Has anybody used the Polar F6 HRM for SWIMMING ? Does it work well in the water ? I need to measure my heart rate and calories burned from fat while swimming as well as while running on the treadmill and while playing tennis. I would be happy to hear what people who have used it for SWIMMING think about the accuracy of the Polar F6 HRM in measurement of the pulse and calories burned in the swimming pool and in the sea. I am considering buying a Polar F6 but I need to know if I can use it effectively for swimming as well. I will very much appreciate contributing opinions both favorable and unfavorable. If Polar F6 is not suited for swimming has anybody used another HRM suited for swimming and been satisfied with it. If yes please tell me the brand of that HRM. Thanks a lot. Has anybody used the Polar F6 HRM for SWIMMING ? Does it work well in the water ? I need to measure my heart rate and calories burned from fat while swimming as well as while running on the... » Read More Has anybody used the Polar F6 HRM for SWIMMING ? Does it work well in the water ? I need to measure my heart rate and calories burned from fat while swimming as well as while running on the treadmill and while playing tennis. I would be happy to hear what people who have used it for SWIMMING think about the accuracy of the Polar F6 HRM in measurement of the pulse and calories burned in the swimming pool and in the sea. I am considering buying a Polar F6 but I need to know if I can use it effectively for swimming as well. I will very much appreciate contributing opinions both favorable and unfavorable. If Polar F6 is not suited for swimming has anybody used another HRM suited for swimming and been satisfied with it. If yes please tell me the brand of that HRM. Thanks a lot. « Show Less
607287
Hi, Chris from Polar USA here. As mentioned previously. It should work great in the pool! I have logged many many laps with mine. As another poster mentioned, the initial push off sometimes causes the transmitter to slip down. We find if we place the transmitter in our back, (upside down so the L/R sides of the transmitter are still on the L/R sides of your body) this reduces the drag and prevents that from happening. Please give us a ring if you have any questions. Chris @ Polar USAtwitter.com/chrispolarusa
607288
Rasih,No problem. I am not planning any trips to Turkey at the moment, but I will it in mind. I am from Costa Rica, but I currently live in the US. Cheers. Jose.
607289
Rasih,According to the Polar website, you can use this HRM (and all of their products) for swimming. You may want to check this link <http://www.polarusa.com/service_repair/faq_con5.asp?ID=14>. However, the it sounds like the HR data may not be as reliable as in other sports.I will be trying out my F6 in the pool tonight, if I have issues I will be happy to report back, otherwise assume that all is good. By the way, I love my F6, specially the SonicLink feature that allows you to download your HR data to your PC.Cheers,
607290
I use my polar f6 for swimming in the pool and it measures my heartrate well. I do not know if the calorie count is accurate in the water since heart rate usually lowers. Maybe I just need to work harder?
607291
Good to hear from you. I will keep in contact once I get a Polar F6 HRM. RegardsRasih
607292
Look at the manual or at the Polar website. It's very easy. You just go to "Settings" then "User" and change the gender, weight, etc...
607293
Jose,Thank you for giving me such a detailed reply in such a short time. Your positive results with your F6 in swimming have pleased and encouraged me to buy an F6 soon. I swim, jog,walk, weight train, stretch and play tennis a lot. A girl has also replied saying that she also got good results with the F6 in swimming. By the way, what country are you writing from ? I am communicating with you from Istanbul, Turkey where I live. I appreciate your help and if you ever intend to pass by Istanbul let me know so that we may meet. Thanks again. When I buy my F6 soon and use it in various sports including swimming I will let you know the results I get. Bye. Jose,Thank you for giving me such a detailed reply in such a short time. Your positive results with your F6 in swimming have pleased and encouraged me to buy an F6 soon. I swim, jog,walk, weight train, stretch and play tennis a lot. A girl has also replied saying that she also got good results with the F6 in swimming. By the way, what country are you writing from ? I am communicating with you from Istanbul, Turkey where I live. I appreciate your help and if you ever intend to pass by Istanbul let me know so that we may meet. Thanks again. When I buy my F6 soon and use it in... » Read More Jose,Thank you for giving me such a detailed reply in such a short time. Your positive results with your F6 in swimming have pleased and encouraged me to buy an F6 soon. I swim, jog,walk, weight train, stretch and play tennis a lot. A girl has also replied saying that she also got good results with the F6 in swimming. By the way, what country are you writing from ? I am communicating with you from Istanbul, Turkey where I live. I appreciate your help and if you ever intend to pass by Istanbul let me know so that we may meet. Thanks again. When I buy my F6 soon and use it in various sports including swimming I will let you know the results I get. Bye. « Show Less
318103
I find that the heart rate monitor works quite well. Sometimes it takes a little longer than normal because of it changing while I am working out, etc.And sometimes if I am super sweaty I have to wipe some sweat off first for it to work.
2124015
It's a great unit. It measures your HR thru a chest strap which works perfect. I've never had any issues with it. Yes, It can measure your HR out of the box but to get an accurate calorie count and max HR you need to perform a test which is really simple and it gives you the instructions on what to do. The calorie and HR count are accurate. Great buy. :)
1736544
I've used this watch for all different types of work outs. Anything from running outside, sprints on the treadmill, weight training, and crossfit style workouts. Overall I think the heart rate given is pretty accurate. As far as calories burned, I can't imagine it beig 100% correct but either way I'm sure it's a good estimate and always pushes me to work harder. It tracks your workouts and has some other features I haven't even used yet but for what I need I think it works great!
1332123
Yes. Great for swimmers - Fully water resistant making them the most effective exercise tools for measuring your heart rate while involved in water sports. http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/polar-t31c.html
2104791
Yes it includes speed, cadence and heart rate. Also calories burned but I question it's accuracy because its calorie number is alor less than the numbers I get with Polar and Sigma monitors.
1723198
I use the Polar Heart rate sensor and the runtastic Cadence sensor. They are both reasonably reliable and would recommend them
580339
Thanks for your detailed insights. From your post and others I've read, seems like I'll stick with the 305. I am very happy with the accuracy and ease of use, I just need to find some way to make it not rub my wrist so much. And the only other thing, and this is minor, is that it does not calculate calories expended unless you are using the GPS. I would think they could make an estimate when you are using the footpod indoors, but they don't. (The Polar R200sd does do this.)Maybe they will get the kinks worked out of the 405 sometime and I'll think about it then. Until then, I guess it doesn't pay to be an early adopter. Thanks for your detailed insights. From your post and others I've read, seems like I'll stick with the 305. I am very happy with the accuracy and ease of use, I just need to find some way to make it not rub my wrist so much. And the only other thing, and this is minor, is that it does not calculate calories expended unless you are using the GPS. I would think they could make an estimate when you are using the footpod indoors, but they don't. (The Polar R200sd does do this.)Maybe they will get the kinks worked out of the 405 sometime and I'll think about it then. Until then, I... » Read More Thanks for your detailed insights. From your post and others I've read, seems like I'll stick with the 305. I am very happy with the accuracy and ease of use, I just need to find some way to make it not rub my wrist so much. And the only other thing, and this is minor, is that it does not calculate calories expended unless you are using the GPS. I would think they could make an estimate when you are using the footpod indoors, but they don't. (The Polar R200sd does do this.)Maybe they will get the kinks worked out of the 405 sometime and I'll think about it then. Until then, I guess it doesn't pay to be an early adopter. « Show Less
1678983
I called polar and here's what I found out:All Polar HRM will include a transmitter and strap with every package. It is a "standrad" strap/transmitter in size mediumThe F6 is a coded receiver and comes with a coded transmitter.They offer a "Wear Link" strap which is a more comfortable cloth type material and has a user servicable battery that costs about $55.00.... BUT the Polar F7 is IDENTICAL to the F6 but comes with the wearlink strap and it's only a few dollars more...
757231
(9/4/2013) I think that may be something unique with the more expensive ones. I've found that with the cheaper ones, I have to wet my finger sometimes to get the rate to register. So far all my workouts have been rather sweaty but not overly heavy, so I guess it depends on how much sweat since I did read in the instructions not to submerge this one in water or take a shower with it or anything. I usually keep one of those dry sweat towels with me anyway (you know, the kind that wipe away your sweat but don't seem to ever get soaking wet no matter how much you wipe). I haven't had the watch for a full week yet, though, so let me put it through the wringer at my gym and out on the track a few times. Then I'll update on the results. Update: (9/18/2013) I've sweated up a storm with it and it keeps going. However, I'm a bit concerned with the accuracy of its measurements. I've had to set mine at the lowest sensitivity level possible and it still has a tendency to register almost double what a machine registers in burned calories. For example, I used the elliptical at my gym for an hour (using grips to register HR after having told it how much I weigh, etc.). I told the watch the same thing and used the finger pulse thing every 5-7 minutes during the workout. The HRs registered about the same on both the machine and the watch but the total calories burned was almost double by the time I made it to the end of the workout. My coworker bought one too, so I'm having her test hers out to see if she gets the same results then I'll report back again.
376462
All chest HR monitors are sweat-resistant. In fact, they MUST be a little wet to work properly. But if you're looking for something to track your HR while swimming, this won't work.
2016770
There are two versions of Tomtom multi sport watch. The original came with the optional HR strap. The newest version released in spring 2014 has an optical HRM. There are still some of the older models around but they will NOT have the word "cardio" at the end. Plus they are slightly more expensive. Definitely go for the cardio one but just be sure and tighten up the wrist strap one notch tighter than feel comfortable to start with!
775909
I have the pink F6 and I really love it. It shows your heartrate and elapsed time throughout your workout but after you have finished and pressed stop, it shows you your high heartrate for the workout, your average heartrate for the workout, and (this feature I love) it shows you what precentage of the calories burned during the workout came from fat. Every week it also shows you the total amount of calories burned for all the workouts you have completed in a week, as well as how long you have worked out. It saves the data for a really long time too so that you can look back and compare different weeks as you go on your fitness journey. This is a great purchase and I would reccommend it! I have the pink F6 and I really love it. It shows your heartrate and elapsed time throughout your workout but after you have finished and pressed stop, it shows you your high heartrate for the workout, your average heartrate for the workout, and (this feature I love) it shows you what precentage of the calories burned during the workout came from fat. Every week it also shows you the total amount of calories burned for all the workouts you have completed in a week, as well as how long you have worked out. It saves the data for a really long time too so that you can look back and compare... » Read More I have the pink F6 and I really love it. It shows your heartrate and elapsed time throughout your workout but after you have finished and pressed stop, it shows you your high heartrate for the workout, your average heartrate for the workout, and (this feature I love) it shows you what precentage of the calories burned during the workout came from fat. Every week it also shows you the total amount of calories burned for all the workouts you have completed in a week, as well as how long you have worked out. It saves the data for a really long time too so that you can look back and compare different weeks as you go on your fitness journey. This is a great purchase and I would reccommend it! « Show Less
2225289
Sort of. I turn on the treadmill mode to track my heart rate, but I question how accurate the calorie count is. Also, the treadmill mode will think you are on the treadmill, so you would have to discard/ignore those metrics. When I log into the third party software fitness tracker "map my fitness" and put in the time spent weightlifting, it will automatically approximate my calories. A couple of side notes. Tomtom says that sometime in July they are adding a "generic" activity to monitor activities other than run, bike and swim--but they have not done so to date. However, for the time being, when I do a gym workout in treadmill mode, I then select training option "laps" and then select "manual". This way, after every set, I tap my watch to reset the lap timer to help me monitor the rest time between each set. So I track my heart rate, total time, and time between sets.
761739
From what I have read and from my own personal use..i use this mainly for cardio of any kind (indoor or out). The wahoo app is great for tracking distance, avg. heart rate, calories and a few other metrics. In regards to using a heart rate monitor while weight training, i believe any heart rate monitor will not give you the metrics you are seeking. There is a lot of research going on with heart rate monitors and weight training, so i would read up on some of the cutting edge studies in medical journals etc.
1422498
I think this a spot check device. If you are looking for a heart rate monitor for sports consider one of the many polar models.
1615359
All I can say is that I wore both the New Balance watch and my Polar watch and oh boy...what a major difference in calorie calculations. I trust my polar watch because when I work out at the gym my Polar watch matches calories burned on the machine I am using but the New Balance watch was way off by 150+ calories...You decide! I wouldn't purchase it over a Polar watch but another suggestion is the New Fitbit....awesome fitness trainer device!!