ePulse2 Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch & Calorie Counter

I bought this with high hopes, and for the most part, I''ve been satisfied. I''m not going to repeat the positives that others have mentioned here.

For me, there are two negatives:

1) Battery life: If you leave the display running, the battery runs out in less than 3 hours. I understand the battery will last longer if you set the display to "on demand". However, since I''m a bicyclist who regularly takes 50 mile + rides, this is not a very convenient option.

2) No memory. My cyclometer, which costs quite a bit less than the ePulse, keeps the stats for the last ride in memory. This does not. If the unit shuts down because the battery ran out, you''re SOL.

I suspect that in 3 years or so, we''ll be able to get a version that''s cheaper and solves these problems neatly. But just be aware of them before you buy!

Update, a month later: Do NOT buy this item if your exercise sessions last more than 2 hours! The longest I''ve ever got the battery to keep the unit functioning is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Then it just shuts off and you lose all your data. Sure, you can set it for "on demand" display, but a 2 hour battery life is ridiculous, especially when the manual says you can get 6 hours.

If your workouts are less than 2 hours, this will work fine for you; otherwise, try something else.

I am part of a running group and I have always used one of those traditional chest strap monitors. Over the weekend one of the guys in the group had this new device on his arm. At first I thought it was just some sort of mp3 player but I asked him what it is and he told me it was this new heart rate monitor that didn''t require a chest strap. I asked him if it works and he told me he loves it and that it works just as well as any other heart rate monitor out there. I asked him where he got it and he said online. I saw it on Amazon and decided to pick one up.

I must say after 2 weeks of using this thing I absolutely love it. The biggest plus is definitely not having to wear one of those chest straps. I always found myself adjusting my chest strap while running. This thing fits on your arm pretty comfortably and its easy to use. The color display is nice and the buttons are big and easy to read and push. It took me awhile to enter in all my information the first time but after that it was very easy to use. Just turn it on wait for the heart rate light to go on and off you go.

For the review that says it isn''t very accurate I disagree. Some variance is expected with any heart rate monitor out on the market now. My polar chest strap monitor constantly lost it''s signal and I had to adjust it to get it to pick up again. So yes this thing is not perfect but I definitely think its the best heart rate monitor out there on the market now. Overall I find it very accurate and easy to use. I highly recommend this product.

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I purchased the ePulse and I also experienced significantly low battery life (only lasting 2-3 workouts). I found a solution and I hope it works for you: try the Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries. I switched and my battery power lasted about 10x as long. Good luck!

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I have used heart monitors with chest straps in the past with very good results but never had a strapless one worth the money paid....this one is different though! The epulse 2 is easy to operate and gives excellent results! It seems as if the calorie counter is really accurate as well! I am very impressed.

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The concept of a "strapless" heart rate monitor has a fairly mediocre image to overcome, causing speculation among potential buyers. After looking at the options to leave the strap for good, and reading reviews for alternative technologies, I was ready to replace my old Timex strap HRM with a new one of similar design. Then I found the ePulse2. Some good reviews, but didnt really see the hardcore scrutiny I would give. So I gambled and bought one from Amazon.

I took the maiden voyage today, had the strap around my forearm as instructed, along with having my Garmin Forerunner 205 (no HRM) and my old Timex ironman HRM watch and strap. Two watches and a chest strap, plus the forearm strap, I was wired for sound. Off I went for a 7 miler, varying my pace along the way. I had set all the personal info on the ePulse, got a signal and took off.

It was a mostly sunny spring day, so very bright at high noon. I had difficulty with reading the LED display, hard to read in the bright daylight on either setting for the display, normal or daylight -I tried both. I had to try to shadow the face of the display a bit to get a good look by putting my arm at weird angles, either with or without sunglasses on. I think I can find a way to work around this with just the right viewing angle, but this is hard to do while running along at cruising speed, so I will need to get more practice. Tree shade definitely helps. An LCD display would have been a much better design, esp. at this price point, hence 4 stars instead of 5.

I had the strap around my forearm near the elbow, and it stayed put (I thought it would slide down to the wrist, but did not even when sweaty). I was able to get the same performance from the sensor when the entire strap was around my wrist next to my watch. Presumably anywhere in between as well. I found the comfortable spot was near the wrist.

So, I was taking readings all along the way from both the Timex and the ePulse, while moving the strap and changing the display. Every minute or so, I was checking one then the other to compare. Once the HR was above 100 for both, they were within 5 beats of each other, usually within 2. Below 100, after coming to a stop or road crossing my HR dropped, and the Timex reading dropped much quicker. Timex would say 88 bpm and the ePulse said 105 or around there. Eventually they would converge in about 1 minute. Once back up above 100 again, they tracked closely all the way to 160. BTW, sitting in a chair they read identical output. I had always considered the strap type HRM to be closest to perfect readings, but I have seen my Timex throw out some strange numbers from time to time. Didn''t see any of that on the ePUlse.

The ePulse comes with a charger cord with USB plug, which then plugs into either a PC or a wall AC converter. I dont understand why they chose this design, since the USB serves no purpose other than to charge the battery. Could have done this with a standard AC cord. In other words, the USB does not allow communication between the device and the PC, like Garmin.

In summary, I was amazed at the ability of this sensor to track HR like the professional chest straps do. If you use the HRM as a training tool (see Don Fink, Mastering the Marathon), you will find a welcome addition to the lineup of choices, which now include a strapless option. Good job Impact Sports Techonologies, now make the ePulse3 in LCD format with 2-way communication to the PC to download data. You have a great technology to build upon, like Garmin.