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 Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Grey Pepper) By: Polar Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 152 More Information Disappointed  On: 2010-03-05Ive used heart rate monitors for about 10 years. When the battery ran out on my old Polar, I bought this one based on reviews. I have three major complaints. First, the monitor always displays a heart rate that is 2 bpm slower than every piece of fitness equipment I use, which includes three different elliptical trainers, Keiser spin cycles and a treadmill. This does not inspire confidence. Second, Polar seems to lack an adequate data base for boomers and especially women over 55. How else can anyone explain my rating as an elite athlete (score of 57) after 3 workouts? Of course the reason is that I have a low resting heart rate. That doesnt mean Im fit. It just means Im outside the norm. Third, this unit lacks enough flexibility to modify the standard settings and still get appropriate advice and calculations. The fitness calculator doesnt disclose the resting heart rate. There is no way to adjust maximum heart rate based on actually testing. My target zones based on the Karvonen formula are very different. In short, this unit disappointed me, and I wont keep it. Reach your goals!  On: 2010-02-27Had the F11 about 2 months now. Detailed review below, but heres the short version - if you want to reach specific fitness goals the F11 can revolutionize your exercise program. Get one. Best- the F11 tells you the truth, and keeps a record of it. It has revolutionized my exercise. Worst- generic look, cheap wrist strap, mediocre website. This is my first HRM. Did some internet research & talked with several fitness buffs. Polar is the top of the line in HRM technology & experience. Splurged on the F11 due to the ability to track & upload exercise data. The F11 does all that and more. I am fairly technical. The F11 took a week to get used to. I highly recommend you download the manual. Now I can easily navigate all menus during exercise (even without my glasses#. The F11s ability to generate a customized exercise program, along with tracking & reporting results, has revolutionized my approach & intensity. Day 1 I realized I was overdoing it. But if your intensity or consistency is lagging the F11 will push you #beep at you# to reach the goal. I have exercised longer, more carefully #i.e., pushing myself but not killing myself), and more consistently because I am using the F11. "OwnZone" sets a personalized heart beat range for each exercise session. Session lengths & intensity are customized based on heart rate measurements coupled with user inputs of age, weight, physical fitness, & goals. Session results are recorded by session & summarized by week. Max heart rate, average heart rate, calories burned, duration, etc. The only thing missing is distance, which for me is not important (I often do stairs & other cardio that is not running). When you reach your weekly goals, the watch displays a victors cup (corny, but you want to see it!) I love the ability to upload data to the website. However the website is not customizable. I really wish you could export data into Excel, but the website does provide lists & graphs. My first attempts to upload from the watch were unsuccessful, but read the manual & experiment & it works fine. The website is not great but it is the best thing out there. You cant upload all files at once but thats not that big of a deal. In short, this is a fantastic tool in getting results. Plan to invest a little time up front in learning the menus & getting the upload setup correct. Your investment is well rewarded when you begin to forget the tool & focus on reaching your goals. Based on my experience with the F11 so far, I expect to own & use a HRM for the rest of my life & it will probably always be a Polar. Love this thing! On: 2010-02-19I love to exercise in classes and on the bike, so this is the perfect tool to help improve my fitness and track my calories. I keep track for the week and know if I should add in a quick DVD or something by the end of the week to meet my goal. I have watched my fitness improve by tracking the recovery of my heart rate during spinning. I will never workout without this monitor again. It is easy to use. I read the manual, which is rare for me, but I wanted to take full advantage of the features available. The watch is cute. Ive seen many that are big and that I wouldnt want to wear in public. This is very comfortable and light. The only time it has bothered me is during some poses (like the plank) in Pilates. That is for 30 seconds or so and it isnt near enough to keep me from wearing it. The chest strap was thicker than I pictured it to be and for some reason I thought the monitor part would be integrated into the strap. The ones I had used at the Y were. It looked big and bulky and bothered me until I tried it. It fits and moves well and doesnt budge even during my sweatiest, most position changing workouts like ballet and spinning. It is no more noticeable under tank tops than the strap to your sports bra. I did have to turn the alarm off because it gets mad if you dont stay in the Own Zone. I never stay there because I choose to do high and low intensity workouts. It likes you to do a moderate one. Im sure there is a way to change that, but I havent bothered. I turn off the alarm and it works just fine. Im so happy with this monitor that I recommend it not only by the brand, but the specific model number. Not for fat people...  On: 2010-02-09Okay, now that I have your attention with the review title...this heart monitor watch is only average. The reason I say its not for fat people is because I have had it for about 3 months and was about 80 pounds overweight (5 11, 270 lbs) when I started. The watch has helped in the fitness department because I can keep my heart rate in the proper zone, but thats only when it actually registers your heart rate. You see, the strap is not built for people with a wider chest. My chest measures nearly 54" around. The strap stretches enough to fit but its under so much stress that it tends to want to fold over therefore making the electrodes not stay on your skin. This is especially true if you are sitting - like rowing or paddling. Probably 80% of the time I use it I lose the signal sometime during the workout so I never get a truly accurate result. The strap is wet as instructed and I have tried changing batteries in the transmitter but none of these things help. Im sure its a fine piece of equipment for people with a little less girth than me, but of you are in the very overweight category it may not fit well enough to register a pulse. I have since switched to the Garmin Forerunner 305 and it works great. By the way, Im down 25 lbs. Yeah! Excellent HR monitor, Stylish everyday watch too On: 2010-01-31PROS: Stylish, works well with no interference from other monitors, strap is super comfortable (wearlink), comfortable fit on watch straps/face size, weekly, daily, and total exercise tracking, works with most gym equipment (HR reading right on the screen during workout), creates an exercise program for you based on personal goals, stainless steel metal components, did I say stylish? CONS: Does not connect with Mac computers (website says they are shooting for being able to do this in 2010?), the only exercise program where you can set your own HR limits is manual so you have to set your HR limits for each workout depending on which zone you are training in that day, unclear underwater use recommendations on website and from users (see below) I bought this monitor to train for my 3rd olympic distance triathlon. I have loved it. I also use it as my everyday watch. I am allergic to most metals so the stainless steel metal components are perfect for me. Many people have asked about my "fancy new watch" and are all surprised to find out it is a heart rate monitor. I have not used the HR strap swimming so far, Polar recommends you buy the waterproof plastic T31coded for swimming but on the discussion forum on their website many users list using the wearlink in the water. Both straps have mixed reviews as far as water use so I have decided to forgo dealing with that for now but it is certainly possible it seems. I dont think knowing my heart rate for *every* activity is crucial at this point in my training. |