Polar RS100 Heart Rate Monitor & Stopwatch

This replaces my first HRM, a Timex T5G971, that stopped receiving my pulse after just three uses, and which had difficulty receiving the pulse all three times. After reading the number of reviews by Timex T5G971 owners with the same problem I had, I decided to try a Polar HRM instead. I received the Polar RS100 today. I was immediately struck by the fact that the Polar is much easier to set up than the Timex, despite having more features. I was able to set it up without consulting the manual, unlike the Timex which required studying the manual (and I'm a computer professional who rarely needs to read manuals for basic stuff like this!). It worked well when I used it on a hike today, except that my heart rate was lower than I expected. After looking at the stored data later, I think I was looking at my heart rate percent rather than actual bpm. The Polar RS100 has a list price $50 more than the Timex, so it doesn't seem fair to compare appearance, but the Timex just looks cheap, while the Polar looks acceptable. Not flashy or fancy, but not cheap looking like the Timex. Polar also has a website with an active user forum, moderated by Polar, and free tools for monitoring training. Some people complain about having to enter the data manually, but for an inexpensive watch, I'm not complaining. It's not a big deal. Compared with the Timex website, which has nothing more than sales information, the Polar website has a wealth of information for owners (and anyone else - there's no need to own a Polar product to sign up). The main drawback of the Polar for most people will be that the chest strap requires more maintenance than the Timex. The Polar chest strap needs to have the transmitter removed after every use, and the chest strapped washed. After every five uses, it needs to be machine washed. The Timex doesn't require any of this. For me the Polar benefits outweigh the hassle of the chest strap maintenance, but others may disagree. If you are looking for a Polar HRM, be sure to consult the Polar website for battery life. Some of their HRM watches have only a one year battery life, and the battery needs to be replaced by a Polar service center. The RS100 has a battery expected life of two years. I confirmed the accuracy of the bpm reported by the Polar by comparing it with the readings of a blood pressure gauge; the Polar showed exactly the same pulse. If you're buying this HRM, don't buy electrode gel. Polar recommends against it and now that I have mine, I see why. Polar has its own style of electrode that if I had known about it in advance, I would have had concerns about, but it worked very well today. I have gel that I bought for my Timex and that I'll now have no use for. There are two conditions that often confuse owners (including me) into thinking that the RS100 is giving incorrect readings: 1) If the chest strap isn't tight enough, the pulse readings can occasionally spike to impossibly high levels. It took me a few days to realize what was causing it. If it happens to you, tighten your chest strap slightly or position it more securely. 2) Pressing the lower right button on the watch during exercise toggles between displaying your heart rate as beats per minute and as a percentage of maximum heart rate. If you accidentally press this button, your heart rate will appear to be too low, because it's displaying a percentage rather than the actual beats per minute. If any problems come up with the Polar, I'll report them but my initial impression is very favorable. If no problems turn up, I'll post an update sometime next year. UPDATE AFTER A WEEK OF USE: I've used the RS100 nearly every day in the last week. Recording and later reading lap information isn't as intuitive as the initial setup. I completely lost the data the first several days I used it. However after I finally sat down and really read the manual, it became pretty easy to use. Don't use the printed manual that comes with the HRM! Download the manual from the Polar website. It contains a lot more information. UPDATE AFTER NEARLY THREE WEEKS OF USE: I had the opportunity today to validate the accuracy of the RS100 by wearing it on a hospital treadmill and comparing the RS100 display of my heart rate with the medical equipment display. The RS100 was completely accurate throughout the heart rate range. The only differences were minor, one bpm, and appeared to be due to differences in the intervals with with the hospital equipment and the RS100 updated their displays. I've been using the RS100 nearly every day for hiking, running, and walking. It's proving to be a very useful tool. UPDATE AFTER FIVE MONTHS OF USE: It's still working well. I unnecessarily bought a new chest strap and transmitter battery this week because the heart rate it was displaying was consistently too low. It turned out that the transmitter and battery were fine. The problem was that I had apparently pressed the lower right button on the watch, which caused it to display a percentage rather than actual beats per minute. After five months of using this HRM up to six and occasionally seven days a week, it's still performing well. I'd have no hesitation about buying the same model again.