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140 of 141 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great workout device, January 24, 2009
This review is from: Polar FT60 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black with White Display) (Sports)
It took me a week of reading to decide which HRM watch to try. After a few days I narrowed the brand down to Polar, but then there're about 30 models from them to choose from.
My intended use: I don't run outdoors much so I don't need a GPS. I do cardio and weights in a home gym and have been writing everything down to keep track of progress, weight loss, etc.
I wasn't sure if I would use the extra bells and whistles beyond a Polar F6 but I was intrigued with the higher end models' ability to test your resting fitness, plan a workout régime, monitor your progress, record weight loss, revise the plan and repeat while recording this all to the web.
So, I narrowed it down to the F55, the FT60 and the FT80. Well, the FT80 is getting horrible reviews due to dark screen, unreliable software, and other basic `version 1' problems. The F55 seemed perfect for someone who lifts weights in their workout routine as I do so I researched further in that direction. The problem is that it only has 17 types of lifting sequences (e.g. Curl, Squat, etc.) and I agree with other reviewers that with those few, I probably wouldn't be able to take advantage of that feature (e.g. when I do a bicep workout I do about eight different types of lifting to prevent muscle memory. And, I really didn't like the way the F55 looks. A minor point but if you're spending $200 on something you wear, you at least want it to look good.
Then I started reading about the FT60 but there are very few reviews from actual users, and I always read reviews before I purchase anything these days. But it looked like it would give me what I wanted, and I like the looks much more than the F55. So I got it yesterday and used it for the first time today. I have a 42 inch chest and the band fits fine (some reviewers were saying some of these bands don't fit larger chests). In about 5 minutes I was able to enter my demographics, test my resting fitness, set a goal (maximum fitness) and begin a workout.
The screen is very easy to read, easy to change the readout while working out, and really made a difference in my ability to stay in a good cardio zone. The watch creates three zones for you (60-70%, 70-80%, 80-90% of Max Heart Rate) based on your fitness test, demographics, etc. Then it tells you how many hours per week you need to be in each of those zone to achieve your goal (maximum fitness, improve fitness or weight loss). These are all graphed on the watch so you can see where you stand for that workout or for the week. It's a great idea and really keeps you motivated to achieve your goal.
Also, if you're interested in tracking weight loss, the watch asks you weekly to enter your weight and it tracks that for you graphically as well. It also takes the weight change into account when planning your next week's workout goals.
I haven't synced it up to the web (still waiting for my usb/irda dongle) so I can't comment about the site, but I wonder if it's really needed because the watch is pretty easy to use to review your workout history. That said, I'd still like to have it on the web for historical analysis.
Bottomline, if you're new to HRMs like me and are not sure if you need all these features (the F6 is about $150 cheaper!) I would take a serious look at this watch. And, if you are in the same boat as me (cardio, weights, variable routines that change so I don't get bored) I think this watch is the best way to go.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works flawlessly with Macintosh Computer, April 15, 2009
This review is from: Polar FT60 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black with White Display) (Sports)
There is a lot of discussion at [...] about wanting polar software that works natively under Mac OSX. However, I have worked with this fantastic HRM and was able to upload all the data acquired by it to the website blindingly fast on the first try using the Flowlink interface. I am running Windows XP under bootcamp. The polarpersonaltrainer website gives you lots of ways to analyze your workouts and to understand what you need to do to improve. This should not be undervalued when looking at HRMs from the various manufacturers.
I do note that the FT60 does not record your actual heart rate as a function of time for upload but it does record a whole bunch of metrics derived from your heart rate and performance over the course of a workout that are useful for understanding and improving your performance. (Frankly, I don't know why one would want to stare at a graph showing how your heart rate varied as a function of time.) The FT80 does make an actual record of your heart rate together with these other metrics. For me, this did not really matter as the FT60 has everything I need to keep me motivated and to help me to understand my progress. You must be clear on this before deciding between the FT60 and FT80. (The FT80, as of April 15, 2009 has lots of problems and flaws from what I can tell. I wouldn't buy it - it is an extra $100 for a bunch of misery.)
What I was after is a set of metrics or some rubric that I could measure my performance against. I now understand that just looking at your body weight is not going to do it and may be quite detrimental to your progress. The FT60 gives you several great ways to keep tabs on how you are doing and also offers a weight log so you can record that to the website as well.
By the way, the picture give for this product does not do justice to it. It is a fantastic looking watch! I wear business casual most days and frequently a suit out to dinner. This fits my wardrobe perfectly! Very handsome. It would certainly go with bluejeans and a baggy sweatshirt, too.
I have already recommended this fantastic product to co-workers and other gym rats.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Erratic HR readings, July 22, 2009
This review is from: Polar FT60 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black with White Display) (Sports)
I recently purchased the FT60 for cycling training. The first few times I use it, the max hr value recorded during my training sessions was over 214 bpm. However, I never saw a value higher then 184 on the wrist unit and 214 is much higher them my max hr. I contacted support about the erratic HR readings and gave me an faq link with some tips. Unfortunately, after trying several tip, none seemed to help. I also found it odd that they publish a long list of things that cause disturbances between the wrist unit and the hr transmitter (below).
Disturbances may occur near high-voltage power lines, traffic lights, mp3 player, overhead lines of electric railways, electric bus lines or trams, televisions, car motors, bike computers, some motor-driven exercise equipment, cellular phones, or when you walk through electric security gates. Microwave ovens, computers and WLAN base stations may also cause interference. To avoid erratic readings, move away from possible sources of disturbance.
Seem unlikely that you can avoid many of these sources of disturbances while cycling (bike computers, car motors, electric lines, traffic lights, cellular phones). Maybe Polar needs to add an option to change the frequency in such cases.
The other annoying thing I noticed about the FT60 is that you can not select the wrist display to display between hr only and hr and % max hr in the same screen during training. This can only be selected during setup settings and is not easily changed on the fly during training.
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