Customer Reviews

Sportline Solo 925M Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

DOESN'T WORK IF YOU HAVE SWEAT ON YOUR WRIST!!

This is an EXPENSIVE stopwatch. That's about all it's good for because if you SWEAT while working out, the heart rate detection does not work. Let me reiterate...CANNOT GET A HEART RATE READING WHEN YOU'RE SWEATY.

Other than when you're actually working out and need or want to get a heart rate reading, this watch works. It keeps time. I can get a really fast reading while I'm resting. I have no problems getting a reading after having hurriedly walked over to the kitchen to get a beer and a grab bag of chips.

But when I'm working out and my wrist is sweaty--occasions for which this watch was designed--it can't get a darned reading.

STAY AWAY!

I bought this watch because I want to know my heart rate at my convenience without wearing my Polar chest strap all the time. I can fairly say it's accurate as I test match it against my Polar HRM. I am heavy on lifting weights but just moderate on aerobics. Lately, I'm beginning to wear this more in the gym!

Although I have been a Polar watch person I recently changed over to sportline because of price and no strap. Don't let them kid you this watch is very acurate. There is just enough software programs,"HR, calorie count, duel time" to keep you going without burden of to much information. Happy I made the change and I don't miss the belt. Happy running.

I've had this item for about a month and have used it many times on bike rides as well as during gym workouts. I have had absolutely no problems and the item is performing exactly as advertised. All HR readings are quick and accurate as compared to other instruments and methods. As usual, Amazon was fast and met every commit they made. I am a happy camper.

This is a nice-looking watch, with a big, clear display and easy-to-use controls. However, the pulse-measuring function failed after the first five minutes. I tried all the troubleshooting measures mentioned in the instruction booklet; still no pulse reading. Tried it on the top and bottom sides of each wrist. You guessed it, no pulse reading.Two friends - a small woman and a large man - tried it as well. No dice.
I've used Mio strapless heart-rate watches with intermittent success. But this Sportline model was essentially useless for its most important function.

I first purchased this watch at Dick's Sporting Goods and it totalled about $99. I got home with my watch looked online and found that I could buy it at Amazon for about $65. I bought the one from Amazon and returned my other unopened watch back to the store.

This watch is easy to view and has a bright light. The heart monitor works well and I can even get a reading during while actively working out. I like the fact that it will beep once when within my target heart-rate and when outside of the THR, it will beep twice which helps making it so I don't have to always look at the display to know whether I'm within my THR.

One thing I would have liked to see would be that the light stay on longer when checking the heart rate. At wake up, I like to check my resting heart rate and find that I often have to check it several times while I try to synchronize my heart rate reading and get the light turned on. After having to do this several times, the heart rate is no longer at the RHR due to the arm movements. Other than that, it is a great product and highly recommend it.

I thought Suunto was just about IT when it came to heart rate monitors...that is until I ran into problems with MY T1. Sure it worked pretty good for a while, but after about a month, I had an almost impossible time getting my chest strap to transmit my heart-rate to my watch regularly. It would work sporadically, and not consistently enough to accurately read even a short 20 minute hike...which is virtually inexcusable if you ask me...especially considering how much it cost. I thought quickly that it may be that the battery just needed replacing, but nope, that didn't do the trick at all.

But fast forward a few months when I noticed a cheap heart rate monitor that was on sale at Wal Mart of all places. Sportline was a name I was totally unfamiliar with up to that point, but I took a gamble and am I ever glad I did. My particular model (which I haven't seen sold at amazon, is the SX model that works with or without a chest strap) is easily one of the nicer looking heart-rate monitors I have come across, and it works great. It has a number of VERY convenient abilities, the least of which is that on the screen at any given time you have the percentage of your heart rate that you need for optimum success right there at any given moment. VERY nice to have. Just touch the stainless steel face at the bottom or the top of the screen and voila! You'll get your heart rate within a couple seconds without wearing a chest strap. OR if you prefer, you can wear one to give you continuous feedback on your workout progress and further accuracy if that is what you prefer (which I do, actually). It'll tell you if you are above or below the proper workout zone which gives the best results for your particular workout. Calories burned, and much, much more...and it can do all that at a FRACTION of the cost for anything made by Suunto.

In short, unless you want the prestige of wearing the name Suunto, or Polar or just about anything else, there really is NO need to buy anything else (IMO). For the record, my particular model is the SX Universal Combo ECG Heart Rate Monitor, which as of 11/21/08 was NOT available for review here at amazon.com).

****UPDATE****

I STILL like my HRM watch...however, according to the particular model I have, I am burning an abnormally HIGH number of calories...much more than any other heart rate monitor I have ever used. For example, I recently did a hike down into a canyon and back up to the top, and my Sportline says I burned 200 MORE calories than my Suunto (I was wearing both at the time for comparison purposes). While I would LIKE to believe a 2-mile hike burned 600 calories, but I am having a difficult time accepting those results. While wearing both watches, every time I compared my actual heart-rate, both watches had my rate either exactly the same, or the Sportline had me at one extra beat more than the Suunto--enough to maybe give me a couple dozen additional calories burned during the same workout, but definitely NOT an extra 200. I have since done some additional homework on heart rate monitors that claim to be 'ECG Accurate' and from what I have dug up, that seems to be the more reliable way to go...and while the Sportline IS ECG and I found nothing on my Suunto that made that claim, is it possible that the Suunto is the less accurate of the two?? Somehow I doubt that, but other than the incredibly generous addition of calories it seems to credit me, the watch still performs rather well all things considered.

The watch is several months old now and I wear it 24/7. Not one problem.

The product (model 925 Sportline) does not detect heart rate except on an irregular basis. Sportline tech service telephone instructions to make the watch work were not successful so they sent a replacement watch. It is no better than the original purchase regarding detecting heart rate. The tech service person was prompt and tried to be helpful. The watch keeps good time and the features other than heart rate work well.

Quality product. Very convenient as compared to the chest strap type. For riding my recumbent bicycle it would have been better if the button didn't need to be pressed continuously for 3 - 5 seconds.