Wearlink 31 Transmitter by Polar

114248 Features: Fasten the simple sideclip and forget that you’re wearing the soft, clothing-like material while the ergonomic design makes it feel almost natural Work out hard and don’t worry about it to the removable textile strap is machine washable Specifications:

User Reviews

I had no idea these people at Bike A Mile would take 16 to 19 days to get an item to me or i never would have purchased it from them. I realise that i used the super saver shipping but i don't recall it stating that it is normally 16 to 19 day delivery!!! -- These people at Bike A Mile are the slowest shippers i have ever encountered!!!

Electronics on my 31 worked extremely well.

After 20-30 running sessions, the 31 scrapes large sores into the skin on my chest despite using it in the way Polar describes. This has been the case each spring for the last 3 years when I've started retraining after winter. Fortunately, it sounds like my case is unusual.

My chest is rather bony and about 44" around. Routine use when running causes the transmitter to bounce up and down. The strap and stitching dig into, then break the skin. Initially, it looked like an allergic reaction. However, experimentation showed that it's abrasion, not allergies.

The old HR100 chest strap worked much better. Polar did try to work with me on this and I commend them for their level of effort.

-- Skin Damage

I have the F7 polar watch that syncs with this coded transmitter. I have had two since I bought the watch less than two years ago. The last stopped working and the battery cover could not be removed. I have three other polar devices including a bike monitor and, despite working well when they work, all seem to have had one problem or another. I think the company is getting lazy because they have so little competition and have become the standard. I can't recommend the product unless you really, really need Polar.Polar F7 Men's Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Grey) -- Polar Problems

I bought this to work with my iPod Nike+... but it doesn't. Not that it says that it would, but Amazon currently doesn't sell the kind that DOES work, so I guessed (incorrectly) that "well, maybe this is the one that sync's with the iPod."

I'm sure it probably works great on it's own, but that's not what I bought it for.

Nope. -- DOES NOT WORK WITH IPOD NIKE+

The battery on my T-31 Coded chest transmitter went out, so I decided to spring for the Wearlink. Even though it was more expensive, I figured I could save money in the long run by being able to swap out the batteries myself. Instead of just replacing the entire chest transmitter (T-31),I figured this would be a nice advantage, and a cost cutting measure.

I had read the reviews on Amazon.com about this product, and noticed that many people were grousing about the readings being unreliable. I decided to purchase the product anyways, and make up my own mind.

For starters, the chest strap is very nice. It fit comfortably and snugly, and didn't slide up and down my sweaty chest as the T-31 had before. Even though my T-31 never lost contact when I was wearing it, it was always in the back of my mind. I was constantly having to readjust it, while in the midst of a workout. The Wearlink posed no such problem.

Secondly, I never had to avail myself to the option of being able to change out the batteries. I owned the Wearlink for just under a week, but used it heavily during that time. I never removed the back cover from the unit, so I can't speak as to the degree of difficulty, etc, that is involved in undergoing such a task.

Once I employed the chest transmitter during the workouts, I became dismayed very quickly. The inaugural workout went off without a hitch, and was about what I expected. However, with each subsquent workout the readings became more erratic and unreliable. By the time that final day rolled around, I was half tempted to throw the Wearlink on the ground and stomp on it LOL. Fortunately for me, cooler heads prevailed in this situation.

I called up the company that sold it to me and insisted that they send me a T-31 Coded unit. They did, and I sent back the Wearlink. Since that time, I have had nary any problem with accuracy and reliabilty. The T-31 Coded chest transmitter has worked like a charm, and is the best model that Polar has to date IMO.

The old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," applies here. I had always been happy with the performance of the T-31, but thought I would try something new. However, the Wearlink has sent me scrambling back to the original,the T-31.

If I was in the market for a chest trasmitter again, knowing what I know now, I would just plunk down the $35-$45 to replace the T-31 each time the batteries went out. You may spend more money, but the aggravation it would save you would be well worth the expense. -- Bad product overall

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Tagged with: ergonomic-design • soft-clothing • textile

Filed under: Heart Rate Monitors

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