Home > Consumer Reviews > Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Dark Blue)
Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Dark Blue)
See it at Amazon.com for $44.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share162 of 164 people found the following review helpful:
does what i want it to - AND IT'S SIMPLE
(5 out of 5) by David Smith on Aug 13, 2006i'm so sick of products that don't work. this time, all i needed was a heart rate watch because the heart rate sensors on those life fitness ellipticals are garbage. they work for a while and then they completely screw up and throw your workout off track. SO frustrating.
so, i didn't need any of the other functions. i just needed a watch to show me my heart rate at all times, without pressing a bunch of buttons. and this did it. i glanced at the (thankfully short) instructions.. there's only ONE button on this watch. attach buttons to chest strap. put on chest strap under your chest. press button. THAT'S IT! there was no drop-out of my heart rate. at the gym, the elliptical screwed up as usual, but i had my watch! then it started working again and the watch readouts were the same as the (also polar brand) elliptical sensors. i was a little worried that i should have bought the next best model because it has some technology where other electronics can't interfere with it, but there was no one around me and i had no problem. the instruction said to moisten the chest strap sensors, but i didn't and it still worked. besides, during my workout i was sweating which gave it moisture naturally! the watch fits just like a normal watch, and it doesn't look all big and dorky. ALSO the number readout is big, which means i don't have to strain to see my heart rate, i just glance at it. ALSO the chest strap is perfect. i was amazed when i put it on and it fit without any adjustment on my part. it's elastic and flexible. brilliant!
there is one problem with this watch.. the battery. it says it will last for 2 years with 1 hour of use per day, but there's no way of turning the time display off. i assume they meant using the heart rate function. i'm emailing them to find out. also when the battery fails, they want you to mail it to them and they charge you $10 and $3 shipping to replace it instead of getting a tiny screwdriver and doing it yourself. actually that might be a good deal considering the price of some batteries.
edit - this is what polar told me: "The FS1 can not be turned off. The average life of the receiver on a single battery is 2 years with 1 hour of use per day. The 1 hour of use is 1 hour of reading heart rate in exercise mode. In time mode the unit is in
a battery saving state." so that's good.
so, i didn't need any of the other functions. i just needed a watch to show me my heart rate at all times, without pressing a bunch of buttons. and this did it. i glanced at the (thankfully short) instructions.. there's only ONE button on this watch. attach buttons to chest strap. put on chest strap under your chest. press button. THAT'S IT! there was no drop-out of my heart rate. at the gym, the elliptical screwed up as usual, but i had my watch! then it started working again and the watch readouts were the same as the (also polar brand) elliptical sensors. i was a little worried that i should have bought the next best model because it has some technology where other electronics can't interfere with it, but there was no one around me and i had no problem. the instruction said to moisten the chest strap sensors, but i didn't and it still worked. besides, during my workout i was sweating which gave it moisture naturally! the watch fits just like a normal watch, and it doesn't look all big and dorky. ALSO the number readout is big, which means i don't have to strain to see my heart rate, i just glance at it. ALSO the chest strap is perfect. i was amazed when i put it on and it fit without any adjustment on my part. it's elastic and flexible. brilliant!
there is one problem with this watch.. the battery. it says it will last for 2 years with 1 hour of use per day, but there's no way of turning the time display off. i assume they meant using the heart rate function. i'm emailing them to find out. also when the battery fails, they want you to mail it to them and they charge you $10 and $3 shipping to replace it instead of getting a tiny screwdriver and doing it yourself. actually that might be a good deal considering the price of some batteries.
edit - this is what polar told me: "The FS1 can not be turned off. The average life of the receiver on a single battery is 2 years with 1 hour of use per day. The 1 hour of use is 1 hour of reading heart rate in exercise mode. In time mode the unit is in
a battery saving state." so that's good.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
Tremendous Value, Works Great
(5 out of 5) by Fenixfire077 on Mar 8, 2006 (East Quogue, Southampton, NY - USA)i never thought i would find one of these under $100, maybe i was looking in all the wrong places, but when i found this one by chance at a wal-mart, i picked it up right away i think it was $39.99. It's fantastic, and it's dramatically improving my running, i never thought a heart rate monitor would have been so crucial, anyhow, if my opinion changes, ill be sure to revise this review
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
Good value, easy to use
(5 out of 5) by Tom on May 9, 2006 (Oklahoma)This is my third monitor and I've never been disappointed by the Polar products. The sub $40 street price makes it a 'must buy' even for the weekend workout warrior. One minor complaint - the band is too short and too difficult to fasten.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Not Bad for the Price
(4 out of 5) by Brian Koch on Feb 1, 2008 (MI United States)I have been biking for awhile now and I recently got an indoor trainer and some DVD's to use to keep in shape over the winter months. So after doing them a few times I realized that I would be much better off if I knew my heart rate so I could train correctly for hard/easy days.
The first few times I used it I had problems because I was not wearing it quite tight enough because after I tightened it up it has worked perfectly. I have had it all the way from 70 to 194 bpm and it seems to react as I would expect for various levels of excursion.
My biggest complaint is that it doesn't keep track of the max heart rate for a training session, the more expensive ones do, so I guess you get what you pay for sometimes...but as long as you pay attention when you think you are getting close you can still find your max rate.
One other thing I saw on some reviews was that it was too small for men, but I'm 5'11 and nearly 200 lbs and it fits me, in fact I had it on too loose at first, yeah it is tight feeling but it has to be to work.
For someone just starting out this is a great tool and only has 1 button, so there isn't much complicated about it. I would recommend this to anyone looking to start heart rate training, it has been proven to really help build aerobic capacity and strength when done properly.
The first few times I used it I had problems because I was not wearing it quite tight enough because after I tightened it up it has worked perfectly. I have had it all the way from 70 to 194 bpm and it seems to react as I would expect for various levels of excursion.
My biggest complaint is that it doesn't keep track of the max heart rate for a training session, the more expensive ones do, so I guess you get what you pay for sometimes...but as long as you pay attention when you think you are getting close you can still find your max rate.
One other thing I saw on some reviews was that it was too small for men, but I'm 5'11 and nearly 200 lbs and it fits me, in fact I had it on too loose at first, yeah it is tight feeling but it has to be to work.
For someone just starting out this is a great tool and only has 1 button, so there isn't much complicated about it. I would recommend this to anyone looking to start heart rate training, it has been proven to really help build aerobic capacity and strength when done properly.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Great !!
(5 out of 5) by R. Marsh on Feb 14, 2007 (Houston, TX)I bought this for walking/jogging, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I have not had trouble with the chest strap. It took about 30 seconds to figure out how the fasteners work, but since then, it has been really easy to take the chest strap on and off. It's comfortable, too, and I sometimes forget to take it off when I'm done exercising. The watch doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but I just wanted something that would tell me my heart rate, and it does a great job at that. I highly recommend it.