Polar H9 issues: displaying low heart rate and negative trending rate

[HornetMaX]

I had the same problem with the H9, ended up in the bin.

Replaced by what ? Better ?

[nick rockliff]

I had the same problem with the H9, ended up in the bin.

Replaced by what ? Better ?

Replaced it with the Garmin Dual. It's better only because it works

The H9 worked fine but gradually deteriorated to the stage it wouldn't work at all. Replaced batteries and washed the strap etc which fixed it for a couple of weeks but in the end it went in the bin.

[HornetMaX]

Replaced it with the Garmin Dual. It's better only because it works

The H9 worked fine but gradually deteriorated to the stage it wouldn't work at all. Replaced batteries and washed the strap etc which fixed it for a couple of weeks but in the end it went in the bin.

After how much time did your H9 start to misbehave ? And how long have your Dual being working fine ?

I'm willing to trash the H9 if there's anything that works better (i.e. fails less often / doesn't degrade over time).

[nick rockliff]

Replaced it with the Garmin Dual. It's better only because it works

The H9 worked fine but gradually deteriorated to the stage it wouldn't work at all. Replaced batteries and washed the strap etc which fixed it for a couple of weeks but in the end it went in the bin.

After how much time did your H9 start to misbehave ? And how long have your Dual being working fine ?

I'm willing to trash the H9 if there's anything that works better (i.e. fails less often / doesn't degrade over time).

Looks like I got the H9 in April 2020 and the Garmin Dual in August 2022.

The one before that was a Garmin Run which I will have got when I upgraded to PM5, this was when they first came out.

[HornetMaX]

It seems you can measure the resistance of the strap (https://fellrnr.com/wiki/Fixing_Heart_R ... r_Problems) to check if the belt is OK. I'll try to do this on my belts (I kept the old H9 strap for no good reason), I may need to replace my crappy multimeter first.

BTW, the Garmins (except the Dual) have non-replaceable straps: seems like a very dumb decision.
On the other hand, the Polars need to be disconnected from the belt when not in use to save battery: I suspect this may be what screws the strap over time (or at least, contribute to it). Both designed to fail after a while ?

[gvcormac]

I have abandoned my H9, and bought a Coospo H808S, which seems to work better, at about 1/3 the price (CAD 33).

Previously, I thought that washing the strap had solved my H9 problems, but I was mistaken. Neither mine nor my wife's (hardly used) nor any combination of sensors/straps works properly.

I had been a loyal Polar customer for 30 years. No more.

I will keep the H9s for use with legacy gymlink-only equipment, like my treadmill and elliptical. For this, they usually, but not always, work. For ergs and outdoors, I'll use the Coospo.

I'll let you know in a few weeks how reliable it is.

[Dangerscouse]

I have abandoned my H9, and bought a Coospo H808S, which seems to work better, at about 1/3 the price (CAD 33).

Previously, I thought that washing the strap had solved my H9 problems, but I was mistaken. Neither mine nor my wife's (hardly used) nor any combination of sensors/straps works properly.

I had been a loyal Polar customer for 30 years. No more.

I will keep the H9s for use with legacy gymlink-only equipment, like my treadmill and elliptical. For this, they usually, but not always, work. For ergs and outdoors, I'll use the Coospo.

I'll let you know in a few weeks how reliable it is.

I've had a CooSpo for just over three years now. Apart from my first one eventually giving up about two months ago, probably due to excessive sweating, I've never had an issue with it. I always recommend it.

[HornetMaX]

I've had a CooSpo for just over three years now. Apart from my first one eventually giving up about two months ago, probably due to excessive sweating, I've never had an issue with it. I always recommend it.

Err ... I can't consider "too much sweating" as a justification for a sport HRM to fail.

My H9 is back in good shape: I took the strap (without the module) and dropped it in cold water for a few minutes after each of the last two sessions, no issue detected since. Before I was washing it only once a week, guess I'll just soak it after each session. And see how/if it holds up.

[gvcormac]

My H9 is back in good shape: I took the strap (without the module) and dropped it in cold water for a few minutes after each of the last two sessions, no issue detected since. Before I was washing it only once a week, guess I'll just soak it after each session. And see how/if it holds up.

I'll be interested to hear your experience in a few months. I can't say I rinsed my strap every time, but I convinced myself for a couple of months that was the trick, until it wasn't.

[Dangerscouse]

Err ... I can't consider "too much sweating" as a justification for a sport HRM to fail.

Really? Surely anything that is electrical combined with very regular exposure to moisture is always going to be a risk, when we're talking about three years and roughly six days a week of use?

As it's only £30 and combined with planned obsolescence I really doubt that it's a cutting-edge robust design, but that doesn't bother me as it worked reliably, until it didn't.

[HornetMaX]

Err ... I can't consider "too much sweating" as a justification for a sport HRM to fail.

Really? Surely anything that is electrical combined with very regular exposure to moisture is always going to be a risk, when we're talking about three years and roughly six days a week of use?

As it's only £30 and combined with planned obsolescence I really doubt that it's a cutting-edge robust design, but that doesn't bother me as it worked reliably, until it didn't.

26 months for me, at 4 session per week. But I still think the module should essentially never fail. Does your (plain) watch (incl. mechanical ones) fail after 2 years ? No, even if you swim, sunbathe and garden with it. The strap is a different story though, but it seems sometimes at least the problem is not in the strap.

I'll be interested to hear your experience in a few months. I can't say I rinsed my strap every time, but I convinced myself for a couple of months that was the trick, until it wasn't.

I'll post for sure.

Despite being a sucker for gadgets, I'd really love to keep the HRM simple: I don't need onboard memory, I don't need quadruple BT connections, I don't need running dynamics etc. Plain HRM with ANT and 1 BT connection will do. Price is right (for the H9 and other basic ones) and anyway it doesn't look like that putting more money in it (for an H10 or equivalent on other brands) gives you better quality/durability. Which is annoying.

[Joebasscat]

Been using the Polar H10 since Jan 2020. Two different units depending on what location I’m in. Had some dropouts early when I was just rinsing it and washing weekly after use. Someone suggested hand washing after each use with mild detergent. (Like the stuff for baby clothes) Also putting some moisture on you as well as the strap prior to use. Been doing that now for over 3 yrs and 16+ mil meters. Any issues are very rare. Highly recommend adopting that process. I suppose many factors could influence outcomes to include heavy sweat, interference, and even hard water etc… I’m satisfied.

[Dangerscouse]

But I still think the module should essentially never fail.

On purely capitalist terms, that makes no business sense and probably would have been intentionally avoided, if only to a lesser degree.

They want a balance of enough reliability and enough obsolescence otherwise how do they exist as a business? What company would produce something that costs £30 and never have to replace it, and only rely on a (limited) market of new customers? I'm sure that even C2 would have struggle to reconcile that as a business plan

[p_b82]

I don't use the belt as much as some folks do - but the only times I've had issues with the H10 was due to needing a new battery, catching it once and it lost my hr for a little bit.

The early ergdata connections were a bit sketchy with the new app, but since the updates I've not had any issues - I do use it on ANT+, with ergdata on BT.

if the unit is designed to be used in water (as the H10 is) then sweat should not pose any issues to it - if not then it could cause issues if there's a minor design flaw.
I know that the whole of my unit has on occasion been soaked, front to back, but not so much now I've a fan.

[HornetMaX]

But I still think the module should essentially never fail.

On purely capitalist terms, that makes no business sense and probably would have been intentionally avoided, if only to a lesser degree.

On purely capitalist terms, they would sell you an HRM that requires a monthly subscription because it's AI powered and cloud based.

Yeah, I know it's gonna happen soon

They want a balance of enough reliability and enough obsolescence otherwise how do they exist as a business? What company would produce something that costs £30 and never have to replace it, and only rely on a (limited) market of new customers? I'm sure that even C2 would have struggle to reconcile that as a business plan

Well, 'never' is a bit strong of course but still ... not every company/product follows this reasoning thank god, otherwise you'd have at home forks that fail after 2 years

C2 is probably a good example of companies that *do not* adhere to that logic, at least judging by reports of people still rocking very old rowers that can be kept in good shape and upgraded. Which makes it easier to swallow the price.

Back to HRMs: the H9 (or the equivalent Garmin) have typically higher prices than competitors (Coospo, even Wahoo). If the top brands are disposable, then yeah, let's buy the cheap stuff and plan to replace it periodically. I mean, currently here (amazon FR), the Cospoo H6 is at 20 euros while the Polar Strap Pro (just the strap) is at 27-30 euros (the basic strap is at 10e) ...
And while I'm not the most environmentally-minded person, I'd hate to know that I need to trash an HRM every two years just because they designed it intentionally this way.

P.S.
The Wahoo Tickr has a strap that seems (seems) to make more sense mechanically (the way it attaches to the module).