need help choosing a heart rate monitor

[amybajamy]

I'm not sure what to buy. I unfortunately lost my polar hrm and I was going to buy another polar, but I don't like the fact that it's really difficult to get the battery changed. When I first got mine the battery was dead and it was difficult to find someone who would change it, then I didn't use it for a long time and the battery was dead again. Now it's lost. Anyway I was reading some bad reviews about polar, mostly about the battery, but also about defective monitors and poor customer service. So I'm thinking of getting something else, maybe a Timex, but I don't know anything about other brands. I want to make sure I get a hrm that tells me the percentage of my max hr while I'm working out, not just how much time I spent in my target hr zone. I can't tell if the Timex monitors do that. I also don't want to spend a ton of money. Probably not over $90. Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[hokypoky]

No suggestion other than the Polar here - mine is going on six years. I don't know if you have a Batteries Plus store near you, but after a few years of mailing my HRM to Polar, I found out B+ was happy to change it for me. In case you get another Polar ....

 

[upnorthchick]

I have owned my Polar F4 for at least 6 years and use it almost every day, sometimes more than once a day. I have had to have my watch battery changed 3 times. However, I have never shipped it off to Polar for them to install a new battery. Twice I took it to the local sports store and the last time I needed a new battery my husband installed. And this was AFTER I had taken my watch and transmitter for a little swim! After the watch and transmitter dried out and my DH changed the battery in the watch, it's good as new! I don't know if the transmitter ever needs a battery because, so far, mine hasn't needed one.

Just my input. Maybe I lucked out and got my HRM from a "good batch".

 

[SheWolf]

I have a Timex and love it! It does everything I want it to do!


But.... it's only downfall is the calorie burn is overstated on it. Probably by about 200 calories on a really intense workout.