Hello, I’m Samuel. Welcome to the web’s source for the best Heart Rate Monitor Review (updated June 2019). If you’re looking to buy a fitness tracker that has heart rate monitor or a chest strap, you can find from my research below useful information that will help you choose what really fits you.
Here are all information you need to know before purchasing an activity tracker that has heart rate monitor:
After reading this article, I’m sure you can answer yourself these questions: Should I have a heart rate monitor device? Which type; Chest strap or wristwatch heart rate monitor? Polar or Garmin? Which is compatible with Bluetooth or ANT+ devices? Which is waterproof? Which is cheap?
Why Heart Rate Measurement is Important
Many of my friends now have a smart watch with heart rate monitor function. But when I ask, most of them don’t utilize this feature because they don’t get the importance of measuring heart rate. Why buy a fitness tracker with heart rate monitor when you don’t really know what it is for? Let me give you some studies and numbers about heart rate. Your heart rate at rest, as well as during exercise, can tell you a lot about your health and how fit you are.
Measure your heart rate at rest
Your resting heart rate, when considered in the context of other markers, such as body temperature, blood pressure and breathing rate, can help identify potential health problems. While you’re at rest, heart rate variability is directly linked with the body’s regulatory systems, their efficiency and health. An optimum level of heart rate variability within an organism is a sign of healthy function and an inherent self-regulatory capacity, resilience or adaptability.
“In certain cases, a lower resting heart rate can mean a higher degree of physical fitness, which is associated with reduced rates of cardiac events like heart attacks,” says Dr. Jason Wasfy, director of quality and analytics at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center. However, some situations can make your resting heart rate too low, which may cause occasional fatigue or dizziness.
A high resting heart rate could be a sign of a cardiac risk in some situations. A study in the journal Heart(2013) tracked the cardiovascular health of about 3,000 men for 16 years and found that the higher a person’s resting heart rate, the greater the risk of early death. A high resting heart rate was related to lower physical fitness and higher body weight, blood pressure and levels of circulating blood fats. Specifically, a resting heart rate between 81 and 90 doubled the chance of death, while a resting heart rate higher than 90 tripled it. Therefore, frequently checking your resting heart rate using a heart rate monitor chest strap / fitness tracker is a good way to detect health issues.
Check the table below to know what your resting heart rate should be at a specific age:
Measure your heart rate during exercise
Your heart continuously beating to keep blood circulating throughout your body is also a muscle. Exercise, in turn, helps keep it healthy. The American Heart Association recommends that a person should exercise to raise their heart rate to their target heart rate zone which is 50% to 85% of their maximum heart rate (MHR). So fitness isn’t just about the amount you exercise, it’s also about the intensity of that exercise. A heart rate monitor chest strap / fitness tracker is your pacer, telling you when to speed up or slow down to achieve specific results.
How to know your maximum heart rate? Various algorithms have been developed to calculate it, but the simplest is as follows:
Your maximum heart rate = 220 – Your age
| Age | Target HR Zone 50-85% (beats/minute) | Average Maximum Heart Rate 100% (beats/minute) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 100-170 | 200 |
| 30 | 95-162 | 190 |
| 35 | 93-157 | 185 |
| 40 | 90-153 | 180 |
| 45 | 88-149 | 175 |
| 50 | 85-145 | 170 |
| 55 | 83-140 | 165 |
| 60 | 80-136 | 160 |
| 65 | 78-132 | 155 |
| 70 | 75-128 | 150 |
To raise your heart rate to the target heart rate zone, you can follow heart rate training which relies on exercising in different heart rate zones. Each training stimulates different metabolic pathways and has different effects on the enzymes in the muscles. When you know your zones, you can plan workouts to make the greatest fitness gains without overworking.
- Endurance (60%–70% MHR; 40-80 minutes): Considered ideal for endurance and weight-loss programs. Develops cardiovascular and muscular efficiency. Your body will use stored fat as fuel.
- Aerobic (70%–80% MHR; 10-40 minutes): Highly effective for cardiovascular fitness as well as muscle strength. You will burn mostly fat and carbohydrates in this zone.
- Anaerobic (80%–90% MHR; 2-10 minutes): Used for interval workouts or consistent speed. At this zone, your breathing will be heavy and your muscles tired. Increases lactate tolerance and enhances lung capacity.
- VO2 Max (90%–100% MHR; 0-2 minutes): For athletes who want to enhance speed. Muscles quickly go into oxygen debt at this level so only exercise for short period.
During the first few weeks of working out, aim for the lower range of your target zone (50%) and gradually increase to the higher range (85%). If you’ve started an exercise program, you might see a decrease in your resting heart rate and that means your fitness is improving. It takes about four to six weeks of following an exercise program before you can see measurable changes in your resting heart rate.
Benefits of Heart Rate Monitor Devices
Numerous studies have proved that coherence training, consisting of intentional activation of positive emotions paired with heart rate variability coherence feedback which facilitates substantial improvements in wellness and well-being indicators in a variety of populations.
A key benefit of a heart rate monitor device is that it enables you to maintain the optimum heart rate target zone for your specific goal. Higher-end models inform you of this via a digital display and/or an audible tone. Tracking heart rate along with activity may tell users which of their daily activities count as exercise. People with heart problems can monitor their heart rate to know whether their heart rate is related to certain symptoms (such as light-headedness). If you are trying stress management techniques, a heart rate monitor fitness tracker might help you see whether your techniques (for example, practicing deep breathing) actually made your heart rate go down. Later in this heart rate monitor review, I will help you choose which monitor works best with you.
Quick tool to calculate your target heart rate
Who Should Use Heart Rate Monitor Device
Anyone who wants to become healthier should use heart rate monitors. Because with this piece of equipment, not only we are able to identify our health issues by measuring our resting heart rate, but we can also exercise targeting the most suitable heart rate zone to make our heart stronger.
- Joggers and walkers: By aiming for fat-burning and aerobic target zones on your heart rate monitor, you can get more out of your exercise time.
- Runners: A heart rate monitor can keep you in your highest target zone on intense training days as well as at your aerobic base during easier sessions.
- Swimmers: some swimming heart rate monitor has data like distance, pace, stroke type/count and number of pool lengths.
- Cyclists: Whether you bike on a road, trail or stationary trainer, you can track your training performance during endurance, tempo and interval rides.
- Hikers, climbers and skiers: Use a heart rate monitor to condition more effectively for a peak ascent.
- Weight-loss participants: Heart rate monitors help target your exercise for fat burning. Most display calories burned during a workout.
- Injury-rehabilitation patients: For patients recovering from an injury or an illness, heart rate monitors provide real-time valuable feedback. Such data can help ensure that your recovery proceeds safely and steadily.
Types of Heart Rate Monitor Device
One of the most frequently asked questions about Heart Rate Monitor Review is: Which one is the most accurate? I see a lot of heart rate monitor reviews with experiments comparing some Heart Rate Monitor Models, however I think before you compare them, you should know how each model works to measure heart rate. Whatever the model, they either use Optical Sensor or ECG Sensor– and this will decide which model is more accurate.
Optical Sensor vs ECG/EKG Sensor
| Type | Light based Optical Sensor |
ECG/EKG Sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Detects changes in blood volume Sensor often is put on your wrist or your arm |
Measures the electrical activity of the heart to show continuous and resting heart rate data. Sensor often is put under your chest |
| Accuracy | Accuracy can be reduced by light leaking in and affecting the sensor, the movement of your arm and the flexing of your wrist. | More accurate and reliable than optical sensors because they use ECG sensor and are close to the heart |
| Comfort | Convenient when exercising No need to use gel or cream to make it work |
You have to wet the back of the strap with water, or conductive gel before exercising and wet it again whenever you have trouble getting a reading. |
| Battery life | Shorter life battery | Long life battery. It may last to a year. |
| Which one is for you? | This type fits with almost everyone | Choose this type if you’re serious about sports and high accuracy |
Continuous-Reading vs Touch-Type
Touch Type |
Continuous Reading |
|
|---|---|---|
| Description | You need to either touch the device on its screen or press a button to get a reading. | Your heart rate data is real-time and continuously displayed on either the wristwatch or the iPhone via Bluetooth |
| Convenience | Can be distracting when you run or cycle. It may take several seconds to get a reading. | Convenient when exercising. You can move freely. |
| Battery life | Long battery life, up to 20 days. | Short battery life. You may need to take it off and charge the device daily. |
| Which one is for you? | If you just have light exercise and simply just want to have a watch with more functions, you can consider this. | Choose this if you want to use a heart rate monitor for serious training activities |
Chest Strap vs Armband vs Wristwatch
Wristwatch / Wristband |
Chest strap |
Armband |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | The wristwatch models allow you to measure and view your heart rate right on the screens. | All of these models are worn with a chest strap which send data to a wristwatch-style receiver or your Phone via Bluetooth. | You wear this model on your arm and it will send data to your Phone via Bluetooth. |
| Sensor | Optical sensor | ECG sensor | Optical sensor |
| Reading type | Either continuous-reading or touch-type wristwatch | Continuous, real-time reading data on your phone / wristwatch receiver | Continuous, real-time reading data on your phone |
| Accuracy | Not as accurate as chest strap | More accurate because they are right up against the skin and close to the heart and use ECG sensor | Not as accurate as chest strap |
| Comfort | More comfort as Models do not require a chest strap | Many people got chafed and find it a bit hard to breathe You have to wet the chest strap at least initially, to get a reading |
Breathable than chest strap |
| Convenience | Can use as a watch and measure daily activities (steps, calories burned) | If you want to read data, you need to carry your phone along or buy a heart rate receiver watch to pair with it. | If you want to read data, you need to carry your phone along |
| Battery life | Short if it’s continuous reading Longer if it’s touch-type but still not as long as chest strap |
Long battery life, may last up to 1 year | Short |
| Others | Cheaper than wrist-only models. Can’t use it for normal activities. |
Can’t use as a watch | |
| Who should use | Who’s not too serious about sport and data | Who’s serious about sport and data | For whom exercise with gloves on such as MMA |
Top Heart Rate Monitor Review 2017
Now you may have decided to go with Wristwatch or Chest strap or Armband. For each category I will review the best-sellers:
1. Wristband fitness tracker
Fitbit Alta HR Review
Type: Wristband. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor
Design and comfort: Elastomer strap. 6 color options: black, black gunmental, blue/gray, coral and fuchsia and pink rose gold. It’s the slimmest fitness tracker with heart rate monitor so far (15mm width).
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Workouts, distance, floors climbed, steps, active minutes and calories burned. Automatically monitor your sleep and show you the amount of time you’ve spent in REM, light sleep or heavy sleep, how often you wake up mid-snooze, so you can monitor how good your night has been.
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Water resistant. Not suitable for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices
Battery life: 7 days
* My Comment: It’s the best slender activity tracker that has heart rate sensor. If you want to wear something fashionable yet useful for your workout, this is the best choice. Find detailed review of this fitness tracker.
Read our review here
Type: Wristband. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor
Design and comfort: Band is made of silicone and not interchangeable. It’s pretty slim, 18.5mm in width. OLED screen.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Workouts, distance, floors climbed, steps, active minutes, calories burned and sleep tracking. The unique feature of Garmin Vivosmart 3 is stress tracking and measure your V02 max and fitness age. In addition, you can control music, find your misplaced phone, and find your watch with Garmin Vivosmart 3.
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Safe for showering and swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth, ANT+ devices
Battery life: 5 days
* My Comment: If you like a fitness tracker of a lot functions, Garmin Vivosmart 3 is the number one choice for you. Read my full review of pros and cons of Garmin Vivosmart 3.
Polar A370 Review
Type: Wristband. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor.
Design and comfort: Band is made of silicone and is interchangeable. It’s bold and sporty with 23.5mm in width. Colorful touch screen.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Workouts, distance, floors climbed, steps, active minutes, calories burned and sleep tracking. It can piggy back a phone GPS like Fitbit Charge 2. What makes Polar A370 stand out is the smart coaching and feedback which help you train more effectively.
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Water resistant to 30m. Safe for showering and swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices
Battery life: 4 days
* My Comment: Polar A370 has a bold design and gives you smart coaching. If this is what you want, go for it. Read my full review of pros and cons of Garmin vivosmart 3.
Type: Wristband. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor.
Design and comfort: Band is interchangeable. Screen are 4 times bigger than Fitbit Charge HR. Color options: black, blue, plum, teal and lavender.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Workouts, distance, floors climbed, steps, active minutes and calories burned. Automatically monitors your sleep and wakes with a silent alarm. You can see time of day, call notifications, daily stats on the OLED display. Enhanced with Cardio Fitness Level which indicates how fit you are.
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant. Not suitable for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices
Battery life: 5 days
* My Comment: Fitbit Charge 2 is quite a good choice if you prefer wearing a fitness band to a fitness watch. However this model is still not suitable for swimming. Read my full review of pros and cons of Fitbit Charge
Type: Wristband. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor.
Design and comfort: Sleek design. 3 color options: black, imperial purple, midnight blue.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors climbed and activity intensity. Receive text, call, email, social media and calendar alerts. Control your music and your VIRB action camera.
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Water resistant to 50m. Safe for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth & ANT+ devices. Garmin Connect app
Battery life: 5 days
* My Comment: This one is a very good choice among fitness trackers of same price range.
Read our review here.
Polar A360 Fitness Tracker Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Wristband. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor.
Design and comfort: Colorful touchscreen
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Workouts, steps, distance, calories burned, sleep quality, and activity 24/7
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Water resistant to 30m. Safe for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth. Iphone & Android devices
Battery life: 2 weeks
* My Comment: This one is more expensive than others but it has colorful touch screen and battery life is up to 2 weeks. Worth a try!
View more
Read our review here
Pebble 2 Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Wristwatch. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor.
Design and comfort: Five color options – Black, white, aqua, flame and lime. E-paper. 1.26-inch display with a 144 x 168 resolution
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Sleep and activity tracking. Built-in microphone, record voice notes. Music control.
Water resistant: 30 m. Safe for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth. No wifi and GPS; can work with both iOS and Android devices
Battery life: 7 days
* My Comment: I’m not a fan of Pebble’s design. However, good price for offered functions. You can find my detailed review of this smartwatch here.
Mio Alpha Sports Watch Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Wristwatch. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor.
Design and comfort: Black color
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Total exercise time. Timer/Clock.
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant to 30 m. Safe for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices
Battery life: 20+ hours
* My Comment: Cheaper but has fewer functions than the above mentioned wristwatch. Suitable for high intense workouts such as: running, cycling. View more
Samsung Gear Fit 2 Review
Type: Wristwatch. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor.
Design and comfort: Light and durable with a 1.5 inch curved Super AMOLED display. Interchangeable bands and screens.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Track your step count, calories burned, heart rate, sleep quality and more. Map your activity accurately with the built-in GPS. Auto tracking recognizes and starts tracking multiple exercises when you move. Receive and respond to notifications, calls and texts right on your wrist
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Water resistant 1.5 m for 30 minutes
Compatibility: Android devices
Battery life: 3-4 days
* My Comment: Short battery life and only works with Android devices.
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TomTom Spark Cardio + Music, GPS Fitness Watch + Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Wristwatch. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor
Design and comfort: Seven color options
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Bluetooth music player. Measures time, distance, speed, pace, calories burned, and sleep
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Water resistant to 40m. Safe for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices
Battery life: 3 weeks (without using GPS + music)
* My Comment: If you’re a sports and music fan, you should consider this one. Plus it offers many color options available to choose from.
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2. Chest Strap & Armband
Polar H7 Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Chest strap, Continuous reading data, ECG sensor
Design and comfort: Elastic strap, stays tight, not really too comfortable.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Calories counter.
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Yes, but Bluetooth will not work then
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices, Polar watch, gym equipment using Gym Link
* My Comment: Polar is famous for chest straps so if you’re looking for an accurate chest strap heart rate monitor for activities like running or cycling and you already had a smart watch, then this would be the best choice.
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Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Chest strap included wristwatch receiver. Continuous reading data. Using ECG sensor
Design and comfort: Soft fabric. More comfortable.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Calories burned. Energy Pointer
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant to 30m
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices, gym equipment using Gym Link.
* My Comment: This is a perfect setup for you to monitor exercise. Whenever you go running, just wear the chest strap and the wristwatch together and you are good to go.
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Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Chest strap included wristwatch receiver. Continuous reading data. Using ECG sensor
Design and comfort: Soft fabric. More comfortable
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Calories burned.
Water Resistance / Waterproof: Water resistant to 30m
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices. Gym equipment using Gym Link
* My Comment: This set is cheaper than Polar FT7 and doesn’t have the feature “Energy Pointer”.
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Garmin Premium Strap heart rate monitor Review
Type: Chest strap. Continuous reading data. ECG sensor
Design and comfort: Soft fabric. Adjustable.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Pace
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant to 30m
Compatibility: ANT+ devices. Garmin vivofit watch and lots of smart watches
* My Comment: Garmin is also famous for Chest strap heart rate monitors. While Polar chest trap can connect other devices via Bluetooth, Garmin’s can only connect ANT+ devices.
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WAHOO TICKR Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Chest strap. Continuous reading data. ECG sensor
Design and comfort: Soft fabric
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Calories burned
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant to 1.5m
Compatibility: Bluetooth & ANT+ devices. Smartphones (iPhone & android) and tablets, as well as GPS watches
* My Comment: Compatibility of WAHOO’s chest strap is its strength. However water resistance is just to 1.5m while Polar’s and Garmin’s are up to 30m.
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Timex Mid-Size T5G941 Easy Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Watch included chest strap. Continuous reading data. ECG sensor.
Design and comfort: Elastic strap
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Activity timer
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant to 30m. Not suitable for swimming.
* My Comment: Quite good compared to Polar FT7. The weaknesses are the band material is elastic and you can’t use this one for swimming.
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TomTom Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Chest strap. Continuous reading data. ECG sensor
Design and comfort: Elastic strap
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Just heart rate only
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant. Not suitable for swimming
Compatibility: Bluetooth devices. TomTom watch.
* My Comment: Don’t recommend this one because the band is elastic, it is limited to heart rate monitoring only and this model is not suitable for swimming.
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Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate Monitor Review
Type: Armband with no screen. Continuous reading data. Optical sensor
Design and comfort: Elastic, lightweight.
Tracking beyond heart rate monitoring: Calories burned, distance, pace.
Water Resistance/Waterproof: Water resistant to 1m
Compatibility: Bluetooth and ANT+ devices. Works with watches, fitness equipment, smartphones, tablets and most popular fitness apps including DigiFit Run keeper MapMyFitness Strava and more
* My Comment: This one looks really cool. However, a wristwatch will be a better choice since both use optical sensor (same accuracy) while this armband still require you to wear a wristwatch together for reading data continuously. Also, this one cannot be used for swimming.
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I’ll keep updating the latest heart rate monitor review as well as providing new guides and tips, especially good if you are new to heart rate monitors, so subscribe my blog for updated information.
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