Polar H9 Chest HR Monitor - A Runner’s Review

Polar recently released a new heart rate monitor with an agressive price point. It's the cheapest heart rate monitor Polar makes, but is it any good? TLDW: I think it's solid.
disclosures: this is a heart rate monitor sent to me by Polar for the purposes of review. However, no one is paying me to make this video or to use this device. No one will preview my thoughts before the video goes up on youtube.
Thanks for watching! Leave a comment to let me know you stopped by!
Polar H9 Chest Strap: www.polar.com/us-en/products/...
Polar OH1+ Optical HR: www.polar.com/us-en/products/...
Other videos referenced:
Wahoo Tickr: • Wahoo Tickr Chest Hear...
Running footage shot on:
insta360 one R (paid link)
www.insta360.com/sal/one_r?in...
GoPro Hero 8 Black (paid link)
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I may earn commissions if you purchase items from Insta360 via my affiliate links.
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Also, you do not need to use these links. You can also search for these same items in amazon or on any search engine/shopping site of your choice and buy/research them that way.
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The charity runner of the week is Yu Sze Tong, who is running the Tokyo Marathon and raising money for the Nippon Foundation
www.gofundme.com/f/2020-tokyo...
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[@dcutl]

I use Polar chest straps exclusively because they work well. They work great with Suunto, Garmin, and of course Polar GPS watches. I have the H10 because it appeared on the market before the H9.

[@50flick]

Thank you for this video! I was also a bit confused if to have 2 device connected at the same time is a no buy. Just ordered mine in a really good price 👌

[@SurajKumar-AskMe]

Having 2 BT connections of H10 helps in those situations where in you want to see the instantaneous Heart Rate on your machine's screen (Treadmill in my case) for max HIIT impact and the other BT connection for recording HR data in Polar app for future reference like calories burnt, impact zone etc.

[@premierS3]

I got H10 on discount so that's the main reason for getting that one over the H9 :) I'm liking it a lot. I noticed the dual connection thing today on an elliptical when it connected there automatically while Polar's app was recording on my phone. It might have been handy if I haven't had my phone there right in front my eyes.

[@JeffRElliott]

I use a Garmin HRM-Run and I've had great results with it and I think chest straps are the best,. That being said if anything this review gives me a very high opinion of the polar optical arm HRM. Great info!

[@kofuzi]

It’s a great little device

[@ferraz916]

Do you know which one has more quality: polar h9 or garmin straps? in relation to durability and precision.

[@jamesmacdonaldjr.3594]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@abderrahimdarouich]

Can you use it for home monotoring? Especially i am talking about accuracy

[@daleleslie6851]

I went the H10 a while back to replace my Suunto Smart Strap. The Suunto Smart Strap kept blowing through battery after 3 months. The H10 has been super reliable, and the strap has extra silicon dimples. The dimples are handy because you can have the tension on the strap looser, but the dimples mean it wont slip.

[@kofuzi]

Dimples? Intriguing

[@daleleslie6851]

Yeah, they’re super grippy. Similar to what some compression tops and half shorts have to stop them riding up. I believe the swim strap has huge thick strips of silicon to stop it moving in the water, but I haven’t seen one in the flesh to compare.

[@michaelsesler1158]

I have been shopping, so this was timely. I could be mistaken, but I believe the H10 can save HR data for a single session without being connected and upload later.

[@kofuzi]

i believe that is correct. same for OH1

[@Roystanio]

Yep

Do you own H10. Does Polar Pro strap work with H9?

[@hahavans]

anyone know if this is compatible with forerunner 235?

[@skateata1]

U mentioned the wahoo. I have the wahoo TICKR x for 4 years. But when I got my galaxy S10 phone it stopped doing HR in real time.

[@JamesBond-dy4ks]

do u need ur phone near the hrm?

[@supotube]

Good to hear that OH1 can make so good metrix :) Because optical HR on watch (every single watch) is not accurate enough during interval training.

[@bentonamos8045]

You prolly dont give a shit but if you're bored like me during the covid times then you can watch pretty much all of the new series on InstaFlixxer. Been binge watching with my brother lately =)

[@rubensolomon5701]

@Benton Amos Yea, have been using InstaFlixxer for years myself =)

[@Jay-sd9ye]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to get the h9 over the h10.

[@mdheijer]

Would have loved to see the HR data from the watch in the graph for comparison. Otherwise great comparison between both products!!

[@kofuzi]

i'm not sure that is technically feasible

[@ferraz916]

Thanks for the video. Do you know if the polar H9 is compatible with garmin watches? I have the Forerunner 45 and would like to buy the Polar H9.

[@kofuzi]

Yes

[@frankhenning6978]

Are you gonna make a video about the alphafly when it comes out? I just bought a pair of customized zoom fly 3 maybe just maybe when i get to be a fast finisher I buy them. Hope to qualify for boston (20 till 29 aged group)

[@kofuzi]

i'm not sure

[@Izya001]

Hi. A question. I use H9 heart rate monitor. Do the calculations of Heart Rate, Calories, Distance different for Walking vs Running vs Jogging or Trail Running.. For Jogging, for example, the distance is much much higher with H9 than for Fitbit. Heart rate is very close. Thanks

[@kofuzi]

Distance is not calculated from the H9

[@jobbi925]

when it comes down to heart rate, Polar is the best. I use a Garmin Fenix, but with a Polar chest strap. Best for heart rate readings, easy battery change and I think a bit cheaper(?) than Garmin straps?

[@kofuzi]

I’ve not tested a garmin strap yet.

[@panpan5741]

Hello Ko, does it comes with battery in the package?

[@kofuzi]

yes

[@Steven-qi4gm]

Hello. Can I ask if the polar H9 is able to do the polar fitness test? I’m looking to track calories and HR with the idea of improving fitness over time. The polar website isn’t clear if the H9 works with the fitness test on the app. Thank you.

[@kofuzi]

i'm not famliar with the polar fitness test. what does it require? if it requires HR, then yes.

[@Steven-qi4gm]

kofuzi after doing some more research I believe it does work with the test. Thanks for the reply

[@bmp713]

Can you adjust the strap to wear the H9 on your ankle, forehead, or bicep?

[@kofuzi]

No

[@Juice84]

When will you be reviewing the new Samsung Galaxy Bud's? I'd love to take those out for a run. Look pretty cool.

[@kofuzi]

its one ive been meaning to get to

[@monomillos1997]

Any noticeable differences between the H9 and the Wahoo Tickr? Considering a $20 price difference, which one would you recommend? I'll be pairing it with a Garmin Fenix 3hr.

[@kofuzi]

I am not the most discerning, but I didn’t really notice a difference. But there is a size difference there. The tickr is pretty big. Whether the size of the H9 is worth the price is an individual decision

[@finattisimone]

Hi Juan i have the same doubt. What di you buy? Any further suggestion?

[@monomillos1997]

I actually ended up buying the hrm tri and so far it's been really good

[@enonek2960]

Have you ever experienced a rash when wearing a HRM under the area where pads rest on the skin?

[@kofuzi]

I haven’t. But I sometimes get a skin blemish or pimple here and there from the strap

[@anthonyrampino7734]

I’ve never used a chest strap. My chest is about 52” but the polar size only goes up to 36”. Where do you put the strap on your body?

[@kofuzi]

I’m not sure the place you wear a chest strap is the same place one measures their chest for clothes measurement. I wear a 38 jacket, but the strap fits me with plenty of room to spare

[@anthonyrampino7734]

kofuzi thanks.

[@Thomas-we4yi]

My polar H9 doesn’t connect with the polar beat app. Do you have any advice?

[@kofuzi]

turn bluetooth on and off. force close and restart your app. restart your phone. contact customer service.

[@Thomas-we4yi]

kofuzi Thanks for the advice! It’s working now

[@hpplayer3]

Hi kofuzi, can you make a video on the foot strike? I noticed you always land on mid-foot. How did you do that? I am a habitual heel striker and now I want to switch to midfoot to avoid injuries

[@lancastergerard]

MyFavCat I just made the switch as well. This really helped. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3fXmqZ_mM2Bgpo just skip the first 10 minutes. This one is good too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKWcmZqqe9-NoZI Basically, shorten stride on the front side. I.e.dont reach. Land with shin vertical and increase cadence to 160-180. Always thought a long stride was the way to go until I learned this. Immediately noticed decrease in joint pain after runs.

[@hpplayer3]

@@lancastergerard Thank you !!! Let me try it out

[@barondavis5692]

Try this, go to a turf field, take off your shoes and jog about 50 steps. You will feel what it’s like to be a mid foot striker. If you jog using a shoe with a heel (aka drop more than 3 mm) it will strike the ground first making it very difficult to not heal strike. Hope this helps.

[@elberthiggins6667]

Please tell me what you're carrying in one hand or the other and why.

[@CS-ow4gl]

Do I have to have a fitness watch? Or, can I just pair it to an app on my phone?

[@highseastrader4190]

You can pair it to Polar Beat on your phone.

[@fintanquill8755]

I bought two PolarH10 and thought they were a disaster. The first one was ok for about 3 or 4 weeks and then started to drop drasticallly after a few miles of every run, not at the beginning which is what I've seen with other HRMs. I used elctrode gel and cleaned it regularly. I got another one and the same thing happened even sooner. I noticed I had to wipe my chest down mid run for it to return back to normal, it just became annoying as you can imgine. I noticed when I opened up both that my sweat had gone inside the area where the battery is. This is clearly a massive design flaw. The battery casing does NOT close correctly. The little notch allows sweat in. Today I just received a Garmin HRM-Dual. I'm hoping that works better. I'm aware that I have a hairy chest and probably sweat more than most but this was ridiculous. The HRM-Dual looks well sealed with screws.

[@Magnulus76]

In my experience, newer ECG's don't need electrode gel or water. At most I'd use a damp cloth on the skin to ensure there's enough moisture for the strap to work well. Getting sweat inside the battery compartment sounds like a defect. There's a gasket seal on most of these monitors to make them somewhat water resistant, usually down to a few meters.

[@gauravsagar6238]

Great video. Just one question (slightly generic and not very related to this particular video). I observed in the past, if I used a non-garmin hrm with my 935 I used to see a data loss, i.e. things like GCT, balanace and similar metrics wouldn't be recorded. I never tried any Polar HRMs. Do you know if the data loss is there in these HRMs as well? Also, which ones are better HRMs (if I have to pair with my Garmin watch and use), polar or Garmin?

[@brianreiter5572]

Garmin “Running Dynamics” are only recorded if you have a Garmin HRM-Run or HRM-Tri or RD-pod. I have found them to be cool but of dubious practical value. I don’t see how any of those charts are actionable with the possible exception of R-L balance indicating a strength imbalance to be addressed before picking up an injury.

[@kartikiyer747]

Do these heart rate monitors show run dynamics too?

[@highseastrader4190]

No, only (some) Garmin HRM with (some) Garmin watches can show you running metrics.

[@dhirajmatta9728]

Does it Calculate Running Dynamics?

[@kofuzi]

nope.

[@stevelazars8155]

Do i need to carry a phone when i go for a run?

[@kofuzi]

the H9 does not have memory. you will need something to record the data, like a watch or phone

[@jarjar8]

Seems like more of an endorsement for the oh1 as the variability from the chest strap, which is the gold standard, is minimal. More comfortable and don’t need all that gel with the oh1

[@kofuzi]

I have concerns about the OH1 in the summer when things start getting super sweaty. I’m not sure which I’ll prefer then

[@johnbennett5382]

Do all polar watches sync with The H9 .

[@kofuzi]

yes

[@BertLagaisse]

Conductive gel ?! 20 years ago my heart rate chest band got some saliva on it to kick it off. And 10 minutes later, sweat took over ;-)

[@kofuzi]

You sweat when it’s 20F outside?

[@BertLagaisse]

kofuzi Yes. I sweat easily. ;-)

[@gilean6179]

My 8 year old Timex Run trainer 1 strap also never needed to be wet to link up with its watch, plus some sweat a few minutes later and all has been fine all these years. But now I am considering this because that watch has lost its GPS services and webbased data repository & analysis. Sad considering its battery life is still unremarkable after all these years.

[@JeffAboularage]

@@kofuziI sure do. But then again, lifelong hockey player. 😅

[@steiner66961]

Is the path at the Oak Street Curve safe right now?

[@kofuzi]

i dont know. i'm in texas at the moment

[@Tom_A.K.]

You mean that harsh, jagged, bumpy, frozen tundra in Chicago?

[@Tom_A.K.]

2-15-20, 7am. abc7chicago.com/man-22-pulled-from-lake-michigan-near-gold-coast/5933959/

[@Tom_A.K.]

Runner saves man. chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/02/16/video-shows-cpd-swat-officers-rescue-man-who-fell-into-lake-michigan/

[@thatguygreg]

Bought the OH10 a few months ago. Honestly didn’t know the 9 even existed! Chose the Polar over other brands because I’ve used Polar in the past and was really happy with their products. Read too many bad reviews for the Garmin HRM and for some reason didn’t like the other brands. The H10 is water proof, not a feature I’ll ever used but nice to have anyway. Not sure if the 9 can go swimming. I would seriously consider the 9 when it’s time to replace my H10, always good to save a few $ and still get an equally good product.

[@kalugarussia]

im useing h10 and have no problems at all

[@kofuzi]

That’s great!

[@tonybowen455]

My tickr syncs faster with the ismoothrun app on ios than with wahoo's app. Maybe the polar works better with third party apps, but most people prob use their watch.

[@kofuzi]

I think most people should stop relying on wrist optical sensors for running. I don’t know how they fare with other activities like bicycling, but they’re useless to me as a road runner

[@justinbourne5888]

well as far as i read on polar website the h9 has no memory; so you have to connect it to a device, the h10 has a built in memory, so you only need to wear your belt and leave youre phone or watch at home and the h10 has an ecg capablity; mayby the h9 has that too

[@kofuzi]

i think you're right about the H9 memory, or lack thereof. but i don't recall finding anything about ecg

[@highseastrader4190]

ECG is the way chest straps read your HR. You don't get an ECG test directly from them. H10 and H9 are both ECG straps, whereas the OH1 IS an optical senslr.

[@JeffAboularage]

I think the H9 will work well if all you want is to sync and monitor mid workout/run?

[@Roystanio]

H10 records data

[@amcclaur80012]

H9 is horrible at connecting

[@greg4318]

HRM are tried and tested technology, do we really need to continue to test? I’ve used Wahoo, Garmin and Polar and never had an issue. Seriously, another video saying their accurate? Also, stop putting saliva on your bands, completely unnecessary, just thoroughly wet the pads of the strap under a tap and put the band on - works every time.