Polar F11M Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Grey Pepper, New Design)
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List Price: Category: Sports See more product details |
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Description of Polar F11M Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Grey Pepper, New Design)
The world's only heart rate monitor that creates a workout program with how much, how hard and how long to exercise to reach your goals.The Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor is the world's only heart rate monitor that creates a workout program to tell you how much, how hard and how long to exercise to reach your goals. This powerful wrist monitor provides a highly accurate gauge for getting the most from your exercise sessions. The Polar Keeps U Fit Workout Program gives you personal guidance--how often, how hard, and how long you need to exercise to reach your personal fitness goals. It also includes a free-of-charge online component.
The wristwatch-like monitor features a large display that includes 12/24-hour time of day, alarm, and stopwatch. The transmitter includes the Wearlink Coded function, which eliminates interference from other heart rate monitors. The transmitter's electrodes, which pick up the heart signals, are integrated right into the strap for added flexibility and comfort.
The OwnCal feature shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. It also allows you to set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure. The Fitness Bullets feature shows a bullet on the monitor's display for every 10 minutes spent exercising/training in your target heart rate zone. The Coded feature eliminates interference from other heart rate monitors. Other features include:
- Displays heart rate, exercise time, and average heart rate
- Manual and automatic heart rate limit settings
- Large easy-to-read display with backlighting and split screen
- Water resistant to 30 meters (100 feet)
Manufacturer's Warranty
The original purchaser of this heart rate monitor is backed by a limited warranty that states that this product that the product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for two years from the date of purchase.
Note:
Polar heart rate monitors are precision instruments; consumers are not advised to change their own battery. Polar recommends that all service be done by an authorized Polar Service Center which will include a warranty for 90 days on repairs and 6 months for batteries.
About Polar
The first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor was invented by Polar back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The concept of "intensity training" by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990s, individuals were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance training needs, but also for achieving everyday fitness goals. Today, the same concept of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose weight. Polar is the leading brand among consumers, coaches, and personal trainers worldwide and the company is committed to not only producing the best products, but also being the leading educator on the benefits of heart rate based exercise.
Sports reviews of Polar F11M Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Grey Pepper, New Design)
Customer Review: Decent HRM - miserable software support
Sport shop rating: 2 Stars
This review addresses specifically the computer support for the Polar F11. The watch itself is quite good and would rate 4 1/2 stars.
The Polar software however is miserable. You are restricted to uploading your workout data to the Polarpersonaltrainer.com website. The application to handle the uploading is Windows only (it does work on Vista) and interfaces with the watch using sound (so you'll need a working microphone attached to your Windows system).
The website itself is one of the more buggy sites I've encountered and seems to be fairly stagnant in terms of development. Fundamental things such as graphing your average heart rate or OwnZone over time are broken (and acknowledged to be broken by Polar) and have been for 6 months now. This makes the site useless for doing much beyond viewing historical workout data, which you can already do on the watch.
If you're considering the F11, do so only on the merits of it as a standalone HRM and consider the software side a non-factor.
Customer Review: Not intuitive to use all of its features
Sport shop rating: 2 Stars
This monitor has what it advertises.
I am the tech guy that all friends and family come to when they have questions. I like to read techie manuals and use tech products to full advantage.
I have found this monitor's features difficult to access, configure, and use in a gym setting.
EDIT:
After more time with this product, it's just not any easier to use. I would buy a cheaper basic version that just monitors my heartbeat and calculates the number of calories during a single workout. They tried to make this do too much and were not able to make it useable / easy. Sometimes, I've spent nearly five minutes pressing and navigating menus at the beginning of a workout. Now, I just use the basic features. However, it still thinks I"m trying to do more, so it beeps at me during workouts. For this reason, I've lowered the rating from 3 to 2 stars.
Customer Review: F11 is OK, but the software really sucks!
Sport shop rating: 2 Stars
I bought the Polar F11 about a month ago, and it is a pretty good HRM. I have no real complaints about mechanical fit or function. This is my second and last Polar HRM.
My major complaint is about the data handling! Particularly because it's my data, and the only way I can download it is to Polar's website. They make no other (none!) provisions to let your download your own data to own computer. I really question their motives in hijacking my training data. And their website truly sucks. I called them to try to buy something (anything) to let me download my own data to my own computer, but no dice and no plans to do so in the future. My old Polar HRM would let me do this, and any future HRM I buy will let me do this, and it won't be a Polar! I've been looking at Suunto's!
Customer Review: stopped working
Sport shop rating: 2 Stars
I owned an F11 for roughly three years. I didn't use it during working outs but mostly to track my progress. Eventually, the screen died so I figured that it was the battery. However, the estimate came back with a $140 bill. The PC had died and the transmitter electrodes had rusted. How can this happen if I barely used it? It's a fun but disposable product. Buy only if you are willing to shell out cash for a HR monitor again within a couple of years (or less). Also, if you are a slim person beware of the M-XL transmitter that it comes with. The specs say it is for chest sizes 28" and greater but this stretched out early and was uncomfortable to wear around. Some places will trade the size out to the XS-S for you with the initial purchase - look around.Customer Review: Unreliable, poor warranty, inability to self service
Sport shop rating: 1 Stars
I purchased this item about 1.5 years ago and I've had nothing but sub-par, unreliable operation. First, the unit wouldn't even pick up my heart rate unless I soaked the transmitter under water for at least 20 seconds. When it did end up working it would sporadically work, dropping in and out as well as give me false readings - sorry, at full sprint my heart rate is not going to be 43% of max. Next, the battery died on me so I decided to try and change the battery out myself which in turn voided the warranty. To close, if you don't enjoy sporadic operation from a $150 plus monitor, you don't want to send your unit out for battery replacement (at a service fee)every year and be out a monitor for three weeks then DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT! I've recently switched to a Garmin unit and the difference is worlds apart.