For many, the choice of a multifunctional device turns into a headache. After all, one wants to get a decent device with a large set of useful functions for a symbolic price. And if we are talking about a heart rate monitor? Judging by the reviews of the owners who purchased such a device, many of the functions of the heart rate monitor remained unclaimed. How to make a choice? The focus of this article is on the heart rate monitor. Customer and seller reviews will help determine the choice of devices that currently exist on the market.
Device Requirements List
Before choosing a model of a heart rate monitor, you need to familiarize yourself with the functionality. It is clear that the more features the device has, the higher its price. Therefore, the list of requirements will be compiled according to the utility of functions from top to bottom. Dividing the list into groups will allow you to define three price categories - cheap, medium and expensive.
- Measurement method and signal type. A wristwatch with an analogue and a wireless chest strap has a low price. A sensor built into the watch and taking readings from the wrist is more expensive and inaccurate. A digital data transfer requires decryption on a computer, but is not subject to interference from electrical appliances.
- Thresholds By setting an upper and lower threshold for your heart rate, you can devote yourself to training. Overloading or weakening the load on the heart will notify the owner with a sound signal.
- The pedometer is useful for calculating the distance traveled. However, a watch with a heart rate monitor and a pedometer do not count distance when moving on skates and a bicycle.
- Calorie calculation is interesting for losing weight people, but it is not always accurate.
- Speedometer, barometer, altimeter, odometer - for many, generally new words in circulation.
A simple solution for a reasonable price
According to statistics, the Sigma PC 3.11 heart rate monitor is considered the best-selling device on the Russian market. Reviews about it are mostly positive. The presence of great functionality, it does not shine, but most of it is enough:
- analog wireless data transmission from the chest sensor;
- huge and clear display;
- built-in stopwatch up to tenths of a second;
- waterproof aluminum case.
An inexpensive device is suitable for all athletes who just need to see the heart rate. In terms of price-quality ratio, nothing is better to find than a PC 3.11 heart rate monitor. Negative reviews, such as providing false data in the immediate vicinity of the orbitreck, are not taken into account, since this is officially stated by the manufacturer in the certificate for the device.
Interesting offer
Since we are talking about the Sigma Sport heart rate monitor , reviews of which for the most part describe the advantages of the device rather than the disadvantages, it is worth paying attention to the models of the tenth series (10.11) and higher (14.11, 15.11). Yes, the price has doubled compared to the cheapest model, but the functionality has significantly increased:
- thresholds for a given range of heart rate with an audible alarm;
- lap counter, calories, workout time outside the training zone;
- a stopwatch, the backlight of a huge screen, and in some models the presence of a vibration signal.
Of all the functionality listed, attention deserves only the possibility of installing a training zone. By calculating your maximum age and heart rate for effective fat burning, you can exercise more productively.
21st Century Device
About Polar heart rate monitor reviews of owners and sellers contain more indications of advantages than disadvantages. The functionality of the device corresponds fully to the price, and if you compare it with Sigma Sport, you will find that the devices are almost identical. The difference is only in appearance. The Polar heart rate monitor resembles a device from the distant future - the futuristic look of each model is unique and, judging by the reviews of sellers, attracts the attention of buyers.
Pleasant functions, in addition to the thresholds for setting the heart rate, can be considered the presence of an alarm and the relationship with a personal computer. Working with a PC is not only about maintaining a training journal and reporting. The proprietary software allows you to create entire training programs and record them on the heart rate monitor.
German quality
Affects the review and German heart rate monitors Beurer. Reviews about these devices are quite interesting both from sellers and from buyers. The advantages include ease of use. What about the sensor, that there is no discomfort from the watch on the hand - put on and forgot about their existence. Some device models (updated series) are equipped with a measuring sensor on the watch case, which allows you to read data directly from the athlete’s finger. The upper and lower limit of the pulse with an alarm in the middle class of heart rate monitors is the norm, but the difficulty in setting up and controlling causes negative users. It is unlikely that it will be possible to configure the measuring device the first time, even if there is a Russified instruction. Also, users note the poor quality of chest sensors, which often refuse to work when swimming underwater. The same applies to the control buttons of the wrist device, when you press them under water, the dial of the device fogs up, which indicates the ingress of moisture inside. In such cases, the service center fails to guarantee.
Serious approach
Special attention should be paid to devices from the expensive segment. The heart rate monitor, only positive reviews of sellers, has a built-in navigation system, moreover, its own design. We are talking about the famous American brand Garmin. It is easier for happy owners of a heart rate monitor from this manufacturer to write what functions are missing than to list all its advantages. In fact, on the athlete’s hand is a fully-functional laptop, which, thanks to the built-in sensors, can make all kinds of calculations and give the result to the surface of the screen.
However, judging by customer reviews, interest in the functionality of the heart rate monitor quickly disappears. Actively used only a warning about the pace of training and reporting on the distance traveled, measured using GPS. If you familiarize yourself with the instructions for Garmin heart rate monitors in more detail , everything will become clear. It is positioned incorrectly on the Russian market, because its main consumers are travelers, not athletes.
Apple fans will be pleased
Smart watches Apple Watch are also able to read the pulse of the owner. Only, unlike the pulsometers from the review, the data to the device comes directly from the wrist on which the watch is fixed. Already very smart, Apple got a heart rate monitor. Reviews in the media regarding the use of this device in the training process are far from positive. Firstly, the price of the device is high, and the protection against moisture and shock is too low to use the Apple Watch during intense training. In addition, the entire functionality of the heart rate monitor directly depends on the software that must be installed on the phone, tablet or laptop of the same name, because a watch is just a sensor. For use in sports, the device looks very doubtful.
Finally
In fact, it is impossible to find the perfect heart rate monitor for yourself. User reviews are subjective and not always helpful. But it is worth noting that all reviews in the media and reviews of potential owners agree on one thing - a good heart rate monitor should have a threshold function for triggering the preset heart rate. Everything else is a waste of money, which is unjustified. Also, regardless of the brand, it is worthwhile to pay attention to models that have a durable case and protection against moisture, because in the gym, in addition to the intense load causing profuse sweating, immersing the watch and sensor in a humid environment, it is quite possible for the heart rate monitor to accidentally hit foreign objects.