Garmin HRM Fit overview: An correct, revolutionary and fewer restrictive choice for ladies

Launched final yr, the Garmin HRM-Fit coronary heart fee monitor is a chest strap made particularly for ladies. Through an revolutionary clip mechanism design, the HRM-Fit goals to unravel a key problem which may afflict many ladies, and others, when sporting chest straps, similar to discomfort and chaffing. 

The HRM-Fit retails at £139.99/$149.99 and is at the moment the one coronary heart fee monitor in the marketplace which makes use of a half chest strap clip-on design.  

It is sort of a normal chest strap however lower in half, and with none skill to regulate it however Garmin says it ought to match all sizes and styles. 

It is value noting that there are different choices except for an ordinary chest strap for measuring coronary heart fee when biking, together with armbands and wrist choices, lots of which may be present in our information to the most effective coronary heart fee screens. 

Design and specs

The Garmin HRM-Fit is a chest strap which makes use of electrical detection to trace the wearers coronary heart fee. This technique is considered a extremely correct expertise for measuring coronary heart fee, and higher than optical-based methods extra generally discovered on the most effective biking watches. Much like an ordinary chest strap, the electrodes on both aspect of the emblem clip have to be moistened as a way to awaken the strap and it’ll routinely flip off when not in use. 

The coronary heart fee monitor clips immediately onto a sports activities bra underband. Garmin says that the monitor must be used with medium and high-support sports activities bras and that the sports activities bra underband wants to suit near pores and skin for the HRM-Fit to work most successfully.

The HRM-Fit helps three concurrent Bluetooth connections, and limitless ANT+ connections, which is normal amongst Garmin’s highest performing coronary heart fee screens, and is yet one more than you get on the extra fundamental Garmin HRM-Dual. 

According to the model, the battery will final for one yr, when getting used for one hour per day, and the battery is contained inside a small coin cell compartment within the center clip and thus must be simply replaceable. 

The HRM-Fit has a 3ATM water ranking which suggests it is ready to handle sweat and rain showers, however to not be worn swimming.

What makes the HRM-Fit standout except for its revolutionary strap design is that it boasts a ton of options that are aimed toward maximising information insights from customers who get pleasure from a large number of sports activities. This is much like the usual Garmin chest strap, the HRM-Pro Plus. 

Notably, these options predominantly solely work with Garmin watches and are not that related to pure cyclists however are attention-grabbing nonetheless.  

For instance, when paired to a appropriate Garmin smartwatch, HRM-Fit captures operating dynamics, similar to stride size and call time, which may help enhance operating type, and when operating indoors the monitor may even transmit tempo and distance. There’s additionally the power to seize step depend, energy, coronary heart fee and depth degree when not sporting a watch. 

Performance

During testing, I discovered the Garmin HRM-Fit despatched extraordinarily correct recordings, connecting and pairing seamlessly to my units together with a Garmin Instinct 2S and Garmin 1040S. When out biking, operating or mountain climbing, the HRM-Fit stayed in place, and I did not see any hiccups in information. 

However, it is getting the HRM-Fit on which proved to be the trickiest. 

The clips are chunky and a bit fiddly to connect to a sports activities bra underband – it is like clipping a skirt or pair of trousers onto a hanger. 

It took a number of makes an attempt to verify the strap was taut and comfortable alongside the sports activities bra underband, as any rippling would seemingly have an effect on accuracy. I’d advise attaching the center clip first after which working your approach to the perimeters to make sure the strap is as taut and comfortable as potential. 

Garmin says that the strap must be hooked up to an excellent tight underband to ensure that it to stay in opposition to pores and skin, which I’d agree with, nonetheless, sporting an excellent tight sports activities bra is not for everybody, neither is it snug for all day using. 

I discovered the strap to be comparatively snug and favored how the clips do not sit in opposition to the pores and skin however it took some time to get used to because it felt like my sports activities bra underband was on a hanger while hooked up to me. Once I obtained used to the design, it was straightforward to overlook I used to be sporting it as soon as I used to be within the zone. 

It’s additionally noteworthy that underneath a decent jersey the HRM-Fit clips are apparent and protrude, which isn’t perfect if you’re going for a slick look. I’ve discovered that chest straps previously can create an analogous look, however the clips are a lot thicker on the HRM-Fit so it’s way more apparent that you’re sporting a coronary heart fee monitor. 

Verdict

Thanks to the revolutionary strap and clip design, the HRM-Fit is much less restrictive than a standard chest strap, boasting excessive accuracy and a plethora of further information and dynamics aimed predominantly at runners. 

At £139.99/$149.99, the HRM-Fit is steep, however a superb selection for these seeking to keep away from potential chafing or rubbing which may come when utilizing an ordinary chest strap. 

The further options are very spectacular and are worthwhile when you get pleasure from a number of sports activities however aren’t going to learn a consumer who simply desires it for biking. 

Personally, I want to see the value decreased to be in step with the Garmin HRM-Pro Plus, because it has related options however can’t be worn swimming, and I don’t suppose girls ought to must pay extra for much less tech however no chaffing.