I purchased this basic Nike heart rate monitor from a major warehouse retailer, and although the documentation doesn't mention it, the included heart rate strap is compatible with exercise equipment that are marked "Polar heart rate ready." I use a variety of workout machines at the gym, and the exercise bikes and treadmill picked up my heart rate right away. I only had problems getting the strap to communicate with a Life Fitness elliptical trainer, but I think that may be due to some missing component (perhaps a receiver) in the machine's control panel, because I found an empty compartment underneath it that houses RJ45 ports which could possibly serve as hookups for a plug-in module for the monitor. Anyway, being able to see my heart rate on the exercise equipment is a nice feature, and the heart rate displayed on the machines was within 1-2 beats of the watch.

I also took the heart rate monitor for a spin in the pool, and the electronics survived just fine though the documentation warns not to press the watch buttons under water. The strap did have problems staying in place around my chest while swimming, so I probably won't use it in the water much in the future.

Overall, I like this heart rate monitor. It's pretty basic in terms of functionality compared to more costly models, but it looks good and does what it's designed to do. I found that I was more motivated to push myself harder in order to keep my heart rate up during my workouts. I don't mind that the watch can only show one value at a time (the time, chronometer, or heart rate), because with such a small display it would be difficult to see all the numbers if everything was crammed onto the tiny screen. Also, the range is limited to within a few feet of my body, but I think that's a good thing because I wouldn't want to pick up a neighbor's heart rate in a crowded gym environment.

The only feature I would like to see added is a backlight on the display, but that's a rather a minor complaint because I don't plan on using the watch as my primary time piece. It's sufficient for gym use, so I don't need extra features that regular watches offer. If you need advanced features like calorie count and min/max heart rate alerts, you may want to look at other models. 4 stars

I had been hesistant about heart rate monitors because many of them seemed so hard to understand. If you are just starting out with a fitness program or want the "simple" things in a heart rate monitor, this is the one. Not complicated to use at all and gives you great readings. Definately recommended!! 4 stars

I like this watch. I have very small wrists, but it fits well and is comfortable. It is very basic, and all you have to do is set the time.
The monitor works well, and provides a constant heartrate, there are no alarms or settings to alert you to highs or lows, or allow any kind of tracking. When you first put it on, it does take a few minutes for it to start giving accurate reads. I like the training cd that comes with it, and provides a calculator feature for determining your ideal ranges.
I wish it had a backlight function for viewing in the dark. 4 stars

This is a very basic heart rate monitor. If you just want an 'entry level' monitor and don't want to spend alot of money on a fancy one with lots of bells and whistles, this is a good one to get. Very easy to use. I've used it swimming. It works fine and is hardly noticeable under my suit. 4 stars

This product is great. Seller not so great. I paid for expedited shipping to receive it before Father's Day. Fedex was given the wrong shipping address (I verified I had submitted correctly on several receipts). I had to go to another city and pick up the item at FedEx so he could have it for Father's Day. I contacted Famous Brand Watches in 3 different emails with no response at all. Fedex would not refund the expedited shipping directly to me, only to them and they haven't returned any of my emailed messages. I'm out the expedited shipping charge and the gas that it took to track it down.

Great product, but buy it from someone other than this seller. 2 stars