Review on 🩸 Scosche Rhythm+ Heart Rate Monitor Armband: Dual Band Radio ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart by Ryan Hawkins

I bought this HRM as an alternative to chest straps which are still considered the gold standard but can be a little uncomfortable at times (I wear the HRM to the gym and also do cardio so the chest strap can feel squeezing during certain exercises) and can rub even if you keep it clean, use gel etc. Overall this is a pretty solid device: it syncs well with my Garmin FR230. It's comfortable (I wear it quite tight and still don't notice it when I work out), it's quite stretchy to wear (depending on your size and the strap you choose, you can wear it on your forearm, biceps, wrist and maybe even your ankle , if that suits you) and pretty much exactly. I've used it interchangeably with a Garmin HRM and an Accuro HRM304 chest and got roughly the same numbers on each unit. Why am I not giving 5 stars?: It's not perfect. Light-based HRMs are getting better, but still feel a bit slower and less accurate than chest straps. If you're primarily into steady-state cardio, this could be the perfect machine for you. If you do a lot of interval training, you may find that they lag behind in accuracy. I've used it for sprint intervals on the treadmill and it struggled to keep up with the changing pace. Another downside: it will be extremely inaccurate from time to time. I'm not sure what's causing the downside, but it basically "digs" a needle in your HR regardless of your activity level. Example: I took it on a trip where I had access to a good trail and didn't want to take a chest strap and electrode gel with me. I've done a few morning 4 mile runs with it and it's been very durable. One afternoon my wife suggested taking a walk along the path. I turned on Rhythm+ to track calories burned and it started out fine, but after a mile I looked down and saw my heart rate was 195. I clearly wasn't sprinting, so it was about twice as tall as it should have been. . I stopped for a few minutes and it dropped to 190 but clearly stuck. I tried turning it off and on again but still wouldn't read (and yes, I checked my pulse manually to make sure I wasn't having any issues). I gave up and ended the walk. On the next morning run, everything worked perfectly. I've only experienced this about 5 times a year, but still so often that I no longer trust a treadmill and only use it in the gym. Verdict: This is a good device, but if you want the best accuracy, stick with a chest strap. My suggestion for the best chest strap is the Accuro HRM304. It's a small company and I was thinking of buying it, but it's the only device I know of that syncs to Ant+, Bluetooth and analog simultaneously, so I can use it with a Garmin watch while sending a signal. to the gym or my AirDyne Pro at home.