Reebok Precision Trainer XT Heart–Rate Monitor with Chest Strap Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my first heart rate monitor and I bought it because I'm trying to get fit and loose just a few pounds. I take a lot of classes at the gym and wanted more than just an estimate of how many calories I had burned during class so I started looking for an HRM. Most are SO expensive though so I waited and found this one at a special rate for one day at another website so I bought it.
I have been completely pleased with it! Since it has a chest strap it takes your heart rate continuously and it will beep at you if you're above or below your target zone. (You can shut the beeping off though. :o)) This is great because you need to know if you should be kicking it up a notch! This HRM also sync's up with your workout machines automatically so your heart rate is displayed on the machine (no more holding sweaty handlebars!). It was really easy to figure out and program with my info and the manual is pretty straight forward. I was a little worried that having a chest strap on while I'm all sweaty would be really annoying but it's comfortable enough that you don't even notice it. Also, the strap is adjustable so it really fits almost everyone. It will fit really large people to small people. The best part though for me is that it counts calories accurately; it's great knowing how much you're actually burning! In a one hour workout session the difference between how many calories I actually burned and what the machine at the gym said was around 125 calories, that's a little too far off for me. This is a must for anyone who is trying to loose weight or just get fit!
The ONLY thing I don't like about it is that the watch is a little clunky on my tiny wrists but I can't complain because this watch is uni-sex, it wasn't made specifically for women.

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Product FeaturesFast, easy and accurate heart rate monitorChest belt included for continuous heart rateTime/Date (12/24 hr), alarm, calorie counter, User Menu, Personal Profile, Chronograph, Hi/Low AlarmsTimer, Memory, Bike Mount, Water resistant to 30m

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Impact Sports ePulse Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch and Calorimeter Review

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(More customer reviews)After reading the mostly positive reviews of the ePulse on Amazon, I decided to purchase the device about one month ago. I work out quite hard and pushed this device to its limits. Here are my general thoughts on the ePulse.
If all you are looking for is a device that gives you a real-time measurement of your heart rate, this device works fine. However, other functionality does not deliver as promised. The minimum heart rate is set to 0. The watch seems to take awhile to average out that 0 heart rate when calculating average heart rate for the entire workout. If you are working out for several hours, this shouldn't be a problem, but the average heart rate will report several beats too low if you are doing a shorter workout (such as 30 minutes).
Also, if you attempt to view other data screens such as maximum heart rate while working out and then go back to current heart rate, it will read way too low. It takes approximately 30 seconds to re-adjust back to your actual heart rate.
At high heart rates (such as 160-170 beats per minute (bpm)), the watch will occasionally stop adding calories burned to the device. For example, during a tempo run where my heart rate was near 170 bpm for ten minutes, it told me that I burned a total of 15 calories over the ten-minute period. When I went back to a lower heart rate in the 145-150 bpm range, the watch started calculating calories burned much more accurately.
I have spoken with the designers of the ePulse, and they told me that they were able to replicate these problems. They intend to fix them for their new model release.
So, if you are looking for a device to simply give you a measurement of your current heart rate and don't care about any other bells and whistles, this device is fine. However, if you want to know an accurate idea of how many calories you burn and what your average heart rate is, I would wait the 6-12 months for the next release.

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Dynamic heart rate monitors have traditionally required an uncomfortable chest strap and compatible watch, practically restricting their use to serious athletes. Enter the ePulse, the world’s first armband heart rate monitor and calorimeter. Known as the "people’s fitness monitor," the ePulse makes it practical and convenient for anyone who is interested in tracking calories burned to enjoy the benefits of heart rate monitoring while performing literally any type of activity, from running to walking to simply doing daily chores.
The ePulse works by integrating light sensor and microchip technology--the same type used in hospital heart rate monitors--to accurately read the pulse from the forearm. Once on your arm, the ePulse continuously acquires and shows your current exercise heart rate while calculating calories burned based on your heart rate and personal profile. If you use the ePulse several times a day, it automatically compiles your calories burned into a grand daily total, including when your activities consist of moving around the office or doing work around the house. The ePulse also measures your basic metabolic rate (BMR), which is a prediction of how many calories you will burn based on your personal data input, and then adds your daily calories burned to show your total caloric burn for a day. This function is particularly useful for people who are trying to count calories and lose weight through a program of diet and exercise.
In addition, the ePulse handles a number of basic calculations, including elapsed exercise time, average heart rate, and minimum and maximum heart rates. People with specific training goals can further use the ePulse to calculate optimal heart rate exercise zones for both burning fat and boosting cardio conditioning. The ePulse will then provide a target high and low range for your heart rate, with a green LED light telling you when you're in the target zone.
The real advantage of the ePulse, however, is its chest-strap-free design. At best, chest straps are an annoyance, and at worst are so uncomfortable that they alienate many people from using this type of valuable training and fitness tool. Women in particular report sensitivity to chest straps, and many won't use heart rate monitors as a result. The ePulse, by contrast, is comfortable for both men and women, allowing users to easily regulate their workout intensity and better attain specific fitness or weight management goals. The ePulse--which incorporates an easy-to-ready day/night LED display and is powered by AAA batteries--requires no programming to immediately display heart rate data.
The ePulse excels during the following activities: general fitness, aerobics, running, tennis, racquetball, golf, resistance training, weight loss monitoring, weightlifting, and daily chores.

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