I purchased this watch to replace an older Polar heart rate monitor with dead batteries in the chest strap and the monitor. The design of that product required me to send both units in for replacement by a Polar service center. The cost was nearly as much as the cost of this timex heart rate monitor.
I am so pleased with this product. The instructon manual was clearly written and easy to understand. There are just enough functions for me without loading the product up with things I will never use. That makes using it simple and I can remember how to use it without having to refresh my memory by repeatedly rereading the manual.
The monitor is an excellent watch when not using the heart rate features. Best of all I can change the batteries myself when the time comes without sending the thing off in the mail to a service center.
On top of all that the price was reasonable. This is one of those few purchases that exceeded my expectations because everything that it does, it does a little bit better than I had hoped for. Timex T5J031 Unisex Digital Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch
I bought this HRM to help me as I began a training program, and decided on this one rather than a Polar monitor because it was cheaper and because it was a Timex. It was easy to use out of the box (I ran later that day); I set the time and after fiddling a little with the buttons I was able to use the timer and HRM functions.
The chest strap is snug and comfortable; the watch is unisex but for women with tiny wrists it might be a bit too loose; I myself wear it the tightest possible setting.
Aesthetically it looks great. It's not something that I personally would go around wearing all the time, but it's easy to read and the buttons are easy to use. The indigo is not ideal for when I'm running on the street in the evening since it lights up the numbers rather than the whole face of the watch, but this is a tiny issue.
Overall, fantastic product, and I'm so glad that something this well-featured is availiable at such a competitive price from Timex.
1. The product does everything that it claims to do.
2. The watch looks nice enough to wear all the time as your main watch.
3. The strap that needs to be used to send your heart beats is comfortable.
4. You can learn the HRM quickly if you fool around with it a little bit. If you are a computer nerd, you will learn it in less that one hour.
5. The only thing negative is that it uses batteries like crazy. I have to use a new battery every week and that costs $5. There is no shut off botton on the transmitter so it is constantly on and the battery drains.
Good.
1.Improved elastic band and toggle lock.
2.Coded digital transmitter, reduces interference,
(May not work with gym machines as most of these still are analogue receivers.)
3. Transmitter battery can be changed by user, costs $ 2.00
4. Watch battery can be changed at Sears Jewellery, less than $ 15.00
Bad.
1.Gimmicky. Too many modes. Just about figured it out.
2.The booklet describes all functions first and HRM set up last.
3. If above XL male, the HRM strap may be short, loose elasticity due over stretch.
Timex T5G971, which I lost, is better because:-
1.Simple On/Off switch to start recording also handles the audio alerts.
2.Recall and Recovery buttons at 7 o' clock and 5 o'clock positions. Self explanatory functions.
3.T56971 shows current BPM, records time of activity, max/min pulse, average pulse, time in zone, recovery rate, cals burnt, corrected for age, weight, gender.
I recommend T5G971, also it is analogue, costs $ 20 less, have used for 18 months, being non digital transmitter, works with most gym machines as of today.
This is an elementary and reliable heart rate monitor. It is easy to use and durable. I have used it since February and now routinely wear it for all exercise. The watch has a stop watch, lap timer, alarm, hrm, calorie counter, max/min/ and average heart rate counter and tracks where you are in desired heart rate zone. This is a terrific product --works well and does just what it is supposed to do. I'd recommend buying a spare battery for the chest transmitter; it wore out after about 50 hours of exercise use.
I recently purchased the Timex T5J031 heart rate monitor from Amazon.com to replace a Polar unit that cost twice as much as the T5J031. In every respect the T5J031 is as good as or better than the Polar unit that I had for 2 years. The T5J031 records your minimum heart rate, maximum heart rate, your average heart rate, the time spent in your predetermined training zone, calories burned, and also your recovery heart rate taken 2 minutes after ending your excercise session. Another great function is the ability to easily change the digital display on the watch to one of 7 different display combinations. The heart sensor strap is very soft and comfortable and easily adjusts to different lengths. I have a 48" chest and the heart sensor unit fits with no problem. All-in-all I couldn't be more satisfied with this unit especially for the price. Also, the buying process through Amazon.com was excellent as usual, with delivery at my house 6 days after ordering it.
After researching several HR writst monitors, I decided on the T5J031 for the following reasons: (1) the face is large enough to read without straining while exercising, (2) it's lightweight, (3) it has many features, and alerts when moving into/out of the different burn levels, (4) my everyday watch broke, and this monitor is also a watch, (5) the price was not outrageous, and (6) it's made by Timex. I am very satisfied with the purchase.
After owning 2 polar hrms, I opted for the Timex because of the ability to change the battery in the watch and the chest strap myself. My polar was out of warranty (M61) and about 7 years old. Most likely the cost of repair was nearly the price of a new watch. Anyways.
So the timex. I've used it now about 4 times. I found the set-up somewhat clunky, first of all, and for it to track heart rate, the watch must be in "chrono" mode which i personally find unnecessary. I don't understand why this has to be the case. Furthermore, the calorie expenditure estimate seems quite exaggerated. Sure, i would like to believe i burned 553 calories in 51 minutes, but i was on the elliptical, so i doubt it. Unlike my polar, the Timex does not ask for sex or age, just weight, further decreasing the accuracy of the calorie estimate.
There is often a discrepancy in the bpm between what the exercise machine says and what the watch says. Thus, in the case of this hrm, it is probably optimal for people who do not do their cardio on exercise machines with hr sensors. Thinking it would better deal with such interference was one of the reasons I purchased this digital model over an analog hrm. oh well.
Also, I have to get used to the chest strap again, the 2 pieces, vs. the snapping polar model that was more user friendly. It is also less sensitive and sometimes take 10 minutes to get a reading.
Despite my criticisms, I will most likely keep this hrm and deal with the issues. Maybe it is because i don't want to pay $[...] to ship it back? Perhaps over time I will like this watch better. Seeing my heart rate is motivating enough to keep me going, I suppose. - Heart Monitor Watch - Heart Rate Monitor Watch - Exercise - Fitness'
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