Wahoo TICKR FIT Heart Rate Armband, Bluetooth, ANT+

Still the best non chest mounted HR monitor
Bought one of these almost five years ago (May 2019) and paid exactly $80. Remember searching (as I did yesterday) to no avail for more options to replace my uncomfortable chest mounted monitor and ended up buying the TICKR. I’ve had nearly zero issues with the unit and appreciate the compact size and battery life it had. I always place the TICKR on the outer part of the triceps muscle and it happily monitors for hours trouble free until taken off. The charger is cool as it’s not a typical plug in.This story goes on till a few days ago when the old TICKR unit just wouldn’t charge so I’ve been two days without hr data. This is typical for such lithium ion battery powered units so it’s not surprising it died abruptly after such reliable operation. It was baffling to realize only the Polar (with not the best reviews) seemed as a viable alternative to the TICKR when perusing Amazon (no thanks to cheap knockoffs). So even though the unit failed me it was the only logical choice to go ahead and get another Wahoo TICKR. Despite the price, it’s a testament to good engineering and design that even five years after buying the original model it seems to still be the best non chest worn heart rate monitor on the market. Five stars!

Very pleased, but there is a learning curve
After four years of near-daily use, I just replaced my 2020 Wahoo Tickr Fit with the same (updated) model at a price well below what I originally paid. Given my particular use-case, it is nearly ideal for my needs. I use my HRM primarily to track my cardio volume (and time in zones) just as part of my fitness regime. My main activity is tennis, which is more like explosive stop-and-go, or HIIT, and not so much “steady state” cardio, as bike riding or running can be. I don’t need my HRM to have GPS or to integrate with another device (other than the app on the phone). So, I cannot really comment on those capabilities, except to say when I have used this cross country skiing, it readily provided data to Strava without a problem.Pros:1. I like the upper forearm positioning, just below the elbow, sensor on the inner part of the arm. The strap is easy to adjust, even when wet with perspiration. I never notice the device once it is in place, and it is quick to put on even on the tennis court. No need to remove the shirt, as for a chest strap.2. Waterproof. I rinse mine in the sink.3. Comfortable, durable band. My first one outlasted the device. Body salts will accumulate in the band from perspiration, and this may shorten the life of the band if not rinsed out regularly.4. Effortless charging with the magnetic adapter. Monitor state of charge on the app.5. Excellent battery life. I used almost daily and charged about once a week.6. Pretty good Bluetooth range, with some forethought and positioning. I often attend tennis drills where we are rotating across three adjacent courts. I don’t like playing with my phone on my person, so I leave it in my tennis bag between two of the courts. Set up properly, I could operate across all three courts without drop outs. There is a learning curve here. I found that elevating the phone, and leaving it in an outside mesh pocket definitely improved the range.7. The app has customizable heart rate zones, so you can adjust for age or fitness level if that is important to you. I like it because I look for a certain amount of time each week in the very hard zone and moderate to hard. The customizable zones makes it easy for me to track.8. Slim, low-profile design with minimal user interface.9. Reasonable price for the included capabilities.Cons:1. I tried using it on the inside and outside of my wrist, but the results were poor with suspect data and drop outs.2. Even using it on the inner forearm gave me problems at first. After some weeks I found the sweet spot and appropriate band tension and then very rarely had problems after that. I look for a vein near the surface of the skin and try to position the optical sensor right over that, just below the elbow. If you experience problems initially, don’t get frustrated. Keep trying different things, you will get it eventually.3. When your session is over, you have to push a button on your phone screen to stop your session in the app, and then push another to save it, or data will be lost. That’s a lot to ask from person in a post-workout state of hypoxia. Seems to me there should be an auto-save feature.4. After four years of regular use, when tightening the band one day, the molded-in strap retention bar broke away from the body of the device, rendering it useless. This area needs to be beefed up. Nevertheless, I got so much use out of this thing that I ordered another one.5. When used during tennis, the calorie count in the app seems way high to me, like probably 2x or 3x estimates based on standard activity tables for calorie consumption. I think this is due to the HIIT-like nature of tennis, with heartrate rising and falling over a wide range. When I have used this device while cycling or cross country skiing, the calorie counts seem much more realistic.

Le brassard fait le boulot qu’on lui demande, mieux qu’une montre running (foruner 245), montre à laquelle il s’associe sans difficulté !

the wahoo trickr fit, works well, connects instantly to the wahoo App and is made of good qulaity material. There is a replacement armband included and a USB charing port.

Für das Training auf einem Fahrradindoor Trainer über die App Zwift nutze ich regelmäßig einen Brustgurt für die Herzfrequenz, weil darüber auch der Ventilator gesteuert wird. Je höher der Puls ist, umso mehr leistet auch der Ventilator. Da ich mit Wahoo sowohl mit dem Kickr Rollen-Trainer, als auch mit dem Ventilator bereits gute Erfahrung gesammelt habe, habe ich mich, nachdem der Brustgurt seinen Geist aufgegeben hatte, für ein weiteres Wahoo Gerät entschieden. Dabei war ich gespannt, ob die Funktion am Arm genauso zuverlässig ist, wie bei der Brustgurtvariante.Sowohl die Einrichtung war entsprechend einfach, wie auch die Funktion sehr zuverlässig erfüllt wurde und er die typischen Herzfrequenzen bei den typischen Watt Belastungen anzeigt, genau wie vorher.Im praktischen Betrieb hat sich gezeigt, dass das Umbinden um den Arm sehr einfach und stressfrei ist, der Sensor beim Trainieren nicht stört oder rutscht und zuverlässig, unspektakulär und störungsfrei arbeitet. Das Connecten geht sehr schnell, ebenso wie das Ausschalten. Dabei zeigen die LED die entsprechenden Funktion an. Weiterhin ist mir aufgefallen, dass das Gerät sehr lange genutzt werden kann, bevor es aufgeladen werden möchte. Das war ein kleines Manko bei meinem vorherigen Gerät, von daher bin ich auch mit der Ausdauerleistung sehr zufrieden.Insgesamt hinterlässt das Gerät ein wirklich guten Eindruck, es wird mit einer einfachen Ladeschale für die Rückseite geliefert, welche man in einem vorhandenen USB Port eines Ladegeräts oder am PC einstecken kann. Für mich hat es sich im mehrmals wöchentlichen Einsatz jetzt über Monate bewährt, es ist präzise und auf das Anlegen eines Brustgurt kann ich auch verzichten. Von daher hat er sich meiner Meinung nach zurecht fünf Sterne voll verdient.