Polar OH1+ Review: Finally An Optical Sensor of ECG Quality?

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

👇Amazon Affiliate links, support the channel!👇 Polar OH1+: geni.us/D7bs5 Polar H10: geni.us/hBTZz3 Of course, only buy the it if it makes sense for you!👍

[@madduxtroy8619]

Not sure if anyone gives a shit but if you're bored like me atm you can stream pretty much all the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. Been watching with my brother for the last months =)

[@leandrogatlin3100]

@Maddux Troy Definitely, I have been using instaflixxer for months myself :D

[@moisesalec4604]

@Maddux Troy Yup, been using instaflixxer for since november myself :D

[@RatusMax]

DUDE!!! you came in with the ANSWER to the question I was looking for Just 2 days ago!!!

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Happy to help Ratus!😄

[@elrich5717]

What was the answer? I dont know which one to buy

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Sorry everyone for the small editing mistake that was there in the original upload. Thanks for letting me know :-).

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

The video is back now!

[@Ajsof10]

I love that I can think of wearable and search it and you always have it reviewed

[@swdw973]

I bought the OH1 because I can't use one tt counts nerve impulses because of a pacemaker. You have to mount them correctly to be accurate. After talking to Polar they told me to keep the senor off muscle tissue. I found the best place to be just below the tip of the deltoids at the spot where there is pretty much only connective tissue as the bicep and triceps are separate at that point too. In 3 months of cardiac rehab against the 3 lead EKG it was never off by more than 1 beat unless there was a rapid increase or decrease in heart rate, and then it would only be off by 2 BPM. This actually had to do with the response time as it would always catch up to the EKG and settle at the same rate. I tracked my data at that time and the EKG and OH1+ agreed 70% of the time and the variance the 30% was within the limits I gave. The REALLY surprised the medical staff. When I did a treadmill test where they used a 6 lead EKG, the results were the same. The range for my the heart rate varied all the way from 60 to 141 bpm (141 was during the treadmill test).

[@Chris-gq8ev]

I have both the H10 and the OH1. I tend to find the H10more convenient since it doesn't need to be charged every 3rd or 4th run. I find little difference in the comfort.

[@Looknohands868]

Great video. EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you for all of the hard work.

[@mlegrand]

When I've compared these two devices, I've seen very similar results. The OH1+ (now called the Polar Verity) tracks really well for an optical HRM. I would expect more of a delay between any optical HRM and a chest strap based on the technology used in each. Optical HRM algorithms need more data (time) to establish the reference HR. Also, optical HRM are not as well suited for exercises where the arms are moving in a less predictable manor. You can test that by wearing one during a game like Hand Ball. I expect that's why your weightlifting results are worse than something like spinning. You're always welcome to any of my data if you ever need additional reference points. Great video as always!

[@ramosmiguel1977]

Btw, does Polar H10 warn you on real time of a specific HR?

[@mlegrand]

@@ramosmiguel1977 - The polar H10 it’s self doesn’t but the watch or device it’s connected to would typically have that functionality.

[@ramosmiguel1977]

@Matt LeGrand Thanks, I just bought the Polar verity sense. i'm very excited

[@Izya001]

Hi Rob! Interestingly, Polar came out today with a new optical sensor - POLAR VERITY SENSE. Thanks for your studies and comparisons.

[@Chris-gq8ev]

AFAIK it's the same sensor with cosmetic differences and battery optimization.

[@Izya001]

@@Chris-gq8ev Thanks

[@canyonblue737-8]

@@Chris-gq8ev new band that doesn’t flip over under clothes, twice the range for Bluetooth, 20 hour vs 8 hour battery life, far more internal memory storage, improved swim measurements, and dual Bluetooth and ant+ for $10 more.

[@dankumprey7322]

@@canyonblue737-8 does the "twice the range" mean it can now pass its HR live data to a watch while swimming?

[@MrBencarp]

Do we know how accurate is the OH1 under water? If it uses the same sensor as that in the polar watch, how comes it is so much more accurate? Is it simply a matter of position?

[@vicapple6663]

Just ordered the oh1+ thanks to this video. Keep them up! Still would be interested in a video that gives your top three trackers for steps, top three for heart rate, and top three for sleep.

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Great suggestion! Will do something like that Vic!

[@canyonblue737-8]

If it isn’t too late polar just launched the next gen OH1+, now renamed the Polar Verity Sense, same size but better strap, 20 hour battery life, more memory and more swim features for $10 more.

[@z00011001]

Chest wraps have big problem. It hardly lasts 3 months and like all electrical contacts it deteriorates pretty soon. I had to throw mine after 3 months when it started acting out. I tried salvaging by using ultrasound gels but it would start acting out within a day or two. That's why I went with optical one. No such issues.

[@shadyahmed7282]

Your follower is from Egypt, and I would like to tell you that you are unique, and I wait for your videos

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Wow, thank you Shady Ahmed!😊

[@adidi_mamon]

I have the oh1 but recently it seems to leg it doesn't pick the right hr in real time for example i start a workout i feel my hr is high and the oh1 still in rest hr So frustrating 😫

[@dav0625]

Very interesting and clear work. Thanks !

[@rfrancoi]

Awesome research, and information. Thank you.

[@tootalltube]

Thanks. Please consider checking the accuracy of these and other devices for HRV measurement accuracy. I use a Garmin HRM strap with the EliteHRV app but due to continuous failures after about 100-120 successful daily readings I am now considering the Polar H10 as it is recommended by Elite. It would be good to know HRV accuracy of several other devices especially as for daily HRV measurement comfort/convenience is important. Thanks again. PS I had 3 HRM Run devices and 1 HRM Dual... They all worked really well for 3-4 months and then failed???

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Thanks for the input Will!😊 I'll see what I can do. Have a great day!

[@burketreidler4727]

One more vote for testing how well HRV is measured any time you test an HRM. In my case, I suffer from chronic fatigue and use HRV to tell me when I need to cut back. Thanks for the great videos Rob. I really appreciate your throrough testing!

[@Astrosleepsyea]

Have you looked at how the OH1 performs on darker skin?

[@KratosMayhem]

Yes this, I would much prefer the OH1 to the H10 but I have my doubts about if the tech would work with my skin tone. I just got a Garnin F935 and after a week it stopped tracking my heart rate on my left wrist because I'm assuming the watch caused my already darkskin to bruise just enough to darken my skin to the point where my skin absorbs all the light and it cant detect my hr. I can get it to sometimes work on my right wrist but after an hour or so it wont detect my hr on that wrist either. For maximum consistency it works best when on the inside of either of my wrist where my skin is slightly lighter. Since the OH1 uses that same technology, I'm concerned about it not working and going with the H10 or another chest strap for reliability.

[@amandus4405]

Would be really interesting to Se how the huawei gt2 series compares 🤔

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Coming soon!

[@lacielucille]

Last week I received my GT2 and this Polar OH1+ and have been comparing the data. Personally, the GT2 tracks extremely close to the OH1+ but your mileage may vary. It would be nice to see his technical breakdown though.

[@vicapple6663]

What is your preferred smart phone app to track heart rate with the OH1+?

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

is there anything more compact which works with google fit? Like a ring or something, which doesn't cost 400 bucks?

[@emanuelrojascubero]

How can you obtain an electrocardiogram with the H10?

[@saiforos7928]

Have you considered comparing a h10 versus another h10 or different branded chess strap, for consistency? During the dreem review you mentioned sleep stages graph interpretations were only 83.7% (iirc) overlapping between five scientists. Of course that's not a biomechanical signal, but I imagine small time artifacts could play a role, e.g. they are slightly out of phase by a quarter second. Maybe plot consistency based on data granularity etc, so you can count errors relative to data timing. If you want to be super precise you determine the time-granularity-permitted error based on the control's (h10) heart rate slope, since the deviation is HR = HR_h10 +( time difference between devices) * d/dt HR_h10 (this started out as a small comment, oops)

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi Saiforos! Thanks for your great suggestion 😊. I've actually been wearing two H10's while doing sports for the last month . Great minds think alike I guess 😉, though I wouldn't call myself a great mind🙈.

[@sarowie]

One thing that is on my mind: At some point, the optical sensor reach a quality, where ECG and optical sensor on the arm start to measure two different things: The ECG measures electrical heart activity. The optical sensor measures changes in blood flow. In some medical conditions and some training conditions, those can truly be different. I wonder when we reach that point or if we all ready there.

[@mhp2766]

Thanks Rob, I prefer the chest strap (Have an H10) , don't seem to get good running reads from all different wrist watches so settled for EGC instead and works good for me.

[@marceloa.8881]

It would be interesting to see, as you say, if other optical sensors also fail to detect the sudden heart rate peaks, along with the ohh+. For science!

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

For sure! Have a great day Marcelo!

[@elvisb5299]

Another brilliant video!

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nnamdiozo]

Does the OH1 work well for people with darker skin?

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi! Unfortunately I could not test that yet. Have a great day Nnamdi!

[@nnamdiozo]

@@TheQuantifiedScientist thanks, really love your work BTW. Very refreshing to see data driven reviews of this type of equipment.

[@rengautr255]

I bought the H10 chest strap 2 months ago and already it’s not working. The Bluetooth on my phone does not read the device. Might have to buy the an optical Polar or the Garmin hrm-pro but I’m not sure which one’s the better option.

[@paul1979uk2000]

Have you tried connecting the strap to another phone just to see if it's the strap and not the phone? I ask because I had this issue once with some scales I've got where it didn't detect it and there was nothing wrong with the scales and it ended up being the Bluetooth on the phone that was causing the problem, I can't remember exactly how I fixed it but it was something to do with resetting the Bluetooth on the phone and it's worked ever since, I think it's something a bit like Wi-Fi network cards on the PC where sometimes you have to reset them for it to work. An easy way to test that out is try the strap with another phone.

[@sztigirigi]

I have it. Super convenient. Please just remember that measuring HRV accurately is not possible with that device or any other light based sensor.

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Thanks for the feedback! 😊

[@canyonblue737-8]

HRV is claimed to be measured by the Scoche Rhythm24 optical band during workouts and the Apple Watch claims to do it during rest. It would be interesting to see how they compare with chest straps.

[@ceeweedsl]

Yet "Sleep as Android " IS listing the two Polar Opticals as working for HRV: sleep.urbandroid.org/hrv-tracking/ In tthe comments dev explains: "Polar OH1 DOES report RR intervals, so it is suitable for measuring HRV. It does not do so via the standard HR profile characteristic, but via proprietary Polar API, that we integrate with. Please see the technical documentation: github.com/polarofficial/polar-ble-sdk Same for Polar Sense."

[@majedelmohands8127]

Hello and thanks A question please.... which heart rate monitor is the most accurate a side from the chest one? I am studying people with anxiety ... I NEED a heart rate monitor that can be ware all day ..... I need something that reads _with decent accuracy_ the sudden raise in heart rate.... I need it to be easy for the participants to check their current heart rate and I need it to record data for me for later sync....

[@butmah]

Yes, I want something with such specifications. I am not sure which to choose between fitbit inspire 2 or the polar OH +1 ?! or if there is something more comfy and more accurate.

[@pr395]

Do you have any video that compares the HRV accuracy of several devices? Thanks

[@garluis23]

Hello Rob, great review I really liked this device. just a comment I think you missed a little editing around 3:00, no big deal but maybe u missed it.

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Thanks! Indeed I missed it, I'm taking care of it now :-D

[@sergeykruglikov6059]

Hi, what is the best smartwatch for sleep tracking?

[@KenMaguire]

Did you notice any lag between your actual HR and what's displayed in the app? Any connectivity issues? Thanks

[@bankspeete1057]

Could you see if wearing the Whoop on your bicep with their arm band that you can buy, improves the HR accuracy?

[@DawidVelCatweazel]

Hi Rob :) Thanks for your review, I appreciate your work. Will you release new video with more detailed review of Polar vantage M ? I am waiting for it because as I remember the first sleep analysis was based only on just 2 nights :) Cheers :)

[@EvilijoUK]

Hi, another great video thanks! I've noticed GT 2 Pro on your wrist, any idea when we can expect it's review?

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hey! In the next month, maybe as soon as this weekend, depending on some factors outside of my control

[@EljinRIP]

I wonder if the size of the optical hr sensors matter for the accuracy. For example, would the apple watch series 6 44mm is more accurate than the 40mm, because the sensor is a little bigger? I wonder.

[@canyonblue737-8]

The sensor on both the 44 and 40mm are identical in size on the back of the watch.

[@EljinRIP]

@@canyonblue737-8 really? They appeared to have different sizes.

[@arthurmow262]

The assumption is that the H10 is accurate all the time. I found that having used an H7 for some time, especially during weight training, it was prone to some occasional weird behaviour, seemingly due to the contact with the chest. I ended up using an electrode gel rather than the water Polar suggest and this seemed to make things more consistent. How did you use your H10? Have you been able to test the H10 against a full ECG?

[@francobellomo9979]

Thanks as always for these good videos, I give you an idea for a new video, I was seeing that there are many people who use the Sports Watch on the Biceps like Whoop to significantly improve the heart rate measurement, they just put an extra strap and that's it . It would be interesting for you to analyze if this can really be done with any device and if they are accurate.

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Thanks for the idea!😊

[@shehandamsara3695]

I'm really enjoying your vedios. And I'm waiting for your honor band 6 review

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi Shehan! It is still on its way from China, hopefully I'll have it soon 😄

[@theinstigatorr]

Can you use the oh1 with Apple Watch to measure sleep?

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi! I do not think so honestly

[@frankenstein3163]

what app do u use to see ecg data.. I want to see my spikes for h10 chest satrap. As always great info TY

[@FringaleABloc]

I have the OH1, fingers crossed it is any good 🤞

[@FringaleABloc]

Phew 😅

[@hitman132i]

Can you please test the accuracy of sleep as android app with the polar OH1?

[@srvenkateswaran]

In polar h10 I am getting blank space

[@muzikmon2267]

Is it possible to get it real time ECG or EKG with this polar oh1 or the polar chest strap?

[@sarowie]

Polar OH1: No, it can not give you an ECG/EKG. That is not what it is doing. Polar H10: Yes, actually. There are apps that allow you to see the realtime one channel ECG. But form what I read: Do not expect wonders in therms of recording length/reliability/... Do not expect a fine time resolution. So, if you want to see your own one channel ECG at home for a few minutes: That will work just fine. If you want to record a 24h ECG: That will might end in frustration. If you want to detect severe arrhythmias: that could work. If you want to detect very nuanced arrhythmias: no, the time resolution is not good enough for that. And you might want more channels. Add which point: Ask your doctor.

[@joelkr26]

really nice review, thanks a lot! :)

[@Tomanart]

Great video, well done. Can I ask your advice please. I have the polar H10 and I want a very simple device that can accurately pair with it that can show my my heart rate in big numbers that I can easily put on my handlebars when I am out cycling. I don’t need the wrist sensor or any other extras or data like maps, Carolies burned etc, just a simple accurate device with big numbers to show my heart rate, this is important because I have recovered from atrial fibrillation. Can you recommend a simple device that is suitable for me please

[@sandiegojoey1]

How are you doing that comparison? I'd like to do the same and overlap the two while I workout. I have a Garmin Tri chest strap and just purchased an OH1. I'd also like to compare my wrist based HR of my Garmin Fenix 5X Plus to the OH1.

[@sarowie]

simply export the data to a computer and use excel or any other spreadsheet? If you make a youtube video: Think hard about systematic errors like time offsets. If you overlay to graphs of BPM over time for your own reference: Just look at it.

[@ramosmiguel1977]

Great review. Btw, does Polar OH1 warn you on real time of a specific HR?

[@davsinghm]

Can you please review Scosche Rhythm24 or Rhythm+ 2? I heard they are one of the most accurate optical HR sensors, as they have yellow LED as well for all skin tones. I will wanna see how good are they compared to Apple Watch.

[@blrun129]

Interesting found the OH1 performing worse for me , was wearing the polar strap at the same time, defo need to recheck that

[@tomtomm6287]

Can i User that for bikeriding ?

[@harisjaved1379]

Thank you, for your first section you can just use a correlation matrix.

[@greigfields1039]

I own a fitbit sense and would happily help you out with some additional tests for that device! I could do some longer term heart rate tests or something like that if you would like that.

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi Greig! If you also own some kind of chest strap to measure your heart rate, that would be awesome! Would you mind sending an email to thequantifiedscientist[at]gmail[dot]com to sort that?

[@greigfields1039]

@@TheQuantifiedScientist Emailed! :)

[@fernandoalvarez2846]

Hello! Really enjoy all your videos! I purchased the Inspire 2 thanks to you!!! Just had a quick question in the fitbit dashboard settings for my device on desktop, I notice that my fitbit is toggled to have sleep sensitivity to normal, was wondering whether you had it on normal or did you select sensitive when performing the studies that you did for your of your inspire 2 video.

[@70122riley]

I am deciding between the Polar OH1, Polar H10 and the Wahoo Tickr X. Based on your videos I'm leaning towards the H10, but I'm curious if you've had any experience with the Wahoo and also what you have the H10 connected to for data collection and display during your workouts. I'm looking to track effort and output for triathlon training zones as well as kettlebell workouts which are typically 30 to 40 seconds of effort followed by 30 seconds of rest. Thanks!

[@paul1979uk2000]

I've tried both, for me the strap is better as I've found that sometimes optical sensors are not as good when it comes to indoor exercises, not sure why but when doing things like exercise bike or weight lifting, optical isn't as accurate whereas it's fine for running or walking, the chest strap seems very accurate on pretty much anything I've tried it on.

[@mircea0820]

Seeing that the results of your subscriber are in better agreement with the OH1+ than yours were, makes me doubt the H10's accuracy as your subscriber used a different chest belt (from Garmin). Because those two agree better it makes me believe more in their accuracy.

[@bakoelsapu232]

OH1+ with optic sensor H10 with electric sensor If it compare at out door, i think it will different large results between them

[@ImpalerVlad]

Polar Verity Sense is out. I wonder how that compares to the H10.

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi Vlad, it supposedly has the same hardware when it comes to the sensor. Only time will tell 😊

[@rostamdarweshi2777]

Hi Rob, I love how you also put in your insta and LinkedIn but you didn't respond yet. Could you help me figure out of the charge 4 or the Fitbit sense are better after their updates in 2021. That's all

[@minh1391993]

I just realize that your heart rate goes up really high with indoor cycling which makes me doubt my heart rate recorded by Fitbit watch. I never get any record above 140 pbm, even when I bike up the steep hills

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi Minh. Not sure, it does take some continuous intense effort for me to get to 170. Depends on how long you are going uphill, your physical fitness, the intensity of the workout... Hard to say 😊

[@cezarymaciejewski7509]

It would be great if you could also test the devices on how accurate is heart rate monitor in other "cardio type" exercises that involve arms movement ( fx. burpees). Have you tested Polar OH1+for swimming ? ;)

[@sarowie]

are there ECG based system he can use while swimming? Or... that could be fun: Strapping one OH1+ on the goggles and one on his arm and a polar H10 on his breast. Then some spin training for reference under ideal conditions for all three. Then remove the polar H10 and jump into the water. Then different water activities like "simply diving/sinking to the floor of the pool" (little arm moments, heart rate changes by it self) followed by different swimming styles.

[@alexgeo]

FYI, polar just announced the oh1 successor

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Thanks Alexandru! Yes, I noticed, it seems to have the seem HR sensor as the OH1+ with improvements in many other areas 😊. Have a great day!

[@mrrishibhatia]

I see you are still wearing your Oura ring 🙂

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Hi Rishi! I am actually wearing two, to see how consistent they are 😄👍

[@mrrishibhatia]

Your videos are amazing and very informational. I am a big fan .I am looking for a discrete fitness tracker that also sleep. I don’t like wearing a watch. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions pease.

[@TakeItToTheGround]

Doesn't gel with my experience. I found the OH1+ even more hopeless than my garmin 245. Failed miserably no matter where I wear it. Alternatively I am one of the few people in the world who can do pullups & burpees with a flatline heart-rate of 60-70 bpm. Yet have a higher rate of 80-100 bpm when walking.

[@alejandrolinares4104]

Nice content, garmin fenix 6

[@samuelachenkual127]

Try honor band 6 if you try mi band 5

[@user-sq6vq2mt7u]

Thx thx thx thx!!

[@CristianDobre983]

You forgot to edit out some parts around 3:10

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Thanks! I'll fix it and re-upload 😄

[@jakubzbroda]

Shame that battery life is so short

[@paulhyland4653]

I wont use Polar again they made my device unusable by updating their software ,(planned obsolescence) lodes ppl were stung. ( But i still like the video )

[@danirana9311]

5:03 because your wearing it wrong

[@AlitaAlita2406]

Um den Sensor nutzen zu können, MUSS man ein Polarkonto erstellen und zustimmen, dass sensible Daten verarbeitet werden dürfen. Ich möchte das aber nicht, ich möchte das Produkt (wie viele andere Pulssensoren die am Markt erhältlich sind) für das ich ~90€ bezahle nutzen können, ohne Generalerlaubnis für Polar mit meinen sensiblen Daten machen zu können was sie wollen. Erst nach Erstellung des Kontos kann der Sensor aktiviert werden, vorher ist er nutzlos und funktioniert nicht! Das ist eine Produktpolitik die ich nicht bereit bin zu unterstützen, es ist eine bewusste Entscheidung von Polar den Kunden zwingen zu wollen ein Konto zu erstellen. Zweiter Punkt ist der Armgurt: Das Material wo der Klettverschluss angebracht wird ist ein dünnes Gummiartiges. Im Gegensatz dazu ist das restliche Material aus widerstandsfähigem Textil-Gummi. Es ist jetzt schon absehbar und andere Rezessenten berichten bereits davon, dass der Gurt genau im Klettverschlussbereich früher oder später reißen wird. Gottseidank verkauft Polar die passenden Armbinden zufälligerweise sogar im 10er-Pack...Nachhaltigkeit anyone?

[@sarowie]

Danke, das gibt mir zu denken. Von der Technik her scheint der Polar H10 das beste im Consumer Bereich zu sein. Aber Accountzwang... das ist nicht ideal.

[@danirana9311]

This data is not true at all I used both and I can't tell you the oh1 is very accurate

[@acl2795]

lovely smile

[@danirana9311]

He is wearing it wrong it should be below the elbow facing a vein yet he wears apple watch xtra tight

[@shamsulazhar]

Probably for weightlifting its better to wear it on your head to avoid any muscle movement. Then you'll be that guy who wears his goggles in the gym hehe

[@TheQuantifiedScientist]

Haha, hmmm, yeah, I have a limit to what I will do for science ;-)

[@merpinallday]

Too bad Polar's app sucks

[@alcazarfreddy]

The verity JUST came out. Would have been amazing if you had used that one. But thanks for this cool analysis!!!!

[@nameberry220]

They have the exact same sensor, it's mentioned in the video.