ePulse2 Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch & Calorie Counter

Like a lot of people, I bought the ePulse 2 because it's strapless. I hate wearing a heart rate sensor strap when I workout. The unit itself is pretty big, but it fit me fine. (I have just average size arms for a man who wears a size medium shirt.) Someone with small/thin arms might thinks it's too big. The display is a good size and very readable indoors. Outside in the sunshie it's very hard to read. Why they didn't use an LCD display, we'll never know. The buttons function well and after reading the manual I found it easy to set up and navigate to all the functions. I did have to preform a reset before using the ePulse 2 for the first time, but that was a very easy process. Getting my heart rate was also easy and it has worked every time I use it. My biggest complaint is that the ePulse 2 loses my heart rate if I move my arms while working out. I'm not a runner, but I do walk fast as part of my daily workouts (3.5 to 4.0 mph). During those walks the ePulse 2 gives me extremely false readings. (i.e. It'll read 55bpm when it really should read 125bpm) If I stop swinging my arm the ePulse 2 will eventually find my correct pulse, but only after about 20 seconds of my arm being still. This also happens when I'm using a cross trainer. It does not happen, and reads correctly, when I'm on a stationary bike because my arms aren't moving while on that equipment. Having to charge it every day or two was not big deal for me. It's not a watch, and I don't expect it to be on for more than a couple of hours each day. I just charge it when I get home each day.I love the concept of the ePulse 2, but I think the technology needs to be refined a bit. I WOULD NOT recommend this item to anyone who wants to use it during moderate to hard workouts.

I have a pacemaker and read online that standard heart monitors can give erroneous readings. This one does not work by reading electrical heart signals. So I bought it. I also bought a standard chest strap heart rate monitor. When I wear them both they are within 2 bpm of each other. This one however is much more convenient since you do not have to put a chest strap with pre-moistened contacts. It is my go-to monitor. It is a little hard to see in the bright sun but it reads fine when I get into shade. I have used it for a few months and it seems like it is going to hold up. If it does not I will amend this review.Update: March 5, 2012The device worked just great up until the time I lost it! The details of my losing it are too embarrasing for me to go into. Suffice it to say I liked it enough to buy another one. I ordered another and it arrived DEAD ON ARRIVAL. It would not start and the battery would not charge. I contacted the seller (Healthcheck Systems, Inc., Brooklyn, NY) and they gave me an RA number for it. I wrapped it and labeled it carefully and clearly for return to Healthcheck assuring the RA # was clearly visible on the outside of the package. I insured it with the US Postal Service for $90. I waited a reasonable amount of time and then contact Healthcheck. Healthcheck tells me that it was never logged in. They do not say that they did not receive it - only that it is not in their system. They advise me to send in an insurance claim. This is pretty convenient for Healthcheck but very inconvenient for me - they do not have to service my broken HR monitor or deal with me again. I remember reading that the Hope Diamond was once sent safely by US Mail. Suffice it to say I am disappointed with this outcome and Healthcheck's characterization of it. I probably will not buy another one or ever deal with them again if I can help it.Update: December 20 2012Well I am a liar. I bought another one because I just could not trust some of the readings coming from the Polar FT7 (I have a pacemaker). Sounds a bit crazy but I wear both the Polar and this ePulse2 when I run in the morning. The Polar still gives the occasional indication of a sudden jump in HR - sometimes in excess of 200 BPM. When it does the epulse2 and my manual pulse taking indicate that this high indicated rate is wrong. The Polar usually resolves in a minute or so but it is disconcerting. The epulse2 two has it own problem. It uses light to get the pulse from your arm and on very bright sunlit mornings it tends to loose the signal by showing a pulse that is erroneously low (sometimes down to 60 BPM) while the FT7 seems to be working fine. I need them both.Update: June 4 2013I use this every day and it seems to be holding up. I could not stand the inaccuracy of the electronic Polar unit(s) so I recently purchased a Zephyr HxM which pairs to my Android and records HR for the entire jog. The epulse2 often gives lower numbers than the Zephr but I think that happens in bright sunlight with a poor fit to the forearm. Typically it tracks right with the Zephyr which is the best HRM I have ever owned. All in all the epulse2 is a very good HRM.

A friend of mine was singing the praises of zone training so I decided to give it a go. I hate those chest strap heart monitor things, and the new watches that do heart rates are quite expensive. I decided to give this product a try since it was relatively cheap. I primarily run, and sometime bike.It kind of works.For example, when I am doing my warm up walk before I start my run, it is not uncommon that it will jump between 85 and 130. I know my heart is not beating at 130 - that's closer to when I am running.After a bit of monitoring, I got a rough estimate of where my pace and bpm cross. It was difficult to do because while running it can jump from 130 to 170 within seconds - unless I have acute tachycardia, this is kind of nonsense. Eventually though, I got a feel for when it was telling the truth and when it had gone mad.Since it is quite wild, I only use it every once in a while to try to get an intrinsic feel for where my effort, pace, and heart rate are. It's an ok device, but it's not very accurate.If you are looking for something that you look at and will tell you with a good amount of accuracy what your heart rate is, this might not be the product for you. But if you are low on cash, and are looking for something that you are ok with looking at repeatedly, taking a few guesses and can give you a rough estimate of your heart rate, this might be ok for you.