I initially reviewed this heart rate monitor on the blog after a few weeks of use, but I wanted to write a more in depth review after using it for several years and in numerous situations for anyone who might be considering purchasing a Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor or any heart rate monitor for that matter. Enjoy the following Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor Review.

This model was my first and is still my favorite heart rate monitor: the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor. I’ve used this heart rate monitor regularly for a few years now and I have to say that I love it.

What I Like About the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor

• Affordable. You can get this heart rate monitor for under $100 which is a great deal considering many gadgets and heart rate monitors retail for much more.
• Very user friendly and easy to set up. I’m nerdy but I still usually have to ask a friend to setup any electronics I buy. This heart rate monitor had a super easy setup that I did myself.
• Large view screen.  The large screen on the watch makes it easy to see what is being displayed. Since I’m usually using this information while bouncing around this is a huge benefit.
• Syncs with all the machines at my gym. This was a bonus because I didn’t know it would happen! Not all gyms have this feature but if you workout at a gym where the cardio equipment will sync with a heart rate monitor this is really useful.
• Stores data from training sessions. The information from your heart rate monitor is stored until you erase it and it creates weekly summaries of your activity for your review. This can be really helpful when training for a race.
• Settings are easy to change for when you lose weight (so calorie burning is accurate).
• Water resistant. I used this heart rate monitor while training for a triathlon so it got lots of use in a pool and in the ocean. It’s pretty cool to be able to use a heart rate monitor in the water!
• Comfortable. The watch and strap are very comfortable and occasionally forget that I’m wearing the watch and chest strap until hours later.
• Batteries are user replaceable so you don’t have to ship it off. One of the worst things about some heart rate monitors is the fact that you have to ship your watch off to get the batteries replaced. This model does not require that and you can replace the batteries on your own at home.
• Helpful with race training. As I mentioned, I used this heart rate monitor during triathlon training since much of the training needs to be in heart rate zone.
• Comes in multiple colors. I love the colors including really fun colors like red (my personal favorite).

What I Don’t Like About the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor

• Sometimes syncs incorrectly at the gym. Sometimes this happens and my heart rate will be displayed on my neighbors machine. This isn’t a huge problem but can be annoying to the neighbor.
• Pretty basic in terms of features. This heart rate monitor is PERFECT if you just need heart rate monitoring (great for a beginner) but doesn’t include things like GPS or mileage tracking.

Despite a couple of cons I’m really incredibly happy with the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor.  Having a heart rate monitor has completely changed the way I workout and it’s inspired me to workout harder. It’s worth getting your own heart rate monitor to keep track of your calorie burn and heart rate during workouts.

You can get a heart rate monitor like the FT7 Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor
or directly from Polar’s websites.

Or check out other great heart rate monitor options available:

• Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor
• Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor (Purple/Pink)
• Polar FT40 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch (White)
• Polar FT4F Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch – Bronze

Note: I was previously Polar ambassador but these thoughts are all my own as a product user. There are affiliate links in this post. Thank you for supporting A Merry Life!