Originally Posted by
peterws
I only want a watch that I can tell my current HR from, instead of the time . . . don't need apps, or phone connections. I am not a nerd!
But I need it to work pretty well and the cheapos dont seem to.
Righto. When I started out with HR, Polar had inexpensive watches which simply showed that one big number and that was it. Not any more! Now everything is fancy, elaborate, expensive, and the HR display is small because the screen is so busy. Crazy.
I found a watch on Amazon which has the one big number and most of the reviews are very positive to say the least. It might be a Bluetooth device, as one reviewer said it worked better with his Polar strap. Polar does have the best straps.
https://www.amazon.com/EZON-Monitor-...dp/B07C5BZ97G/
The other thing one can do is buy a used Polar V800 on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+800&_osacat=0
Usually under $100, very reliable, good software from Polar which still works, etc. My wife and I have been using this equipment for many years, no problems other than it's fussy to hook up to its charging and upload cable. It has GPS and all that stuff, but the display is plenty large enough to see when it on the bike, works great with the Polar H10 Bluetooth + ANT chest strap. You do have to have the special docking cable, also on ebay. Polar V800 software:
https://flow.polar.com/start
My wife and I have been using chest straps for decades, never had a skin problem. I wash them after every use during which we sweated - in the kitchen sink..