Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor Soft Strap -

I bought this as I recently treated myself to a Forerunner 310XT. For years I've been using a Polar HRM which has been superbly reliable and the strap comfy and able to pick up data whilst positioned below my sports bra. Originally I thought I'd manage without the forerunner heart rate data, but I missed having that and didn't want to wear two watches in order to know my heart rate.

I ordered the premium strap as it was looked much more comfortable than the cheaper rigid plastic one. When it arrived it was clearly not going to be as comfortable as the polar strap (which is all soft material) as this one has two thin plastic patches as chest contacts. Still, I could live with that.

The biggest problem really is that it is less sensitive at detecting signals than the Polar - meaning it has to be worn higher on the chest. This means I have to tuck it under my sports bra (ouch) in order to get a signal. I should mention I work in cardiology and thus know for a fact that heart signals can easily be detected lower in the chest than this will detect - as demonstrated with the polar. By the time I've run my distance with plastic bits being held against my skin under the tight band of my sports bra I DEFINITELY know I'm wearing this!

It's a shame that one company can't get it all right. My polar HRM was great - but wouldn't send data to my mac. The forerunner is an amazing tool and mac compatible, but the strap really isn't as "premium" as I thought it would be. Perhaps Garmin need to find some product testers with breasts?

If I were a man it might get 4 or even 5 stars, but I'm not. I have the option of being uncomfortable, or not having data, which is a bit rubbish. Buy one if you're a bloke, that's my recommendation!

To be honest, this is rubbish. Don't buy it. But it is a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. This is the 3rd Premium soft strap I've had and they all broke. They don't physically break, they just stop picking up your HR. It's the straps fault. The unit itself fits nicely on to the Polar Wearlink+ strap and has been working pretty much trouble free. Check out the Garmin forums to see what I am saying. Best of luck.

This is a good HRM - comfortable and compatible with other Garmin products. However, it can be spooked by use when it is windy and you are wearign anything but teh tightest jersey. This seems to eb a known problem (check out the user forums on the Garmin website) but is a real irritation when you are using it for serious training. I'd still recommend it, but only just.