POLAR FT7F Black/Gold Heart Rate Monitor

I never had a HR monitor before but now that I have it I seriously can't function without it anymore. Its AWESOME! This brand was recommended by my gym/trainer because of the quality and the chest strap which is supposed to make it more accurate. I think its accurate, very intuitive and again has made me obsessed with monitoring my calorie burn & HR during exercise.I had never even considered aHR monitor and now I set HR & calorie goals during my workouts and know.that I am achieving them. So much better then relying on machines! Better than just ticking off minutes. I always pushed myself but now I know if I'm doing enough. Basically it helps me feel like I am putting forth my best effort every time....competing against myself!I have had no problems with it in the 2 months I have used it. It beeps loud enough for me to hear when I have hit, fallen below or exceeded my target HR which is very helpful when I workout outside. At first I didn't think the the light/glow worked that well but I recently discovered (due to the time change) its best in the dark or at night but it only lasts for a few seconds but it is enough time to get the info I need. I also like being able to look back at my past workout times, calories burned and how length of time in ea fitness zone. This is recommended for anyone who wants to track HR, Calories and time while getting or staying in shape. Not recommend for runners, walkers or cyclists who need to track metrics like miles.>>> Update 2/2015: Changing my rating from 5 to 3.5 starsSo first thing to note is that I started noticing after a few months (and the initial review) was that I was having problems with the chest strap not reading my HR which is annoying in the middle of a workout. Imagine, you are out for a run with a fitness goal then you hear that dreaded sound saying that the connection was lost :-\ BUMMER, because in my case it means I usually stop what I am doing to readjust, fidget etc trying to get it to work only to have the connection not come back or go away again a few minutes later at which point I resign myself to that fact that it will do what it wants and I will have to estimate a little, hmph. In summation it is kind of annoying but its tolerable. Maybe I am doing something wrong, idk.Second, I am not sure if you can turn it off. Since I have had it I have never been able to. Who knows where the manual is but that being said, it is probably my fault but the battery died a few months ago and I just haven't gotten around to getting another one. Said battery lasted about 1.5 years. I guess we had a good run. *pun intended*

Purchased the Polar FT7F for my wife who is using it assist in her training. The similar model is being sold at our gym for about $30 more than the one purchased here on Amazon.Pros:- Does what is says it will do.- Watch is pretty intuitive to figure out but still requires a bit of manual references until you get used to it.Cons:- Battery was dead when I received the watch. After drives to two different locations to buy this odd battery, I finally found one at a local pharmacy (not cheap). how long has this been sitting on a shelf?- The wrong color combo is posted with the watch. As you can see, the black and silver watch is posted on the "black and gold watch" page. The othersr ads are correct but this one isn't which led to quite a surprise when the watch arrived and my wife hated the color. is it that difficult to post the correct watch picture with the correct watch type?I missed it...my bad but come on.Overall, the watch is fine and seems to do the trick. Should have sent it back as punishment for the battery issue but then I just have to go through the whole piece again.Would buy again but probably not through this seller.

I have been using this for a couple weeks now and it seems to work great. I wear it during my regular cardio/non-impact workout and subsequent floor workout. I also wear it during the sin classes I have started attending along with the cardio workout I do before that. The information is great - I just wish there was an easier way to get it into the associated website. The only options are manual entry (which I have not yet gotten around to) or buying another piece of hardware (about $35 on Amazon) to transfer the data electronically.The only real "gripe" I have is the default approach they use for determining your target heart beat and corresponding ranges. I know I am not alone based on discussions at the spin classes. For those of us in better physical shape than most the default tables are not quite correct. The spin instruction has suggested ways to determine one's own target heart rate, and I have found some information on-line. It would have been nice if Polar had included in the product manual something about this and some references/links to related information.

I am a SAHM of two kids that put on weight before getting pregnant, then while pregnant and now I am almost 40 and needed something to motivate me. At first I thought I wanted a monitor that logged my steps, my sleep, my bowel movements (jk), etc. I realized I really just wanted something to tell me how hard I was working when I worked out. This does it! I appreciate that it keeps track of all your workouts so you can compare day one to your current day.I am petite and the watch can feel a bit clunky at times but not enough to truly bother. I like that it differentiates your target rate to a fitness rate, so you can tell if you are getting all cardio or burning some fat.Anyway, I think this is a great monitor to help motivate one that is just getting started and needs a kick in the pants!

I needed a HRM for spin class and this one is the best value and performs great! I was trying to find one without a chest strap because I thought it would be uncomfortable but this one is super soft and stays in place just fine! The instructions are too brief but if you keep playing with it you will see it is much easier than you think it should be. Plus another woman in my class has one and she helped me the first day...after that I was good to go! So too brief instruction are why I rated it a 4. And now I know that I have been pushing too hard at spin class and now can start to build endurance because I am controlling my heart rate!

This HRM is fantastic! It's so simple to enter your age, weight etc, took me 3 minutes to set the watch up!I have started doing Zumba twice a week and have been charting my calories and exercise each day using the My Fitness Pal app (Android, is also available for Iphone). I looked up how many calories I should be burning during Zumba using an online calculator (taking into account age, weight etc), it predicted I would burn 567 calories during an hours workout. However, I used my HRM for the first time last night and it says I have burnt 842 calories!!! I am over the moon!It's easy to read the display whilst working out, and also to change views so that you can see the time, calories etc. I like the EnergyPointer feature. It works automatically, taking into account your heart rate for the day, whether you've recovered from from your previous workout etc, and shows your whether you are burning fat or working on your fitness. The "fat burning" range (FBR) is quite low - I've achieved it by simply walking normally. I was worried that it meant that during exercise, where my heart rate is high, I wouldn't be burning fat. However, that's not so. If you're working out then you will burn fat, but you will also burn your stores of energy (glycogen). So, if you stay in the FBR you will burn fat as the majority, however, if you go over that range you will burn glycogen (glucose) as the majority - but you will also be getting fitter and exercising your heart etc more. I would not buy this model purely for the FBR feature, however, I use it as an incentive to watch my heart rate and keep it slightly elevated after my work out session.Fat Burning explained: [...]The watch itself is not something I would normally wear, but it fits well and looks nice - I went for the FT7f in red & silver (f means the female version). It fits very well and is easy to use.I have registered on the Polar Personal Trainer website and for now I am entering my information manually. I spent £65 on the HRM and I think spending another £32+ on the Flowlink is not acceptable. It should be included. All the Flowlink does is transfer the information from the watch to the website - for £32+?! It literally only uploads the information to their website, not your computer's hard drive. So you can't use it to make your own spreadsheets etc.I would definitely recommend this HRM, I want to use it non stop! ^_^

I've been using the FT7 for a few weeks and am pleased with it. I've been using the Garmin Forerunner 305 for years and love it but it has a fatal flaw for indoor exercise classes- it doesn't record calories burned unless you are running around outside so it's a non-starter for Body Combat etc.After looking around I went for the Polar FT7 HRMPros:+Clear time indication (although day and date are a bit small and unclear)+Easy one time setup eg, weight, and date of birth.+One touch Start button to start recording your exercise+One touch Finish button to stop recording your exercise.+Waterproof (ok to swim and shower but don't press the buttons underwater!)+Easy to use+Records 99 exercise sessions and shows them in an easy to navigate graphical view. You can select a session and view duration, calories, max and ave heart rate among other stats.+Shows calories burned over the last week.+Shows pulse or % of maximum while exercising+If you move the watch to the transmitter belt it temporarily shows the time+Backlight button+User replaceable battery on watch and transmitter keeps the cost down+The transmitter clips onto the strap so is easily removed.+Strap is easily washed - Garmin recommend that you rinse the belt after each use and put it in the washing machine every week.+The watch is very light in weight.+AlarmCons- There's no timer function so you can't measure how long you've been exercising or if you are in a race, how long you'be been running for.- It's a bit thick for a watch and not particularly attractive.Hope that helps someone!

Love love love this watch!! It's so easy to use,took no time at all to get it going(comes with batteries).I ordered the Red with the Silver Stripe.It's a nice red colour and not a crazy bright red thank goodness as i think it would have looked real tacky otherwise!It comes with a chest belt/strap and a little transmitter that you click on to the belt/strap with 2 pop press buttons (very easy).NO silly gels to use on the belt..hate that stuff so i'm really happy about that!I'm chest size 32" and it fits nicely-you can adjust it too very simply if you want.It's a hook in style strap by the way,us ladies will be used to that hehee!The screen is very easy to read.My partner also bought one in Black with Silver Stripe and just to let you know,the strap and face is bigger on the Black one compared to the Red one i have.He's over the moon with his watch too!I'm sure there are better ones out there but one of the best USA gym PT trainers i know uses it and recommended it to me and said best to buy from Amazon,so we did and i'm soooo grateful to her and Amazon for this wicked buy-fantastic price and service:))

This appears to be a girl's watch.The strap very fine is just 14 mm wide, 50 mm long and 120 mm long. It barely fits me with just two holes to spare. It would fall off if I were to use it.The model number on Amazon is FT7, but FT7F on the shipped item. I think F is for Female.I am very disappointed with Amazon. There is nothing on the web site to indicate it's a gender specific model.Also the display is not as good as illustrated on the web site. The display contrast is poor making it hard to read. The whole wrist watch part is a bit cheap and plastic looking.I never unpacked the transmitter strap before returning so cannot comment on its operation or performance as an HRM.

Certainly recommend the Polar FT7. Was going to the gym before and almost working out "blind" with no real idea if I was burning calories or not pushing myself enough. Now I can work out how hard I have trained and whether or not I am overdoing it or need to rest. Lets me know my heart rate and whether Im in a burning fat or fitness zone, this is all worked out by the monitor to suit my body. Key in the info on line and then you really get to see your progress.