I bought this product for my first heart rate monitor and I love it. I only needed the basics of it such as the calorie counter and of course the heart rate. I use it about 3 times a week. Pros: Does what you need it to do. Battery can be replaced easily. Cons: Some people may not like the strap so much.

I would most definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to just have the basics.

Great product. I use it just about everyday when I do cardio at the gym.

The seller of this item is spamming websites to gin up sales. Do not reward him with your custom.

I bought this heart rate monitor because I recently started working with a trainer and wanted to take my results to the next level. I'm tracking my daily calorie intake and expenditure, and I wanted something to help me more accurately assess the calories I'm burning during weight and circuit training, when I'm not hooked up to a machine that tells me what I'm burning. I'm also a gadget freak, so I love buying electronics to help w/day to day life.

First, wearability. It's easy to wear. I haven't had any problems with the chest strap being a distraction or uncomfortable, which I was initially concerned about before ordering. I'm petite, and being that this is a unisex watch, even on the smallest setting the band is too big for me, but it's workable.

For heart rate monitoring, this thing is great. I love that this is a continuous monitor, and that it communicates with the cardio equipment at my gym. At first I tested the ratings from my chest strap to the ones the hand sensors one the equipment would give me to test the accuracy and they were completely inline...maybe a beat or two difference. So that's good.

Now for the bad. The calorie counting, which is the whole reason I purchased the product in the first place, is COMPLETELY inaccurate and unreliable. It very dramatically overestimates the calories burned...I'd say by about 2-3 times! I did a non-scientific test of my own, comparing the estimated calorie burn on the Timex to the estimate from the gym's treadmills and also my Nike+ for my iPod while on outdoor runs, which estimates calories burned. Every single time the burns on the gym and Nike+ equipment were in line with each other, and the Timex was 100-200 calories high (which is a lot when the real expenditure is around 290-300 calories!).

So overall I give this product a 4. As a heart rate monitor, it's great, especially for the price. As a calorie counter it blows. However, it still gets a 4 because, even though I can't accurately track my calories during the workouts I do, I have found that just knowing my heart rate zones has helped me to get more effective workouts, now that I can see when I am really working and when I need to pick it up.

I'd recommend this product to someone looking for a basic entry level heart rate monitor due to it's reliability in that sense, price, comfort, and ease of use. But if you want a calorie tracker...keep looking. Let me know if you find a good one!

I had always questioned my actual calorie burn as well as my heart rate as I exercised. With this monitor I am able to do both. I truly enjoy using it. It is not complicated to use.It helps me determine my numbers as I vary my workouts. I feel it is a tool that every exerciser should invest in for better workouts and goal achievement.