Review on 🏃 Polar OH1+ Optical HR Sensor: Bluetooth/ANT+ Connectivity for Accurate Heart Rate Tracking by Jason Peterson

If you take your training data seriously, you depend on the accuracy of your heart rate monitor. Unfortunately, most optical wrist sensors are extremely inaccurate during activity. This gives you two options: a chest strap or an optical sensor on your arm. The chest strap is the gold standard for precision, but incredibly uncomfortable. This is where optical hand sensors come into play. They fall into the "good enough" sweet spot. They are precise, reliable and more comfortable than a chest strap. If you've done your research, you'll know that there are three main handheld sensor options - Wahoo, Scosche, and Polar. I won't go into all the details (see DC Rainmaker for a good comparison between the three), but I'll tell you why Polar is the right choice. polar OH1+ comes with a "glasses clip". This means that if you're a triathlete swimming, you can attach a heart rate monitor to your goggles that will record your transient heart rate for accurate heart rate data. That in itself is a nice feature, but what the Polar doesn't mention, and perhaps more importantly, is that you can use the clamp anywhere there's reliable ripple and flat skin. Type "belt clip". I started attaching the monitor to my running shorts and cycling suit and found that it would accurately record hip pulse and heart rate data. Maybe even better data than the hand (more stable, less incidence of light, stronger waviness, etc.). That means no armband or chest strap, just a small clip on the pants that is secure and tucked away. This brings comfort and precision to a new level. For that reason alone, this is the only optical heart rate monitor worth considering.