You don’t need to overthink this. Just get yourself a Polar H10.
Another vote for Polar H10 here.
I’ve used Garmin (went through 4, replacing every year), Wahoo (Lasted about 18 months, replaced just when they released the updated version and the one I got was a complete dud) and Coospo (cheap and nasty from Amazon, lasted about 3 months)
Been using the Polar for about 2 years now and it is absolutely rock solid, no issues whatsoever.
And what would be the reason to get an H10 rather than an H9?
I have been using the Garmin HRM dual for a few years now. It works great for about 2 years and then needs to be replaced. Also tried the Tickr because it had good reviews but the HR was not accurate and it had connectivity issues.
My experience has been exactly the same! My current HRM Dual is around 2 years and the strap is starting to fall apart but it still reliable. I’ve tried the more expensive ones but they haven’t lasted as long
And what would be the reason to get an H10 rather than an H9?
The strap on the H10 is a bit fancier. The H10 also does offer some recording capacity but I have never needed it so I’m not 100% sure on the details.
That’s the one I was referring to in my post, so 2x.
Weirdly the most reliable I’ve had is the cheaper coospo one on Amazon.
I suspect part of the reason it lasts is that it beeps when on and off- which gets annoying enough that I remove the pod after use, but it’s lasted a long time since. Have been surprised how often it’s ‘on’ when I’m not wearing it due to sweat in the strap
CooSpo is the right answer. I bought 4 in bulk on AliExpress for about $95 shipped. 3 years later, 2 are done, and I am onto my 3rd one. Like hell that H10 would last even 3 years.
Thanks for the response. I just bought a Polar H9 as it was cheaper and I assume its life is limited anyway.
One reason why Polar sensors may have a longer life than Garmin’s and Wahoo’s: the producer recommends you rinse the strap after each use (Garmin says: every 7 uses) and, more interestingly, store the strap and the sensor separately. They warn you, in particular, not to store them together when wet as that might cause “snap oxidation” (whatever that is).
My first (and, probably, the best one) was Garmin HRM Run3 - the detachable one that received running dynamics via software update one day. I used it for 4 years and replaced the battery several times, and the strap once. Other than that, it worked flawlessly for me and I cannot remember even a single HR dropout or suspicious spike.
I replaced it with HRM Tri only because the latter had HR for swimming, which appeared completely useless to me. With this device, I faced the first HR dropouts especially when was riding in aero position.
The next one was the Tickr X gen. 2 mostly because of Bluetooth. But it ended up as a complete disaster - I replaced 3 units but all of them had spikes and dropouts during my runs constantly.
The next one was HRM Pro - but I had to replace it 3 times already: electrodes almost unglued after about 5 months of use and spikes became even more often.
The last HRM Pro one was replaced by Garmin on HRM Pro+ and I’m only been using it for a week but so far so good. But I’d be happy to have my old good HRM Run3 that was the most simple one out of these and it just worked.
I have an old Polar FT4 watch along with an old H1 strap and a newish H9 strap. Either strap will sometimes go crazily with ridiculous high readings. It doesn’t matter if I’m in an ice rink or outside on a 90°F day.
Weirdly the most reliable I’ve had is the cheaper coospo one on Amazon.
CooSpo is the right answer. I bought 4 in bulk on AliExpress for about $95 shipped. 3 years later, 2 are done, and I am onto my 3rd one. Like hell that H10 would last even 3 years.
Agree with both of you guys. My current strap is 4 years old and going strong. Strap #2 is in my travel kit- a couple of years old and going strong. I rinse before using to wet the strap and hang up to dry when I finish.
Hard to beat $27 on Amazon.
I go through a Garmin Dual every few years. I swear this one is reading low. Anyone had a similar experience?
Anyone had a smiles experience?
Had a wry smile to myself reading your post…
Thank you, thank you! I’ll be here all week!
Anyone had a smiles experience?
Had a wry smile to myself reading your post…
Thank you, thank you! I’ll be here all week!
Freaking autocorrect!
I have been using this since my Garmin dead and replaced with three Wahoo TCKR’s that all died. It’s worked great for over a year now.
Suunto smart hr strap working fine with fenix, have it for over 5years.
Weirdly the most reliable I’ve had is the cheaper coospo one on Amazon.
CooSpo is the right answer. I bought 4 in bulk on AliExpress for about $95 shipped. 3 years later, 2 are done, and I am onto my 3rd one. Like hell that H10 would last even 3 years.
Agree with both of you guys. My current strap is 4 years old and going strong. Strap #2 is in my travel kit- a couple of years old and going strong. I rinse before using to wet the strap and hang up to dry when I finish.
Hard to beat $27 on Amazon.
To all the Coospo users: your posts sound like this is a great option but, is swimming an issue? I only ask as in the description (of both the H6 & H808) on Amazon it states: “IP67 & 300H Battery Life - Workable in rainy day with IP67,But it is not recommended for swimming.1 hour exercise per day, which can be used continuously for 300 hours with CR2032 changeable battery.”.
If you’ve had no issues for years, I’m definitely keeping this (BTW, which one?) in mind as a replacement to my current, when needed.
Weirdly the most reliable I’ve had is the cheaper coospo one on Amazon.
CooSpo is the right answer. I bought 4 in bulk on AliExpress for about $95 shipped. 3 years later, 2 are done, and I am onto my 3rd one. Like hell that H10 would last even 3 years.
Agree with both of you guys. My current strap is 4 years old and going strong. Strap #2 is in my travel kit- a couple of years old and going strong. I rinse before using to wet the strap and hang up to dry when I finish.
Hard to beat $27 on Amazon.
To all the Coospo users: your posts sound like this is a great option but, is swimming an issue? I only ask as in the description (of both the H6 & H808) on Amazon it states: “IP67 & 300H Battery Life - Workable in rainy day with IP67,But it is not recommended for swimming.1 hour exercise per day, which can be used continuously for 300 hours with CR2032 changeable battery.”.
If you’ve had no issues for years, I’m definitely keeping this (BTW, which one?) in mind as a replacement to my current, when needed.
I don’t use it for swimming (I don’t use any strap for swimming, but my Garmin 255 gives me data via the optical watch HRM that looks ‘mostly’ correct.) But I’ve worn it through several OWS portions of triathlons, so it’s holding up fine there.
The beep-on-off is a love-hate thing with the Coospo. I like it because it reminds me that it’s on when it shouldn’t be if I leave it on a wet strap or on some wet laundry sometimes, but if you haven’t done this before, you’ll find it beeping sometimes when you don’t want it to be (like if you’re in the car driving back from a workout, and you’re still wearing it and you’re drying off due to the car AC and then it’s beeping on-off as it loses skin connection since there’s no sweat.)
To be fair, I seriously doubt there’s any superior engineering in the Coospo compared to Garmin etc - in fact, due to the price I can almost guarantee there is NO special engineering there. I think it’s fine due to price (lower than the others) so if it dies, you can easily buy one or more a year, and I do think the beeping on-off makes you more likely to remove the pod more often from the strap, which probably helps slow corrosion. The Coospo also is a bit taller than the Garmin pods so more of a hump on your chest, but it’s minimal, I’ve never had it bother me ever.
Reliable HR Strap??
There is no such thing.
I have the CooSpo H6.
I have never heard it make a sound. I am not sure what lightheir is hearing or what model he has.
I have never tried to swim with it, so I can’t comment on it.
Good luck.