Customer Reviews

Polar B3 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The system works fine. The problem comes when you have to change batteries. Not just a matter of switching, the watch has to be sent to the company. This so called service has a double price. An abnormal high fee for a simple battery change and you don't have a watch for two weeks.

This was a gift after I had a heart attack just after my 43rd birthday. I use it daily at the gym and while I walk at home. It is an indispensible tool for me. Even after all this time, it remains working well.

Two items about it: First, I did not send it to the factory for battery replacement because it was out of warranty already. I paid $4.95 at the local battery store and they guaranteed it's waterproofness and continued accuracy for another 24 months.

Second, the elastic on the heart monitor is now deteriorating [after 3 years of daily sweat and rinsing, I can't imagine why ;)]. I cannot find "replacement parts" from Polar for this. They suggested I buy a new unit at $49.95 + tax, shipping and handling. So I have procured the services of a local seamstress to attach the "latches" to some new elastic.

Excellent product. Well worth the price. It is literally a life-saver.

I first learned about this heart monitor at my gym and had to have one. The manufacturer sells it for twice the price Amazon sells it for. Great price and a neat heart monitor. If you own a high end treadmill or elliptical they will pick up the heart rate from the Polar B3 and display it for you. Super.

This product is great if your looking for a basic heart rate monitor without all the fancy extras. It is compatible with almost all of the treadmills/steppers/precor machines at the healthclub. It makes finding your target heartrate simple and easy.

The B3 is a great toy for people who don't want to spend hours reading the instructions first. It has everything one needs: alarm, heart rate measurement (comes with belt), date, time, stop functions...it's so simple to use and POLAR is just really good quality stuff.

I had originally ordered the Mio heart rate monitor . There were just too many problems with that . I have 10 stents in my heart and a defibrillator/pacemaker . I was concerned that the magnet in the Polar chestband might interfere with all the metal that was recently placed in my body . I contacted my doctors ,the manufacturer of my defibrillator ,and Polar . I do not wear the strap as indicated but wear it on my side opposite my heart and implant . It works just fine .I can set my own target zone according to my doctors , and when I am out of the zone the watch lets me know , usually I am too high and then know to slow it down . I have compared the readings of this monitor with taking my pulse the old fashioned way and it is accurate . Nice piece of equipment .You won't go wrong with this company .

This worked wonderful for the first 2 weeks, but into my third week, the heart beat monitor was having a hard time keeping my pulse. It would come in and out during my workout. This made it very difficult to know what my average heart rate was during my workouts. I know, you might say .. he must be 400 lbs. I am 5'11" 200 lbs, so in my opinion it should not of been any problem in holding my pulse.

It is very easy to use... if you can get it to work.

I was extremely dissapointed to find that my old A3 monitor that needed replacing was more functional than this new B3 model. I felt it was deceiving that the same number was used on a new model that didn't have the same features. The old A2 is the same as the new B3, neither of which shows the percentage of max heart rate which I've found to be very useful.

This is the first heart rate monitor that I have purchased. I do not have much with which to compare it, but I find a monitor invaluable. I have been hearing on different media that a pedometer is the basic health electronic gadget - I disagree. The monitor is more important because it tells you the qaulity of the exercise, not just the number of steps or time. I use mine frequently and have done so since my purchase some six months ago.
Actually, I thought that the monitor was just a watch and that it measured pulse through the wrist. I was surprised when it came with a chest strap, too. I do not know if I just did not read carefully, it is not explicit in the description, or I am naive about these things. Regardless, it is not a big deal to strap it on. I appreciate the features and the ability to create a target heart zone. I like the different ways that it displays info (by length of time in zone and by simply displaying the heart rate). It takes a little understanding to figure out the buttons. It is somewhat more complicated than a standard watch. I look forward to having it for a good long while.
Worth the purchase and I would buy another (even with the chest strap).

This is a good basic heart rate monitor. It includes a watch function, making it useful beyond the exercise monitoring. Plastic strap is not very comfortable, or I would rate it 5 stars.