Polar Verity Sense armband product review

oliverbridge7
May 7
4 min read

Updated: Nov 5

Follow your heart!

A reliable, good looking and accurate heart rate monitor.

Choosing is stressful! I hope I can help. My experience is based on over 15 years of trial and error, always self-supported, self-taught and parting with my own hard earned money as sensibly as possible. Views are my own.

Review of the Polar Verity Sense heart rate monitor that is made to be worn on the arm with a small strap.

Mainly pros, a couple of cons. And a surprising sport it works for!

Why to buy a arm heart rate monitor?

I bought this because I was looking for an alternative to chest strap heart rate monitors as I often find you have to have them too tight if you don't want them to slip. They are more often than not requiring batteries and not rechargebale. Also I've gone through several that have just died for no reason.

I also have a heart rate on my watch but that is widely accepted to be less accurate in times of high stress, and I can vouch for that when my watch is telling me I'm at 70bpm when I go into Zone 5 in a race.

My watch is also a Polar Vantage M, and that has been reliable. I understand the Verity Sense syncs with other watches and platforms - I have used it for Zwift.

#1: It looks good (they're popular for a reason)

Arm based heart rate monitors are certainly having a moment, you can see them on the arms of pros and amateurs in many races now. They look good and as well as the reasons above I think that is the reason. The Polar Verity Sense carries more or less the same look as the others in the market. It's one of the better looking, perhaps not the absolute sleekest, but it certainly does not feel bulky. I have the black armband and now the burgundy, the burgundy is the stand out...in my view...but I also bought red running shorts and shoes recently.

Con: I used mine a lot and under cycling garments but the threads did start to fray quicker than I would expect, the armbands aren't too costly themselves but if it happens again quickly I'll have to rethink.

#2: Running...and Swimming?!

Pro: One reason I chose the Polar Verity Sense is that it has three modes and ONE MODE as a triathlete is great, drum roll... one of them is recording SWIMMING as it comes with a goggles clip so it sits against your temple. AND it is not just your heart rate but it is your speed and time in session.

Con: I have never yet found a recording device that acts consistently perfectly for swimming (I have never had a specific swimming watch) but this does well, not perfect but it works.

The other TWO modes are:

1) Record a workout on the device itself that has GPS and so will give you a recording of your workout.

2) Sync with another piece of equipment (watch) or platform (e.g. Zwift) This has worked the best for me and I think is likely the most common use.

How do you select the modes. This is a pro and a con. It is just one button you hold to turn on/off and click to switch through the modes. Super easy is good BUT if you've already got the armband on then you have to tilt it slightly to see, with the swimming on googles that means taking them off quickly.

#3: Recharging is easy

The Polar Verity Sense comes with a small clip that plugs straight into a USB port and charging is quite quick.

The charge itself lasts quite a long time and in my view, it's far less hassle to recharge every couple of weeks rather then find lithium batteries every couple of months AND the chest straps tend to die on me whilst this has not yet.

#4: Great for Triathlon transitions

This isn't specific to the Polar Verity Sense but if like me you don't want to wear a heart rate monitor for a whole race, a watch for just one discipline or don't 100% trust your HR on your watch then an armband offers you a good alternative.

Headlines, outstanding Pros and Cons

Rechargable, and easy via USB port
Three modes: Record workout, Sync to a device, Swim recording
Design is good
Need to download Polar Flow app if not a Polar user already, but you can sync it to platforms like Strava and hardly ever need to visit it again bar an update if not wanting to
More expensive than chest HR monitors but I believe worth it long-term and if looks are important for you.

Standout Pros:

Swimming for this type of heart rate monito
Running, Cycling and general exercise the HR very accurate live

Standout Cons:

armband frayed quickly

#4: The Final Score

Highly recommend arm straps in general. The Polar Verity Sense is not the sleekest imho but it is still one of the good looking ones and so far reliable and cost effective in the long-term.

If you're umming and arring like I was about arm heart rate monitors and that they cost a bit more then my message is go for it!

Official site is here: https://www.polar.com/en/products/accessories/polar-verity-sense?srsltid=AfmBOopqMTGripsPhzDfQmhmnm_LSnrjM8zrJa88_SV9ZtfKF9o_VFBq

If you've got your own experience, please LEAVE COMMENTS, I'd love to know others views!

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL for regular reviews, tips, inspiration and my journey: