Anyone know the difference and whether the A5 warrants spending about $40 more than the A1 on?

Thanks, I know nothing about these things.

Thanks, I know nothing about these things.
http://www.polar.fi/

http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/polaraseries.html is a good site (UK based) that has a useful description of the HRMs they offer.

eg

"Site owners comments: The Polar A3 is a nice, simple to use, unisex sized HRM. If you are fairly new to HRM training, but do not want something you will outgrow in a few months, nor an over complicated model, then the Polar A3 is the ideal choice."

Anyone know the difference and whether the A5 warrants spending about $40 more than the A1 on? When it comes to HRM's you're paying more for the fancy watch than the device that does the measuring (the chestband).

That being said, what context are you going to be using this in? At a gym with cardio machines, or out in the backwoods running around? If you're at the gym, check the machines. They may have receivers for the transmitter. There wasn't any obvious receiver, but check the model of machine, or ask the staff. All the machines I use at my university gym ('http://arc.sdsu.edu') have receivers! If that's the case get the cheapest one you can (the Beat, not even on their site!) and ignore the watch except for activating the transmitter.

If you'll be out on your own (e.g. biking, running, whatever) then you might need more stats. I don't know why, but you might :)

Anyway, that's what you're paying for: the fancy watch. The more expensive it is, the more programming it's got in it for various functions (avg HR, max HR, etc. etc.). If you're worried about accuracy, don't be. My cheap-o Beat ($30) is dead on with two fingers to the neck. It's rather creepy ;)

My only gripe with all HRM's is that you need to be a little wet for the contacts to work properly. Luckily my gym doesn't understand "ventilation in the locker room" so I work up a sweat pretty quickly in there and it's not a problem :tu:

i bought an A3 after testing them all in the store. personally, the A1 was just too darn basic for me. i wanted to know more than just my heart rate. on the A3, you can tell it your HIIT cardio heartrate percentages, which ive plugged in 60% and 90%, it then will show you a meter showing percentage. very cool! there are some other features too that i use post-cardio, ie, review my cardio session, how long was i in my zone, etc.

seeing as my heart rate values change less than 1 percent every year, I went for the A1. Simple and cheap. I figure I could go to the trouble to remember the numbers 117 and 166 and save me some Yen.

I just bought a Sports Instruments ECG 5 monitor. It has a whole laundry list of features, pretty much everything you would find on the high end polars. The nice thing about the SI monitors is that you don't have to send the watch/strap back to the manufacturer to replace the battery. You can get the unit serviced at a jeweler's shop.

I bought mine on ebay.ca for $80 CAD. This watch used to retail for $140 USD, so it's a pretty good deal. There's a seller who auctions them periodically, if you're interested.

I hope to receive it today. I'll post again with my impressions when I get it.

Yeah I'm still looking to get one, next month probably. Please post impressions of that one once you've used it.

Thanks!

Acumen Cardio Trainer $95 - Multiple-function clip-on monitor. Heavy chest strap and monitor. Settable heart-rate target zones. Calorie counter, pedometer, backlight.

Polar a3 (similar a1, a5, M51/M52) $80 - Multiple-function watch. Settable heart-rate target zones. Chest strap must be replaced ($25) when battery dies. Manufacturer claims 2,500 hours of use.

Impulse 12 $75 - Multiple-function watch. Settable heart-rate target zones. Chest-strap battery can't be replaced. Instructions somewhat hard to understand. Calorie counter.

Freestyle Endurance FIT 1 $60 - Simple watch. Settable heart-rate target zones. One-button setup difficult to accomplish. Heavy chest strap.

Cardiosport Autozone (similar Go, Heartsafe Sport, Premier, Xtreme) $75 - No watch. Settable heart-rate target zones. Backlight.

HEARTalker Advanced (similar Fitness 30000) $80 - No watch; "speaks" heart-rate information to headphones. Settable heart-rate target zones. One-button setup difficult to accomplish. Heavy chest strap.

Mio Shape $130 - Picks up heart rate through fingertip sensors on watch instead of chest strap, which makes it hard to use while running. Heavy multiple-function watch.

Reebok Studio Trainer (similar: Fitness Trainer) $80 - Heavy multiple-function watch. Highest-rated for convenience. Settable heart-rate target zones.

Cateye Heartbeat Counter PL-6000 $90 - No watch. Measures pulse rate from sensor attached to earlobe rather than from chest strap. Heavy multiple-function clip-on monitor. Hard to read display while running. Instructions somewhat hard to understand. Calorie counter.

I received my ECG 5 today. I used it for 30 minutes while riding my exercise bike and I'm quite pleased with it. I only compared it against the pulse of my jugular once, but it was right on the money. It also felt responsive, holding steady within a few beats when I got into a rhythm and changing in accordance with my intensity.

The chest strap felt a bit constrictive at first, but I forgot I was wearing it after a few minutes. I wouldn't reccomend this monitor if you have a very large chest, however. My chest is only 38" (measured just below the pecs where you're supposed to place the monitor), yet it felt as though I was stretching the chest strap to its limit to make it fit.

The documentation is really easy to understand and has illustrations to guide you though all the various functions of the watch.

The watch is a bit large, but it's not garish. It has a black and grey colour scheme, simple brushed metal faceplate and large, easy to use buttons. It also has a button for illuminating the numbers on the display, which is nice if you plan on using it as an all-purpose watch.

All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase. I'm going to play around with the zones and other advanced features tomorrow.

I have the A1, and I really like it. I don't need a bunch of features--just the heart rate.

Well I went with the Polar A5 since I had a 15% off coupon at Modell's, and it's tax free in Delaware, so it was $85. I'm an impulsive buyer when I have coupons.

Anyway, I used it today and so far so good. Thanks for the help guys!

I bought an A5 to test out. I had it for two weeks. It was good, but it did not change my workout too drastically that a lower end model would not have. I don't wear a watch so no use for that feature.

I took it back and just bought an A1 off ebay for $29. Saved over $75.