Polar FT2 Heart Rate Monitor

Polar FT2 heart rate monitor is a basic heart rate monitor for beginners and recreational exercisers. It provides a slight improvement over the Polar FT1 and is the second model in the new Polar FT series for fitness and cross training.

Here are the main features of the FT2 heart rate monitor. It has:

• Continuous heart rate monitoring: You can check your real time heart rate on the wrist watch.
• Automatic heart rate zone: You input your age and it calculates your maximum heart rate (MHR). It then sets up your heart rate zone based on 85% and 65% of your MHR.
• Manual heart rate zone: You can set your upper and lower training limits (with alarm). The alarm sounds when you are not exercising within the heart rate limits. There is also a visual display on the wrist watch to inform you whether you are training above, within or below your heart rate limits.
• One button functionality: easy to use and operate.
• Stop watch. Visual training time indicators inform you at a glance how long you have been training.
• Training session is stored in a file. A file can recall the following data: duration, average heart rate, maximum heart rate, date of training session
• Basic Time Keeping - Time, Day of the Week, Date
• Backlight.
• HeartTouch: During training, you can turn change the information displayed (Heart Rate/Duration/Time) on the wrist watch by simply bringing the wrist watch close to the chest belt. So you don't have to press any button to do that.
• Wireless heart rate monitor: It consists of a coded chest strap transmitter and a wrist watch receiver. Coded transmission prevents interference and cross-talk.
• Water resistant up to 30m. To maintain water resistance, do not press buttons while under water.

The features in bold are found in FT2 but not in FT1. The Polar FT2 is in fact identical to Polar FT1 in terms of features except for ONE additional feature:

• The aged-based automatic setting of heart rate training zone

Note that you can always manually override the limits suggested by the automatic calculation.

Summary

The Polar FT2 heart rate monitor is great for those new to heart rate monitoring. It has all the features and advantages of the Polar FT1 plus the automatic calculation of your heart rate training zone.

It has a large and easy-to-read display and it requires only one button to operate. It offers you heart rate training limits so you can make sure that you train safely and at the right intensity. Furthermore, after you have finished, you can review your average heart rate to see how hard you have been training in your last workout. In addition coded transmission avoids cross talk with other heart rate monitor users. All in all, it is simple to use, and offers probably just enough training data for new heart rate monitor users.

If we have to choose between the Polar FT1 and Polar FT2, we will probably go for the Polar FT1 and save some money. The Polar FT1 is about $20 cheaper, and it is fairly easy to work out your own training limits.

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Useful Information

The next model up in the Polar FT series is Polar FT4.

Not sure which heart rate monitor is right for you? Take a look at the Which Heart Rate Monitor page.