ePulse2 Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch and Calorie Counter

In spite some of the warnings in the reviews here I bought this because I dislike strapping stuff to my oh so manly chest when I'm sweating gloriously while exercising and the hand pulse sensor on my stationary bike is cruddy.Good stuff:- It's very accurate. I've got my 40-hour Red Cross First Aid cert, so I know how to take a pulse, and this thing is within a beat or two over a minute, which is well within the margin of error for it, my timing, and its averaging (see below).- Since you enter all your personal data like weight, age, and height (if you can figure out how - read the little manual once) I trust the numbers this puts out more than other devices that claim to measure calories (like my bike).- Once you strap it to your upper forearm it's pretty unobtrusive and light.- Doesn't require you replace your beloved wrist watch like most other solutions.- It's water resistant, so easy to wash (just don't throw it in the washing machine).- The bright red LEDs are a cinch to read in any condition.- You can indicate whether you want to keep your heart rate in the fat burning zone or the cardio zone, and a little led will indicate when you're in the zone.- Acquires the heart rate pretty fast compared to other devices I've used, and a blue LED indicates when it's locked.- Comes with a little sticky velcro pad you can use to attach an mp3 player to. Very nice.Bad stuff:- Requires 2 AAA batteries and doesn't come with any. Good thing I'm a nerd so always have spare NiCads.- The buttons are water resistant, which makes them rather hard to push. See below for my suggestions.- Who designed this UI? I could certainly do better with 3 buttons. But once you get it set up you can just use the left one for the most part.- Could really use an audio indicator for when you're out of your preferred zone so you don't even have to look at it.- Assumes you're using this long term every day, which I suspect is not the model most of us are in. Not many people are Ironman Triathletes. So the running average can take a little while to catch up. Luckily there's an easy way to reset it.So here's my take on how to use it:- The first time you turn it on READ THE LITTLE BOOK and set up your personal info, then just use the left button after that. Make sure you set whether you prefer fat burning or cardio mode.- The buttons are hard to press normally, so slip your index finger under the band to act as a firm surface (the battery pack makes it easy) and use your thumb on the same hand to push the buttons - now it's easy!- Hold the left button for 3 seconds whenever you start your exercise to reset all the daily stats so there's no issue with long term averaging.- Give it 10-20 seconds to find your pulse (blue LED on the left lights up) and then average it out. That seems like forever when you're watching it, but is very reasonable for a device like this.- Watch the LED on the far right. If it's on you're in your fat burning or cardio zone for your age.- Press the left button once to see your workout time and twice to see your calories burned, then once more and you're back to pulse.With that I find it's a great little device. Seeing your heart rate really does provide great biofeedback.

I recently became much more interested in my heart rate during exercise, and decided to make the plunge and buy a heart rate monitor. Several years ago I used one with a chest strap, and wished to avoid a repeat of that experience- so this product attracted me.First things first- It absolutely gives accurate readings of heart rate when it is attached to your forearm. I have used it in combination with an hospital style EKG system with multiple electrodes attached to my chest, and the readings were within one point of each other. So given that the one thing that you want a heart rate monitor to do is accurately monitor your heart, it works great.My problems with the unit are numerous. Listed in no particular order:1. The whole thing looks cheaply made. The strap is made of some non-breathable nylon, with vinyl trim that has numerous rough edges. It looks like something a 10 year old would wear with a GI Joe label on it.2. There are wires running down the inside of the strap-sort of tucked into a pouch. I do not have a good feeling about this unit being very robust- and expect it to fail when these wires manage to work their way loose. They should be secured inside of the strap and not visible/exposed.3. The buttons are pretty bad. It is very difficult to reach over with one finger and press the button hard enough to make it function. Curiously there was an addendum sheet in the instructions that suggested pressing hard with your fingernail to overcome this problem. I also expect these to fail fairly soon.4. The instructions leave a little bit to be desired. This is a $100 product, and the instructions look like they came out of a box of crackerjack. The little book is incomplete, and so is the little folded up sheet that also comes with it. Together they almost are complete, but not quite. Not that you can't figure it out, but again, this is a $100 product.5. The LED based screen is a disappointment. It is tough to read in bright sun, and it sucks up battery power. The unit is powered by AAA batteries, and I am getting about 10 hours per set- even with the LED's in power saving mode. Power saving mode only enables the display for a few seconds when you press the left button. I can't imagine what the battery life would be with the display on full time.6. In PS mode, the LED's randomly flash-like some 10 year old's cell phone. It will get you some strange looks. There are also a series of blue/yellow LEDs across the bottom of the screen. No idea what these are for, except that the blue LED is supposed to come on when the heart rate is detected and the unit is ready to go. Except that if you have enabled PS mode, this doesn't work.7. The unit is bigger and heavier than I expected. A good chunk of this is the batteries. Make sure you are comfortable with 2 AAA batteries strapped to your arm when you exercise-plus the weight of the unit. I don't especially mind it, but others who have tried it out have complained.8. It does measure calories, min and max heart rates, but without any time base. It really should have a 24 hour clock so that you can get these results by day...and maybe even store them for a couple days? I have a $15 pedometer that seems to be able to do that.In short, it works great as a heart rate monitor without a strap. I would have much prefered a simple, LCD unit with a nice comfortable strap and a smaller battery. This unit tries to do too much, and the fit and finish are just not where they should be for a unit of this price. The decision to use LEDs seems particularly short-sighted, probably an effort to avoid a custom LCD design.I am especially concerned about how well the unit will hold up, especially the buttons and previously mentioned wires. However it works just well enough that I will hold on to it and not return it.