After reading the mostly positive reviews of the ePulse on Amazon, I decided to purchase the device about one month ago. I work out quite hard and pushed this device to its limits. Here are my general thoughts on the ePulse.If all you are looking for is a device that gives you a real-time measurement of your heart rate, this device works fine. However, other functionality does not deliver as promised. The minimum heart rate is set to 0. The watch seems to take awhile to average out that 0 heart rate when calculating average heart rate for the entire workout. If you are working out for several hours, this shouldn''t be a problem, but the average heart rate will report several beats too low if you are doing a shorter workout (such as 30 minutes).
Also, if you attempt to view other data screens such as maximum heart rate while working out and then go back to current heart rate, it will read way too low. It takes approximately 30 seconds to re-adjust back to your actual heart rate.
At high heart rates (such as 160-170 beats per minute (bpm)), the watch will occasionally stop adding calories burned to the device. For example, during a tempo run where my heart rate was near 170 bpm for ten minutes, it told me that I burned a total of 15 calories over the ten-minute period. When I went back to a lower heart rate in the 145-150 bpm range, the watch started calculating calories burned much more accurately.
I have spoken with the designers of the ePulse, and they told me that they were able to replicate these problems. They intend to fix them for their new model release.
So, if you are looking for a device to simply give you a measurement of your current heart rate and don''t care about any other bells and whistles, this device is fine. However, if you want to know an accurate idea of how many calories you burn and what your average heart rate is, I would wait the 6-12 months for the next release.
1. Golf day one: 4 hr 55 min, temperature range 92-104 F, total caloric burn 833 cal, range of pulse rate was between 59 and 105
Golf day two: 5 hr 1 min, temperature range 90-99 F, total caloric burn of 842 cal, range of pulse rate was between 56 and 102
(Note: I kept the unit on continuous monitor so I could watch the data)
2. The armband is non-intrusive. Once it''s on a few minutes you don''t even think about it, while on first inspection it looks "bulky" it''s actually light and unobtrusive. I actually put it on pretty light and only once did is slip during a wild drive swing.
3. It was hot and I got pretty sweaty. No problems were encountered with the sweat or the armband staying put. Except when I looked at the readout it was out of sight and out of mine.
4. The unit was really easy to read except in bright, direct sunlight. In direct sun and wearing sunglasses one needs to shield the screen with ones hand. Still, it was very readable.
5. I never once noticed a missed beat or had to reset or maneuver the unit to get continuous readings. Seems very stable and accurate. In my case anyway, precise location of the sensor was not required.
6. Battery consumption was about 50% with new energizer batteries each day (again using continuous monitoring not the on-daman feature). Although, it was still running well even after the screen told me to replace the batteries.
My conclusions are that the ePulse has set a new state of the art in fitness monitoring, is an excellent exercise and health tool and is totally usable for anyone wanting pulse rate and caloric burn info. The other functions likewise will be very valuable to many users. Battery life is a bit short but when the unit is used in the "on-demand" mode this becomes a non-issue. The direct sun impact on the readout is not a huge problem when compared to the ease of use and performance. All of this good stuff and NO CHEST STRAP required!
A VERY HAPPY ePulse user.
Buy Impact Sports ePulse Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch and Calorimeter Now
In spite some of the warnings in the reviews here I bought this because I dislike strapping stuff to my oh so manly chest when I''m sweating gloriously while exercising and the hand pulse sensor on my stationary bike is cruddy.Good stuff:
It''s very accurate. I''ve got my 40-hour Red Cross First Aid cert, so I know how to take a pulse, and this thing is within a beat or two over a minute, which is well within the margin of error for it, my timing, and its averaging (see below).
Since you enter all your personal data like weight, age, and height (if you can figure out how read the little manual once) I trust the numbers this puts out more than other devices that claim to measure calories (like my bike).
Once you strap it to your upper forearm it''s pretty unobtrusive and light.
Doesn''t require you replace your beloved wrist watch like most other solutions.
It''s water resistant, so easy to wash (just don''t throw it in the washing machine).
The bright red LEDs are a cinch to read in any condition.
You can indicate whether you want to keep your heart rate in the fat burning zone or the cardio zone, and a little led will indicate when you''re in the zone.
Acquires the heart rate pretty fast compared to other devices I''ve used, and a blue LED indicates when it''s locked.
Comes with a little sticky velcro pad you can use to attach an mp3 player to. Very nice.
Bad stuff:
Requires 2 AAA batteries and doesn''t come with any. Good thing I''m a nerd so always have spare NiCads.
The buttons are water resistant, which makes them rather hard to push. See below for my suggestions.
Who designed this UI? I could certainly do better with 3 buttons. But once you get it set up you can just use the left one for the most part.
Could really use an audio indicator for when you''re out of your preferred zone so you don''t even have to look at it.
Assumes you''re using this long term every day, which I suspect is not the model most of us are in. Not many people are Ironman Triathletes. So the running average can take a little while to catch up. Luckily there''s an easy way to reset it.
So here''s my take on how to use it:
The first time you turn it on READ THE LITTLE BOOK and set up your personal info, then just use the left button after that. Make sure you set whether you prefer fat burning or cardio mode.
The buttons are hard to press normally, so slip your index finger under the band to act as a firm surface (the battery pack makes it easy) and use your thumb on the same hand to push the buttons now it''s easy!
Hold the left button for 3 seconds whenever you start your exercise to reset all the daily stats so there''s no issue with long term averaging.
Give it 10-20 seconds to find your pulse (blue LED on the left lights up) and then average it out. That seems like forever when you''re watching it, but is very reasonable for a device like this.
Watch the LED on the far right. If it''s on you''re in your fat burning or cardio zone for your age.
Press the left button once to see your workout time and twice to see your calories burned, then once more and you''re back to pulse.
With that I find it''s a great little device. Seeing your heart rate really does provide great biofeedback.
Read Best Reviews of Impact Sports ePulse Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch and Calorimeter Here
I bought this monitor because it was the only non-chest strap monitor that had good reviews. I was not disappointed.I checked the accuracy against a known source, and found it to be accurate to the beat. Also, it kept pace exactly with a two-handed Stairmaster heart rate monitor.
During my normal 90-minute weight workout, it never missed a beat. It''s apparently not affected by sweating, or by bending of the forearms.
This has been a valuable tool, allowing me to stay above my ideal workout heart range while lifting weights...not always easy.
I also use it to create aerobic workouts in unknown environments, such as climbing sand dunes.
I used some of the other functions (such as total calorie burn) and they worked fine...but after the novelty of those wore off I had little use for them. I needed a heart rate monitor, and that''s what I use it for.
I''d recommend it.
Want Impact Sports ePulse Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch and Calorimeter Discount?
I recently became much more interested in my heart rate during exercise, and decided to make the plunge and buy a heart rate monitor. Several years ago I used one with a chest strap, and wished to avoid a repeat of that experienceso this product attracted me.First things firstIt absolutely gives accurate readings of heart rate when it is attached to your forearm. I have used it in combination with an hospital style EKG system with multiple electrodes attached to my chest, and the readings were within one point of each other. So given that the one thing that you want a heart rate monitor to do is accurately monitor your heart, it works great.
My problems with the unit are numerous. Listed in no particular order:
1. The whole thing looks cheaply made. The strap is made of some non-breathable nylon, with vinyl trim that has numerous rough edges. It looks like something a 10 year old would wear with a GI Joe label on it.
2. There are wires running down the inside of the strap-sort of tucked into a pouch. I do not have a good feeling about this unit being very robustand expect it to fail when these wires manage to work their way loose. They should be secured inside of the strap and not visible/exposed.
3. The buttons are pretty bad. It is very difficult to reach over with one finger and press the button hard enough to make it function. Curiously there was an addendum sheet in the instructions that suggested pressing hard with your fingernail to overcome this problem. I also expect these to fail fairly soon.
4. The instructions leave a little bit to be desired. This is a $100 product, and the instructions look like they came out of a box of crackerjack. The little book is incomplete, and so is the little folded up sheet that also comes with it. Together they almost are complete, but not quite. Not that you can''t figure it out, but again, this is a $100 product.
5. The LED based screen is a disappointment. It is tough to read in bright sun, and it sucks up battery power. The unit is powered by AAA batteries, and I am getting about 10 hours per seteven with the LED''s in power saving mode. Power saving mode only enables the display for a few seconds when you press the left button. I can''t imagine what the battery life would be with the display on full time.
6. In PS mode, the LED''s randomly flash-like some 10 year old''s cell phone. It will get you some strange looks. There are also a series of blue/yellow LEDs across the bottom of the screen. No idea what these are for, except that the blue LED is supposed to come on when the heart rate is detected and the unit is ready to go. Except that if you have enabled PS mode, this doesn''t work.
7. The unit is bigger and heavier than I expected. A good chunk of this is the batteries. Make sure you are comfortable with 2 AAA batteries strapped to your arm when you exercise-plus the weight of the unit. I don''t especially mind it, but others who have tried it out have complained.
8. It does measure calories, min and max heart rates, but without any time base. It really should have a 24 hour clock so that you can get these results by day...and maybe even store them for a couple days? I have a $15 pedometer that seems to be able to do that.
In short, it works great as a heart rate monitor without a strap. I would have much prefered a simple, LCD unit with a nice comfortable strap and a smaller battery. This unit tries to do too much, and the fit and finish are just not where they should be for a unit of this price. The decision to use LEDs seems particularly short-sighted, probably an effort to avoid a custom LCD design.
I am especially concerned about how well the unit will hold up, especially the buttons and previously mentioned wires. However it works just well enough that I will hold on to it and not return it.
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