Please read the whole thing before you buy!Appearance: It''s a handsome watch. It looks well built, mostly because of the steel front face which also acts as a conductor for the heart rate monitor. Buttons work well and the strap seems sturdy.
Heart rate monitor: I primarily bought this product because I wanted a heart rate monitor for when I exercise without a strap that goes across your chest. Mainly because I didn''t want to fuss with it and I didn''t like the idea of something around my chest when i was breathing hard. Plus I didn''t want to fuss with it when I ran, I''m picturing myself adjusting it when I''m running and not paying attention to where I''m going. The down side to that is that the Mio only can take a heart rate when BOTH hands are touching it. Or should I say skin contact on both the front and back of the watch. I''m thinking because it senses the EKG signals going through both sides. It does this well if you don''t mind waiting 10 to 15 seconds for it to figure out what your heart rate is. The Mio also provides a average heart rate but you have to keep contact on both sides on the monitor for it to work AND do that over the course of your workout. Those who run, it would be awkward. Essentially you have to run the whole way with both hands on the Mio to have an accurate reading. My heart rate is about 150 to 170 when I run and the Mio displays 128 and I can''t clear it to reset it. You can clear the pedometer part and the mileage, but the average heart rate stays the same. That and if the average stays within your training zone (for me it''s 122 to 160) it beeps at you, even when the beep is turned off. So when you aren''t running and the ave heart rate is high enough, because you haven''t sampled your heart rate when you stopped running, it''ll beep at you. So sample your heart rate and the average will drop and the beep will shut off.
Pedometer/MPH/Odometer: This is another feature that I thought would work well, but fell short in execution . The pedometer works quite well. turn on the "workout button" (the st/sp/+ button) step ten times, and the thing will turn itself on. You can even adjust it''s sensitivity to really sensitive, where shaking it will turn on, or I''m hitting it with a hammer to turn it on. Default works well. Here''s where it doesn''t work well; the mileage and speed works on your stride length. The directions say to walk ten steps, measure that and divide by ten. I did that came out to be about 33 inches for me. So I ran 2.5 miles on that setting and the mileage read 1.75. Great. Obviously didn''t work right because my running stride is longer than my walking stride. So, run 3 miles record the steps from the pedometer and then do math. After that my stride came out to be 63 inches! I''m 66 inches tall so it was a surprise to me. Ran 3 miles and the mileage was off by at least .03 miles. Ok, that would work on flat level ground (I did this testing on a treadmill, I know the treadmill could be off) but running on trails or up or down hills where your stride could change so the Mio couldn''t be accurate. (Later I tested with a friend''s GPS and it was still off). Onto the miles per hour. That is wholly inaccurate. It takes the rate of how you step, so inputting the stride length and the rate at which you run, the Mio was reporting anywhere from 4 mph all the way up to 12 mph! When I did the testing I ran a solid 6.5 mph the whole time. And I tested and tweaked over a period of five days, running everyday.
Bottom line: This watch ain''t for runners. Granted I don''t put myself in that category, but the mileage and speed do not work well for people who vary their speed and stride length, i.e. trail runners or people who want to improve run times. The heart rate monitor works fine, well in fact, just as long as both hands touch it and you aren''t that sweaty (the wetness does something to the sensor, washing my car the watch got a little wet and it started to sample when both my hands weren''t on it). This product will work well for a person who walks a lot and keeps a constant stride. The watch even has a goal setting for how many steps you take that you can adjust which works perfect for that situation. But it''s not for runners and if you ride a bike, I wouldn''t even bother. If you want something with similar features as the Mio, get one that is GPS capable for accurate mileage and speed and, I''m sorry to say, one with a strap, which, I hope, is constantly sampling your heart rate. And also if I didn''t mention before, the Mio being a watch, also tells time. Anybody want mine?
Buy MIO Motion + Heart Rate Watch - Mid size Now
I bought the MIO Motion Plus Heart Rate Monitor Watch after reading some great reviews elsewhere. I should have heeded the warnings from other here on Amazon.It worked very well for the first month but now it constantly is trying to read a heart rate even when I am not wearing the watch. It shifts back and forth between the time and then it beeps and tries to take a heart rate.
It gets really bad if I am wearing it and I start to sweat even the slightest amount and I am not a heavy sweater.
I don''t know if I would have bought this item if I would have known this was going to start happening. Its very irritating.
Read Best Reviews of MIO Motion + Heart Rate Watch - Mid size Here
Decent watch and heart rate monitor BEFORE you work out. I sweat a lot when I workout and it stops working every time I really build up a sweat on my body/wrists. I can no longer get a reading. That totally defeats the purpose of me monitoring my heart rate during the MOST intense part of my workout so I don''t die. :) I can''t return it now, but will be buying something a different heart rate monitor watch NOT a Mio.Want MIO Motion + Heart Rate Watch - Mid size Discount?
I''ve worn my watch 4 times during hour long cardio workouts. The heart rate monitor is the reason I bought this watch and all 4 times I''ve worked out, the heart rate monitor stopped working ten minutes into my workout. Ten minutes was also about the time I really started to sweat. What''s the point in having a heart rate monitor for work outs if it doesn''t work when you sweat? I will be returning this item.
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