Advantages: Just like having your own personal trainer
Disadvantages: A little tricky to work out to start with

...Polar RS100 Heart Rate Monitor This is the second heart rate monitor that i have bought, the first one was years ago and on the rare occaision it did pick up your pulse it went completely wrong if you were near anything electrical or any other heart rate monitors. Bearing this in mind i was a liitle wary of getting another but i have currently started training to complete a half marathon and depending on how well it goes i may enter a full marathon so i thought it was high time i got myself kitted out. I have to say, times have definately changed, this monitor just everything you could ever ask (except for the running)! The Polar RS100 heart rate monitor has its own code to avoid unwanted interference meaning you can be in a room with ten other monitors and yours is the only pulse it picks up It features an easy press lap... Read review

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Advantages: Compact, Cheap, Robust
Disadvantages: Tricky to use

...for your forks. Has all the functions required for a heart rate monitor computer. Robust design. Can give you daily, weekly, monthly totals of your mileage. NEGATIVES Can be tricky to operate if you are not "computer/technological" literate. Fitting and removing computer from handlebar mount can be tricky. Magnet doesn't fit very securely to wheel spokes. CONCLUSION For what it costs, this is a very nice wireless, HR monitor cycle computer. It does everything you want and is from a very reputable company. It has proved to be very robust and does execatly what I want. Would recommend if you want a Low Price cycle computer that reads your heart rate.... Read review

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Advantages: the best way to train for a marathon
Disadvantages: it is expensive

...The Polar M52 is one of the expensive heart rate monitor. In Germany you have to pay 299,- German Marks( 150 Dollar). This price will frighten a lot people to buy this product. But this price also say's for whom this Polar M52 is good. For somebody who makes sports twice a month it will not repay. For people who are training regularly, for example sportsman who are training for a marathon,like me, i can absolutely recommend this product. I running a marathon twice a year, but every time it is very difficult to find the right speed. Every marathon athlete knows that a second you wins at the beginning can get minutes you loose at the finish. Of course you can also check your speed with your clock every kilometer, but this is much more difficult. Because with your heart rate monitor you only check your pulse and so you... Read review

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Advantages: Great motivational tool, Easy to Use, Many functions, Comfortable to wear, Reputable brand, Long lasting
Disadvantages: Cost of initial outlay

...Polar are a leading manufacturer of heart rate monitors, suitable for all types of exerciser - from the occasional to the athlete. Why Would You Want a Heart Rate Monitor? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you asked me a few months ago I might have wondered the same thing. If you are interested in improving your personal fitness then one of the best indicators to see if you are reaching your goals is your heart. Depending on your reasons for undertaking exercise, the level of exercise you do in order to reach your goal will vary - for example someone aiming just to lose some weight will not undertake such intense exercise as someone wanting to excel at their athletic performance. Using a heart rate monitor allows you to become accustomed to how your heart reacts to exercise and lets you know if you are exercising at the right... Read review

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Advantages: Price, compatibility, size, style
Disadvantages: no timer

...I’m older, fatter and less fit than I want to be, so it’s off to the gym, three or more times a week for me! During the working day, the most exercise I get is altering the angle of my headset or pressing “ctrl alt del” for a hard reset, so it is important that when I am exercising I do not overdo it! This is where my Polar Beat heart rate monitor comes into its own. The transmitter fits onto the chest with a washable elastic strap, and the monitor is in the form of a watch. To activate the monitor and the transmitter, simply hold them close to each other for a few seconds. They both switch off automatically. Your accurate heart rate is displayed within seconds and, with the help of your personal trainer or the Heart Rate Charts (displayed at most gyms)you can work out safely and achieve... Read review

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Advantages: Comfortable, ECG accurate, cheap
Disadvantages: No extra features

...I have had this Heart Rate for 2 months now (since mid jan) and absolutely love it. Despite being an aspiring athlete aiming for high performance, I was also on a very tight budget and found that many of the other features available in some of the more expensive models (I found this for £35) just weren't really necessary. All you need for training using an HRM is to know your heart rate, not calories expended or fat burned, it is very simple to work out what levels to exercise at with guidance from the instruction booklet provided. This is the cheapest and most reliable form of HRM that you are going to find. Polar are a world renowned brand and the product is of top quality, the strap worn is comfortable and you soon forget that you are wearing it, yet provides ECG accurate heart rates. FEATURES: Heart rate in real time... Read review

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Advantages: Style, Robust
Disadvantages: Limited feature set

...Let's face it, heart rate monitors are typically incorporated into a watch (or watch design) - so why would you want to buy one that you wouldn't be seen dead wearing outside of the gym ? ++ Is a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) for me ? As a regular gym user - typically I exercise for just under 2hrs 5 mornings a week - I want to make the most of my workout. Wearing a heart rate monitor can help you achieve this, by allowing you to either excercise within a specific heart rate range, or simply by letting you watch your average heart rate fall as you get fitter. In choosing a heart rate monitor, I quickly came to realise that Polar are the market leader. Their products are available through most 'big name' sports stores (and large department stores) as well as providing the transmitter band of choice for many professional gym equipment... Read review

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Advantages: Could eliminate wasteful time spent exercising
Disadvantages: Don't use it anymore, not an esential item.

...I'm a bit of a fitness freak and enjoy the benefits of doing exercise and feeling good but confess to lacking in knowledge on the technology front, so I'm never first in the queue when anything new comes on the market. Therefore I surprised myself when I started looking into a Heart Rate Monitor. A heart rate monitor is just that, it monitors your heart rate whilst you exercise. The idea of buying the HRM was to monitor my time spent exercising and to maintain my optimum target zone. The purpose of getting this zone right is crucial to anyone wanting to maintain a steady (healthy) weight. To find your personal target heart rate zone sounds relatively easy but it took me three or four attempts before I got it right as I couldn't get to grips initially with the unit. Basically, the function requires you need to take five... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: monitors calories burned as well as heart rate
Disadvantages: expensive!

..., bikes etc will pick up your rate. And as the transmitter is coded, rather than random, you know it is picking up YOUR heart rate rather than that of the marathon runner in training on the next machine. All in all this clever little gadget got my vote, despite the pricetag. Polar do make more expensive monitors, the M51 and M71, but the main advantages of these seemed to be the ability to hold recorded data for more than one user, which wasn’t a requirement for me. If you’re planning to share your monitor with a real-life gym buddy then the three-figure asking price might be worth splitting between you (but you’ll want to get your own chest straps however great mates you are!) Now if you are following a calorie-controlled weight loss diet you know how bloody difficult and restrictive it can be, once you’ve... Read review

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Advantages: None
Disadvantages: You name it

...I bought a Polar CS300 about two months ago and I'm getting ready to send back the fourth watch to Polar. For those that don't know this monitor can upload your ride to Polars website via a sonic link. Well the first one had such a low volume it would take forever before I could get a good upload. Called Polar, sent it back and they sent me another one. Had the exact same problem. Sent it back, got another one. This one was fine as far a the uplink, BUT, about two weeks after I got it the speed quit showing, then the cadence would quit and the speed would start up. Then the heart rate would go crazy then the speed would quit. So on and so on. Sent it back, and got the fourth one yesterday. Went for a ride this morning, got back, tried to upload and nothing. Not a peep out of it. And they have the nerve to tell me they have had... Read review

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