If you want an alternative to chest-strap heart rate monitors, you can’t go wrong with the optical Polar Verity Sense.
Ideal for pairing with the best rowing machines or exercise bikes, top-notch heart rate monitors can help you to monitor your progress and keep things in check while pushing hard during a cardio session. The thing is, traditional chest-strapped HRMs can feel a bit restrictive sometimes, and aren’t always accustomed to your choice of workout. This, however, isn’t a traditional chest-mount monitor. Here’s how the Polar Verity Sense performed when I put it to the test.
Men’s Fitness verdict
With a rechargeable sensor, decent workout storage and good accuracy, the Polar Verity Sense is a useful alternative to a chest strap HRM.- Comfortable alternative to chest strap
- Good accuracy for an optical sensor
- Fiddly to use on the move
- Charging cradle is easy to lose
How we test heart rate monitors
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. On this occasion, our expert running gear tester Kieran Alger was tasked with assessing a bunch of the top heart rate monitors on the market, during his regular cardio workouts. While testing each, Kieran made sure to assess all of the major qualities needed from a heart rate monitor: comfort, accuracy, connectivity, and water resistance. Find out more about how we test.
Chest strap alternative
If you don’t like wearing chest straps, or your sport makes it tricky, the Polar Verity Sense optical heart rate tracker is a reliable and comfortable alternative. You can wear it on your forearm, bicep and even on your goggle straps to track your BPM from your temples in the water. So, it’s one of the best heart rate monitors for a triathlon.
The Verity Sense features some important improvements over Polar’s other optical arm strap option, the cheaper OH1+ ($59.95 / £54.95). The big upgrades include a wider strap and sensor casing that help it stay in place better. The sensor also features lights that make it easier to see when you’re switching between modes and starting workouts, though it’s still fiddly to use underneath long-sleeve tops.
Polar Verity Sense design
When it comes to accuracy, the Verity Sense doesn’t match the best chest straps for nailed-on tracking. However, our tests show the six LED sensor to be as reliable as optical heart rate trackers get. It can still lag and lurch when you’re doing things like gear-shifting intervals but we think it’s as good as, if not better than, the built-in optical monitors you find on most GPS watches.
The rechargeable sensor packs 30-hours training time on a single charge, 16mb memory – around 600 hours of workout storage – and 150m broadcast range. It supports ANT+ and two simultaneous Bluetooth connections – that’s one less Bluetooth hook-up than the OH1+. It also broadcasts direct to heart rate apps including the Polar Beat app, GPS watches from Garmin, Polar and COROS plus compatible gym equipment and stationary bikes like the Wattbike Atom.
It’s water resistant up to 50m and the strap is machine washable. If you’re after an arm strap, this is our top recommendation. Though we’re not fans of the small and easy-to-lose charging cradle.
What other heart rate monitors should I consider?
Well, the answer to that question depends on what exactly you’re looking for. In my opinion the outright best heart rate monitor on the market right now is the Garmin HRM-Pro Plus. Yes, it is a traditional chest-mounted monitor, but compared to rivals, it’s definitely one of the least intrusive to wear. Impressively, that doesn’t come at the cost of performance. In fact, the Garmin is one of the most accurate monitors of come across, albeit not quite to the level of the Polar H10 (more on that, next). Plus, it has a great range of tracking capabilities to monitor your physical performance across a wide array of sports and workout disciplines.
As promised, the Polar H10 is next on my list of recommendations. For absolute accuracy, I don’t think this piece of kit can be beaten. However, if you’re more interested in the depth of data you can analyze, the H10 won’t quite hit the mark. It’s comparatively limited in that regard, and lacks somewhat in connectivity too compared to rivals.
Or, maybe flexibility is the most important thing to you. Sure, the Polar Verity Sense can be worn in multiple different areas, but what if you could have both a chest-strap and an arm-strap device combined into one? That’s what the Myzone MZ-Switch aims to achieve. It’s the world’s first combined ECG-style chest strap and optical arm strap, meaning you can wear it differently depending on the activity you’re undertaking, and won’t have to compromise on performance. The downside: it’s expensive.
| Weight | 0.4oz (12g) |
| Strap | 9.1in-12.6in (23cm-32cm) |
| Battery | rechargeable, 30 hours |
| Features | Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity / goggle strap clip / 16mb memory / 150m broadcast range |
| Water rating | WR50 |
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