Overall a good deal | Timex T5J031 Unisex Digital Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Not perfect, but quite good. | Timex T5J031 Unisex Digital Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch

watches & jewelry:


	• Timex T5J031 Unisex Digital Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch Timex Timex, 2007 average customer review:based on 74 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The First Easy To Use Heart Monitor I Found.

I bought two polar rate heart monitors, and each one cost more than the Timex, and I never saw my heart rate or figured out how to make either one work. Yes I tried customer support, and it's a joke. Leave it to Timex to produce a completely intuitive product. You put the strap around your chest, and you see your heart rate. Do a few simple tests, and you have your 5 zones for light to heavy exercise. It works and it is easy to work.

Overall a good deal

I would give this HRM 5 stars except that the chest strap is rather short. I have a 40 inch chest and had to make the strap as long as possible in order to fit. I got this watch to replace a Sigma Easy Onyx as that watch fogged up after rinsing it under the faucet despite claims that it is waterproof. However, the chest strap on that HRM was much longer, I think I took it in about half way for a proper fit. So if you have a large chest I doubt the Timex will fit. The watch features themselves are straightforward. I actually prefer the layout and functions better than the Sigma once I adjusted to the change.

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Not perfect, but quite good.

With just a few seemingly minor improvements, this HRM would be really excellent.

Strengths:
-- includes most of the functions that all but the most fanatical exerciser would probably need (or want.)
-- With quite a few display options, most people will find a display that suits them. For example, you can display the elapsed time large with the heart rate small, or the heart rate large with the elapsed time small. Plus there are numerous additional options and switching among them on the fly is pretty easy.
-- The watch has picked up the signal from the chest band without any problem at all.
-- I've used the device daily for two months, one hour per day, and am still on the original battery, so battery life seems ok.

Weaknesses:
-- The chest band could be a little longer. My chest is 46 and it's slightly too snug on me.
-- The instructions were written for when the watch is brand new and has never been used. Some of the functions don't work as described when the HRM has been functioning. Can be frustrating.
-- As far as I can tell, the calorie calculation bears little relation to reality. However, it does seem to be a good relative measurement of the intensity of a workout compared to other workouts. I cover the exact same hilly route each day. In theory, the calories expended should be roughly the same each time, but the more quickly I traverse the route, the higher the calorie count -- sometimes by a lot.
-- Their suggested method of determining maximum heart rate is questionable. Nowhere else have I read that max heart doesn't change with age. They provide some exercises to undertake to determine your max rate, but the final calculation requires that you multiply by a number based upon your assessment of your current fitness level. Way too subjective. Wikipedia has a good discussion of the various methods of determining max heart rate that is far more reliable, in my estimation.
-- The biggest shortcoming from my perspective is that it keeps track of the cumulative time in only one heart-rate zone. That's fine if your goal is to reach a target zone and stay within it, but I do a lot of interval training, so I'd like to how much time I spent in EACH zone.

Overall, this HRM is an excellent value and with a few improvements would be an excellent device, as well

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Does what it says

The watch and the heart monitor worked perfectly on first try. I have been using them for a couple of months, and the watch always has received a signal. The instructions are a little complicated for all the things you can measure. It came with three small instruction booklets, instead of one inclusive one, but I am only interested in heart rate monitoring and a determination of calories burned, as well as the usual watch functions. For that, it has been flawless.

Excellent product

I have used several monitors in the last 10 years and this is the best one I have ever had. And it is also an excellent cost-benefit.

PROS: - Several functions not common in this price range: you can choose among 6 options to monitor your workout (% hr + chrono, number hr + chrono, etc), your recovery hr, 27 split laps etc
- good design, it is also a beautiful watch
- excellent price
- good manuals

CONS: - just a minor thing: the split time is accumulated not the lap time

Conclusion: Go for it!

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Zone Trainer Digital Heart Rate Monitor with a black resin strap and digital display, INDIGLO night-light, 100-hour chronograph, 27-lap memory, 100-hour countdown timer, Alarm with 5 min back up, Water resistant to 50 meters, Target zones, Zone trainer, Average heart rate, Time in zone, Calories burned, Recovery timer, Max heart rate, Digital transmission, Data Recorder compatible