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Submitted by
Walt Rogers
a Weekend Warrior
from Renton, WA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | n/a | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | Thrift store | | Strengths: | I figured out how to change the batteries myself. | | Bottom Line: | Both (Tx and Rx) batteries CAN be replaced by the user.
For the receiver, just remove back cover via four screws and replace battery (standard 3V lithium button cell).
For the transmitter, you need to cut open the compartment in the center where the circuit board is. After tapping around to find hollow spots, I guessed at where to cut. I ended up carefully cutting around the perimeter of the "full rectangle" (where there is an obvious boundary) of both the front and back. The battery (3V lithium) is soldered to the PCB, and requires both the front and back "covers" to be removed.
Suspecting that the strap body electrodes required a conductive wetting solution, I added a TINY pinch of table salt to about an ounce of water for the purpose.
Everything works great indoors...except the receiver stops when I rest my wrist on the laptop while typing this! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Galyans | | Strengths: | great value, easy to read,and accurate | | Weaknesses: | battery replacement has to be performed at factory | | Bike Setup: | stock Trek 6000 | | Bottom Line: | Going into the heart rate monitor game, i knew i didn't want alot of bells and whistles. I know what my max HR is, what my desired work-load HR is, all i needed was a VISABLE read-out. This model fit the bill exactly! I'm 51 and although i've struggled to stay in good health, my vision has pretty much taken a course change due south however even if i don't wear my glasses when i work out, i have little difficulty reading my monitor (okay, i squint.........but only a little).
My first battery lasted just under 2 years before i had to send the unit back to the factory for replacement. Although at the time i was a little anxious about how long i'd be without my Polar, in retrospect it only took maybe 10 days to get it back once i sent it to the factory.
I've been very satisfied with the performance of this product and would strongly recomend this model for anyone needing a continous read out HR monitor. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Augusta, Ga USA
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Canal, WIne Creek, Turkey Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Does exactly what it is suppose to. Takes and displays your heart rate. Acurate, I tested it agains taking my pulse and comparing. | | Weaknesses: | Does not always start up right away. | | Bike Setup: | Rainer SE, upgraded rims and tires | | Bottom Line: | If you want to know your heart rate this is the product to get. I wear it all day when I use it just to keep up with how my heart rate changes.
I have had times when it took a few trys to get it going. Why I do not know. I would get the elctrodes wet and it would just sit there.
After 5 to 10 mins it would kick in and work fine all day. It is great to see how hard your pumper is pumping.
The large numbers are easy to read even while you are riding trails that take your attention. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tod Monet
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX, Harris
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Oshmans | | Strengths: | Accurate, reliable. | | Weaknesses: | Must send to factory to change battery. | | Bottom Line: | If all you need is a HRM that reads and displays your pulse (no fancy frills and gimmicks), do not shop around. Buy this unit. I bought my first one three years ago for $80. I've used it while jogging and biking, in hot Texas heat, and it never failed me once. My only dissapointment: the battery finally quit. The manufacturer wants you to send it to them to replace the battery. They say they have the equipment needed to change the battery properly. The battery is a very common watch battery found in any department store for a few bucks, and I've changed a few watch batteries in my time, so I took my chances on changing it myself. However, after changing the battery in this HRM, it occaisionally blanks out. I finally bought a new one for $50. Despite this one set back, I'd still recommend it. I got my money's worth. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a
from Davis, CA USA
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Strengths: | Relatively Inexpensive
Easy to Use
BPM readout is LARGE | | Weaknesses: | Display blacks out in heat
Can't change out battery in sending unit | | Similar Products Used: | Sports Instruments Circuit 5 | | Bike Setup: | Old (1973) Ron Cooper Road Bike w/ Kestrel EMS Fork, full Campy NR, Speedplay Pedals, Cinelli Bars & Stem, Serfas ARC dual density saddle.
| | Bottom Line: | I ride in the central valley and coastal range of Northern California - it's 100+ degrees in the heat of the day in the summer. The screen on the monitor goes black at temperatures over 90 degrees, which makes it useless. I switched to Sports Instruments and have had no problems to date. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Racer
from Victoria, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Paved. Oh, those are roads... | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Easy to read, simple to operate. | | Weaknesses: | Sensitive to strong electro-magnetic fields, but most units are. | | Bottom Line: | Extremely not bad. It's been reliable, minus blanking out in certain places due to electric currents nearby. Some reviewers have had problems with the electrodes, but if you get some electrode gel (like they use in hospitals) or even KY-jelly and put a dab on each of the electrodes, it works like a charm. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Collins
a Racer
from E.Rockaway,NY
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Easy to read display, Comfortable chest strap | | Weaknesses: | Need to sweat to get it started | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bottom Line: | Overall not a bad entry level HRM. I use it on the trainer during indoor interval training workouts. It lets you see what your exertion level is like relative to you breathing. You can wear it on the road if you wish but after you have an idea of your HR during certain exertion levels, you have a pretty good idea where you're at without the distraction of yet another gizmo. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sam Smith
a racer
from NJ
Date Reviewed: October 29, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought my Polar Beat last winter and I loved it. It only displayed the heart rate but that was all I needed. Afew weeks ago the battery ran out. The only way to replace the battery is to send it back to Polar. When it came back it still didn't work. That was 20 bucks down the drain. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charlie
a cross-country rider
from Bridgeville, PA
Date Reviewed: February 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've had the Polar Beat ($79 most places) for about 6 months.1. I wrapped a short piece of foam pipe insulation on the handlebars,
then fastened the wristband of the Polar Beat around it. Works as both a mount
and a shock absorber.2. The pulse would occasionaly jump to 223 beats per minute. It took me a while
to figure out why. It happens when I pedal past a yard that has an electronic
(invisible) dog fence.3. The update rate is very good.4. It works better when you sweat. It lowers the skin resistance and makes the
sensors more sensitive to your cardiac rhythms.5. On a mountain bike it is more a monitor/high-tech gimmick than a training
device. On the uphills you pedal as hard as you must to make the hill, so your
rate usually soars past your training zone. Threading through trees you cannot
crank up the speed to achieve your target, so the rate falls. On a road bike it is
very easy to modulate your effort to keep you in your training zone. However, I
still use it on the mountain bike to see what's going on in there. | | Overall Rating: |
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