H10 Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap - ANT + Bluetooth, Waterproof HR Sensor for Men and Women

I went looking and while others were really good choices too; when it comes to accuracy Polar heart rate sensors and straps are highly rated across the board, compatible with pretty much everything, and are durable. I was particularly impressed with the in-depth research and testing they do with their equipment, neutral comparisons that they make with other comparable HR sensors as well as certified medical heart rate monitoring. I started leaning toward the Polar H10 , which are the 5th generation of Polar's Heart Rate tech, which started in 1977. According to Polar's testing against medical-grade heart rate equipment and other heart rate sensors - the ECG H10 sensor detects HR within 2 ms accuracy at 92.9% for running, 99.3% for cycling, 95.3% for weight training, 95.6% for all activities combined. Amazing accuracy, and very much as good or better than the informal tests I have done of previous HR sensors and straps that I have had - my tests being comparing them to other equipment as well as manually using the old tried and true 'two fingers on the neck or wrist and a watch' method. This sensor IS quite wide and extends across a large part of the strap, this entire section is the HR sensor area. The H10 can do two Bluetooth conenctions, with ANT+ both will connect to multiple ANT+ channels and there is a proprietary GymLink connection also - which connects to some fitness devices. The H10 can be used with any device underwater. The H10 has an internal memory that can save one training session on its own and can be accessed with one of the Polar apps like Polar's Beat app. The H10 works with pretty much everything and anything that we use for fitness nowadays. Anything that receives Bluetooth (Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth BLE) or ANT+ and the Gymlink 5 kHz signals. It will output Bluetooth and ANT+ at the same time and even two Bluetooth devices at the same time. This of course includes watches by nearly all manufacturers as well as nearly all bike computers (not including non-smart old-style bike speedometers/odometers without ANT+ and Bluetooth), and any smartphone. This list is extensive. The HR sensor is not rechargeable but uses the common 2025 battery, Polar says that it lasts 400 hours. One thing you may want to do to extend battery life (recommended by Polar themselves and individuals who have used it over time) is to pop up one of the sensor pod's connectors out of the strap so that it goes to sleep, I have tested it many hours after I have stopped an activity and taken off the chest strap, and sometimes it still is transmitting. So this is something to keep in mind. The battery is easy to change, via what looks at first glance to be a quarter-turn battery hatch that you turn with a coin to open but it actually is quite different, as it snaps open with a little tab. The battery door is of course sealed with an o-ring and everything seems very tight and secure. The total weight with the strap is 60 grams with the sensor pod itself being 12 grams by itself. The soft strap is very easy to put on, wet it with a little water so the sensor can get good contact with your chest skin (you can wait for a little sweat to do it for you but then the sensor may not read well until that happens). You position the sensor monitor pod itself in the front of your chest, which puts the long wide sensor strap in a very good position all across your chest. This sensor area is quite extensively wide to give you that nice accuracy. You could even position this fairly inaccurately and it may still probably work - whether you positioned it by accident or deliberately as perhaps the strap does not fit you well for whatever reason. Some people do have problems with chest straps for many reasons, so I think those who do might find this works better than other chest straps with smaller sensor areas. It even works if you get it too low or too high on your chest, within a reasonable range. There are little rubbery dots on the strap itself to keep it in place. Does this actually make it work better? I don't know, but it seems like a great idea. I have never had one move on me so I can't say whether this makes any difference to me personally, but perhaps to others who have issues with HR chest straps staying in place, it might be just the thing to help. The latch snaps into place easily with one end snapping directly into the other end, to take it off you push a button on the latch and it disengages easily. The button is slightly recessed so you never accidentally pop it off (at least I have not as yet) and also won't get squeezed even by a tight jersey or compression shirt. The strap is very adjustable, with a conventional adjustable loop system to tighten or loosen it. There are two size options for the strap when you order - XS/S and M/XXL. The smaller one covers chests 20-30 inches (58-71 cm) in diameter while the larger one goes from 30-45 inches (67-95 cm). While riding or running or lifting or anything else I can't even feel it unless I consciously make myself aware of it. The Polar H10 sensor monitor is easily cleaned with a little dish soap and water, and a quick wipe to dry it. The soft strap is also very easy to clean with soap and water, or you can put it in a washer - though I recommend using a small washer bag to keep it from snarling and getting bent around other things, and maybe air-dry it instead of using a dryer Make sure you take the sensor off first of course. The soft strap now comes in not only the standard black but a burgundy with a design on it. The H10 is fully waterproof and can be used underwater for swimming and other things, up to 30 meters deep. And you don't need your watch or phone with you for swimming or anything else, at least for one session as the internal memory can store one workout. To set this up you use the Polar Beat app so you do have to connect it to your phone first, set it up and then you can use the strap without the phone present or nearby. When you are finished you reconnect and download the sensor data to the Polar Beat app, which can upload it to a few other sites or allow a download. The Polar Beat app also can be used to keep the firmware updated, check battery power, etc. And there are a number of workouts and such that you can use it for. The Polar Beat app can also estimate your Vo2 Max, you find this in the app under Upgrades (not sure why - as it's a free option) and then under Fitness Test. It estimated mine at 49, somewhat above what other fitness services estimates mine at but very close. Also, the Polar Flow app is another app with training and syncing to other services. And of course any other device you sync it to will have it's own abilities when connected to the Polar H10. You can even test your HRV (Heart Rate Variability), which is a good test of your health and recovery. You could use this as a 24-hour monitor with the right app, I suppose, but the H10 is really meant for exercise. But if you wanted to test your HR and HRV over an extended period of time you could. I think it would be comfortable sleeping, depending on the person, but it's not really made for that and it's possible that the sensor area might dry out over such a long period of inactivity. Lastly, I was going to include some comparison charts between the H10 and other HR monitors that I have but, outside of a few dropouts by optical heart rate sensors because of arm movement - which is to be expected, they all performed within pretty much identically. I had to really go data point by data point comparisons to see much difference. So in conclusion I would very highly recommend the Polar H10 - you are not going to be disappointed in accuracy, comfort, usability, connectivity, and compatibility. UPDATE Spring 2023 - For the last few months the output has become increasingly erratic with low heart rate readings. I have tried to wash the strap as much as I could and added extra moisture to the sensor pads, and even electrode gel. Both things seemed to help for a while, yet the strap became more and more intermittent over time, despite washing and using the electrode gel. It had to be thoroughly washed in the washing machine after each use for it to have any chance of working halfway decent. Once I started biking outside a few times it went in the opposite direction and started sometimes showing super-high HR readings. I was going to send it back to Polar for warranty but it seemed obvious that it was the strap and not the sensor itself, and instead of paying the shipping cost to send it back for warranty I decided to just buy a cheap replacement strap. That did the trick and it works perfectly and reliably again. The replacement maybe isn't as nice as Polar's but the important thing is that it works, I will see what the durability is for it.

Bought this to replace a crappy Garmin chest strap. So far this thing beats it every single way possible. I'll give a little bit of a comparison below as to how it stacks up to the Garmin HRM dual. The strap. I'm a big boy at 275 pounds so I bought the larger strap to go with the unit. The garmin strap was trash. Too thin and soft and so it just rolled up with movement. The Polar strap is a little firmer though so it can better stay flat without rolling up. This is huge when it comes to comfort as when the strap rolls up it will dig into your skin a little more. The Polar strap I could probably wear all day long without issue. The unit itself - Big win for Polar. The Garmin unit at first wouldn't detect my heart rate. Tried all the tricks from submerging it in water, licking the pads, getting all sweaty and then trying it. Nothing. Only way I was able to get it to work was buying conductive gel and using that on the pads. Next problem was once I started working out I had about 20-30 minutes before it quit working. What sucks is you wouldn't know it though as it doesn't display 0. Instead, it just keeps displaying the same heart rate that it was able to detect. This kind of sucks though as your heart rate could be very different, but you would never know. what makes it even worse is once the unit quits working, that's it for the next couple hours. It WILL NOT WORK no matter what you do. Dry the strap out, clean the strap and pads, apply more gel, apply less gel, dunk the strap, dry it out again. NOTHING! Had this happen during Full Frontal 4DP test by The Sufferfest by Wahoo. Figured it was just a fluke and I'll try again. Once again half way through the test it just quits and will not work for the next couple hours. That's a pretty crappy deal to get half way through that test and then just have the heart rate quit working invalidating the whole test. Figured ok maybe it's just too much. maybe I'm sweating too much, maybe my heart rate is going wonky. Who knows. Lets just do a normal training run instead that's hopefully not quite as intensive. Again 20-30 minutes in it would just quit. This happened EVERY SINGLE TIME for any type of ride I did. This is kind of worthless. You get through any warm up, and just starting on the actual workout at which point the unit bricks itself and won't work for the next couple hours. The Polar unit on the other hand worked right from the start. I have never used the conductive gel with unit. Hell I don't even have to wet the strap down or anything. I just put it on and start riding.Don't think I have had it actually drop out during an exercise. I have tested it though to see what would happen if it does quit detecting my heart rate by lifting up one side of the pads of my chest. This is another huge win in that if it does quit detecting your heart rate this will show 0. Very much unlike the garmin still displaying the last heart rate detected which is incorrect. Even if that heart rate was from 10 minutes ago. The polar unit also has the ability to be used through third party apps to detect your heart rate variability and such. You can even download apps so you can actually see the electrical signal from your heart if you really wanted to though I have no way to confirm how accurate that is. It's just the fact that Polar opens this up for use like that unlike the garmin is a huge win. Overall I wouldn't bother with the Garmin unit. If you are unsure which to buy, just guy the polar H10. Much better unit over all in every way.

Update 10/22/24. Too funny! After 3 months I got another automated email telling me to do the same things I told them I did to get it to work. Polar was literally and figuratively the first name in heart rate monitoring and they've been reduced and degenerated to this. Pathetic. Update 7/20/24: Before I wrote my last update I'd chatted with their bot which told me to send them an email requestion support. I got an email back from Katerina who I'm sure was an email bot. I sent them an email describing the problem. THEN a few days later they send me a survey email asking to rate their customer service. This company and their product ... Dumpster Fire! Update 7/16/24: That's IT, I'm done! I've bought three of these cursed things because I need the functionality of the Flow app. First one went south after about a year and a half - wouldn't connect. Second one stopped connecting after a year. Third one I bought a month ago. First it started reporting lower than actual heartrate, then it started working OK. Then (as others have reported) I had to take 10 minutes before every workout to reset the blasted thing in order for it to connect. Finally it just stopped pairing altogether. Google "H10 won't connect" and you'll find all kinds of ticked off customers. They've stopped phone and even chat customer support and now offer human support only by email!!? Here's a one of the PO'd customers on Reddit: "Done with this piece of garbage - their response time to my email was more than 2 months" I think they're having coding issues and it doesn't exhibit itself in the same manner for different phones. Maybe their code will not keep up with OS updates on some phones or whatever but something's messed up. I like customers cannot get the flow app to update. Used to be great but useless now. What planet are these people on? I can only think that the positive reviews here were as typical .. people get the product and fire off a review after a day or two. Do Not Buy!! Prior review: Very accurate when it pairs and works but the Einstein programmers at Polar really set up a convoluted pairing/connect method that requires you pair through the flow app and can be stubborn as hell sometimes requiring the sensor to be unpaired and reset. It's aggravating as all get out, and as reported by other users will just flat out fail to pair eventually. I generally have to say a rosary to get the damned thing to pair, then perform the stations of the cross in order for the app to recognize the paired device and continue repeating Hail Marys hoping that the results will be accurate as sometimes the flow app will register up to 20 beats fewer than my actual heart rate. If I get it working then I throw a pinch of salt over my shoulder in the hope that the pairing won't drop. Also as reported by other users, I think Polar know their stuff is messed up but won't own up to it. They used to have phone support but I'm sure they got overrun and now they just do chat support where I get a lot of "I understand your frustration" but no solution. Unfortunately once you get it to work this is the most accurate sensor on the market and I need the functionality of the flow software. So since my first two flat out failed to pair after a year I just had to buy my third one. So plan on it being a once a year throwaway product. And if you're really self-loathing go ahead and try to load the Beat app as well as the Flow app. See if you don't start swearing. When I connect to the Beat app it actually breaks the flow app. And don't you DARE try to use another wearable. If I pair my Galaxy watch.. Fuhgedabahdit! I'll be trying to reconnect for the next half hour. So before you buy this thing read the other reviews like the one where the guy has to a lot 10 minutes in advance of his workouts because he has to repair it to his iPhone every time. .... If Polar had any integrity they would post these issues and at least indicate that they're working on them on their website instead of just posting we did another update and it fixed some issues etc. I can't wait for the wearable technologies to mature so I can bail on this company. This is the most irritating product I own. I might suggest that Polar drug test their CIO and programmers before they hire them.

I run and work out 6-7 days a week and use the h10 regularly to track my hr. It it highly accurate and comfortable. It is compatible with polar beat and flow. The polar flow app is trash but polar beat works well. It is easy to use and the app syncs all my workouts to my Strava app so i dont have to manually enter any data. Lost 1 device and had to reorder but ive been using the h10 for about 4 years and have no plans on using anything else for hr tracking

Honestly, I bought this HRM, again, because it connects to what I want it to connect to and gives an accurate heart rate. I have had issues with other HRMs not connecting. One thing it does not connect to, or partially, is the Morpheus app. It works with the morpheus app during workouts but wont work with morpheus to read HRV. The Morpheus strap won't connect to our rower though and after a year is giving unreliable readings on other equipment, there is no way I am in power zone 5 but heart rate zone 1. I have also heard complaints of the H10 not connecting to some equipment. In my case it connects to what I want it to connect to. My use of HRMs is pretty simple though. I track HRV but I don't find HRV useful in making day to day workout decisions. If it trends lower over time and coincides with how I feel I use it but some of my best workouts have come when my HRV is down 30 to 40 points and I feel lethargic to start. Usually my HRV is back up the next day. My heart rate in response to usual workouts is more useful to me. For example, if doing a power zone 2 workout my heart rate gets into the mid to high 120s I find it best to ease up and usually alter my workout plans the next day or so. I generally use power zones rather than heart rate to workout though. The morpheus app is useful in that it changes workout intensities based on recovery. Instead of using HRV, however, I will change my intensities based on heart rates in different power zones compared to usual heart rates during a workout. I don't compete. I workout for health and simply because I like to workout. My needs in regard to a heart rate monitor are pretty simple. I want battery life and dependability. So far my H10s have had acceptable battery life, I get a 2 -3 months on a battery and use around 10 hours a week. As far as consistently providing readings they have also been dependable. My needs are not very sophisticated. All of my H10s have had no issue connecting to up to 3 devices at the same time. It has been connected to my rower, Garmin watch, and phone at the same time with no issues. It is almost always connected to my Garmin watch and some other piece of equipment at the same time. In the past it was an apple watch. I would much rather use wrist based heart rate monitors but they are horribly inaccurate at times, at least for me. In my experience they are particularly bad with rapidly changing heart rates. The other day I was cruising along in low power zone 2 and my Garmin, not yet connected to my new H10, was reading 149. The H10 was reporting 110, much more in tune with how I was feeling and a quick manual test. The day before that it was reading 90 when I was breathless in power zone 5. It generally catches up after a time if I report I am working out. If not, its readings are universally terrible. I have had similar issues with the Apple watch and the Whoop. Whoop support wanted me to move it to my bicep area for a more accurate reading, which is more uncomfortable than the chest strap for me. Chest straps used with an online calculator also prove much more accurate than wrist based monitors in estimating VO2 max for me. I do end up getting a new H10 every 2 to 3 years (perhaps some have been earlier versions). Seems short to me but have little to compare it to recently. In the past I have had more than a few straps that were short lived and/or would not connect consistently. I'm sure there are others that would work but the H10 is a known for me. One complaint is that I am a fairly big guy but far from huge. The polar strap is a tight at its lengthiest. It seems ridiculous to me but Polar only make straps for chests up to 37 inches according to their website. Their small strap would barely work on my waist. My waist is 32. Their large strap works but it is tight. I will probably try a Garmin next time if the H10 sizing stays the same.

UPDATE after one year: Over time, the unit started to eat through batteries MUCH faster. No idea why. As an experiment, I tried removing the battery after each use, and this solved the problem. So from now on, I just pop out the battery when I'm done, which isn't too inconvenient. You can always check the battery level in Settings, within the app. Overall, after one year, I am still very pleased with the unit. What I use this for - I’m a rower. I primarily use this with my Concept 2 rowing machine, and it connected right away with the PM5 on my machine. It also works flawlessly with Concept2’s app for this, called ErgData, which records your workouts on your phone and then uploads them to the Concept2 Logbook online. The “Polar Beat” App, and website profile - To use this HR monitor, you’ll need to download Polar’s “Polar Beat” app, and create an account which will automatically sync your workouts to your account which you can see in more detail on the website. I have an Android, I’ve had no issues with the app, and I think the overall layout is clear, user-friendly, and not too bulky. I’ve also had no connectivity issues, and RARELY ever have a loss of connection or hiccup in any readings. However, I would not trust any data related to distance or pace. As seen in my screenshot, my phone interpreted my straight path down a street as totally zig-zagged. The distance and pace is not accurate as a result. But I’m assuming this is my phone’s GPS which is wrong, and probably(?) not the app. Luckily, I am not a runner so I personally don’t care about this issue, but just pointing out that it may be an issue for some. Regarding accuracy: The accuracy of calories burned and heart rate training zones is not only based on HR, but if you know your Vo2 max and anaerobic threshold, you can input these, as well as other data, into your profile via the website to increase the overall accuracy (as seen in my screen shot). Also on the website you can analyze your individual workouts in more detail, and see a handy calendar view of them. Strap sizing - I have a 34” chest circumference. The M-XXL, when loosened to its maximum *un-stretched* length, is 35” long. When stretched, this extends to 45” or so. So if unless your chest is larger than 45”, you should be fine with the M-XXL. Also, the "turquoise" is totally BLUE in color, not aqua or greenish at all. :p Personal use and opinions - This HR monitor has quickly and completely taken my health and fitness to another level. I seriously regret not having purchased one sooner! I’m a high-intensity kinda person when it comes to exercise. I got hooked on HIIT once I tried it years ago. I never, ever used to bother with endurance stuff (long sessions with LOW heart rates), until I got this HR monitor, and I was advised that I needed to do more endurance work to increase my baseline aerobic fitness. It took a LOT of patience for me to slow down, and actually keep my HR between 130-140. Turns out I had truly never worked out at such low intensity. Despite thinking this low intensity stuff was useless, I stuck with it, and I was flabbergasted at the results. Within just a week of beginning long, steady state daily rows (45m-1hr): -my resting HR dropped by about 5 beats. -my blood pressure dropped to completely normal levels (I’m 35 with an excellent bill of health, but doctors could never understand why I had BP readings that were always high. Apparently, I just needed a little more aerobic fitness!) -and this was totally unexpected: my mental stress levels decreased dramatically. I suddenly had more patience during the day, and even better appetite control. It felt like I was taking a chill pill. And this was just after ONE week. After a month: Aside from feeling a noticeable improvement in quality of life… My pace in rowing (at the same HR) has already improved a lot since I began, which is direct proof of an improving cardiovascular fitness. Further: I recently completed a really tough hike which I hadn’t done in about 7 years. Result: it was a LOT easier this time because my HR drops much more quickly now, so I felt almost *instantly* rested as soon as the elevation would level out. Without the use of a HR monitor to control my workouts in order to properly build this baseline aerobic fitness, NONE of this would have been possible! (And by the way, the Polar Beat app recorded that entire 4 hour hike flawlessly, as my phone was tucked away in my jacket pocket with the screen off and locked, and I never had to fool with it or double-check it). Look, just buy this. Whether you’re experienced or a beginner, don’t ever, ever trust your “perceived exertion.” It is NO substitute for actual data. I wasted SO many years doing that, and robbed myself of a higher level of fitness!! To achieve fitness, you need a combo of high AND low intensity, not just one or the other. And to do this, you need a HR monitor. It’s SO simple: choose your workout and just stay in your zones! :) Hope this helps!!

The strap works great when it works. I've had it for over a year and it goes through batteries pretty quick. It claims 400 hr but no way. When I think it's the battery again, it's not. It just doesn't want to connect. This is really frustrating when you want to start your workout but are delayed trying to connect this thing and it won't. The great reviews are right after purchase, and I would give a great review too the first few months of use. I'm not sure where to go from here because it works with my concept rower when it works. I'm going to look at other options. I went through all the troubleshooting to connect and after 30 minutes it’s working again. I want to use this as it has the best accuracy. If you can put up with the Intermittent connectivity issues, it really is a great product.

Accurate data, great connectivity, nice SDK Initially had some connectivity issues- but the Polar team guided me well on how to reset the device and get it back up. its only been a while- bit working great so far. Their SDK is great with which you can stream live data very well!