Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

This device works, but is extremely limited. If all you need is a HRM that tells you how long your exercise session was and what your max and mean HR was in that session, the FT7 will probably suffice. And it's cheap, but you get what you pay for. And if you plan on transferring your data to Polar Personal Trainer, I guarantee you will become disappointed when you find out that that online program has great features - but not for the FT7. Some of this criticism ought to be aimed at Polar's online display software for this product (Polar Personal Trainer), but for those who expect a HRM to, at a minimum, provide a time series of your workout data (a cardiogram) this product is not for you. All it will ever give you is the duration, max and mean HR. No HR curve, no detailed data at all. As for the display software (which requires that you use the USB Flowlink dongle sold separately), Polar conveniently does NOT tell you that most of its advertised features are dependent on the type of recorder you have. E.g. if you have a high dollar GPS FT80 etc, you can probably see everything they advertise for the Polar Personal Trainer, but for the FT7 it displays only the summary data I have already mentioned. For all I know, that's all that this cheap recorder actually saves. I've been using Polar HRMs for 16 years, and one thing I always liked about the Accurex and S725X that I had before the FT7 was ACCESS. The older HRM's saved data directly to a PC in ASCII files (YYMMDDse.hrm) which made it very easy to use the data for analysis outside Polar's various software programs (e.g. ProTrainer5). Now it seems all their monitors just dump data to Polar Personal Trainer, which means the creator of the data - you and your heart - can't have the data to do with as you please. But that's not available with the FT7. But the most egregious thing about this FT7 is that there is no detailed HR data at all. It apparently is not even saved (I've emailed their CS about this, but so far no response). As for export, you can "export" the summary data mentioned above, but not as a txt or xls file - the export format is XML. I have no idea what the point of burying simple data in a markup language like XML is, but that's the only export format that Polar thinks you need. If you're not getting the full impact of this, it means that if you wish to keep simple summaries like monthly cardio data, you will have to dig the data out of XML files and transcribe it manually into some other program. Again, the point of exporting any kind of data in XML completely eludes me. Lastly, as many reviewers of almost all the Polar products Amazon sells have mentioned - Polar customer support, for all intents and purposes, has ceased to exist. I have had no response to emails to them.

This is my third heart rate monitor and second with a chest strap. But the FT7 heart rate numbers are nearly impossible to see. The time of day has large numbers but the heart rate is too small to read when working out. Have to almost stop to see my heart rate and I don't wear glasses.

Despite bearing the well-respected Polar brand this is still just another Chinese made watch that is cheaply built and not very durable. I had a previous off brand that worked as well and had a few more functions than the polar and costs about 2/3rd as much. That watch disappeared from an unlocked gym locker. I've had the FT7 for a little over a year. The face of the FT7 scratches easily. Battery life is just about a year and replacement is tricky. Took me about 30 minutes to get the battery contacts to line up and the watch to turn on. Buttons do not have a positive click and it sometimes takes a couple of tries to activate the function controlled by the button. The size is one advantage as some sports watches are excessively bulky. Heart rate strap does produce a signal that is picked up by most of the exercise equipment in the gym that have HR features, but the range for the watch is more limited than the previous cheaper watch I had. If the hand with the watch drops and stays well below my waist the HR signal is sometimes lost (and yes, that is with new batteries in both the watch and HR module). Overall, once the face becomes so scratched that it becomes difficult to read (I'm guessing another year or two), I'll replace it with a different brand.

I originally purchased this for use when I travel and because I suspected the heartrate monitor on my exercise bike loses my heartrate occasionally or miscalculates it about 10-15 beats/minute less than actual. I have found the FT7's displayed heartrate to be accurate and responds quickly to changes in HR. The instructions it came with were pretty basic, but you can find more in depth instructions on the web site. Like some other reviews, I would like to have seen a screen that showed both heartrate and elapsed time on the same screen. But, the strap is very comfortable, I don't even realize I have it one once I start exercising. The calorie counter assumes you are walking/jogging/running. It would be nice if you could have programmed the form of exercise. For example, I bike. And so I'm not burning calories at the same rate as a jogger. The calorie count on the watch is about 35% higher than my personal exercise bike and an exercise bike I used at a hotel for several days. But heartrate is spot on so far. And I've had no problems with the sensor detecting my heart beat, even when completely dry. I have also found the screen to be easy to read even in direct sunlight.

I love it. I think it is perfect for me, as i don't need too much detailed overview and it gives me just enough information of what i need, no extra unnecessary (additional) functions. I love simplicity and this is IT. I have the purple one. It functions really well, i have had it for close to a year and i have not changed a battery yet. The strap still functions well, i wash it with water, no soap and hang it dry every once in a while. I use it to track my calories burned during my workouts (kickboxing and running) to keep track and stay motivated. I also look for heart rate, making sure i stay in the right zones, slow down or pick the pace up when i have to. I have not experienced any glitches with it. The only problem is that when i wear this watch with boxing gloves, sometimes the glove can pause or end the workout by accidentally pressing on one of the buttons. But that is it and it has nothing to do with a watch, more so with my boxing gloves. I recommend this to anyone looking for a simple and manageable heart rate monitor. Good luck :)