Customer Reviews

Polar F6 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black Coal, New Design)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The Polar F6 is a fine piece of equipment and there is no doubt about it. It's so useful, giving you access to a host of physical statistics and it's incredibly easy to use. Will the F6 help you with your fitness goals? You bet it will. There is no doubt that it will add a new dynamic to your workouts.

In short, you will wonder why you ever waited so long to get one!

**BTW, the battery is a snap to change and I'll tell you how in a minute.

After you have entered your personal stat's like height, age, etc. your F6 will tell you how long you have exercised, heart rate, calories you have burned and how many your are burning per hour, how many calories you have burned for the entire week of exercises or however many sessions you choose to total. You can also review stored exercise sessions individually all via the Diary function.

The F6 can calculate varying BPM zones for you to work within via the OwnZone function or you can set them yourself. The F6 monitors your BPM and Alarms and arrows go off when you are too high or low.

Here is the part I love. You can use the sonic Uplink to transmit all of your diary information from the wrist unit, through your PC mic, to the website [...] and monitor your progress over time, set up goals and see how well you are achieving them. There is a lot more you can do there as well. Have a look at the site.

**I've read some of the bad press on here concerning changing the batteries in the wrist unit. I changed mine, no problem, and I feel confident that it is still water proof and I'll tell you why. Just a quick note though that for me it doesn't matter because I don't use the unit while in the water.

Purchase a CR 2032 3V battery. Take the four screws out of the back using a tiny phillips head screwdriver created for this type of thing. Once you take the back plate off you will notice a little gasket that sits inside a groove that runs just inside the circumfrence of the back of the watch.

When you have replaced the battery you will want to be very sure and carefully push this gasket into that groove to retain the water proofing. Could it still leak? Maybe, but that is your best bet if you are going to change the battery yourself. I feel pretty confident that, so long as the gasket is in good condition and it is pushed into it's groove, then it will not leak.

With the back off, you will notice that the battery is visible and a small metal arm is holding it in place with an even smaller bent metal piece that fits over a plastic bump. The metal slips down over the plastic bump and clips into place. Use you're your screwdriver (I use a tiney straight edged screwdriver for this) to lift the metal piece over the plastic bump. Once the arm is released the battery should slip out of it's housing.

Slip the new battery in, + side up, and reverse the previous steps.

You're done. It even has your old information still saved.

I love this thing. I'm very happy with it's performance and use it all the time.

After a year of moderate use, heart rate readings became erratic or zero. Polar changed the t31 coded chest transmitter due to a low battery and was covered under warranty. (Did not cover shipping costs.) Another year later and now out or warranty, the same thing happened. A replacement will cost about $50.

The battery in the chest strap seems to only last about a year and is sealed in the case. You cannot replace it. I would avoid any model that doesn't allow the batteries in both the watch and the chest strap to be replaced by the owner.

This is my first HRM watch. Arrived in perfect condition and was user-friendly for initial set up. Chest band that comes with is a Medium, but don't be discouraged if you're a large frame, it is much bigger than I need and I'm 5'9 225lbs. Watch is helpful in all aspects of exercise regime. First, it is easy to use and very helpful while working out. I constantly adjust the treadmill to keep my HR in the zone I'm going for on a given day. Second, and most importantly, it reminds you how often you actually work out. You might find that your mind had been playing tricks on you. For instance, I like to think I easily workout three or four times a week, but that really just isn't the case, unfortunately. It's more like twice a week. That sucks, but it's good to know and gets me a little more motivated when I strap this thing on because the first thing I say after I see it's been four days is - "DAM# IT"...what was I thinking....Anyway,this watch is golden. I use it to run for about 45-60 min three or four, wait, no, twice a week. The best thing it's done for my workouts is make them less painful becuase I know exactly how hard to work to keep my HR in the "zone." It's a lot less work than I thought to keep my HR in a good spot for 45min-1hr. Before owning this watch, I worked out way too hard...Great buy.....

I have to agree with many of the other reviewers, the battery replacEment for Polar's products is a big NEGATIVE. Sending the unit back to the factory to have the battery replaced is not practical.
Second, how do you contact their customer service? No phone number listed, and try googling their website. What a joke.
Note also most of the positive reviews are written by users who have not had their monitors long enough to face the battery replacment issue.
A common problem I've seen with Amazon reviewers is that they write their review the first week they've used the item. Really? One reviewer gave it a positive review because of fast shipping and it looked like it was pictured on the web.
I'll never buy another product from Polar.
PS: I did replace the battery myself, but the display is blank in several areas, oh well.....

I haven't owned a HRM before, and decided to purchase one to make improvements in my bicycling goals. It's a recommended purchase. Since purchasing it, I've noticed very quick improvements once I based my training on suggested heart rates that I monitored with this HRM.

The unit comes with a chest transmitter that has a strap for a "medium" chest. I have a 48" chest, and after extending its buckle to the maximum it fits just right. If you have a chest diameter of more than this (where it is attached to the chest) you will need to purchase a larger strap. I've seen the straps for sale and they are less than $10. The strap seems to stay in place for most of my exercises, although I've had to adjust it a couple of times when it began to "ride down" my chest.

I've also discovered the T31 transmitter that comes with this unit also works with a lot of cardio machines you find in gyms. So this is very handy... you don't have to look at the HRM itself all the time, but you can keep an eye on what is reported on the cardio machine equipment. That was a nice "extra" I didn't expect.

The HRM unit itself had all the basic features I was looking for. I think it's a great "first monitor" if you've never had one before. It's enough to accomplish any immediate goals you have and will make you think about other features you may want in more expensive HRMs. I've found it sufficient for my purposes.

The menus take a little time to learn, but within a day you'll have it. One thing I have wished for on the HRM is that it seems you can only be monitoring for a single "zone" during an exercise session. I have 3 zones I want to include in my exercise program, so I have to manually change the zone limits each time I want to train in a different zone. That's a hassle for me... how many of you can remember all your zone limits?

One one thing I have wished for on this HRM is the ability to delete old logs. They stay until they finally fall out of a time range. When I first purchased the HRM, I had 3 "play sessions" to learn how it works. Later I accidentally turned on the HRM when I was going to the gym. This created 4 "fake training sessions" that I cannot remove in the history log. Whenever I upload my training sessions to Polar's personal trainer web site, these "fake sessions" show up each time and I have to manually delete them. It would be great to be able to remove these directly from the HRM itself and not have to do this each time.

Anyway -- I still recommend it. It's a great first purchase of a HRM.

When the watch arrived, I tried to activate it but the device wouldn't turn on. I called Polar who immediately sent me an overnight UPS label to return the watch for repair. Unfortunately, they didn't send it back to me overnight so I waited for two weeks till it was returned.

When it arrived I noticed deep gouges in the face of the watch but decided I'd use it anyway. This time it activated OK but one week into using it, the heart-rate monitor went squirly. Yes, I have a slow heart-rate but 36? I don't think so. So I called Polar again.

Polar sent me another return UPS label, though this one was for ground service. The watch is, even as I type, en route for New York and yet another repair and, I hope, a replaced face. If it is still unsatisfactory after it is returned, I shall ask for my money back

Polar F6 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black Coal)

I've tried everything to get this thing to work, but it just won't give me a good, consistent reading. I've even had the thing in for service, and still it goes to 0 during workouts (and I sweat enough for three people, so electrode moistness is not the issue). It's not interference either, as it does the same infuriating thing no matter where I wear it. I've been happy with Polar HRMs in the past, but this one is a total lemon. It looks like some others have had similar issues getting a consistent read, but not across the board. In my case, for whatever reason, this thing is worthless and was a waste of $110.

The most important thing you need to know: the Polar F6 is essentially a disposable product that lasts about a year. The battery must be replaced by the factory; A MAJOR HASSLE. Other than that, functionality, usability, and accuracy are quite good. However, given the battery issue, I will not buy Polar again.

Keep in mind that I am a new user, and am still experimenting with the functions, especially trying to get the correct tightness adjustment on the chest-strap transmitter. This unit might deserve 4 stars if I was more proficient in using all of its features.

I purchased this heart rate monitor so that I could improve on the results of the cardio portions of my regular workouts (a lot of this is on a treadmill). I wanted a Polar brand because the 2 gyms that I use have "Polar-Ready" equipment, which means that the heart rate measured by this monitor will transmit and display on the treadmills, elipticals, and other machines so that you don't have to keep looking at the watch. I have had varying results on this, mostly positive.

I belong to 2 gyms. One is a very large gym (Bally's) that has a large quantity of Polar-Ready machines. I have found that the heart rate display on the treadmills that I use jump in and out somewhat, and that the readings on the treadmills don't always match what is being displayed on the heart-rate monitor wristwatch. There is often a delay where one of the devices changes, then the other one matches it in a few seconds, however. Occasionally, it stops reading my heart rate altogether, but always resumes in a short period of time. I am not sure what causes that to happen. It still works relatively well, however. Since I know my own body, I am certain that when the readings disagree, that the fault is on the gym equipment; the heart rate monitor is reading correctly. Even on the worst day, this monitor outperforms the "handrail" use of the treadmills, which rarely ever functions properly.

In the small gym, which has only 6 machines that are Polar-ready (and they are all right next to each other in a line), the readings are much more stable. In most cases, the readings between the Polar wristwatch and the displays on the machine match almost perfectly (at least with a few seconds between number changes). One interesting note: In the small gym, there are 3 identical treadmills right next to each other (the other 3 machines mentioned are eliptial machines). On one occasion, I was using the treadmill in the middle, and the other two were also in use. My heart rate displayed on the machine I was using, and was also showing up on the machine to my left. It was not displaying on the machine to my right, and all were identical machines. I never did figure that one out! One added note: I also own another wristwatch heart-rate monitor that does not use a chest strap. It does not give continuous monitoring; you must hold down 3 buttons for several seconds to get a reading. I have tried using both at the same time to compare the readings. Result: They were almost dead on, so I have GREAT confidence in the accuracy of the readings.

It is important to mositen the chest band before beginning your exercise, and to make sure that the chest band is on tight enough. The unit has a LOT of great features, including the option to set your desired heart rate range. It will then keep track of how many minutes & seconds that your heart rate was within those limits. I really like that feature.

I AM STILL LEARNING TO USE THIS DEVICE, so I might be more critical than I need to be. I DO recommend this product.

I have had the F6 for about a month and a half now. It's working perfectly. I highly recommend this product for the average user like myself. The ownzone feature gives you your target heart rate while working out. It continuiously / instantly tells you your heart rate. No buttons to push, just look down at the watch and you see your current heart rate. It tells how many minutes you have been working out. My running lap times have already improved from using the F6. It also acts as a regular wrist watch to tell the current time as well. Very handy. The cost is a bit high, but as much as I run, I feel that getting the F6 is well worth the price.
*PS. a helpful tip*
Get the F6 to tell your heart rate. Use the ipod nano with the nike plus system to calculate miles, minutes per mile, how many minutes you have ran, calories burned, your best mile ran, past workout comparisions, and you will have a complete electronic training system. You will see your laptimes and distances improve more quickly. This is my personal experence.