Polar H9 review: Runner's verdict on the affordable HR chest strap

[@alannorthdevonuk763]

Thank you, nice review. I've rejoined a gym after many years and want a monitor to track my activities. Thanks, my mind is now made up and I will order the H9 now.

[@Panos_79]

Hi Run Testers, thank you for your great reviews. I'm interested in buying the H9+ to pair with my new Garmin 245 and I saw a few reviews complaining about short battery life. After all this time using it, what is your experience with it, does it deliver the 400 hours Garmin claims (also, does is switch on/off on its own)? Thank you and best wishes to all of you for the new year.

[@TheRunTesters]

Hi Panos, we've not had issues with battery life but the replaceable coin op batteries aren't expensive and easy to replace. To ensure you're not wasting battery it's always best to unclip on of the clips of the main pod.

[@fatwarrington4136]

I want to get the H9 to use in the gym on a crosstrainer. Can i pair the H9 to my android phone and also pair my Bluetooth headphone to the same phobe so that i can listen to music at the same time as monitoring my heart rate. My phone is less than a year old. Thanks

[@JeffAboularage]

Hi. Thanks for the review. I was wondering. With the H9 “mine came yesterday and set up Polar Beat and Flow App” if used for sport, say hockey or football- can I take do I constantly need a device “watch or smartphone in range for the device to function?” As opposed to the H10 storing data?

[@guymonty]

Thanks for the video. I have the H7 and never had any problems with it in the years that I've had it apart from replacing the strap once. Do you think there is anything to be gained by getting the H9?

[@gordonbrown6929]

Slightly different experience with my polar after running with it for a few months. Yes it's accurate, especially compared with optical hr...when it works. I've had 3 runs where the HR dropped out. I think this is due to static. Once when wearing 2 tops on a cold day the others have been longer runs on breezy days. I've been able to get the HR back on one run by wetting my chest with water. This didn't work on the other runs. Reliable isn't really something I'd use to describe it right now though. I'm looking at getting electrostatic gel to help with conductivity and/or anti static spray to see if that helps. These are common chest strap issues though, just a bit surprised you didn't mention them or that you had no issues.

[@TheRunTesters]

Hey Gordon, Mike here. Thanks for you comment and sharing your experience with the H9. So I can say I've not had any drop outs in my time with it. I've run a lot on treadmills (have my phone nearby to make it easier to track real-time accuracy) and plenty outdoors. I will say, that out of habit of testing heart rate monitor chest straps for many years, I always dampen the electrodes area. Polar like others do instruct you do this when wearing a heart rate sensor chest strap (there's a section on the Polar website about this). As you say, it's a common chest strap issue and a lot of people including some in our team, forget to do it. Drop outs do and can occur, but I simply didn't have any during my time. I assure you, I would definitely have mentioned it if it did happen! Thanks.

[@Elias-tu4pi]

Hello. Do I need to buy a fitness watch to be able to display my HR because I don’t plan on running with my phone in my hand. Is there a cheap fitness you would recommend?

[@TheRunTesters]

Hi Elias, you would need a phone paired to a HRM or a watch in order to see it, yes. The Coros Pace 2 is a good, solid cheaper option. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6q4gqSrbd9qi7s

[@bmp713]

Can you adjust the strap to wear the H9 or H10 on your ankle, forehead, or bicep?

[@ferraz916]

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

[@TheRunTesters]

Hi Renato, we've had no issues with the Polar H10, H9 or the Garmin HRM-Run durability. And the precision is pretty comparable. With the HRM-Run you get some extra running form metrics. But you're pretty safe with any of these. Wahoo just updated its straps as well and we'll be testing those but also worth consideration.

[@ferraz916]

@@TheRunTesters Thank you very much for answering! My watch is the FR45, so the running dynamics metrics are not compatible with it. I thought about Wahoo and Garmin straps, but here in Brazil they are very expensive. Have you ever had a problem with connectivity between H9 and garmin watches?

[@TheRunTesters]

@@ferraz916 Hey Renato. Mike here. As shown in the video, I've tested with a few of the newer Garmin watches to make sure connectivity is all good. I haven't experienced any problems so far.

[@djdn7687]

Hi Mike, Do you know if its possible to use h9 with Fenix 5 Plus via ant+ and will the HR be also Transmitted simultaneously to a Treadmill via gymlink 5khz freq? Thanks. Daniel

[@jaboneros7540]

where are your eyes looking?

[@TheRunTesters]

On the prize, obvs.