Best HR strap

[TobinHatesYou]

Interesting that there are so many issues with the Wahoo straps. Mine is still working 5 years later. I like the clicking nature of the strap into the sensor, was never very fond of the style Garmin uses with the slide of thr strap onto the plastic buckle.

My straps don't die either, but I wash my straps after every ride. If I didn't, they would smell of dank sweat after two rides in temperate weather or one ride in warm weather. Most people I ask with premature HRM death seem to rinse their straps/sensors infrequently.

[naylor343]

Been through too many garmin and wahoo straps to count. All had issues locking up and sticking at ridiculous HR figures, eventually all failing totally. Been with the polar H9 for about a year now, so far it's worked as it should, as in I never have to think about it, it just works.

[Lina]

Interesting that there are so many issues with the Wahoo straps. Mine is still working 5 years later. I like the clicking nature of the strap into the sensor, was never very fond of the style Garmin uses with the slide of thr strap onto the plastic buckle.

My straps don't die either, but I wash my straps after every ride. If I didn't, they would smell of dank sweat after two rides in temperate weather or one ride in warm weather. Most people I ask with premature HRM death seem to rinse their straps/sensors infrequently.

I went through multiple Wahoo straps before giving up and switching to Polar. On similar use the Polar strap has lasted a lot longer than any of the Wahoo straps I had. And as a bonus it doesn't loosen over time.

[jasjas]

Interesting that there are so many issues with the Wahoo straps. Mine is still working 5 years later. I like the clicking nature of the strap into the sensor, was never very fond of the style Garmin uses with the slide of thr strap onto the plastic buckle.

My straps don't die either, but I wash my straps after every ride. If I didn't, they would smell of dank sweat after two rides in temperate weather or one ride in warm weather. Most people I ask with premature HRM death seem to rinse their straps/sensors infrequently.

I went through multiple Wahoo straps before giving up and switching to Polar. On similar use the Polar strap has lasted a lot longer than any of the Wahoo straps I had. And as a bonus it doesn't loosen over time.

I just get basic ones from amazon, last as long as anything, agree on the washing, obvious when you think of the amount of salts they suck up.

[jlok]

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't know about the CR2025 but luckily I have some laying around from the Powerbox days.

Hmmmmm...

I stuck a CR2032 in the H10 and it "fits." Can you tell which one has the 2025 and which one has the 2032?

Thanks to your experiment, I have switched to CR2032 with my older BT only H10. Works great!

[T65]

I just cannot imagine people get multiple years of use out of the strap. I use Garmin and the sensor almost lasts forever on the same battery. But the strap goes bananas within a year. I always rinse it after workouts. Replaced Garmin by Polar soft strap but the same experience. I'm now using a Magene strap that feels really cheap and costs even less. Will see how long that one survives. But I hate throwing non-recyclable stuff in the bin...

[TobinHatesYou]

I’d replaced my Garmin HRM-Dual after I thought I lost it, but it turns out it was chilling in one of my car’s third row cup holders this whole time. It had an interesting failure though… the battery backplate had failed around 2 out of 4 screws, I guess from some overtightening and maybe heat/cold cycles from being in a car that is parked outside year round. It looks like this is a common failure so if you are thinking about buying one of these older models, don’t.

[MrRolandos]

In 3.5 years ive used 2 garmin hrm dual. 1 strap 2 of the sensor pads came loose. Got a warranty from Garmin. Been fine. I ride about 16k km a year, sweat quite a lot including indoor and wash the band in washing machine after 10-15 rides. Idk what you guys are doing with them

[TheLuddite]

The HRM1G? Still what I consider the reliability benchmark, after all those years.

But we are on weightweenies, the H10 is 15g lighter. Even with the 2032 "monster battery". 30g lighter on a cardiosport FF5 strap

How much does the H10 and FF5 strap weigh then?
I just weighed my Garmin that came with and Edge800 with a cheap Amazon strap at 55g

[usr]

FF5 makes the scales stop at 27, adding the "monster battery" H10 hovers between 48 and 49.

That's with a heavily used FF5, the other one is drying flafter the last ride. No idea wether all those sweat + washing cycles make textiles lighter or heavier over time. Reliability on the FF5 went down over time just like on other straps, but it also visually decays: those silvery sensor pads start to get loose at a corner or two (despite not having corners, but you know what I mean). Which to my great surprise I consider a positive: buying a replacement just because of some suspicion that bad data might be related to strap age feels super wasteful and uncertain. Buying a replacement because the old starts to look a little torn, and also there might be a better signal? Much less so.

My HRM1G and an unused new strap (I intend to make it my indoor strap this winter) cames in at 76.

[warthog101]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/123732717049

Works as well as anything else I've used and that is multiple other brand name products

[usr]

Funny how most strap sellers seem to take great care to never show pictures of the inside area where the pod contacts meet the pads, which I'd consider the most characteristic parts between different designs. Most of those dozens (hundreds?) of non-name brands are probably from a much smaller number of factories making hardly more than a handful of different designs.

And not just no-name brands by the way, e.g. the Stages not only has a strap that looks suspiciously similar to the cardiosport FF5, the pod also shares its FCC ID with one of those sold by cardiosport (registered by a company cardiosport lists as their Asia office, so in this case the relationship seems to be more clear than usual, Stages buying what Cardiosport/Zentan advertise as ODM)

[Juanmoretime]

I have used many and found the Coospoo from Amazon to be cheap and works well. Wahoo's and Garmin straps just never lasted beyond a year or two. I have a Coospoo with me since I'm traveling and cycling. I started using a watch instead, a Garmin Venu 2 Plus and like that better than a strap and find it very accurate. I left it at home since my daily wear is a iWatch Series 9. There is an app that you can broadcast from the iWatch. It's a PITA.

[Ritsuke]

I'm not sure WTF is going on with my H10 but the last battery only lasted 3 weeks

It seems you need to disconnect the device from the strap when you don't use it. Never done that before but now my battery lasts a whole lot longer...

[tonytourist]

That was after unplugging it from the strap. I stopped using it after the strap broke and switched to a basic Garmin HRM for $50.