Garmin HRM-Pro Review: Verdicts, Price, Specificatoin, Availability and User Experience

Two-minute review

The HRM-Pro does fairly a couple of intelligent issues that the typical heart-rate strap doesn’t. Chiefly, its inside storage makes it good for those that don’t want to put on a watch on a regular basis or are eager to assemble coronary heart fee data whereas they swim. Its means to keep up Bluetooth and ANT+ connections additionally imply it’s glad working with elaborate methods involving a number of gadgets or apps. Something that’ll attraction to Zwift users.

However, if you happen to don’t have a recent Garmin watch the extent to which the HRM-Pro is undercut by rivals just like the Wahoo Tickr X makes it an costly possibility. That mentioned, if you happen to’ve bought a compatible Garmin watch and also you’re eager to get the additional Running Dynamics metrics, it’s a way more enticing option.

There’s additionally the futureproofing inherent to having one thing that connects so simply and may retailer knowledge. Either way, the HRM-Pro justifies its price ticket – simply examine that its function set isn’t overkill for your needs.

Why do I want one?

Not as unobtrusive because the optical sensors you’ll discover at the back of many sports activities watches, an electrocardiogram strap stays the one way to get a extremely correct measurement of your coronary heart fee, that means even when your smartwatch already ‘does’ coronary heart fee you could possibly nonetheless benefit from syncing one to it.

Pretty a lot normal for critical athletes, formerly this want to attach a coronary heart fee strap to an extra gadget to file its data has been one in all their drawbacks. Leaving runners, cyclists, and different athletes caught carrying a smartwatch, bike pc, or telephone, the Garmin HRM-Pro is one in all a more recent technology of heart rate displays that consists of an inside memory function. Recording 18 hours of information earlier than overwriting once more from the start, this implies you may put on the strap by itself before later syncing your knowledge to a spread of devices.

Essential for athletes who can’t put on a watch or carry a telephone, as soon as again in vary of both, any metrics captured get beamed up, leaving them viewable by way of Garmin’s Connect app. A good way to get perception into how exhausting you’re working, not solely will the app seize your coronary heart fee knowledge, but it surely’ll additionally depend steps taken, together with estimating distance and energy burned.

As such, leaving the HRM-Pro on all day, it’s also attainable to make use of as an exercise tracker. However, given its barely constrictive nature, this is unlikely to be a well-liked possibility for extra informal customers. At the identical time, it’ll work precisely like a standard heart rate strap if left related to no matter device you select. In quick, the HRM-Pro gives you a variety of choices with regards to recording your ticker.

User experience

Once strapped on, the HRM-Pro bought off to a superb start by pairing with all the pieces I pointed it at, fortunately latching onto an iPhone, smartwatch, and even a usually extremely cantankerous bicycle pc. With the flexibility to keep up two concurrent Bluetooth connections and an infinite variety of ANT+ ones, data-junkies will be capable of pair it to a number of apps and gadgets simultaneously – excellent news for anybody utilizing on-line training platforms like Zwift.

With connectivity not often an issue these days, it was nonetheless pleasing to search out the HRM-Pro by no means as soon as reduce out. Similarly, though accuracy between electrocardiogram straps is fairly negligible, it appeared to by no means miss a beat – a concept confirmed by leaving a separate system working alongside it whereas sitting on my static bike. A bit tougher to check, this seemed to be true for knowledge captured by the interior memory moderately than just that displayed stay.

One group this is particularly excellent news for is swimmers. Although smartwatches with optical sensors now work within the pool, their accuracy tends to be fairly ropey. By comparability, straps give higher accuracy, however so far nobody has managed to get them to speak with a watch underwater.

As a workaround, straps with onboard storage like the HRM-Pro permit swimmers to seize their knowledge whereas within the pool, earlier than offloading it to a watch or app later. It’s a intelligent trick. Yet as regards to the HRM-Pro, it’s one most of us are greatest saving for particular events, as repeated publicity to chlorine will speed up put on to the strap. Of course, if you’re fortunate sufficient to stay subsequent to a lake or seaside this isn’t going to be such an issue.

Running Dynamics

With each Garmin’s HRM-Swim and HRM-Tri straps also utilizing an similar inside memory function, different brands like Wahoo and Polar additionally make related merchandise. That leaves the HRM-Pro’s superior Running Dynamics means as its true stand-out function. However, it’s one that’s presently solely accessible to owners of extra modern Garmin watches.

If that’s you, pairing the HRM-Pro strap will add metrics together with cadence, vertical oscillation and ratio, floor contact time, and stability. For experienced runners, these are the kind of issues that will make it easier to examine how well-put-together your form is, together with how properly you preserve it all through your run. It’ll additionally give an estimate of your working energy; the extent of effort you’re placing in no matter changes to incline or terrain.

For serious runners these are fairly exciting options, and the kind of factor brands like foot-pod maker Stryd needs a major sum of money for. This means to search out them thrown in as an additional is superior. At the identical time, having them presented alongside your common knowledge on a single app is also very helpful.

That mentioned, not like heart rate knowledge, the Running Dynamics knowledge captured by the HRM-Pro can’t be saved and reviewed later. That means you’ll want a suitable Garmin watch paired to course of the extra data; there’s no way to entry to it utilizing only your telephone.

Design and battery life

A much as all heart-rate straps are all largely identical, the HRM-Pro appears fairly good. With the sensible bit of the unit built-in into the strap itself rather than being removable, it’s additionally more-than-averagely sturdy.

Using a single CR2032 battery, this should last for around a year earlier than needing to get replaced. With the cost remaining proven on the app there’s no purpose to worry about discovering it flat, whereas popping in a brand new battery is additionally relatively easy, being the kind of factor anybody with a small screwdriver and 5 spare minutes could achieve.

Buy it if

Don’t buy it if