Polar OH1 : HR from the arm

We recently published a review on the Polar H10 heart rate monitor, but on Velofolies we received the newest Polar item: Polar OH1. A new heart rate monitor? Indeed! In line with its predecessors? Not at all! After releasing the M600 sportswatch with integrated sensor sending data from the wrist pulse to the watch, Polar now releases a strap you can wear on your arm! Our editor got his hands dirty to provide a first review.

Unboxing

A small (literally) novelty requires small packaging. A packaging quickly torn apart to show the goodies inside. Next to a use manual there are three more items in the box: the optical sensor, an arm strap and an USB charger. Fitting the sensor in the strap is pretty straightforward as is connecting it to the Polar Flow app. It is quite similar as with other HRM, except that you have to define where you want to carry the sensor. Left or right arm. Upper or lower arm. Using a third party head unit does not pose a problem, the sensor is compatible with all BlueTooth devices.

Accurate? We test it...

For starters we did an off the shelf steady state training. With this model it is important to remember that you have to manually activate the sensor before any data can be collected. One push on the only bottom makes the green LED shine constantly, giving you the go to start. At first glance, we did not receive any anomalies on our V800 screen, so far so good. The next session was a track run, allowing the heart rate to quickly shift from zone to zone. A small handicap in delay comes to show here: our HR values are shown with a few seconds to spare on the screen, but nevertheless no anomalies here as well. This might be bothering, but is certainly no disaster, given that we don't execute track sessions with our eye on our watch.

Chargeable

The big advantage of the OH1 is that it is rechargeable. No more changing batteries, just plugging it in with the USB connector. The downside is that the lifespan of the battery is somewhat limited, but one rarely does 12hr sessions in one go.

Smart sensor

Just as the H10, the OH1 has an internal memory, storing your HR data when you have no head unit at your disposition. Up to 200hrs! Due note, this novelty only stores HR data, so don't expect to do thorough training analysis, including speed, distance, power or pace, with it. The 200hr have not been tested, as in this short time span we should have performed 50hr weeks. And we still have fulltime jobs to do. But we trust Polar to provide correct input on the matter. How can one activate this function? When the sensor is awake, two short taps on the button will make the LED blink at the rhythm of your heart, indicating that it's recording. Handy. Syncing can be done directly via the Polar Flow app.

Our verdict

The OH1 is a novelty which comes in handy for athletes who are not keen on chest straps. The results are accurate, but we do recommend using a chest strap when testing or when you need to instantly analyse you HR data. At 79 euros it does not come cheap, but you might save out on batteries and have a buffer when you forget your head unit.

All Polar OH1 info can be found on the Polar website.

Original article on 3athlon.be by Gert-Jan D'haene on 02/03/2018
Translation by @T0v3