Polar F6 Women's Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Simply put, I love my watch! I'll start off by saying I wasn't really interested in spending almost $100 on a watch, even if it had a fancy chest strap as an accessory. But I'm glad I sucked it up, and took the chance. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle a strap around my chest while running, walking, biking & weight training. However, once I figured the strap out (it's not rocket science, but it managed to confuse me for a while), this is the best piece of workout gear I have ever purchased. Better than my Nike's, better than my super ridiculous expensive but oh-so-comfy clothing, & better than my Nike/Apple Sportskit for my iPod. This little piece of electronic parts goes with me everywhere I go. It is so much more accurate than the machines at the gym, since it is personalized specifically for you. And it makes adjusting your running, walking or biking so easy since it automatically syncs with any machine that is Polar-ready. I don't have to hold onto the sensors, which the... Read more

Monitor is as shown - if you wear the watch as a timepiece and want to use it for exercise, this may not be the model for you. You can't switch back and forth from time to heart rate and exercise without starting exercise data completely over. Disappointing - the cheaper models offer this feature. Otherwise, it works ok. I'd probably order the less expensive F6 in the need arises in the future.

So, I bought this watch originally thinking it would monitor my heart rate on command. Big mistake. It doesn't work at all without the strap. At first I was very disappointed by this fact. Now my thinking has come around 180 degrees. It turns out that the chest strap is the finest thing in life since sliced bread. All of your better quality gym equipment support the strap. Devices such as the LeMond bikes and the LifeFitness Elliptical crosstrainers will all lock onto that short wave signal and report your heart rate accurately, at all times, regardless of whether you hold the grips or not. That is a great and wonderful thing. It is a pain to cling to the grips, and they are not particularly accurate heart rate monitors in the first place. The watch turns out to be a sizable disappointment. The LCD numbers are way too small when they could be much larger. Get rid of the animation. Give us big numbers. The backlight is horrible. You won't be able to read the time or the... Read more

Had to return the Polar F6 twice over the year. First one of the buttons would fall off and then it would stop working. This is only from Zumba and treadmill. Would not purchase again.

I wanted a monitor for cycling and other exercise. This one is simple to use and provides the info I want.