Customer Reviews

Timex Ironman Road Trainer Digital Heart Rate Monitor - Mid-Size - Women's Purple, One Size

5 star:		(136)
4 star:		(79)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

Watch is the same as you would expect from a Timex Ironman. The watch is very comfortable. It looks like a regular sports watch. It appears to be well made. I am sure that it will only last about 2 years but that is alright for the money. Usually the timex ironmans tend to get beat up looking before they actually die. The interface is very intuitive. It works like a standard Ironman. You can display the heart rate in many different ways. I like that the time is visible while the heart rate monitor is functioning. I also like that you can display the heart rate in a bunch of different ways. I don't really use all of the fancy features. I did use it once just to see how it worked- it worked fine. (Avg hr, peak hr, blah blah). All that I do is keep my heart rate between 140-160. I would not count on the calorie counter to work. The recovery heart rate is a handy feature that is really easy to use. I think that measuring recovery heart rate is one of the best measures of heart health.

I bought this watch to replace an Omron that I bought off of Amazon for $32. The Omron was alright, but it was telling my that my heart rate was 220 plus beats a minute once in a while. And I wanted to see if I was going to have a cardiac arrest. The timex is coded, so I don't get any interference from the equipment or other heart monitors. The timex road trainer is superior in every way to the omron.

The only real downside is that the chest strap is a little short for big guys. I am 6'2" 240 lbs with a wide chest (48") and it is a little snug on me. I am hoping that it stretches out after a little while. This is a small annoyance that I don't mind dealing with for how well this watch works. Most people won't need to worry about that. I would say that only if you are bigger than me that it would be a real problem. It is nice to leave the watch on all day and then just throw the strap on when I go to the gym. During the day, the watch reminds me to hit the gym after work!

The heart rate is very accurate and reliable on this watch. It works consistently with no problems what so ever. This is definately worth the extra money. Using a heart rate montitor is a must to get the most out of cardio workouts. I will always use one from now on.

I had a polar a few years ago, and that thing was no where near as user friendly as this watch. This thing beats my old polar in every way. Also- I wouldn't be caught dead wearing the polar outside of the gym!

After much research I decided that using a heart monitor could really add a lot to your workout.

Researching the available options I basically found 3 categories / units worth pursuing. The first is Omron's heart rate monitor, which people seem to love as an inexpensive monitor but the rate transmission is not encoded so two of them can't be used in close quarters. My wife and I are doing P90 so that ruled those out. There's also a category of very nice units with GPS features and other goodies that were way beyond our needs so I wasn't keen on paying that premium. The third is any of the Timex. There are a lot of listings for Timex HRM's and the differences are mostly asthetic (with the exception of whether it has lap capability or it can show where your current rate falls in the desired range graphically).

My wife picked this watch / HRM and I picked one with a men's look. Their use is exactly the same though, and the straps are identical. Per other reviewer's advice I ordered a tube of Spectra electrode gel at the same time.

At first all was well for both of us. Just goop up the strap, it fits comfortably across the chest, hit 1 button on the watch and it started giving a rate. Setting a target range on the watch was pretty easy. You hold down the "Heart Rate" button to turn the rate alarm off and on quickly and easily which is really nice to activate it once you're warmed up so it's not beeping at you constantly while you're starting your workout. If you use the chrono feature the watch keeps track of averages, calories burned, etc on its own. It is even easy to get averages for each lap, so in my case I could hit the lap button between phases of the workout to get insight into each individually in addition to the overall info.

After a couple weeks my wife's continued to work well but my monitor started giving me weird readings and not wanting to sync up to start. I tried using more goop, less goop, played with exact placement, using water, but all to no avail. Then I figured the battery must have been half dead already so I replaced that. Still no joy. In an effort to isolate the problem my wife and I swapped chest straps for 1 workout. With her identical Timex chest strap I got readings *immediately* and it gave very accurate readings, but with my chest strap she couldn't get accurate readings. I don't know what the chances are the "new" battery could have been dead so I tried swapping out the batteries. Same thing.

Keep in mind we have two chest straps we are using at the house in identical conditions, used the same way, cleaned the same way, etc. I'd always heard that if electronics lasted 10 hours they'd last 1,000 hours but there's something else going on with these chest straps.

I do like the HRM system so I'm going to give it 3 stars but given the prevalence of other reviewers who report difficulties I don't think my experience represents a tiny rate of failure that can't be avoided but instead a design flaw that makes the Timex chest straps unreliable even when used carefully and cleaned after every use.

If you're not looking to spend $150+ on an HRM and need something nicer than the Omron I would say to order this anyway, from Amazon anyway, but save the box because it's likely you'll need it to exchange for a new one. Thankfully Amazon is all aces about returns / exchanges. If you're considering buying from a source that might be less accommodating about returns then I would say stay away because you will probably not get your money's worth.

I have now had this watch for 6 months and it is really fantastic. The heart rate monitor works very well and it is very comfortable to wear. I debated if I wanted to get a heart rate monitor watch with a chest strap and I am really glad that I did. It is very accurate and so easy to use. Also, I have a very small wrist and it is very comfortable. Lastly - I did a lot of research and found you can change the battery on the chest strap yourself, I haven't had to yet, but am glad I have that option.

Purchased this product about a month ago, and I was originally pleased with it. However, after a couple weeks of use and more focused exercise, I realized this watch doesn't perform. Here are my pros and cons
Pros
-nice look
-easy to use

Cons
-HR strap battey life has not lasted longer than 2 weeks. I've already replaced it twice
-HR readings are all over the place. I'm in good tune with my body, and it has recorded my HR as high as 185-190 for extended periods of time. I've never been able to get my HR past 175, even during an EKG stress test
-HR readings are very inconsisten with readings jumping up and down 10-20 bpm in a 10sec period

Essentially, the product is not reliable. I've used Polar in the past, and was happy to move away from their products with the this Timex. Looks like I'll be changing back.

I have now owned two Timex HRM watches. The first one worked for a reasonable length of time, say 6 or 8 months. It then was not able to receive heart rate data from the chest strap. I changed the battery in the strap, I changed the battery in the watch. I went through every single piece of troubleshooting advice I could find, both from Timex and from and exhaustive internet search. The watch showed the heart icon WITH the animation indicating that data WAS being received, yet it would only show double dash for the current rate. Could not overcome this issue.

It had worked so well for a while, so I thought I'd just get another timex and would have better luck. I was flat out wrong. This one has made it about 2 months and is now refusing to receive data. This time, no matter what I do, the watch will only display the empty heart icon. I have again replaced batteries, "reset" the transmitter, moisture, position, tightness, I even shaved the hair on my chest in the area where the strap sits. NOTHING.

So while this device may work well for a short time out of the package, it has become glaringly clear that it is NOT reliable. I don't think spending $70 every couple of months for a whole new watch and band is an acceptable approach. I will NEVER buy any timex again, and I would strongly advise anyone NOT to get these devices. They are a flat out waste -- oh, unless you only want it for the watch. It's a decent enough watch, but the HRM is worthless!

I read all the previous reviews of this particular watch thoroughly before making my decision. I am an active training triathlete and needed the functions provided by this watch for all three sports. Everything worked flawlessly for about 3 weeks and then the crystal started to fog up....I waited for a few days and then it got worse and then ultimately failed. I was not quite sure how to proceed. Do I engage Timex or Amazon? Well, the Timex website was not very return-friendly and so I came back to the Amazon website. OMG....this was so easy...I initiated the request for replacement product and had the new watch within about 4 days and then Amazon provides really easy return shipping labels so it did not cost me anything. Once I got the replacement watch, I used the same packaging for the faulty watch and dropped in the box. No fuss, no mess.

So, my 5-star rating is for both the watch and mostly Amazon.

I researched a lot of HRM before deciding on this particular model. I am very happy with my purchase and highly recommend this watch to others.

I am an individual who excercises 4-5 days/week for health and weight management. I was interested in seeing how my different workouts (running, spinning, weight/cardio classes, etc...) compared as far as my exertion/heart rate and the number of calories burned.

This HRM is easy to set up (although the instruction manual could be a little clearer and in a better order) and easy to use once you have it set with your maximum heart rate and other options. I am a petite female (5ft. 2in. approximately 110 lbs) and I have to wear the watch on the tightest setting. The chest strap fits great. I don't even realize I have the chest strap on and it fits easily under a sports bra for a comfortable fit. The face of the watch is a good size (I wouldn't want it any bigger for my size wrist)---the screen is easy to read and it is easy to toggle between settings. I know other reviewers mentioned it being easy to hit a button by mistake but I haven't had that problem. The calories burned and the heart rate monitor seem accurate and I haven't had any problems with interference from gym equipment or other HRMs. One of the selling points for me to purchase Timex was that I could change the batteries myself or take it to a local battery retailer and have them do it. I know other manufacturers (Polar for example) have you send your watch in for battery replacement.

Overall, I love my watch so far and it has become an asset to my workouts. I would highly recommend this watch to others.

On a side note, the first HRM that was shipped to me was defective. Amazon was wonderful and easy to work with on an exchange/return!

This is my fourth heart rate monitor in 12 years. By far the best so far.

Pros:
Intuitive menus.
Easy to read large display.
Easy to change priority display in dual display mode. See heart rate in large view or split/lap time.
Easy to select target heart rate zone for workout planned.
Easy to review workout data.
Actually comes with a book on heart rate training principles.

Cons:
Chest strap is rather short. I'm not a big guy but had to extend the strap to its longest length. May not fit people with large chest.
Only captures time spent in target zone. Other monitors I had also captured time above and below target zone, which can also be useful.

I purchased this watch one month ago and have been very pleased. If at first you don't understand the instructions can go to YouTube and check out the tutorials some people have been kind enough to make. The only negative is the chest band which is tight on me (48" chest). I researched for months which watch to buy a friend was trying to talk me into a Garmin with GPS but it seemed like overkill. This watch is perfect for those who do multiple sports are serious about improving their conditioning. It is definitely priced right and has a ton of features I am glad I made this choice.

I had previously purchased a heart rate monitor with an analog transmitter system, and it would only work if it was nowhere near any electrical equipment (e.g., fluorescent lighting, television, or treadmill). The Timex heart rate monitors (including this unit) that have a digital transmission eliminate this electrical interference issue.

I have never been particularly fond of excessive bells and whistles, perhaps because I am technologically challenged--I have never found a use for all the extra features, much less been able to figure out how to use them. This unit does lack some features that some users may have preferred to have-- it doesn't retain more than one workout in memory, for example. I am also unsure whether the transmitter is compatible with treadmills and other equipment that work with Polar brand transmitters. But if you want a reliable heart rate monitor that provides real-time guidance of where your heart rate is, then this unit fits the bill.