Customer Reviews

Timex Ironman T59761 Midsize 30-Lap Digital Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a walker, not a runner, but I wanted a heart rate monitor to help make sure I'm walking fast enough to get an aerobic workout. It's hard to tell if you're walking fast enough without one. I also wanted it as a motivation tool. I'm very happy with it and it meets all my needs. I use it every day and am very happy I bought it!

It keeps track of multiple items in your workout session: length of time, your average heart rate, your lowest and highest heart rates, calorie counter.

I read through some of the other reviews people have posted and I don't know why they are having trouble getting readings. Maybe they have a faulty unit and should send it back. The chest strap is snug but not uncomfortable at all. I slightly dampen the two sensors as the manual suggests before I put it against my skin. Everything works like a charm. I find the fastening system very easy to use. It's not much different than a bra strap although it's even easier since the clasps are just left or right of center -- you can choose which one you want to use. The hard sensor piece is in the very front and only about 6 inches long or so. The strap is stretchy elastic and can be washed, which is a nice feature since you put it against your skin each time.

I did quite a bit of research before I decided to buy this HRM unit. There were a lot of choices out there. Some very expensive. I think most people would be happy with this unit. It's nice and sturdy -- from a brand you can trust (Timex). The watch is a little chunky for a woman to wear when not working out, but I think it's just fine for a workout setting. Most of the HRM watches are a little chunky because of all the electronics contained in that little watch. If you go to [...], you can see "women's" versions of this same watch that appear to be a little thinner and in more feminine colors. Amazon has sellers that carry these versions on occasion. You might want to do a search if you're wanting a watch you can wear all day.

Please note that this HRM unit is just the watch and the strap. I was confused when researching watches because some of them come with a speed and distance GPS unit that you wear on your arm. And those units cost a LOT more. At least $100 and often up to $300. You only need the GPS piece if you are interested in finding out things like: your pace, your average pace, your best pace. It measures your real-time speed and tracks your total distance. I'm not at the workout level that I need this information. I'm fine with knowing my time and making sure I'm keeping my heartrate in the target zone that will help me lose weight. You don't need the GPS version unless you are interested in the additional data features I just mentioned.

One other thing, the watch automatically comes set to beep if you are not within your heart rate zone. But you can turn off the beep and just monitor your heart rate visually on the watch. I found the beeping very annoying. During warm up and cool down you are not going to be in your target zone so of course it will beep. I couldn't find that there was a way you could temporarily silence the sound. I think you only have options of on or off. I just leave the beeping turned off and I'm very happy. I don't see that it's very useful, but maybe some people like it.

So, overall, I think it's a great product and I'm very happy with my purchase. Good luck with your decision making!

I love this watch. It's easy to use and has everything you need including stop watch, countdown timer, calorie counter, and a review of your highest, lowest, and average heartrates through your workout. I don't go running or work out without it.

I just got this watch the week before Christmas and I've used it for 3-4 workouts. I used to own a polar so it took me a lil' while to learn the features, but it does seen to work very well. The lap options are cool. I also like the fact that it measures your heart rate even when you are not excercising, whereas the polar HRMs only measured if the HR was above a certain number of beats per minute. My only issue is that the calories seem too high. E.g. I'm a 148 pound woman and ran 3.5 miles and the watch says I burned 478 calories, which seems pretty high... It might be that it keeps measuring when I'm cooling down; the fact is that the calories burned don't seem to add up right...

I intended to use it for lap-swimming, but have not used it in the pool yet. I've been pleased with its performance during workout classes and on the cardio machines - the heart rate monitor helps me target the proper workout intensity.

The chest band is a bit uncomfortable because I'm small. It took a little bit of time to get used to the chest band. The chest band is low-profile, and I don't feel that anyone can see it under my workout clothes.

The watch is nice, and fairly simple to use. The indiglo is a nice feature. Operation is NOT intuitive - You will have to read the manual to figure out all the features.

Edited to Add: After reading additional reviews, I feel I need to add more info...

- I went with the most affordable and BASIC model I could find. This watch met all my criteria, and was the best value for the features. If you want high-performance for heavy use, skip this one and go with something else. For about $60 this is a bargain.

- small size, teal color, and made for a woman. It is about the same size as a man's dress-watch. I estimate that its about 1.5" wide.

- Battery in the chest strap is easy to replace. The watch will indicate 240 bpm when the battery needs to be replaced.

- some water on my skin prior to attaching the chest strap is all I need to get a good reading. The monitor portion of the strap must stay on the skin to get continual readings.

- you will need to read the manual to unlock all features, but in general the watch will recieve the heart rate a few moments after putting the chest strap on. If not, hit the heart rate button to activate.

This watch is as good as it looks. I'm using it along with "Buh Bumb Conductivity Cream for heart rate monitor chest transmitters" (also available here on Amazon) and between the two I've never had even a momentary blip or out of expected heart rate range reading - ever. The ability to customize the display on various screens is great, and the small size of the watch (so that it can be marketed as unisex) is actually very helpful in not getting in the way of hand/arm movement during workouts.

The only improvement I'd make is that the tabs on the ends of the strap for connecting the transmitter unfasten way too easily - often coming right off on one side while I'm trying to attach the other side to put it on. This can be very frustrating. My own remedy for this is to put some poster tack (silly putty like substance for hanging posters) in the gap between the strap's tabs and the transmitter - this makes the gap between the two smaller and so less likely to have them come apart unintentionally. But ideally I'd like to see them improve the method for connecting the strap to the transmitter, so that it would only disconnect when you are actually trying to take it off!

I am a fairly serious runner; I run 50 miles/per week. I bought this HRM as a basic model to monitor my training. I've been using it for two or three months now.

Pros: Decent looking watch, 30-lap function, easy to set up and use.
Cons: The actual heart rate strap you wear around your chest is very uncomfortable and does not have a secure and easy to use fastening system. Furthermore, when I review my data after a run, 9/10 times it registers my max HR as hitting 240. Obviously, this is wrong.

Would not recommend this one.

Delivers exactly what it advertises. Just barely larger than the women's ironman watch, it doesn't look clunky. Easy to set up the Max heart rate, and it automatically sets all the zones for you. Strap is very comfortable, and instructions are easy to read.

Simple yet plenty of features. Sensor reads and sends signals like a charm. When you compare all factors, it's the best value out there, at the very least, for those owning a first or second HRM. Highly recommended!

I bought a heart rate monitor at the urging of my personal trainer because I am pregnant and plan to continue working out and running throughout my pregnancy. The purpose of getting one was to not get exceed a certain heart rate and remain at a safe pace.

This is my first heart rate monitor. I initially looked at the Polar Heart Rate monitors, but there was only 1 model that would fit my small wrist (F4). I began to look at the Timex for several reasons:
1)The watch fit my petite wrist;
2)The monitor has a Digital Transmission, so I would not get interference with others who are using heart rate monitors in the same vicinity (Polar has their own technology called PolarOwn, but it is only offered on monitors that were all above $100USD), and
3)The value of the number of features listed were much more than the Polar (more bang for your buck).

I am very happy with it so far! It is accurate and I had no problems with getting a reading.
The only drawback is the "beeping" sound if you set your workout "Zone" and are not reaching your preset "Zone". I was able to manually turn it off, and not use this feature, but the continuous beeping is very annoying.

I would highly recommend this model.

I love this watch a lot. I use it all the time. I take spinning and for me its fun to know what my heart rate is so that I can be in the right zone. IT has a calorie counter, heart rate monitor, a timer, an alarm, and other little things. Super easy to set up the heart rate monitor. All you do is put it on and run your finger under some water and then rub it a little bit against the strap. The reason that the first person prob. had issues is becuase she prob. ruined it with all the vasaline she put on it. Why?!?!

Anyway! Its a great watch, easy to use, and fun to have on a workout.

Happy shopping :)