If you are looking for something similar to Fjällräven but want to watch your wallet you could look into Revolution Race.

I was a bit skeptical because they’ve had very prominent social media campaigns and they seem to have an endless amount of product variations. (Things I don’t equate to reliable businesses.) However I’ve recently seen people use them not only for hiking but also quite a lot for work – gardening (not the hobby kind), landscaping etc.

If anyone has personal experiences with them I’d gladly hear your take!

Interesting! I’ll give them a go.

Also, got curious: How many ducks would you say is just enough?

How do they feel when brushing your teeth?

I’ve been meaning to try them on hiking trips.

You seem to be unfortunate enough not to be in its target demographic but that doesn’t make it flawed.

As electrical conductivity is essential for the proper function of this hrm strap as much as it is with any other model or brand, it hardly makes it the problem of this specific device. Hair, dry skin, it’s the same problem and has to do with how the technology works on these kinds of straps.

Furthermore none of the features you mention, from a physical power button to a battery indicator exist in any hrm strap I’ve seen. In other words you would regard a similar strap from any other brand equally as bad.

Why should it rely on electric current then? Because compared to measuring heart rate optically, it’s far more accurate. They also work much more reliably under water.

As to the cut outs you mention, that is simply anecdotal and in this instance third hand information. Not to say it’s not true, just saying it’s impossible to put something like that into perspective. There are faults with all devices and without reliable statistics of return rates or failures it’s not particularly fruitful to form a view based on that kind of evidence.

In all fairness, perhaps using the in-built optical hrm on your watch just is the best option for you.

There’s also armband hrms which are optical but iirc somewhat more reliable than wrist based ones. For instance the Polar Verity Sense and OH 1. They even have rechargeable batteries and a physical button.

Thanks - I’ll keep it in mind if I switch to Android at some point in the future!

Interesting. Only options that come to mind are a faulty device or inefficient contact between the strap and skin. During colder months I wet my fingers under the tap and swipe the strap and my chest before putting it on. Otherwise it would take ages to build enough sweat for reliable contact during my run.

I mean it could be other things too but those are a bit harder to diagnose. Well apart from using the wrong battery (many fit but the slimmer ones don’t stay put).

I’m pretty confident swapping it under the warranty would probably have fixed the situation. Don’t know if that’s still an option for you.

I really like my Garmin. I would love to find a source that breaks down how they operate and how European they could be considered being.

I hope my current Fenix lasts long enough for me to find a good alternative. Open source and locally managed data would be great but consumer friendly alternatives have quite a way to go still.

Thanks for bringing it up, Suunto still gets mentioned a lot.

I wouldn’t mind a bot commenting basic info on companies’ whenever they’re mentioned. It’s a lot of work to spread the same info from thread to thread.

Good point about replaceable batteries having a positive side in that regard.

I’ve used a Polar H10 extensively and am very happy with it. The specific model is hands down the best regarded hrm for accuracy. It’s the only model I have experience with so I don’t know whether other / older models are equally reliable. (Apart from the H9 which is basically the same device with a different strap)

On the off chance this helps:

The strap is switched on when the module is connected to the strap. It’s switched off when you disconnect at least one of the connectors.

Initial pairing should be done with the Polar Flow app with your phone. You can manage the strap’s settings from there and see the battery status among other things. E.g. turn ANT+ and bluetooth on or off.

Yes, it’s supposed to connect to your sportswatch automatically when you strap it around your chest. At least if you’ve paried them. For my fenix you do this from settings “add sensor”.

Iirc I get “sensor battery low” notifications on my watch. It’s hard to remember because the battery lasts such a long time (even when on a marathon training cycle). It’s been a while since I’ve had ro change it. Not that I wouldn’t prefer a rechargeable device.