Customer Reviews

Polar FS2C Heart Rate Monitor

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

My husband bought this unit almost a year ago, when another brand he was using quit working. this has been working great for him. I started using it a few weeks ago, and have been please with it's performance. The strap is comfortable, and the monitor is fairly acurate and easy to read. It is nice to have your heart rate displayed constantly, without having to stop and push a button. So far, it is wearing very well. Nothing is broken, and after a year, it is still displaying the correct heart rate. The other unit we bought earlier, was cheaper, and died after just a year. The strap just needs a little water on it before straping it on, like others of its kind. But, once on, it is not noticable at all. I have liked this so much, that I am buying one for each of our daughters for Christmas this year.

I bought this after researching quite a bit. I was more concerned about the accuracy of the Heart rate. Though some of the machines in my Gym shows fairly accurate HR, I wanted to get away from the requirement of holding on to the sensors always. With the above said as the only selection criteria I selected this model.

Pros:
1. So far in my tests/compares, It has provided accurate HR .

2. It was a pleasant surprise when almost all of the aerobic excercise machines (those I worked out on) in my gym picked up the signal from the transmitter and showed the data just as if I am holding the machine's sensor.

3. No issues with chest hair as mentioned in reviews for other models. I never had any problem in this regard though I have reasonable chest hair.

4. If you bring the watch close to the chest transmitter, it automatically switches to other modes (from HR display to Time display etc). I found this to be very useful as I need not slow down or do any additional thing to switch modes.

Cons:
Looks like one needs to send this out to factory even for battery replacement. So, for all practical purposes, I consider that once the battery life is gone, the monitor is useless.. Having said that, even if this works for an year or so, It is worth the money, IMO.

You need to watch out for the model if you need additional features (Calories calculator etc).

Summary: This is a good reliable basic heart rate monitor. If you intend to use this while working out on aerobic exercise machines (and assuming they show burnt calories etc), this would be a good choice.

I bought this product because my previous heart rate monitor watch battery died and I saw no way of replacing it. This watch/strap combo costs 1/2 as much as my old model polar and does the same thing. As a bonus the watch display is quite large and easy to read while running/exercising. The older more expensive polar watch had more features, which I never used, but the display was small and in a smaller font making it much more difficult to read.
Strap is plenty big and comfortable. it says "m" (medium?) on it but it has no problem fitting my 46" chest.
Good product. just note that the battery is not replaceable so once this thing goes you will probably have to send it back in or get another one.

This is the "entry level" polar - but really I din't know what else I'd need it to do - it monitors you heart rate, time of your excersise, and displays the time of day.

I researched and read 50 or more reviews before I finally decided to buy this watch. The watch is perfect and has virtually no flaws. I researched the features that I required, and this watch presented those features perfectly. For perspective, I'm male and 6'3"

The Good:
- The one button operation is easy to use and the button is large enough
- The display is large and easy to read
- It's backlit (ie it lights up at night - on demand)

The Great:
- The awesome feature where you can just place the watch directly in front of the chest strap (while wearing it) and the watch will toggle between heart rate, time and even the back-light - yes the back-light too! Meaning while your working out at night, just pass the watch in front of the chest strap and the the watch will light up for a few seconds -- awesome!
- The watch is not bulky nor dainty
- It's truly waterproof (I have swam many laps in the pool with it and the readings were perfect)
- The chest strap is very comfortable and the sensor is small, sleek, and like the watch, it's waterproof.

The So So:
- If you have large wrists, the watch may not fit... Mine is being worn on the second to the last hole.


The watch would physically look appropriate for a man, woman, older boy/teenager, but might look too big or masculine for a young girl.

You can safely buy this watch and be happy!!

The FS2C Polar Heart Monitor is a fine piece of equipment. It has always picked up the heartbeat without having to wet the sensor and I like the feature that let's you switch modes during exercise by moving the wrist unit close to the sensor unit. The only way to set the desired alarm range on this unit is manually so if you want to enter your age and have the range set automatically you'll need to buy the FS3C.Polar FS3 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Dark Grey)

This HRM is the best yet of three that I've purchased.The first two I purchased, the Acumen Eon Basics and the Timex T5J031, had the same problem of being able to reliably synchronize the transmitter( on chest) to the watch monitor(on wrist). This Polar FS2C takes 12 seconds to get synchronized and it stays locked! It's as reliable as a Swiss piece and simple to use.

Watch looks terrific in pictures, but much less so when it arrives. Total low end plastic crap and I would have expected much more from Polar. A few other negatives, but my biggest gripe was that the number one reason I bought a heart monitor was to be able to give me a continuous and accurate reading and sadly, this low end Polar was not able to do so:

o Let's start with the fact that the watch takes what seems like forever to pickup my heart rate. The watch goes into stopwatch mode (as do many HR monitors) but then I quite literally have to wait mins into my workout routine before it finds my rate...and yes, I wet the little conductors.

o When the watch finally does find my HR, it very often then gives me a rather cryptic "00" reading. I have no idea what this means and apparently nor do the folks at Polar, because the code does not exist in their manuals.

o if you inadvertently bring the watch near your chest, it changes modes (which it is supposed to do), but I quite often based on whatever exercise I'm doing get my hands near my chest and having to reset the watch to the correct mode each time is a massive annoyance.

o I have no idea what EXE stands for, but a bit cryptic when all I want to see is HR.

Too much work for me overall to get a simple heart reading and should have paid the extra money to get a Suunto, which I will be doing the second I return the Polar...disappointing.

While working with a physical therapist it was highly recommended I get a lower end Polar monitor to help me get to my previous level of fitness after a couple of injuries which took me off my feet for 4 months. I had never used one before, and I am seeing real results due to my efforts and the heart rate monitorings. I get up to speed quicker in an interval walking program, focus my 1 minute 'bursts' better and overall keep my heart rate in the zone. This is great for someone starting out in exercising or looking to increase to a more intense moderate workout. If you are looking for a fitness plan I would opt for a higher level monitor which has more functions. This one is easy to use, the strap worn on the chest is comfortable and the functionality is fine for someone at my level.

I purchased this as a gift for my son who had been wanting a heart rate monitor for his work-outs. The product is very impressive and provides him with all the information he needs for his training. He is pleased with the product which makes me happy with the purchase.