Garmin HRM Pro Plus

I purchased this so I could have higher accuracy (and more responsive) heart rate readings than my watch gives me, and so that I could specifically run a lactate threshold test to better set up my heart rate zones. I pair this with a garmin forerunner 965 and so far it has worked seamlessly. Pretty simple unboxing, but not a lot of information is given. It does not just pair automatically, but has to be added to the watch. Its relatively simple, but there is a step required to do it. Then when worn and starting an activity, the watch automatically recognizes it and uses data from the strap over its own sensors. As far as I can tell, the heart rate readings I am getting from it are accurate and responsive, though in my case, I am not sure its a massive improvement over the optical heart rate sensor I am already using. Though I am sure its still an improvement. Running the lactate threshold test was handled by my watch, but it required an external heart monitor and again as far as I can tell it works well. The watch reports my heart rate changes quickly when I change pace and while I have yet to do any sprint intervals with it yet, I imagine it will fare much better than the watch, which could often miss the entire interval before my heart rate would respond on the watch.

I got this because I was getting frustrated over and over on my garmin venue 2 plus watch, even though the watch is great but the HR sensor is just not that great. It used to be good when I bought it new couple of years ago. After ruining my runs couples of months with showing me max HR when I just stand and don't move, I decided it's time to try the Garmin chest strap. I decided to go with Garmin because I am already in the Garmin eco-system, however, I did my homework and other chest straps from other brands are also accurate. I took this new chest strap on couple of runs and I can see the difference right away, I run faster on my easy runs, my HR trends lower than it was on my watch. When my HR goes over to the next Zone, and I slow down the strap immediately registers my new HR and I can see it in the real-time that my HR is recovering. If I use my watch in that same use-case, the watch just would take much much longer time to update the HR and more times it would just artificially inflate the HR rate (as I said earlier max HR when just standing). It seems there is some sort of an algorithm on the venu 2 plus to calculate the HR and that algorithm makes it completely inaccurate. The Garmin HRM Pro Plus is accurate, and the only feature that is a really miss from garmin and a real downside of this product is that I don't see the real-time live data from my HR strap on Garmin Connect App, I can only see the real-time HR strap data when I start an activity on my watch. but not the rest of the times, even though Garmin says it is still being recorded, but there is no way to see if the data is from the strap or from the Watch. The Connect App doesn't tag or label the source of the HR data, which is very not user friendly. Also, when you start an activity on garmin watch it'll ask to connect to the HR strap, once you connect, the UI on the watch screen is the same for the HR. there is no indication that the HR data coming from the Strap or from the Watch, you just have to believe it is connected and you are getting HR stats from the Strap. Very bad user experience, non friendly user design, creates a lot of confusions. and this could be just a simple software update to make things clear. Otherwise, the HR Strap as accurate as any other competitors brands and that's already good enough if you're already in the Garmin ecosystem.

Have been using this monitor for 2 years now with zero issues. It recognizes my Garmin instantaneously and gives me super accurate heart rate metrics. I hardly notice it's there after running for a bit. Battery life her been excellent so far. I've only washed it once since having it, doesn't carry odor but salt stains will show after a while.

The HRM Pro Plus delivers excellent accuracy in heart rate tracking, even during intense workouts. The strap is comfortable and lightweight, staying securely in place throughout the activity. Its best feature is the ability to store data when not wearing a watch (like while swimming) and sync it later. Connection with Garmin devices and third-party apps is fast and stable. Perfect for athletes who need reliable performance metrics and running dynamics.

Great heart rate monitor -integrates well with other devices.

I've had my eye on a heart rate monitor for quite a while because I was honestly a little curious about how accurate my Garmin venue 3s was being that it's on my wrist and it gets jostled around a lot as I'm running. I knew when I bought my watch that because it's pretty much the newest watch available and that they advertised that the heart rate monitor on it was the same as Garmin's $1,000 watch but to be honest I'm still skeptical about the accuracy of watch statistics in general so when I saw this heart rate monitor was 80 something dollars compared to the over 120 on the Garmin website I had to have it while it was such a good price! So before I bought this I spoke to somebody from Garmin just to see that this was indeed compatible with my watch because I saw that there was a lot of people in the review section here that didn't believe this was compatible with the venue series even though on the Garmin website this heart rate monitor shows photos in a list with all the watches compatible with it so just to be sure I talked to the Garmin associate and she confirmed, yes, the venue series is compatible with this heart rate monitor. The only downside to my watch with this heart rate monitor is that she said my watch wasn't Advanced enough (ie: not from their strict sports lines like the forerunner, epix, or fennix series) so while it would track my heart rate, all of the running Dynamics wouldn't record from this. Also, weirdly enough, she mentioned this wouldn't read my heart rate in the pool with my particular watch which I was confused about because I don't understand how the heart rate can work while running and all other activities but not with swimming? Even though my watch has open and indoor swiming options? But nevertheless I'm kind of cool with that because I dont swim with my watch and I bought this because I do a lot of heart rate training while running or cardio in general so I can kind of brush that aside. Another downside for the venue 3 watch is that for some reason even though I can get Dynamics from my watch itself it won't read from the heart rate monitor so all of the aspects of the heart rate monitor that can improve your indoor running or make it more accurate on the treadmill, from what I understand, won't send to my device so my stats will still read from my watch. Now onto my proper review! I've worn this heart rate monitor for about a week now and over the course of four different workout sessions ive tested it with a mix of running, indoor cycling, and the elliptical. From what I see compared to the stats from my watch from previous exercises as well as comparing it to the heart rate monitor on my gym equipment (which reads 5-10 bpm close to my watch) I'm able to say with absolute certainty that the venue 3 watch is actually super accurate with my heart rate! Basically if I'm just stationary or walking or doing any sort of activity that doesn't shake my wrist horribly then it reads my heart rate the same as this heart rate strap. The heart rate strap however is so good at picking up my heart rate that it'll read my heart rate as raising or lowering on a dime with little to no delay and when I'm running it'll read my heart rate is actually about 10 to 20 beats per minute slower than what I've been going off of on my watch. Which is actually such a relief because historically I have been struggling so hard at running in the easy Zone that I honestly thought I just had to do run/walk intervals to keep my heart rate under 145. My charts in the app also read so much smoother. Before it would look like sharp peeks that would jut up or down and now it reads as hills and slopes. It connects easy, starts automatically when I put it on, and stays in place once I place it under my sports bra band. As far as the Dynamics I cant tell if its true it dosnt record because it was able to tell I was still moving even though I had both my arms up, texting, while walking on the treadmill which usually if my arm with the watch stops moving it thinks I stopped walking/running and it also proped for a calibration of milage after its first treadmill use soo? I'm also skeptical it wont read my hr while swimmung as I just tested by putting it on and selecting the indoor swim option on my watch and it proped that my hr monitor connected so I believe some of the info the garmin associate gave me was wrong 🤷‍♀️ Anyways, this has definitely been a game changer in my workouts this week and Im so jazzed to have this in my arsenal for my next training block!

I've been using it for 3 weeks including a strenious 15 miles hike. One problem reported in a number of review was that the plastic hook has sharp edges which dig into the skin. May be this person got a defective one? In mine both hook and buckle which regulates the length are very smooth(photo of the hook attached), the flap protects well and I didn't experienced any discomfort even after wearing it continously for a number of hours. With regard to complaints that strap is too short, I am 5'7 wear size M, the steap is adjusted to be 33" length and it fitd me comfortably, There about 9-10 inches left for extension. So it may be too tight for very big people. I am somewhar disappointed that the strap is integrated with the sensor, so if the strap is too worn out / loses elasticity/ doedn't fit well it can't be changed, ( unlike Polar straps which can be purchased separately in at least two sizes and easily reattached to the Pole sensors . I think it's a major design flow. Another complain was that the battery change is difficult and the sensor doesn't work good after it. It has yet to be seen as I've been using it less than a month. I think measurments are quite good and it measures few parameters, not only heart rate. I didn' perform the check to comlare it with couple of other sensors I have, one of them Scosche optical Rythm.

As a former user of the HRM tri, I was disappointed when the screws rusted out and the HRM broke. Saw the price tag on this HRM and was reluctant, but it has held up for a year and a half. I use this every day for both workouts and runs. The heart rate it produces is easy to download if you are not wearing the watch for your activity. For working out and lifting weights, this HRM keeps the recording accurate when your wrist is moving for dumbbell or kettlebell movements which usually throw off the wrist sensor. The heart rate data is accurate, and the device always connects without me having to do anything. It turns on when you put it on. I recommend rinsing it off in the shower And hanging up to dry after use