Customer Reviews

Polar F55 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Bronze Rock)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have been using the Polar F55 about a week now, and at this point think it's a great product, though it has many features I do not use.

First off, the basic functionality is great - the strap is comfortable, and after adjustment I can wear it without really feeling it or having it come loose even when I'm doing weights. Both the wrist unit and the gym equipment I've used it on (elliptical and treadmill) read my heart rate without interruption.

The advanced functions are... advanced. I had to read the instructions to figure out how to work the unit, but was able to figure (almost) everything out after doing so, the remaining exception being my inability to figure out how to rename exercise sessions. The features I found most useful were the fitness test, which calculates your VO2, and the personalized exercise program. There's also a body workout which I thought fairly useless, as all it does is show you muscle group and sets (it's also a single program, you can't have two different programs for alternate days).

One thing I was curious about was the accuracy of the calorie expenditure calculation; I was initially puzzled by how it could figure this out just from my heart rate and statistics. I did some googling, however, and found that heart rate is proportional to oxygen use; it turns out several groups, including some sponsored by Polar, have researched how to derive energy expenditure from heart rate and the calculation is fairly accurate overall. I checked the calculated calories on the F55 against the calories calculated by an elliptical machine (which knows energy use) on a 45-minute workout and the Polar was within 4% of the elliptical.

I think the best feature for me is the ability to continuously calculate and record heart rate and energy expenditure; without the F55 I only knew how many calories I was burning when I was on the cardio equipment, now I can record this during my weight sessions and other exercises. This, along with the ability to upload and keep track of my exercises and fitness level, will make the F55 used long after I get bored with all the extra bells and whistles it has.

Edit: Two months later, I am still using it and loving it - it keeps me honest when doing weights and records my last 26 sessions so I can keep track of my workouts on the polar web site. Still puzzled as to why some features were included (lunar phase indicator? why? so people who need the moon to run can plan their running during the day?) but I just ignore the things I don't use.

I have used this monitor for just a week and already find it the best addition I have ever made to my fitness program. Simply put, this unit will automatically take care of the M&M's of personal training. Measure and motivate. Very simple learning curve. Once your up to speed on the buttons the Polar does the rest. Want to see how many calories you have burned? No problem. Want to maintain your cardio level. Simply done.
Using this monitor will take anyone seriously interested in their fitness to the next level. I would rate it higher then 5 stars if possible.
Also the Polar personal training web-site is a very good resource to track your data and progress. The nice part is that the Polar personal trainer comes along at no additional charge.

I got my Polar F55 a week ago and LOVE IT! I will admit I am a big gadget person however I can't imagine anybody not loving and seeing all the benefits this device has to offer! It also is an excellent motivating tool! You can check up on your exercise time, calories burned, and HR zones from your previous workouts individually or look at them a week at a time. I love to watch the numbers climb and see myself reach my goals in real time as I exercise. Also it calibrates the heart rate zones at the beginning of each session so it is always customized to YOUR BODY! Also all through your workout you can see where your heart rate is compared to the limits for that zone so you can be sure you are getting the most our of your workout. You can tell it if your goals and it will work out a cardio program to help you reach those goals. It also works with every piece of cardio equipment at my gym and I have used it solid for a week and not receive any interference. The WearLink strap it comes with is EXTREMELY comfortable and doesn't even take you 15 minutes to get used to wearing. I wear it swimming, playing racquet ball, lifting, and any cardio you can imagine. I also wear the watch as my full time watch as I just am obsessed with checking out how I am doing as far as my weekly goals are concerned. I would say this is an absolute MUST for any person serious about their fitness level and it will easily keep you on track getting to that next level whether it is losing weight or strengthening your cardio prgram. The only negative I have to say is that the BodyWork out that is to do with lifting isn't that great of help unless you are a complete novice and then it would be a great starting point as it suggests reps, sets, and movements. If you are already in a lifting routine or know about lifting you proabably will not find it that great but the cardio part is PERFECT!

This is my 3rd Polar HRM. I personally struggle with learning the features of their products- it just doesn't click, but once I understand how the devices work, I am very pleased with the performance. I upgraded from Polar HRM #2 to this model for the additional features and user replaceable batteries. That's huge. I used to send my old device to be serviced and telemetry strap exchanged and the turnaround time was very poor. I almost went with another make just for that feature, but I think Polar recognized it wasn't user friendly. The button action is much improved on this watch- stiff at first, but after a little use it's very easy. The display is large and clear. OwnFit and OwnZone are huge features for me training for multisport activity. I like the data storage and the 2.0 IRDA device (sold separately) to upload the data to my computer. The free software is useful, but not very robust. All in all I'm still getting used to it, but I got what I expected and it is doing all the things advertised. I would recommend this device. There are other devices with more features and capability, but you need to get honest with yourself and ask if you really will use or need all that stuff, or care to measure it.

The strap that is included is different than my previous Polar heart rate monitor that this replaced. For whatever reason Polar chose, the strap is not replaceable as prior versions were; the battery pack snaps onto the strap, which does not allow a different strap to connect to it (the front is sewn into the part of the strap that goes around you).

Although the fact that is is nice to see that the battery on the chest strap could be replaced, the strap, although indicating that it adjusts from M-XXL, was loosened it to the maximum size and it was still snug. I have a 40" chest and if that is XXL, they won't sell many of these units with that chest strap.

Watch = 5 stars
Strap = 1 star

I've owned my F55 for about a year now and have been happy using it as an aid to keep me in the zone for my runs.. but that is about all this Polar unit is good for. If you start to advance and want to get all the hard earned data out of this device your stuck with Polar's anemic PolarPersonalTrainer web site.. It is NOT supported by the overly expensive ProTrainer5 software and to add insult to injury you cannot create .HRM files to import into more advanced training software (i.e. Training peaks, etc). The other problem I've had with this HRM is the band; it's difficult to put on and take off and doesn't have the ability to be replaced with a quick Velcro band.. All in all after a year of using this HRM and not being able to access my data I've finally given up on Polar, I'm going to move on to Garmin or Suunto. (Yes I'm willing to pay more to have a well engineered "solution" over pretty websites and fancy marketing buzz words.)

Perfect for going to the gym, or swiming, or running. Trustable, precise, resistant, pretty, and it lasts!!! Veeeeeery good deal!!!
Also a litle too big for my taste but you get used to it

I am not a fan of the F55. I have owned a Polar HRM on and off for 10 years, but I am moving on. This was the worst of the bunch. The controls are fidgety and unintuitive. The watch stopped working in about 1.5 years, and no its not the battery and not under warranty. I will look into other brands.

For many years I had an old Casio heart monitor with a dual timer which was awesome because I could set my heavy bag rounds. You had to put your finger over the sensor and while you had to be incredibly still, it did work. The strap broke numerous times, until eventually a chip of the plastic casing broke off leaving the pin unable to rest in its slots. So I looped a chain through the other end and wore it like a traditional stopwatch around my neck until the battery died over a decade later.

So seeing how far HRMs had advanced I decided to get a new one and wow I'm really glad I settled on the F55. The learning curve was a little steep (the manual is 70+ pages) and I thought wearing a monitor around my chest would be uncomfortable (especially since you have to moisten the cloth areas of the strap) but I barely realize it's there. It does everything I need it to do and them some. It dwarfs the functions of my old Casio. If even awards you trophies for achieving your goals. The only thing I miss is the dual countdown timer but I can get one of those fairly cheap for when I'm hitting the bag.

Does it get me motivated to work out? Surprisingly yes. After years of high school football and track, college track, martial arts and full contact I thought I was done with any type of competition. But it has actually has gotten me thinking about competing in some races and tournaments again. Instead of willing myself to workout through sheer discipline I'm actually motivated to want to push myself and compete. Uploading all my workout data to Polar's website is pretty darn cool. It includes the date, time worked out, calories burned, fat percentage, and maximum and average heart rate with options to customize your data. It's a flawless process with Polar's own irDa adapter. I tried a 3rd party adapter and it just didn't work. I hated to bite that bullet 'cause it's definitely overpriced but thems the breaks sometimes. The strength training feature does seem a bit limited but I can still make extensive use of it.

The monitor strap has a limit of I'd guess about 40 or so inches. If you have a larger chest than that you'll likely not be able to wear the monitor.

Overall I was very impressed and if it functions for as long as my old Casio did I'm going to be very happy with it.

I purchased this watch 2 months ago. I had another polar before and although I paid almost the same amount of money for both of them the functionality on the F55 are too complex to use unless you really dedicate time to it. If you are a gym freak then it is the product for you. If not buy something simpler to use.