Polar FT60 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black with White Display)

by Polar

• Black men's heart rate monitor watch with several innovative training features
• Displays heart rate as percentage of maximum, bpm, and within target zone indicator
• Polar Star personalized training program delivers feedback and weekly training targets
• Polar OwnCal mode tracks energy expenditure for single and accumulated workouts
• Offers ZonePointer and Polar OwnZone modes; water-resistant to 30 meters; 2-year warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com

The smartest way to better fitness, the Polar FT60 men's heart rate monitor watch helps you stay motivated and improve your conditioning. The FT60 works by first checking your daily condition, and then guiding you to the ideal training intensity for your age and fitness level. Knowing your heart rate not only helps you reach your personal fitness goal, but also improves your physical condition in general, as it's vitally important to train at the appropriate intensity level. If you exercise too hard, you may quit before you reach the real benefit, but if you work out too leisurely, you'll struggle to lose weight at all. The FT60 helps overcome these problems by encouraging you to map out a complete fitness routine.

The FT60 is packed with innovative training features to help you toward your exercise goals. First off, the watch includes a Polar Star personalized training program that adapts to your workout habits. By giving you weekly training targets and providing constant feedback, the watch guides you without being too strict, helping you reach your goals more efficiently. The watch also displays heart rate info in several ways, including as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, as beats per minute, and within a graphical target zone indicator. And should your heart rate exceed or dip below your target zone, the FT60 will sound an alarm that helps you return to form.

Users will also love the variety of proprietary Polar functions, including ZonePointer, Polar OwnZone, and Polar OwnCal modes. The ZonePointer is an audible and visual feature on the display of your FT60 that shows you where your current heart rate sits within your target heart rate zone. The Polar OwnZone mode, meanwhile, provides a customized target zone for individual exercise sessions. Finally, the Polar OwnCal mode shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session, as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. You can also set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure, helping you achieve both short-term and long-term goals.

Other features include support for the G1 GPS sensor (sold separately); a built-in fitness test that measures your aerobic fitness at rest in just five minutes; a ZoneLock mode that lets you activate a target zone in the midst of training with the press of a button; an OwnCode mode that prevents crosstalk from other heart rate monitors nearby; a recording mode that tracks your average and maximum heart rate, calorie expenditure, distance, and total exercise time, and then puts it in an exercise file (with 100 total files); water resistance to 30 meters; a 12/24-hour clock with a day/week indicator; a built-in backlight; an alarm with a snooze; a low battery indicator; and a Polar FlowLink connection for transferring data between the FT60 and a computer. Sporting an attractive black housing with a white display, the watch carries a two-year warranty.

Manufacturer's Warranty
The original purchaser of this heart rate monitor is backed by a limited warranty that states that this product that the product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for two years from the date of purchase.

About Polar
The first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor was invented by Polar back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The concept of "intensity training" by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990s, individuals were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance training needs, but also for achieving everyday fitness goals. Today, the same concept of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose weight. Polar is the leading brand among consumers, coaches, and personal trainers worldwide and the company is committed to not only producing the best products, but also being the leading educator on the benefits of heart rate based exercise.

Product Description

Helps improve fitness and keeps users motivated with the new Polar STAR training program, which adapts to the user's personal exercise habits, providing weekly feedback and updated goals

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.1 x 2.9 inches ; 8.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Origin: Imported (China)
• ASIN: B001F0PVNK
• Item model number: 90036405
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

402 of 405 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great workout device January 24, 2009

By Heavy Amazon User

It took me a week of reading to decide which HRM watch to try. After a few days I narrowed the brand down to Polar, but then there're about 30 models from them to choose from.

My intended use: I don't run outdoors much so I don't need a GPS. I do cardio and weights in a home gym and have been writing everything down to keep track of progress, weight loss, etc.

I wasn't sure if I would use the extra bells and whistles beyond a Polar F6 but I was intrigued with the higher end models' ability to test your resting fitness, plan a workout régime, monitor your progress, record weight loss, revise the plan and repeat while recording this all to the web.

So, I narrowed it down to the F55, the FT60 and the FT80. Well, the FT80 is getting horrible reviews due to dark screen, unreliable software, and other basic `version 1' problems. The F55 seemed perfect for someone who lifts weights in their workout routine as I do so I researched further in that direction. The problem is that it only has 17 types of lifting sequences (e.g. Curl, Squat, etc.) and I agree with other reviewers that with those few, I probably wouldn't be able to take advantage of that feature (e.g. when I do a bicep workout I do about eight different types of lifting to prevent muscle memory. And, I really didn't like the way the F55 looks. A minor point but if you're spending $200 on something you wear, you at least want it to look good.

Then I started reading about the FT60 but there are very few reviews from actual users, and I always read reviews before I purchase anything these days. But it looked like it would give me what I wanted, and I like the looks much more than the F55. So I got it yesterday and used it for the first time today. I have a 42 inch chest and the band fits fine (some reviewers were saying some of these bands don't fit larger chests). In about 5 minutes I was able to enter my demographics, test my resting fitness, set a goal (maximum fitness) and begin a workout.

The screen is very easy to read, easy to change the readout while working out, and really made a difference in my ability to stay in a good cardio zone. The watch creates three zones for you (60-70%, 70-80%, 80-90% of Max Heart Rate) based on your fitness test, demographics, etc. Then it tells you how many hours per week you need to be in each of those zone to achieve your goal (maximum fitness, improve fitness or weight loss). These are all graphed on the watch so you can see where you stand for that workout or for the week. It's a great idea and really keeps you motivated to achieve your goal.

Also, if you're interested in tracking weight loss, the watch asks you weekly to enter your weight and it tracks that for you graphically as well. It also takes the weight change into account when planning your next week's workout goals.
I haven't synced it up to the web (still waiting for my usb/irda dongle) so I can't comment about the site, but I wonder if it's really needed because the watch is pretty easy to use to review your workout history. That said, I'd still like to have it on the web for historical analysis.

Bottomline, if you're new to HRMs like me and are not sure if you need all these features (the F6 is about $150 cheaper!) I would take a serious look at this watch. And, if you are in the same boat as me (cardio, weights, variable routines that change so I don't get bored) I think this watch is the best way to go.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars FT-60: mostly good, but polar problematic May 1, 2012

By Michael

Amazon Verified Purchase

I've had my FT-60 for several months and have actually been quite happy with it. Display is fine, HR signal is good. The HR strap is picked up by my Lifespan Fitness treadmill and my Concept2 Rowing Machine (Erg). I like the Fitness Test, the zone analysis, and love the Star Program. The Flow link data capture system has worked very well and very easily, capturing data to Polarpersonaltrainer.com, which is good but not great. More on that below.

If the FT-60 existed in a vacuum, I'd give it 4.5 stars. So why 3?
The problem is when viewed in the context of the whole polar line (not to mention Garmin). Polar has a very bizarre approach to product features. Generally, as you move up a product line, you add more and more features. You don't generally lose features. If you're willing to pay the cost, you get more. Not so with Polar. They seem to just randomly distribute features among their many models. Each model has a very distinct mix of features; based on someone's idea of its ideal user (I'm giving them much more credit for thoughtful design than I suspect they deserve). As other reviewers have mentioned, it's as if each model was designed in a vacuum, by teams who have only the barest idea of what the others are doing. It would appear that no one at Polar oversees the whole product line and makes sure that things makes sense. What this means is that if you happen to want just that particular set of features found in one model, you might be in luck. But for many (like me), no matter how much you'd be willing to spend, you won't find all the features you want in one place. Worse, unlike Garmin, Polar has multiple sets of accessories that are not compatible across the line, so if you happen to change HRMs, it's likely you'll need to replace your accessories (footpod, GPS, data capture).
The FT-60 uses the Flow link for data capture, which works well. But only about 4 models use this. Should you change models (or perhaps another family member has a different one, or perhaps you want another one for a different purpose), you're probably going to need to pay for another data capture system. (As far as I can tell, none of the models let you have multiple users, so every family member needs their own HRM). The FT-60 is somewhere near the middle of their line, but you can't get any accessories to use with a bike for speed or cadence. The footpod that works with this model doesn't capture cadence data for runners.
The next model "up" is the FT-80. If you read the literature, you might think the primary difference is that the FT-80 adds strength training features and a graphical display. What you might not realize is that it also works very differently with polarpersonaltrainer (PPT). The FT-80 captures minute by minute HR data, the FT-60 does not. You can only save average data with the FT-60, which severely limits your ability to use it with third party software (such as the excellent Sports Tracks). Want to do strength training AND capture cycling data? Nope - can't do it. No such model. Let alone put all of that into your Star Fitness Program. Even if you wanted to spend a fortune and get their top of the line model (no idea which that would be), you won't get it all, and it probably won't work well anyway. One of their newest models, the very expensive RCX-5, gets generally good reviews and has a lot of features (but not the Star Program, that's only available on a few middle of the line models!), but if you read the forums you'll see people are complaining a lot about it too. You can manually set HR zones, but if you use the Fitness Programs from PPT, they reset your HR zones wiping out your customizations.

The Polar line is rife with interesting technologies such as OwnIndex, OwnZone, OwnCal, Fitness tests, Star Program, Sports Zones, Sport switching, etc. The way these are distributed among the models defies understanding. As do all the features of their HRMs, which are very poorly documented. Many people like the Star Fitness program. PPT lets you monitor it. But it's only supported by a few models. If you get a second HRM to use when you cycle (since you can't get cycling accessories for the FT-60), you won't be able to combine your data from cycling with the data from the FT-60, to use in the Star Program. So much for cross-training or a balanced fitness program. This makes no sense; the data can be captured on the website, the website has Star Program, but you can't use those data in the Star Program.

You'll also find that on PPT, although you can enter additional data manually (cadence, distance, etc), you won't be able to plot it graphically, or really do much of anything with it, even though the website has some very good features like that. (You CAN plot it if you're using the FT-80 though; in other words, what you can do with data you enter directly on the website, which was not captured by your HRM, depends on which HRM you have. Huh?). If you want to capture different kinds of data (for instance stroke rate for rowing or Power for any sport), there's no easy way to do so. You can enter it as Fitness Data (the same way body weight and glucose would be entered), but that makes no sense, is incredibly awkward to do, and isn't very useful.

The more you learn about the Polar line, the more frustrating it gets. PPT tracks things like Running Index, but you won't find a model which supports running index AND the Star Program. PPT has a variety of Fitness Programs you can generate, but if you even try to do that, you'll wipe out your Star Program data (and you won't get a warning), and there's no way to use both. It goes on and on like this. Oh yeah - some models (eg the FT-80) will let you export your data into HRM files which can be imported into other software. Not the FT-60. Good luck figuring out which are which. PPT has XML export but this is pretty much worthless as it's only summary data. And I haven't even mentioned integrating GPS data - I don't use that so I haven't taken on that issue.

It's frustrating because Polar could have a really great lineup with some really impressive features if there was someone in charge over there, rather than what appears to be a company run by anarchists. Polar would clearly excel if your goal is Fitness rather than training for competition or performance (where Garmin is clearly the winner), but they cripple themselves.

On top of all that, if you read reviews on all their models, reliability is as random as product features. I would have preferred the FT-80 over the FT-60, but if you read reviews you'll see that unlike the FT-60 which works well, the FT-80 has terrible reviews and many problems. Oh yeah - the FT-80 comes with data capture accessory (can't buy it without) but the FT-60 doesn't. If you had the FT-60 and bought the flow link, and later step up to the FT-80, you'll have to buy the Flow Link again.

If you can find one Polar model that a) has exactly the features you want, b) you don't think you'll ever need additional features or want to step up to a different model or track other sports, and c) you can find those features in a model that actually works well, you'll be in great shape. But before you purchase, you need to look at accessories available (and unlike Garmin, the Polar accessories are insanely expensive - footpod for the FT-60 is almost as expensive as the HRM itself), you need to look at how data are captured and whether it's into PPT or their standalone software package, which data are ACTUALLY captured, what PPT will let you do with them FOR THAT MODEL, etc. For the amount of research needed, you could probably get a Master's Degree.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Erratic HR readings July 22, 2009

By J. Roth

I recently purchased the FT60 for cycling training. The first few times I use it, the max hr value recorded during my training sessions was over 214 bpm. However, I never saw a value higher then 184 on the wrist unit and 214 is much higher them my max hr. I contacted support about the erratic HR readings and gave me an faq link with some tips. Unfortunately, after trying several tip, none seemed to help. I also found it odd that they publish a long list of things that cause disturbances between the wrist unit and the hr transmitter (below).

Disturbances may occur near high-voltage power lines, traffic lights, mp3 player, overhead lines of electric railways, electric bus lines or trams, televisions, car motors, bike computers, some motor-driven exercise equipment, cellular phones, or when you walk through electric security gates. Microwave ovens, computers and WLAN base stations may also cause interference. To avoid erratic readings, move away from possible sources of disturbance.

Seem unlikely that you can avoid many of these sources of disturbances while cycling (bike computers, car motors, electric lines, traffic lights, cellular phones). Maybe Polar needs to add an option to change the frequency in such cases.

The other annoying thing I noticed about the FT60 is that you can not select the wrist display to display between hr only and hr and % max hr in the same screen during training. This can only be selected during setup settings and is not easily changed on the fly during training.