Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor Review

The Polar F6 Heart Rate training computer has all the essential functions that an active fitness enthusiasts need in terms of monitoring his/her heart rate and fitness training. This monitor helps keep track of the heart rate (displayed as bpm or % max HR), exercise duration, calories and percentage of fat burned, and the time of the day.

The Polar OwnZone feature can be used to create a personal training zone while the exercise diary stores and displays several weeks’ worth of exercise data which also include how many times the user exercised plus the time spent in various exercise zones. It also displays fitness bullets for every 10 minutes spent within the set training zone.

Polar F6 Product Specifications

• Automatic age-based target zone (% / bpm) - %/bpm
• Graphical target zone indicator
• Heart rate (displayed as % of maximum heart rate)
• Heart rate (displayed as bpm)
• Heart rate sets: pre-program favorite exercise settings - 1 set
• Manual target zone (% / bpm) - %/bpm
• Optional bike mount
• Display text in English
• Average heart rate of total exercise
• Exercise Date
• Fitness Bullets (10 minutes in target zone)
• Wireless ECG accurate heart rate
• Exercise Time (total) - total
• Fitness Exercise Diary
• Maximum heart rate
• Number of exercise files (with summaries) - 12
• Date and weekday indicator
• Low battery indicator
• Time of day (12/24h) with alarm

 

Editors Review of Polar F6

The Look and Feel

The Polar F6 is a stylish looking watch with a large display for your fitness statistics. On the side of the watch are the buttons that allow you to be able to transition between the setting and programs available. The monitor comes with a chest strap which is fully adjustable which some people when first using may find a little uncomfortable. This is not dissimilar to any other heart rate monitor watch that used the chest strap.

Using the Polar F6

Initially the Polar F6 with accompanying manual is relatively easy to set up. The chest strap is a fully adjustable and seems a little smaller then some of the older versions of the F6. All the data stored during the workout can be recorded and downloaded to your PC. This data can be analyzed at the Polar Trainer website.

During the exercise if you start to work outside of your target heart rate an alarm can sound warning you of this. This can be helpful when completing group exercise sessions or during intense exercise sessions.

Pros and Cons of the Polar F6

 

Pros	Cons
Relatively easy to set up and use for all basic functions	Battery Life is low and needs replacing from manufacturer
Able to download and analyse data of workout performace and track over time	Some advanced functions require a little time and practice to master
Allows manual or automatic selection of raining zones

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customer Reviews

 

great product....but polar will getcha in the end

Rating

So, I purchased the F6 in October of 2006. I use it for cycling and on aerobic machines and it really works great. No complaints about performanace at all and it does a nice job of tracking exercise. I paid $99.95 for the product, which seemed sorta high, but I wanted a reliable product from a good name. Well...in August 2007, the transmitter stopped working. Despite the "2 year" warranty stated above, that does not cover batteries, which apparently was the transmitter problem. So, I sent it back to Polar to fix it...but they can't fix it, they can only replace it. All said, it cost me $52 plus my shipping costs to fix. The "replacement" was clearly not new. I'm not sure if it was mine, but it definitely was not new. So, in less than a year, I've had to shell out about $160 and, if the battery dies again six months from now, I guess I'll have to go through this again. I would not but another Polar product.

 

*I Have a Geek Toy, I Have a Geek Toy*

Rating

Easy to set up, accurate, user friendly. Just took it for a test drive this morning. Shipping was fast and friendly. Nice user manual. Very explanatory.

Put in your vitals, adjust the strap around your chest and put the pedal to the metal.

I burned 511 calories -- 45% from fat. For 49:51 minutes of work, I spent 14:46 minutes in the 144-160 beats per minute range; with my heart rate topping out at 178 (93% of my maximum for the "moderate training zone"). My average heart rate was 151 for the duration (79% of my maximum). The alarm cued me when to step it up and also when to back it down so I could keep on a better training track.

Apparently, I've been working too hard in the past. Because just as the HRM was yelling at me to back down, I was thinking, "Geez, touchy thingie! I can go way harder and higher than this!" But if it improves my stamina, all the better.

I would recommend reviewing the product manual and setting up your customizations the night before if you are an early morning exerciser. Setup and familiarization with the product/material takes about an hour.

 

work smarter and harder - worth every penny

I always knew that I should be hitting 65% to 85% of my maximum heart rate while exercising, and I knew that I was sometimes, but this little gadget showed me how far off the mark I was. I had to double my cardio workouts in order to get into the zone where I needed to be to lose weight. Now, I am seeing real results. That knowledge alone was worth the price. Most of us overestimate how hard we work out, spend a lot of time at the gym, and then get frustrated at the lack of results. With this gadget I am able to make my workouts effective not just long and energy consuming.

The features on the A5 model are numerous enough to make this a great toy, and few enough as not to make it too complicated. This model is reccomended by Polar as one for for people looking to lose weight and increase overall fitness. This is not a model for the serious "data junkie" who wants to store all of their workout data in a spreadsheet. I don't think that this is a model for cyclists either. This is a model for someone who wants to know how many calories they've burned, time in their target workout zone, BMI, % of maximum heart rate being reached, and heart rate. You can also perform a fitness test with this model, and that is an interesting feature.

This model comes with a transmitter. The product specifications were not clear about whether or not it came with one. I was confused about that, and ended up purchasing an extra, albiet better, transmitter. The transmitter that came with the A5 does not look comfy, the front part that goes over your chest is made of flexible rubber and the back part is a fabric strap. The extra one that I ordered (for $45) is a totally fabric model called the WearLink, that has one small plastic piece in the front. So, I would suggest you buy a more comfortable mostly fabric transmitter, if you plan to wear it alot.

 

Purchasing a Polar F6

You can Further review or purchase a Polar F6 by Clicking on the below link or visiting the Newsfitness Product shop.