Powr Labs Bluetooth and ANT+ Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap – All Day Comfort, Easy Connectivity – Compatible with Polar, Garmin, Peloton, Wahoo

Accurate, fairly priced, comfortable, good battery life
I purchased this Powr chest heart rate monitor because I was having a lot of variance measuring my heart rate on my Garmin Fenix 7 while running and sometimes while biking. It was very frustrating to watch my heart rate spike when I know it wasn’t spiking. This has been super accurate when compared to multiple other sources. It’s comfortable to wear, and as far as I can tell, has incredibly battery life. It connects via ANT+ and I’ve never had even a moment of issues of connectivity for my Garmin watch, my Garmin Edge bike computer, or connecting it to any gym equipment that supports connecting it to Bluetooth external heart rate monitors. It’s very convenient to not have to hold the handles while running on a treadmill and see your live heart rate data just as accurately. Highly recommend.

Great value!
I have compared this simultaneously with an optical armband and Garmin watch, and the PowerLabs is quicker to repond to changes in heart rate during exercise and can read higher peaks during brief, hard efforts. For instance, if I go from resting to very vigorous exercise like pullpus, and back to resting- the chest strap reading raises faster and will peak higher, then start coming down faster than the optical sensors. And the optical sensors never register the true peak, because my heart rate is already falling again before they’ve caught up with it. However, on steady efforts like jogging or resting, they all tend to agree pretty closely with each other.I was concerned that the chest strap felt uncomfortable the first time I put it on, but I very quickly got used to it and now I don’t mind it at all. I run the contact area under water and/or dampen my chest where it sits to ensure a good contact and have had no problems with a reading. I’ve also run in the rain with it with no problems, so the monitor unit seems properly waterproof.It syncs right up to my watch and phone apps. The MapmyRun app was a little reluctant to connect, but it eventually did- perhaps because I gave up on it, connected another app, then went back to MapmyRun and it connected immediately.Another cool thing is my Garmin watch will automatically detect lactate threshold with this chest strap. which it cannot do with its own optical sensor or the optical arm band, and it detected my threshold within one beat of my result from the Joe Friel 30 minute test.Anyway- it’s working well so far at a fraction of the cost of a Garmin strap. I’ll update the review if anything changes.UPDATEAfter about 6 months, the battery died, but I emailed Powrlab and provided my amazon order number and they sent 2 good quality replacement batteries.I also had problems with cadence lock in cool weather when I’m sweating less, but I bought some electrode gel and that works great, so still happy with my purchase.Have fun!

Powr Labs Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap, great so far!
Saw in another review that they had success after installing Myworkouts app. Just received the HRM today, installed Myworkouts and now have it functioning. Wasn’t sure my cheap ($30) LG Rebel 3 L18VL Android phone supported Bluetooth LE, which seems to be required, according to Myworkouts. A Google search revealed I could install a little free utility that would find out. So, I downloaded and installed and ran BLE Checker, which said it did. Finally found the Setting to add a Bluetooth LE device in Myworkouts and I was set, after the basic configuration, which was simple and intuitive. I’m running a trial workout right now, lying in bed with my laptop. Assuming this HRM is accurate, it’s all I could ask for, and the myworkouts app seems great. Gonna give this a trial run on my road bike tomorrow!This uses cheap replaceable CR2032 3 volt batteries, which I always have on hand.This thing is much smaller than I anticipated, which is good. It’s comfortable, I’ve been wearing it about 2 hours.I turned off battery optimizations for the Myworkouts app in android settings, at the suggestion of the app, so that things don’t get strange or fail altogether if the phone’s screen turns off or battery levels get below any threshold. All my other apps will optimize battery drainage but I don’t want that to happen for this. I want it to work perfectly no matter what.Edit next day: First day using while actually exercising. Road bike to and from gym, 5 miles each way, also kept Myworkouts app running in the gym. Worked great. Until I receive a bracket I ordered from China (!), I’m using a small bungee to hold my phone to handlebars, which works acceptably. Had no trouble reading my HR with this setup during my bike rides. I’m loving it! Had great rides and I was very pleased to know the answer to the question that I’d had in my head for months, “I wonder what my heart rate is right now” while riding to/from my gym.Edit a few months later: The battery died already. I couldn’t find a contact for Powr Labs and so I posted at their Facebook page, trying to avail myself of their 2 year battery replacement offer. That was several weeks ago and as far as I know, they did not respond. Anyway, I’d bought 15 CR2032 batteries a while ago, so I’m good.Edit2 a couple years later: Still using MyWorkOuts Android app. I’m finding that the CR2032 battery lasts perhaps a year in my almost daily 1 hour plus workouts. When I take off the strap I unfasten one of the two snap connectors and set the strap aside, refasten that snap connector when putting the strap on for the next workout. I figure that ensures that the electronics of the HR monitor are getting nothing like a signal and that this will make the battery last longer. Just before putting the strap on when starting a workout I get a drop of water on my index finger and wipe it on the back of the strap where it will pick up my heart beat. I saw this recommended and I think it helps ensure that the sensor gets a solid continuous signal. Maybe 2-3 times out of my now nearly 1000 uses have I found that the signal was lost when I checked out my app post-workout. That’s pretty high reliability. When that happens it could signal need for a new battery, or it could be inadequate contact at your breast bone. A bit of moisture there helps ensure that the monitor picks up your heart beat.

I used a polar HR10 for years but was having to replace the strap every 3 months so it just got silly cost wise. The powrlabs chest strap connects faster, responds during exercise more quickly, it’s readings correlate well to my RPE and given that my resting heart rate matched that of a recent test at a medical center I believe to be accurate. Fantastic value.

I recently started using the POWR LABS Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor Chest, and it has been a fantastic addition to my fitness routine. The strap is comfortable and adjustable, ensuring a secure fit during workouts. The heart rate monitor pairs seamlessly with my fitness apps and devices, providing accurate and real-time data.The battery life is impressive, and I love the convenience of the Bluetooth connectivity, which allows me to track my performance without any hassle. This heart rate monitor has helped me optimize my workouts and achieve better results. Highly recommend it to anyone serious about their fitness goals!