I was originally hesitant to purchase any heart rate monitor because I wasn't sure if the basic feature of monitoring would work well.

I couldn't decide on a brand until I read the other HR watch reviews and discovered that Polar is one of the leading brands.

This watch is very simple. It's got 1 button! I bought this FS1 watch because I just wanted something to help focus my gym workouts. I wanted a few other features but didn't want to pay the 2x or greater pricing for it.

Pros:
- The single button on the watch is easy to get used to. Easy to start when you exercise
- Heart rate works well and reliably when the chest strap is well moistened. Good when you're already sweating.
- In the gym, there's a "Polar Heartrate Ready" logos on LifeFitness machines and some other machines (I'm a member at 24hr fitness). That indicates that it automatically reads the chest strap. So you don't even need to wear the watch!

Cons:
- When enabling the heartrate monitor (called "EXE or exercise mode on the watch), the HR feedback is autodetected, so the user can't do anything to test if it works. You just watch and wait. This could possibly be true about the other high end Polar watches, but this is a small usability thing that I don't like.
- The chest strap isn't uniquely coded so it can crosstalk. I haven't had the problem at the gym since I haven't been working out right beside anyone who's wearing a HR monitor. However, the HR meter on the adjacent gym machine will be funky when someone's using it =-P.
- No backlight. I refused to spend more money on a HR watch. But then, why does the backlight feature cost an extra $20. Shame on you Polar.
- There's no MIN and MAX feature. Why not, this watch is a computer and we've had calculator watches for 20 year? Why does polar sell 10 different watches for different sports? Polar needs to simplify their product line and offer better price for product.
- 2 year battery life. Another reason not to spend any more for a HR watch.

Hope that helps all the new buyers out there. 4 stars

This is a good basic monitor. It works with the bicycles at the gym, automatically displaying your heart rate on the bike. Often, though, the bike number displayed is one beat off of the number displayed on your watch (i.e. 120 bpm instead of 121). There are no fancy features with this monitor -- it just shows your bpm while exercising and that is all. 3 stars

The new chest strap is lighter and more comfortable than my old hrm. Only complaint is the wrist strap buckle -- it could have been designed better. 4 stars

I bought this for my husband as a replacement for his old monitor that had a wrist band that couldn't be repaired. He figured out on his own how to use this monitor: a plus for any product. I'd buy it again just because of the ease of use. 5 stars

Ordered black, which was not available in this color at my local sporting goods store-got blue, which I could have gotten in the store with no S&H charge.
Also somewhat disappointed in the monitor, which works fine for HR, but doesn't give a running time. 3 stars