Customer Reviews

Polar F7 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Grey)

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

 

 

This heart rate monitor works great. I have no problems getting a reading from the watch or from the gym equipment that support Polar "broadcasts". Having said that, the rest of the review will be about "Buyer Beware" points. Buyer Beware Point 1.) From what I can tell, the F7 offers the same features as the F6. In fact the F7 came with the F6 owners manual. I say this because at the time of this review, you can purchase the F6 on amazon for around $96 vs the $119 for the F7. The F7 does though come with a material elastic chest band for the monitor where as the F6 comes with a plastic chest band. The elastic is supposed to be more comfortable and this is why I justified paying the extra $25 for the F7. Buyer Beware Point 2.) You have to wet the connectors of the chest band to get it to read your heart beats. Now many of you may already know this. Being a first time buyer, I didn't. So I can imagine how gunky this thing is going to get over time. They recommend rinsing and wipe it down after every use and after 3 to 5 weeks of use to wash it in the washer machine in a washer bag and limited detergent (NO BLEACH!). The probes on the strap are a material mesh and look like if I were to repeatedly wipe it down as suggested, will fray. Buyer Beware Point 3.) The battery in the watch is stated as lasting approximately a year. It will be shorter if you use that backlight. In order to have the battery replaced, Polar advises that you have to send it to an authorized Polar service center or it will no longer be under warrantee (which I believe is 1 year so if the battery lasts that long, you are in good shape) and it will no longer be water resistant. I live in the NY City area and there are no Polar service centers near me. In fact, the Polar web site only lists 4 of them in the USA. So when the battery dies, I will be left without my heart rate monitor for days if not weeks while it travels to and from the Polar service center. Given, all of this, I still recommend the product as it works great. I just have to adjust my expectations that this may not last for years and years which is what I was hoping for.

A personal trainer had recommended that I get a Heart Rate Monitor watch with a chest strap, and after researching them, this is the one I choose.
Great choice! This product is easy to use, comfortable to wear, and extremely accurate.
Helps you monitor your heart rate while you workout, track calories burned, build a target zone, and see your weekly progress.
There are a few negatives, but the positives greatly outweigh them.
First, the product has a "Send" feature. This is supposed to upload your results to a program you download from the Polar website. My first problem is that it is not Mac OS compatible. OK, so I'll try my Windows PC. Tried several times, never got it to work. Not really a big deal, but I'd like to see how the program helps me track my progress.
The other issue I have is with the crystal (the glass on the face of the watch). SO EASY to scratch. Maybe a "premium" version with a Sapphire crystal could be available. I scratched this on week two. I can still see everything fine, but the scratch is there and noticeable.
Even with those little issue, this is a very fine product.
I have greatly increased the value of my workout in being able to hit the target heart rate zones. I also find a lot of value in knowing how many calories I've burned each workout. It gives you a weekly report, showing you how many hours you've worked out, how many calories burned, how many minutes your heart rate is "in the zone", your high and low heart rate. All kinds of good info.
The chest strap is soft and very comfortable. This is where I thought I'd have a big problem. I HATE anything touching the center of my chest, but this is no problem. I barely notice it.
I'd strongly recommend this product to anyone that is looking for a heart rate monitor. It is well worth the investment.
Just try wearing the watch with the face on the inside of your wrist, it really helps prevent those little scratches!

I purchased this watch after reading many of the reviews, decided to go with polar, a lot of reviews say that it is difficult to program but instead of reading the manual, go to [...]on the home page you will find, video tutorials, there you will find very detailed videos step by step instructions on how to program the watch. Overall the watch is very nice, accurate HR, has all the functions you will need. It was a little more money than I had originally thought on spending but after looking up information on monitors and learning that the strap makes for more accurate HR, the F7 comes with a better more comfortable strap. Overall great monitor.

Am not really here to write a review as yet. My F7 is in the post as I type!.
I am really here in response to another reviewer/s who have had problems with the battery.
For those who want to replace the battery. : You can buy this: (I went on to the Polar website)

WearLink® Connector Battery Set

At a GlanceIt couldn't be easier to change the battery in your Polar product. This set includes a CR2025 battery and a battery cover with sealing ring for easy and quick replacement

hope it helps:)

The product work like a charm, and has reached by far all of my expectations.
It joins a lot of cool features and it's being way too helpful for my weight loss and improve my cardio/ability. Besides it's beautiful :)

People expect too much from basically EVERYTHING these days. This heart monitor (i got the blue one) does exactly what it says. It monitors your heart rate. It tells you how many calories you've burned provided you did not BS the info when you first use it. It even tells the time!

No heart rate monitor is going to tell an overweight, out of shape person that he or she is "doing great" or that he or she is burning x amount of calories in THEIR FAVOR. No. It's going to do what it's programmed to do so don't expect much. Put down that soda and burger and get to work!

I highly recommend this HR monitor!

Pros: El F7 es un buen producto, con un diseño que se ve mejor en vivo que en las fotos. Fácil de usar y cómodo. El emisor inalámbrico tiene dimensiones adecuadas para no incomodar durante su uso y para quienes sólo desean monitorear el desarrollo y resultado de sus actividades deportivas es un aparato idóneo.

Contras: Pobre documentación acerca de todas las funciones del reloj, uso y condiciones de uso del transmisor inalámbrico. El Software de comunicación de datos puede ser una verdadera pesadilla al principio, sin embargo una vez aprendido su funcionamiento, cero problemas.

Conclusión: Si es una persona fanática de los juguetes electrónicos, es una compra interesante y divertida, pero que no captará su atención durante mucho tiempo. Si es una persona con un plan/proyecto deportivo en mente, la cual requiere un trabajo serio de registro y seguimiento de su evolución fisiológica, es una buena opción.