i'm so sick of products that don't work. this time, all i needed was a heart rate watch because the heart rate sensors on those life fitness ellipticals are garbage. they work for a while and then they completely screw up and throw your workout off track. SO frustrating.

so, i didn't need any of the other functions. i just needed a watch to show me my heart rate at all times, without pressing a bunch of buttons. and this did it. i glanced at the (thankfully short) instructions.. there's only ONE button on this watch. attach buttons to chest strap. put on chest strap under your chest. press button. THAT'S IT! there was no drop-out of my heart rate. at the gym, the elliptical screwed up as usual, but i had my watch! then it started working again and the watch readouts were the same as the (also polar brand) elliptical sensors. i was a little worried that i should have bought the next best model because it has some technology where other electronics can't interfere with it, but there was no one around me and i had no problem. the instruction said to moisten the chest strap sensors, but i didn't and it still worked. besides, during my workout i was sweating which gave it moisture naturally! the watch fits just like a normal watch, and it doesn't look all big and dorky. ALSO the number readout is big, which means i don't have to strain to see my heart rate, i just glance at it. ALSO the chest strap is perfect. i was amazed when i put it on and it fit without any adjustment on my part. it's elastic and flexible. brilliant!

there is one problem with this watch.. the battery. it says it will last for 2 years with 1 hour of use per day, but there's no way of turning the time display off. i assume they meant using the heart rate function. i'm emailing them to find out. also when the battery fails, they want you to mail it to them and they charge you $10 and $3 shipping to replace it instead of getting a tiny screwdriver and doing it yourself. actually that might be a good deal considering the price of some batteries.

edit - this is what polar told me: "The FS1 can not be turned off. The average life of the receiver on a single battery is 2 years with 1 hour of use per day. The 1 hour of use is 1 hour of reading heart rate in exercise mode. In time mode the unit is in
a battery saving state." so that's good. 5 stars

i never thought i would find one of these under $100, maybe i was looking in all the wrong places, but when i found this one by chance at a wal-mart, i picked it up right away i think it was $39.99. It's fantastic, and it's dramatically improving my running, i never thought a heart rate monitor would have been so crucial, anyhow, if my opinion changes, ill be sure to revise this review 5 stars

I haven't even used it. The watch is easy enough but then there's this band that needs to be dampened lightly with water in order to work. The band goes around your waste and is not an easy velcro but in 2 pieces that need to be tied. It's impossible to do yourself, you need to be near a sink and have someone else there to tie it for you! It's already at the bottom of a drawer somewhere, never to be used. 2 stars

This is my third monitor and I've never been disappointed by the Polar products. The sub $40 street price makes it a 'must buy' even for the weekend workout warrior. One minor complaint - the band is too short and too difficult to fasten. 5 stars

I had to buy a heart rate monitor for a gym class, and I went and bought the cheapest one I could find (this one) at the local sports store. This one is really easy to use, but the strap that you have to wear makes it useless to me. The band comes in two pieces and is somewhat difficult to put on. Mine will start to slide off my chest after a few minutes of running and when this happens it no longer reads my heart rate making it useless. I no longer use it and I am looking to buy a better heart rate monitor. Also with this one, it does keep track of how long you work out, but you can't see the stopwatch during exercise, all you can see is the heart rate. I run a lot at night or in the evening, and this watch face does not glow or anything at night making it hard to read. This monitor does not seem very accurate either, I notice during exercise that for a couple of minutes it will be reading my heart rate as something really low, say 50, and then after a few minutes will go back up to where it should be (150 or so), skewing the final average heart rate.

My advice: if you are doing heavy exercise (running etc...) spend the money on a good monitor. 2 stars