  No one else is going to see it, but the monitor can't give you accurate information unless it has the correct facts.  If you lose or gain a significant amount of weight (more than a couple of pounds either way)readjust it accordingly.
Seriously,  if it's important to you to know how you are doing heart-healthwise, it's important to have the best equipment, and I believe Omron to be the best.
3346480
I don't know, man.. it seemed like a great buy but the HR tracking placement (ie. forearm or upper wrist) is hard to find. My HR is all over the place in the gym and its hard to track calories. I will keep playing with it and re-update my review with a YouTube video so stay tuned :)