TakingMyTime

My Garmin HRM Dual appears to have have died again. I'm sure it is the strap and not the actual unit. This happened once before after about 1 year of ownership and Garmin was kind enough to replace the strap for free. I realize I was buying their lowest model and I'm probably getting what I paid for. But before spending $130 on a new strap I wanted to see if I should possibly be going with a different product/manufacturer for my HRM needs. I won't be needing one for swimming, just cycling. I'd really like to get something that will last more than a year or two. I have been watching some videos and reviews and I'm seeing a lot of suggestions for using the Garmin head unit with a Polar strap.

Suggestions?

terrymorse 

I have been using the Polar OH1+ optical heart monitor for several years. My head unit is the Garmin Edge 830. I wear the monitor on my upper arm.




It has worked flawlessly, with one exception. The hard plastic holder eventually broke, but I was able to purchase another one made of rubber on Amazon. I like the rubber holder more.

RChung

This is a timely post: https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/...cling-is-here/

Optical HRMs are handy but at the moment they're not quite as accurate for certain uses as some (but not all) chest strap HRMs: some (but not all) chest strap HRMs let you monitor HRV. Not many riders are interested in HRV at the moment, and my experience with it isn't completely satisfactory, so if I were to do this all over from the start I might forgo HR entirely since I have an on-bike power meter.

TakingMyTime

I have a replacement strap coming to me and should be here on Monday. I like some of the reviews on the Polar products. The H10 may be a big of overkill for me so when the next purchase comes around I think I'll go with the Polar H9.

Carbonfiberboy 

Garmin strap shouldn't cost that much. Amazon. Garmin straps are the best I've used, longest lasting. The Dual transmitter is also very good. They've changed the effing screws on the back to make battery replacement more reliable. IME batteries last maybe 1-2 years. If an HRM stops working, replace the battery first. If that doesn't fix it, replace the strap. Over many years, I've had a couple transmitters stop working, period, both Garmin and Polar. It happens. Just replace it. The best watch HRM I've used is the Polar V800 (ebay), long out of production but still supported and very durable, My wife and I have both had one for many years, gone through a few straps. The strap style transmitters are so much more reliable than the wrist thingies.

PeteHski

I also use an OH1 on my upper arm. I compared it with my Polar chest strap and found it gave the same readings. But I find the OH1 more convenient and comfortable to use. The current version is now called Polar Verity Sense, but it is virtually the same unit with an updated strap design and even longer run time. If my OH1 dies I will get one of these. So far I’ve had 3 years faultless use out of the OH1.

I also have a current Fitbit tracker, but I find its HRM is a bit temperamental when sweating (reading way too low at times or dropping out completely), although it is much better than my old Fitbit Charge 3. But my Polar OH1 never gets affected by sweat at all. The OH1 also broadcasts in BT and Ant+ simultaneously, so no issues connecting to a Garmin or Zwift etc

Jklotz

I have the Wahoo tckr. It's been working perfectly for the 4 months I've owned it, however, I've read some reports of failure around the 1 year mark. We'll see. I haven't had to change the battery yet and I use it 5 - 6 times a week generally.

Iride01 

Garmin sells just the strap for $36.00 currently. So if your pod is still good, you can save some money if you want to stay Garmin. Unless of course Garmin just decides to send you one free if you call Garmin Support. Which they usually will do if your strap and monitor are less than 2 yo.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/38069

pdlamb

I'm having pretty good luck with a Chinese no-name HRM (for the last ~5 months). I've gone through a couple of Garmin and a couple of Wahoo straps; they'll usually last a year or two, but I don't think I've ever had one last through two replacement batteries/three years.

Do a search on Amazon for ANT+ or bluetooth HRM straps, and pick the $20-25 option.

blacknbluebikes 

2yrs, no probs with Tckr-X. A couple battery changes, as expected.

force10

I just bought one of these $15 straps as a replacement for my Garmin dual. https://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com...28382247223401 If you want to keep your Garmin as a backup after your next purchase or hold off on deciding what to buy next, its worth a shot.

Haven't received/tried it yet.

TakingMyTime

I received the new strap from Garmin but it now appears that it is not the strap. I appears to be the actual sending unit. I am sending the strap back and buying a Polar H9. As usual, going with the Garmin ecosystem can be a bit of love/hate relationship. Other than their cadence and speed sensor I've had to return everything (520/530/HRM) for either replacement or upgrade due to original unit failure. I've had enough of Garmin "appliances" failing much sooner than I find acceptable.

I would like to add that Garmin CS has always been great. They did replace my first bad strap for free. It's just that this stuff does not seem to last and I'm getting tired of dealing with it every 12-16 months.