Comments on: Bowflex Fit Trainer Plus Heart Rate Monitor and Pedometer Watch (Regular) Reviews

By: Skyeyer

Skyeyer — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:51:48 +0000

Review by Skyeyer for Bowflex Fit Trainer Plus Heart Rate Monitor and Pedometer Watch (Regular) Rating: Although this watch has accurate electronics, the watch itself is easily damaged. The crystal cracked down the middle (unknown cause) and a little overspray from outdoor bug repellent severely clouded the crystal and took the silver paint of the surrounding area. It still works, including the pulse function, but it looks terrible and I don't think its water resistant any more. I won't purchase another like it.

By: K. Smith

K. Smith — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:15:39 +0000

Review by K. Smith for Bowflex Fit Trainer Plus Heart Rate Monitor and Pedometer Watch (Regular) Rating: I got this watch as a gift. I was looking for a watch to use while running, and this seemed like it would work. I wanted to track my time, distance, calories burned and heart rate. It worked great at time and heart rate. However my calories burned was way off because it wasn't tracking distance right. I ran a trail that I know is 2 miles (I measured it off the odometer in my car), but it only showed that I ran .5 miles. It kept my heart rate just fine, so if that's what you're after, this is a great product. I ended up returning it. It didn't fit my needs.

By: Runner Girl

Runner Girl — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:15:44 +0000

Review by Runner Girl for Bowflex Fit Trainer Plus Heart Rate Monitor and Pedometer Watch (Regular) Rating: I really liked the product WHEN it worked, but the pedometer would shut itself off in the middle of a run or walk. I thought it was the battery, so I had a new one put in, but it continued to shut itself off. When it shut itself off, it would reset all the settings including the date and time, so I would have to reset everything again. Finally, I sent it back and requested another one, hoping I just got a defective one. The new one arrived and worked great for a couple of weeks, then started doing the same thing. I started to send it back, but my time had run out and I would have only gotten a partial refund, so I now have a $69 watch/stopwatch not good for much else.

By: C. Ryan

C. Ryan — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:09:56 +0000

Review by C. Ryan for Bowflex Fit Trainer Plus Heart Rate Monitor and Pedometer Watch (Regular) Rating: There is much to like about this pedometer. It is priced reasonably for the amount of functiopnality and once you get the stride settings correct, it does a good job of tracking distance. Also, the heart rate montitor seems to be very accurate. However, I have one major issue. To me, it is too complicated to reset and figure out what you are doing. I need to bring the instructions with me each time. In other words, it is not intuitive or particularly user friendly. I would gladly sacrifice 20% of the functionality for ease-of-use.

By: Pamski

Pamski — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:35:33 +0000

Review by Pamski for Bowflex Fit Trainer Plus Heart Rate Monitor and Pedometer Watch (Regular) Rating: This was a pleasant surprise! I actually went to a local store to check out the Mio heart rate monitors, but found them disappointing. They either never gave a reading, or they gave readings that indicated my immediate hospitalization was required. (Maybe the frustration they caused had elevated my heart rate to 194, but I doubt it.) I was just about to settle for a monitor with a strap before the clerk brought out this gem.

The Bowflex, however, is very easy to use and had features I didn't expect to see on a monitor at this price:

1) While it has two sensors to touch for a reading, I have found that pressing the bottom sensor is actually enough, and easier, if you are on the move.

2) If you enter your age, gender and weight, it will calculate your minimum and maximum heart rate for you, or you can input them manually.

3) I didn't expect the pedometer at all! I haven't played with it much yet, but it seems simple enough to use. I don't know how accurate it is, being on the wrist instead of the hip. I'll update this later after I've tinkered with it a bit.

4) For a monitor watch without a chest strap, it is surprisingly accurate (I checked it against a blood pressure/heart rate monitor at home, and it stayed within +/- 4 BPM).

Technically it's unisex and it's not a dainty thing, but I have an average female frame and I don't find it uncomfortable or clunky. I ultimately purchased it from the local seller, because they were running a special better than the prices here on Amazon (it does happen). But even at around $70.00 it's a steal, compared to pricier brands that don't perform as well.

UPDATE:
Result of my preliminary test of the pedometer: It's awesome! Just walked home from a coffee shop and it accurately recorded the distance (0.5 miles). My number of steps, calories burned (I assume based upon my weight and gender), and average speed were all available at the touch of a button. I will retest it later in the week with my GPS to compare speed and distance.