Polar H9

The strap sucks. If you have no lats, maybe it won't slide down your body as you run. But for those of us with big lats, you have to modify this thing. You can either modify the strap, or buy the $40 Polar Pro chest strap (you’ll have to replace any strap you get probably every 6-12 months so keep that in mind). I haven't tried the outrageously-priced Polar Pro but it's the only one on the market that has grips all the way around the strap, not just in the front.The chest strap can be easily modified as follows:Buy one of the "zig zag silicone grip wave bands" you can find online, and sew it (or use fabric glue or something) to the inside of your Polar chest strap and it actually stays in place while running! Just make sure you get the strap customized to your underchest first, and give yourself some space for the inevitable long-term loosening of the strap (you might need to tighten it gradually over time).Without the extra grip, you have to find the perfect balance through much trial and error between too tight and too loose. Too tight, and it creates a little cavity where the electrodes are between the strap and your chest (so it gives you terrible readings, if any). Too loose, and it falls down to your waist.I also found that using a small dab of electrode gel on each of the two electrodes on the back side of the chest strap (enough to cover just the two circles on the strap where the strap touches your chest) makes a huge difference in getting a consistent, accurate, read. Don't use water, it just doesn't work nearly as well.I love the Polar Beat app it comes with! It was the best free app I could find for Android for a heart rate monitor. I'm sure there are probably better paid ones out there but I didn't try any of them so can't attest. The Polar Beat app gives you a graph at the end of your workout that shows your heart rate over time, and tells you how many minutes and seconds you spent in each of the 5 heart rate zones (50%-60% of max heart rate = zone 1; 90-100% = zone 5). It has certain modes that track your GPS location for accurate maps of your runs/rides and the app will tell you every mile when running how long your mile took, your pace, and average heart rate. I've never used it for a bike ride.It also tracks calories very well and whenever it doesn't get an accurate read, it does a pretty good job "guessing" (better than the old Polar Watch I have). If I start my workout on the Polar app first, THEN start the workout on my Polar watch, it will let me use both to track my workouts which is great. That way I can leave my phone in my gym bag while running around the track, and use the watch instead to track % of max heart rate. It's also nice when using my phone for anything else while I'm doing a HIIT circuit or on the exercise bike, that way I can just look at my watch to see my stats. I don't have a smart watch so can't comment on how it works with that. I think you might need to get the latest and greatest to pair it to two or more smart devices at once. But this one works perfectly for one smart device and one dumb device.

I've only owned this for about 2 months now, with about 3 - 4 hours of intense sweat contact per week. But my impressions so far it's better than Garmin HRM Dual that lasted around 1.5 year with similar use pattern. The Garmin had noticeable corrosion on metal contacts, the metal buttons on strap was separating, would drop connections frequently towards end of life, and the ultimate failure points around screws on plastic unit seemed to be a silly design flaw. Unless the Garmin was a case of planned obsolescence, in which case kudos to that Garmin engineering team, it was an inferior product compared to the Polar. The Garmin failed because the thin plastic pieces beneath the tiny screw heads cracked and crumbled away so back cover could not hold battery in place. Seal was broken and the internals corroded to failure. All those weak points on the Garmin seem to be addressed on the Polar. In addition, the Polar actually pairs better with my Garmin products more quickly, consistently, and easily without having to wet the strap when I first put it on. Polar strap is a little narrower but for me its more comfortable because of softer elastic fabric. Minor downsides, the Polar strap loop and hook is not as robust and easy to use and narrower strap sometimes gets a little bunched up.

No matter what I tried, moistening the strap, changing positions of the sensor, disconnecting the sensor from the chest strap while not in use, changing batteries, and using different apps, this heart rate monitor constantly failed to accurately demonstrate my heart rate. Using the Polar flow app, it graphs heart rate during the exercise period. Every time my heart rate was peaking (above 120 I'm 70) It would stop registering and even decrease. I walk the same hills and course every time. As I started a grade, my HR would begin increasing 90-95-100-106 then flatten or decrease even though I was increasing my speed or reaching a greater grade. I have sessions recorded and in each the recording show an increasing rate and then flat line or decrease until some arbitrary time it would resume, always after finishing the hill. I have researched everything I could find to resolve this issue with no luck. In my years past, I have used Polar chest straps with wrist mounted display and never had an issue. As a final note, the return window is only 30 days with this product and I find others who experience similar problems.

I have been using this strap for over a year to monitor my heart rate on runs and bike rides, and it has worked flawlesly throughout. I've only changed the battery on it once during this time when I noticed that it would not connect to my bike computer. I personally have never had the band slip or shift off my chest.Once you pair it to your watch or bike computer, it's remarkably simple to use - just put it on and it automatically turns on and starts transmitting to whatever device you have. When you take it off, it automatically powers down. There is no on/off indicator light, but I found that it's not needed, and would likely just waste battery.