Polar OH1 Armband Heartrate Monitor - A Runner's Review

I needed a replacement (or at least a temporary replacement) for my chest strap heart rate monitor, so I thought I'd give the Polar OH1+ armband optical heart rate monitor a try. I was skeptical, as I've had such difficulty with even a very highly regarded wrist based optical monitor in the Polar Vantage V. But, in my short testing against the Wahoo Tickr chest heart rate monitor, the results seem to be good enough for me to run with.
Once I can get my regular Suunto chest strap heart rate monitor back, I'll do further testing. At the moment, I suspect that the Suunto is giving me a higher heart rate reading than the Polar (or the Polar armband is giving me lower than actuals). But we'll have to test it out and see.
Thanks for watching! Leave a comment to let me know you stopped by!
Disclosures: this is a heart rate monitor that I purchased with my own money. No one is paying me to use the armband monitor or to make this video. No one will have a chance to preview my thoughts before this video goes up on KZbin.
Other videos referenced:
suunto chest heart rate monitor • Suunto Chest Heart Rat...
vantage v • Polar Vantage V - Wris...
Other products referenced:
conductive gel (paid link) amzn.to/2DZne3D
vantage v (paid link) amzn.to/2sa6ILO
polar OH1+ (paid link) amzn.to/342CaIQ
Running footage shot on:
GoPro Hero 8 Black (paid link)
amzn.to/2J6iv3j
Disclosure: It's 2019, so I think we all know how affiliate links work at this point, but for regulatory compliance or affiliate program purposes, I must state that affiliate links do not increase cost to you, but:
I may earn commissions if you purchase items from Insta360 via my affiliate links.
"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
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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[@dominic.fielding]

So cool seeing you grow to a level where Polar want to include you as press, congrats!

[@kofuzi]

it's validating and gratifying, for sure

[@tmantony5660]

You are amazing!I was looking at buying one of these today.Thanks for the review.I also have the ticker and Suunto and they are both as accurate as one another.

[@kofuzi]

i run just like everyone else. i'm looking at the same things as everyone else.

[@rfrancoi]

Thank you for your transparency.

[@kcc8041]

I just received my Vantage V last week, and have been compared Polar H10 with Vantage V for few days. So far, I got very similar results from these two monitors (with vantage v on the normal wrist position). I will do more tests in next few weeks since the weather is getting cooler and cooler, and I may start to see the big difference between Polar H10 and Vantage V. Anyway, good review video and I also learned from other reviews about this OH1 monitor is it is accurate enough but not sensitive enough (probably 1-2 sec late than chest strap heart rate monitor).

[@kofuzi]

It may be delayed. But imo, if I need faster real time data, I might also incorporate the use of running power

[@nagygyorgykrisztiannagy2511]

I have a suunto 9 . after using 3 different ches straps they died after 3 month of use. All were brand new. Now i am using this oh1 and fantastic. Reliable. No need to make it moistured. And no battery needed. The best ever. All chest sraps have a disadvantage. The wire in the belt brakes and casuses measuring issues. I was walkin with 234 heart rate etc.... With this one no issues like this. And all-watch- compatible ant+ and bluetooth as well.

[@tsubakichan]

Neat! When you said in your last vid that you ordered another HR monitor, I was like: How wasteful! But seeing different kinds of tech (and hopefully getting similar results) is pretty informative, so keep doing your thing!

[@kofuzi]

There’s always an opportunity to make a video about something

[@StoneRunning23]

Hi Ko! Whats the verdict thus far on this polar HR monitor? Have a Garmin dual. Left at my inlaws.. tbought I'd look into a arm mo nitor.. tha ks for all the posts! Awesome job.

[@davidsaxe7077]

Nice didn’t know that was even a thing! lol. I have been looking for a chest strap HRM, as I move more into heart rate base training for the winter. Thanks for info I probably hold off a bit until you review the other one.

[@kofuzi]

the wahoo tickr is much cheaper

[@COYSMike]

They missed a trick not calling it the Hrmband. hmmm

[@kofuzi]

i like it

[@motivationtheoryrunning]

If Polar is looking for someone to review, I am game as I am in need of one. My Sunto chest monitor has died.😁

[@joyridaz]

Long term test, still happy? I’m trying to decide on arm vs chest strap. I use a garmin forerunner 235

[@davidsaxe7077]

Lovin the oh1 so far.....I felt like I wasn’t getting accurate reading from watch seem always to high and the wahoo ticker gave me a lot of skin irritation. 👍🏽

[@harmpeters252]

I am wearing OH1 on upper arm, works great. For short intervals I revert to strap.

[@kofuzi]

yeah, my understanding is that there is a greater delay in HR response in optical versus strap

[@tonybowen455]

kofuzi I got a Tickr yesterday after seeing your H/R column on your Strava page. I didn’t know it could show that. I also am copying you for a modified Maffetone training for recovery days. I really like that 110 bpm you mentioned Goggins and that other guy did for recovery days. It felt like a good pace to me. My Tickr takes about 10+ seconds to show changes in H/R when I try drastically changing it. That’s more lag time than I expected. I work in healthcare, and the vital machines we use can show changes in pulse instantly. I was expecting that. The chest strap doesn’t bother me at all. I was worried about that versus the arm band.

[@Nonixification]

@@tonybowen455 thats not the strap, thats your heart lagging few seconds, thats the normal way. :p

[@Runsawayalot]

So this must be when you first switched over to arm based HRM completely by accident! I’m enjoying the tickr fit myself and think I’ll make the switch over we all.

[@howis5505]

Thank you for your review! Have u tested it against sweaty condition yet? And do u need to have ur phone in ur pocket for monitoring while running on the treadmill?

[@CraigRMerriman]

Thanks! I like the TickrFit, I just got the Scosche Rhythm24. I'm interested to see how that works. It can record, which is primarily what got my attention. Appears to do cadence as well.

[@kofuzi]

i don't really know what to do with cadence data

[@CraigRMerriman]

Just another data point. Some will find it useful, others not. It's easy to get too caught up in the data.

[@CraigRMerriman]

No GPS data on the Rhythm 24.... good otherwise.

[@tfa8]

OH1 also can record autonomously an activity, just press two times after switching it on and sync with PolarFlow or PolarBeat

[@paweenutanun3090]

I'm using it everyday (with Garmin FR935). Works way better than any wrist-based optical heart rate monitors IMHO.

[@kofuzi]

definitely better than the wrist

[@TheFlipsie]

You mentioned your watch not working after a while during runs. Does it show significant drops in bpm? Because that's what happens with my Vantage M almost every time (watch suddenly shows 110-120 while actual HR is 150 or so). Cold doesn't seem to be the cause since it also happens while on the treadmill in a comfortably warm room. Anyways, good to know the armband is accurate, might just get that instead of an uncomfortable chest strap.

[@kofuzi]

mine does the opposite. suddenly, the heart rate just shoot sky high

[@christianpayne8990]

I have the Tickr X. Was great for a few months but now is a bit unreliable. Especially at the start of the run it will give very erratic results. Have used conductive gel, which helps a bit but not entirely. DC Rainmaker seems to have the same issues with his. Will be interested in your experience, especially given your very cold environment.

[@kofuzi]

we'll see. it's hard to find something that DC Rainmaker hasn't already reviewed, and it always makes me nervous to review it. he's much more thorough than i am, and it makes my review feel unnecessary.

[@gtom84]

I can only confirm the same findings with wrist HR, oHR strap (Wahoo Tickr Fit) and chest strap Polar H10. Wrist HR from various Polar and Garmin devices are always trash, Tickr Fit and Polar H10 tracks pretty close to each other. Of course oHR will have bigger lag at the start, end of an interval but for steady effort its spot on for me.

[@kofuzi]

nice

[@ChiocciMicaele]

It scratches pretty easily! Great review and Greetings from Germany.

[@kofuzi]

Does it effect the accuracy?

[@ChiocciMicaele]

kofuzi Yes, if the middle lens is scratched. I got two little scratches on it, right in the middle, it won’t read my heart properly since i got them. They could have used the same back that comes with the Vantage Series, by far more scratch resistent.

[@rezasajadiany2663]

it should be stronger on the inward side of the bicep (it is closer to the heart). I can always feel my pulse if I touch that area.

[@kofuzi]

it's weird that the device doesn't have a specific recommendation

[@tonybowen455]

For a new runner looking to lower times for 5k to marathon, do you think Stryd is worth it? Since you’re doing Maffetone, I’m assuming you think that’s better? I like how I don’t have to stress so much about pace mile by mile with Maffetone. Stryd confuses me with how it calculates the predictability for races. As someone new, maybe I’m better off with a tentative plan and going by feeling?

[@kofuzi]

if you're new to running, i think the best thing you can do is slowly increase mileage and consistency. more miles and more days per week or running, regardless of how you run. styrd is useful for me because it also gives me pace and distance data, which can be challenging in an urban environment with gps. i anticipate incorporting stryd a bit differently later on in the year. maybe. but for now, it's pace and distance.

[@ChamindaJ]

Thanks for the great review. Do you think this will synch/compatible with Garmin devices?

[@wangshuishui2121]

Yes it can.. i have been using the OH1 with my 520 the last 6 months..cheers..

[@kofuzi]

yes.

[@merkin22]

My Garmin watch is one of the last feature-rich versions (forerunner 630 I think it is) without the optical HR monitors. Am going to hate having to pay for that feature when I need to replace my watch since I'll stay with the chest strap given that for a good deal of the year I don't wear my watch against my skin since I can't get at it under 2, 3, 4 or even 5 layers of winter clothing. LOL I was given one of the original 3rd party optial HR straps and hated it as for it to work I had to have it so tight it would make my forearm go numb :) Apparently the technology has improved a wee bit since then.

[@jmmccrary]

I know you say the pace in min/mi and heart rate and then the graphic is updated in metric. Can you include the imperial as well on the graphic. I always step back to relisten to your pace and heart rate but the metric numbers on screen a little confusing since its different than what you are saying. I know its my attention deficit issue that makes it more difficult. Thanks again for the great, informative videos.

[@kofuzi]

ok. i feel like that would make it too many numbers to digest quickly (like when i post my 2 runs from a double day), but i will try it out next time

[@rcadelina]

Great video!!! Very informative. I use a chest HRM today but maybe open to try a Polar OH1. It seems a lot easier to use.

[@kofuzi]

it's less noticeable. i haven't done a sweat test though

[@guitaristdotcom]

Great videography in the opener. Wow.

[@SupernovaRallyteam]

Mike a garmin fenix 5 is a great wrist watch HR monitor. Just wear it in the normal watch position and you’re done ✅

[@kofuzi]

even while running?

[@SupernovaRallyteam]

Yes it’s perfect as good as a chest strap I used to have and seems more accurate than other wrist monitors ( no spikes or drop outs etc) just need to tighten it up one notch on the strap.

[@Davisauraus]

Good info. Never understood heart rate training so i never really use one. And hr chest straps are always uncomfortable, probably because I’m a bigger guy. But might get this or the Wahoo Tickr Fit and start running based on heart rate and see if it helps.

[@kofuzi]

on a side note, i do enjoy wearing bands on my forearm or upper arm. makes me feel like Ultimate Warrior or a basketball player from the 90s

[@ranran3578]

I use wahoo armband HM. Have u tried it? I like it but I can’t tell how accurate it is :)

[@kofuzi]

I haven’t tried that yet

[@moranmono]

Nice, running in the winter time has it's problems, but using a chest or heart rate monitor does help. I put the watch on my top.layer of clothes and that's working great 🧥🧥

[@kofuzi]

i use the heart rate zone lock on the vantage v to give me beeps and buzzes when i'm outside my desired range. so, i'm hoping that by the time things get really cold here, i'll be able to tell how i'm doing by mostly feel and occasionally by a warning beep. but for now, and as a reflection of how i'm still figuring out the "feel" of heart rate running, when i hear a beep, i sometimes don't know until i look at the watch whether my HR is too high or too low.

[@tngo3]

When you ran with the OH1 did you have the polar beat app running on your phone to sync it later to the polar flow website? I'm asking this because I am using a garmin with the OH1 and i can't get the data to the polar flow but i do have the HR data on my garmin though. Thanks.

[@kofuzi]

I haven’t tried that. I had it paired to my watch so I could see it without pulling out my phone. But there is a series of button presses you can use to have it record the HR data internally to upload to polar flow or polar bear, if I understand the device correctly

[@nollys8523]

tngo3 if I recall correctly, you have to press the button twice so that the activity can be recorded to the OH1(the green light should flash twice for record mode). That way, you can synch the activity to Polar Flow.

[@SoutheastSam3]

If and when I do upgrade my FR235 I'll be in the market for a new HR strap as well.

[@kofuzi]

that's a watch i've been meaning to try. seems like a very good value

[@JWKEL88]

Any updates on this? Planning to buy this or Polar H10. H10 seems a hassle and this OH1 seems more easy to put on and less hassle

[@kofuzi]

see today's video

[@OscarDeCicco]

This is the one I use with my Amazfit Stratos. Just Awesome

[@kofuzi]

nice

[@gerry1970may3]

how do you pair with? like type of Phone? with a particular app? I ask these questions, due I have been using 2 types of HRM 1 from Polar H7 and Wahoo, and recently I have been a lot of problems to pair it with Map My Run, using my Iphone, I can't connect to, I can see it in my Bluetooth but once I open my Map My run There is no way i can pair it either. I have change batteries to make sure all is ok, but nothing. thanks in advance

[@WiseGuyFTW]

The only problem I have with chest based monitors is that they keep sliding down my chest. I have tried everything from gels to water, except glue. I want the instant readings that comes from chest based monitors compared to optical ones that have 5 or more seconds of delay. I wonder if there is a way to keep the chest strap from sliding.

[@kofuzi]

tighten it? otherwise, try an armband

[@runrobert]

There's some reason why you didn't try polar h10 band. I considerthe best on the market and it also has ANT and Bluetooth . 👏🏾👏🏾🤙🏾👊🏾

[@kofuzi]

its the most expensive

[@Loppy2345]

How does the HR accuracy compare to a watch like FR245 or the other garmins?

[@kofuzi]

I don’t trust any wrist HR monitor for running. That’s why I wear an external monitor

[@AbbeyRoad1962]

Any updates on trial with the polar OH1?

[@jeffbrown245]

Have You ever tested Your heart rate, while nose breathing, with a HRM? I would like to know if I can rely on breathrate to aproxamate heart rate.

[@kofuzi]

i have. i think the answer depends on what you mean by "approximate"

[@jeffbrown245]

@@kofuzi Please forgive My spelling. Will You tell Me whate Your heart rate was while breathing easy?

[@daveebreo8753]

Got an OH1 connected to my Fenix 5. I like it a lot. Original OH1, but an update connects it to Bluetooth making it an OH1+ (only difference now in the kit is the OH1+ comes with the swim goggle attachment). A bit of lag time compared to a chest, but not by much probably not noticeable unless your doing a side by side comparison. Better than wrist HR. I wear mine on the side of my tricep above my elbow. I also swim with mine at the same location. When connected to my Garmin Fenix 5, it displays HR when swimming on the watch, but doesn't record it when connected to Garmin Connect after. Garmin support tells me it needs to be one of their Garmin straps inorder for your watch to keep record of it. So my work around is to record the heart rate activity on the monitor it self and connect it to the polar beat app after to have a record of my HR data and compare it to my pace and work out. Not a big deal for my level of swimming. So far I really like the OH1, I use it for about an hour a day (swim, bike, or run) and have to charge it about once every 5 days (don't quote me). I carry a portable charger in my gym bag and connect that little clip to it after a few days, so I don't know the exact amount of days it will last. I got stuck once with a dead battery so never again.

[@kofuzi]

do you know if there is a way i can view battery life? i connected mine to polar flow. it sees the device, but it doesn't give battery status

[@jobbi925]

does it show gear rate during your workout, but not when you connect it to Garmin connect/strava/trainingpeaks?

[@daveebreo8753]

@@kofuzi , when the battery is low it will blink red when you turn it on. As to how much life it has when it's low, I have no idea. support.polar.com/e_manuals/OH1/Polar_OH1_user_manual_English/Content/Button-Functions.htm

[@daveebreo8753]

@@jobbi925 Not sure I fully understand your question. During swimming : On my Fenix 5, most the data is from the watch, so on my watch, displays swim info and the HR from the OH1. So on Garmin connect and Strava it only shows the data from my watch and nothing from my OH1. So really the HR is just displaying it on my watch. I do record it on my OH1 (double click the button as you can use it to record HR independent of any device and connect it to polar beat after to upload it). During running and biking: HR is displayed on my watch as usual and on Garmin connect and Strava from the OH1 ( no need for the work around with polar beat). I hope that makes sense.

[@jobbi925]

@@daveebreo8753 thank you. That was what I trying to ask you :P Have been using the OH1 while running, biking and some swimming. Only been using my older watch (Polar V800) while swimming, and it does not display my heart rate whilr swimming. Thank you for your great answer

[@lepechukavinicius]

It's possible to connect the OH1 with Samsung's galaxy watch?

[@robsay24]

Another option for wearing this is on your waistband using one of the swim goggle clips.

[@kofuzi]

i saw some people mention that on amazon reviews, but i wasn't sure if that would really work at running efforts.

[@robsay24]

titaniumgeek.com/polar-oh1-review-does-location-matter/

[@slavasss2189]

Kofuzi, u still use it?

[@Nonixification]

Its a really good review because you compered it to an other product (actually I was recommending wahoo tickr aswell :p ), and now I am more interested in this "different" type of hr strap. Lower hr means you are just getting fitter, no surprise there. Btw you also have to check what happens when you gonna use it for race pace. Is it going to report 170-180 bpm the same way? Same fast pick up?

[@kofuzi]

we'll see soon enough

[@simonecarniglia4870]

It's a while I'm wondering about buying this or not....i hate chest HRM. So is this as accurate as chest HRM in your opinion? No point to buy it for me if it's anything more accurate than a watch

[@jobbi925]

better than watch. a bit "lag-time" compared to cheaststrap, but I feel like it is almost as good as a cheststrap

[@kofuzi]

once i get my suunto back (about two weeks), i'll do a deep dive into the numbers. i didn't export data look at variances on a data point by data point basis. but preliminarily, the peaks and valleys occur at the same time, and the magnitude of those peaks and valleys are the same.

[@bmp713]

I ordered a Polar OH1 but it will not turn on or charge. None of the lights turn on. Is there some special way to turn it on? How long does it need charging before the lights turn on? Anyone else have this issue? Its been plugged in the USB for almost an hour

[@kofuzi]

FOD Runner had his usb plugged in upside down. Otherwise, I’d recommend contacting customer service

[@cebukid70]

Mr. Ko! I noticed you have an aversion toward Garmin products for some odd reason - no need to explain yourself...lol...... I will say this... The Garmin HRM-Run is the best chest strap out there....really no conduction issues, and I've never had a need to use conductive gel. I've had this strap for about 3 years.... It, of course, speaks nicely to the Garmin watches, and spits out lots of other metrics as well like ground contact time, vertical oscillation and even cadence!

[@kofuzi]

i love my vivoactive 3. it's the first gps watch i've ever owned and i ran about a thousand miles in it, i think. garmin and polar at one point seemed to have been in a bluetooth vs ant+ battle, and some garmin accessories that i'd like to try, such as the footpod, are limited in which watches i can use them with, if i'm understanding things correctly

[@cebukid70]

@@kofuzi True... Vivoactive is at the "lower end" in terms of technology and I think bare bones - especially for runners. So, basically, the higher end Garmin you get, your device compatibility improves.

[@abelimages]

Dose the OH1 update as fast as the chest HR strap?

[@kofuzi]

the consensus seems to be that there is a lag. i have not tested it nor validated that consensus. my overall take on it is that if you care enough about the difference in lag time between chest and arm, you probably should be looking at a power meter.

[@abelimages]

Thanks for the response. I use a Polar H10 with my Apple Watch as it updates immediately with HR change. The optical sensor on the Watch updated about 8-10 seconds. The optical sensor on the Vantage v is supposed to be the best out there. Not sure how fast it updates though. Sounds like there are issues with the way it is worn, placement and skin color that could effect they way it reads HR. Got a great deal ($250) on the polar vantage v so going try it out with the H10’chest strap. Thanks for all the reviews. Really helps with considering purchase.

[@abelimages]

How quickly dose the OH1 update HR changes?

[@kofuzi]

Check out my wahoo tickr video. I display the wahoo tickr chest hrm on the same graph as the OH1 using DC rainmaker’s comparison tool. Tldw: if you need something more precise than the OH1, get a chest strap or a power meter. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJmvg6tmZdGLhrM

[@abelimages]

Thanks for the reply. Greatly appreciated. Will check out the video. I’m looking for a HR monitor that updates immediately. As I understand the Apple Watch I’m using only updates in 7 seconds or so. Thanks again.

[@kainoatandy320]

Is this hero 8 footage? Or max?

[@kofuzi]

it's in the description

[@toddboucher3302]

Do you or anyone know size arms. All I see online m-xxl My bicep is only 11 inches 10.5 forearm

[@brunocassettari]

Anyone out there has experience using it with Apple Watch with various running apps? Does apple allow and external hrm to replace their own wrist hrm? Thanks

[@kofuzi]

i havent yet tested this with apple watch, but i've used apple watch with other heart rate monitors. no problem (unless the monitor is ANT+ only)

[@Goldenvine21623]

It has over pricing.. atleast they should add spo2 in it... I mean only to see heart rate who want to spend 20k ?

[@freeze1975]

Are u happy with the vantage v?

[@kofuzi]

Yup

[@jasonhawen3272]

Does it link to strava?

[@kofuzi]

I haven’t tested whether I can record directly to strava with it. I don’t ever use strava that way. I always record in something else and then have the data push there.

[@PhilippBorn]

Unfortunately, nowadays, unless it's directly from the Strava app on your smartwatch, you have to use 3rd party implementations, to get your data into Strava. They've removed the option for bluetooth devices a while ago.

[@NonnofYobiznes]

Over 1 mins introduction? Ok...