Heart rate monitors

[DieselnDust]

16 hours ago, bolt67 said:

2 Tickrs failed on me - rust on contact points and inside. Use in the sea for paddling /surfski so that might be an issue. Garmin dual is great until you have to change batteries - screws are tiny and strip easily. Using Magene at the moment - cheaper and no issues yet.  Tickr and Magene easier to change batteriesn- just a coin to open back.

Always rinse and dry sensor /contact points - salt form seat and the sea is a killer 

Garmin Tri and Tri/swim straps are better for both changing batteries and salt water environments because the electrode is built into the strap. My dual failed after a battery change. All their strap models that snap on seem to not last long after a battery change. 
I’m regretting giving away straps I had purchased 15 years ago because those things lasted a long time as did the CR2032 battery

[peetwindhoek]

On 3/2/2024 at 9:45 PM, Thomo said:

Suspect I'm in a similar boat with a failing HRM.

From what I've seen:

Magene H003 R740

Wahoo Tickr 2 R999

Polar H9 R1299

Garmin Dual R1499

You may still be able get some lesser known brand for a little less.

 

Out of that list I have had 2 x Tickr 2. First one the pins broke off and warranty replaced and the next one also an issue cannot remember which. After sales good but will not go this route.

I have been using this the last year and happy at R799:

https://www.decathlon.co.za/road-running-watches-and-gps-watches/128085-57800-dual-ant-slash-bluetooth-smart-runner-s-heart-rate-monitor-belt.html 

[JacquesJ]

16 hours ago, bolt67 said:

2 Tickrs failed on me - rust on contact points and inside. Use in the sea for paddling /surfski so that might be an issue. Garmin dual is great until you have to change batteries - screws are tiny and strip easily. Using Magene at the moment - cheaper and no issues yet.  Tickr and Magene easier to change batteriesn- just a coin to open back.

Always rinse and dry sensor /contact points - salt form seat and the sea is a killer 

+1 on this experience with Garmin Dual and Tickr.

Garmin screws either strip, or you overtighen and break off the little plastic thread thingy the screw goes into. Result is poor seal, water/sweat ingress and dead electronics at slme point.

Tickr (x2) the clips on the battery lid breaks off easiely, same result, poor seal, moisture ingress and dead electronics eventually. Support from Wahoo under warranty is great though, replaced the unit x2 in a year, but I probably wont go this route again. I've taped over the battery compartment of my last replacement to try and keep water out and make sure it lasts as long as possible. #fingerscrossed

[Jensie]

I have been using the Garmin V1 strap for a couple of years. No issues for me.

[Ispeed_V]

Proven to never failed and trusted by many for decades. 🤣🤣

 

On a serious note. Have a spare Garmin dual that would look to part with for R750

[Cyclewizz]

and here I thought I was the only 1 going through HR monitors like there's no tomorrow.

Been through a number of Garmin monitors, some other no name brands busy killing a POLAR H10.

Absolutely hate the tiny screws on the Garmin HR monitors which seem to only be good to use once. I see the Garmin Dual has tiny torque screws on it, hopefully these are better.

Can't even recommend a specific HR monitor because they all seem to die.

Would rate the POLAR H9 or H10 better than the Garmin ones though, never tried a Wahoo.
Magene seem to make decent stuff for a good price.

Look for one that does Bluetooth & Ant+ that would be my advise  

[The Ouzo]

I've been using Garmin (not the dual) for plenty of years. Got my first one with my edge 130 probably 8 years ago. Only last year did it start with erratic readings because the strap started to come apart.

Changed batteries on the transponder thing a number of times and transferred that to the new strap.

Maybe I'm just gentle on my stuff, the only thing I do though in terms of taking care of it is to rinse with fresh water after every ride.

[ct_rider]

My wahoo Tickr worked better than the previous garmin I had, both packed up.

Tickr has periods where the heart rate reading is "stuck" and flat lines on whatever the last reading was, e.g. 130 bpm for 2 minutes. Then it reads again for a few seconds at a different HR and flat lines again, this repeats itself over and over. It is most obvious at the bottom of the screen on Zwift, where you can see the HR graph.

What I have never had an issue is my Garmin Fenix 3 HR, sapphire edition. Only negative about wrist based HR monitors, it does not read and respond as quickly as chest HR straps.

Now I just Bluetooth broadcast my HR from the watch to my head unit.

[KatjieStewels]

My wife and I each got about 2 years out of our Polar H10's before they died. I bought mine in December 2019 and my wife bought her H10 in June 2020. They both stopped working in 2021, about a month apart. It seems that chest HRMs are kind of disposable. Friends of mine that use the Garmin also get about a year, year and a half before they die. We use our watches (both Garmin) for HR now. It works well enough for us. 

[robbybzgo]

1 hour ago, KatjieStewels said:

My wife and I each got about 2 years out of our Polar H10's before they died. I bought mine in December 2019 and my wife bought her H10 in June 2020. They both stopped working in 2021, about a month apart. It seems that chest HRMs are kind of disposable. Friends of mine that use the Garmin also get about a year, year and a half before they die. We use our watches (both Garmin) for HR now. It works well enough for us. 

Hey mate. The Polar H10 HRM's have replaceable batteries (not sure if you're aware - but guessing that you should be).

Cleaning the battery terminals is another option. Also don't wash them in cold water after wearing them for a while as condensation might form on the inside if the unit is hot and the water is cold. The same applies to watches.

You can always send them into the agents to have them checked out if there's a problem!

[Dexter-morgan]

Here is what I did to fix my Garmin "soft" strap after it was giving erratic readings, I let it soak in boiling water for roughly 20minutes and repeated then rinsed in cold soapy water, Still going strong. 

[BigDL]

Learned the hard way that the tickr is not consistently reliable. Garmin was good until I left it salty for too long.  Currently using a cheapish bontrager strap that is bulletproof so far. 

[Mamil]

5 hours ago, FondTF2 said:

Proven to never failed and trusted by many for decades. 🤣🤣

 

On a serious note. Have a spare Garmin dual that would look to part with for R750

You'd get pulled from the start chute by a PPA Marshall for listening to earbuds ... 

[KatjieStewels]

16 hours ago, robbybzgo said:

Hey mate. The Polar H10 HRM's have replaceable batteries (not sure if you're aware - but guessing that you should be).

Cleaning the battery terminals is another option. Also don't wash them in cold water after wearing them for a while as condensation might form on the inside if the unit is hot and the water is cold. The same applies to watches.

You can always send them into the agents to have them checked out if there's a problem!

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, the replaceable battery was the major selling point. I initially thought a firmware update would fix it with the Polar Flow app. 

I don't recall ever washing them in cold water, but that makes sense. I usually shower with my watch and then just rinse it and dry it off and I've never had any issues with corrosion from sweat on the charging ports. 

We initially bought these heart rate monitors before getting watches and we'd use the Polar Beat app while doing indoor training. The moral of the story for me is that the watch is more durable and suits my use case as a non-professional athlete.

[Thomo]

On 3/2/2024 at 9:45 PM, Thomo said:

Suspect I'm in a similar boat with a failing HRM.

From what I've seen:

Magene H003 R740

Wahoo Tickr 2 R999

Polar H9 R1299

Garmin Dual R1499

You may still be able get some lesser known brand for a little less.

 

So I ended up getting an H9 based on some of the feedback here as well as having voucher at a large wharehouse sports outlet where the options were Polar, Garmin and Wahoo.

3 months and the chest strap is dead.

Easy enough to swap I thought. 🤔

No, instead the whole unit must be booked in with +- 2 week turnaround.

Would have been happy to use transponder with one of my other straps in the interim but this was not an option. ☹

 

[Frosty]

Some aloe vera gel works well to ensure a good connection between (dry winter) skin and HRM strap. Rinse off when back home and repeat the next time. Never missed a beat (pun intended).