User submitted reviews
Review by AZ cyclists
Good heart-rate monitor, durable, and reliable
Review by Anonymous
The monitor pairs relatively easily and reliably with my Garmin 830. The respiration rate is an added bonus. It does not pair reliably with my Android phone for use with Strava.
Review by Anonymous
Great connectivity for all sensors
Review by Anonymous
Works as expected...bought to use with my Tax trainer and zwift...excellent combination
Review by Anonymous
Easy to pair with my Garmin 1020 and works well. No issues.
Review by Anonymous
Comfortable, easy to care for and just works.
Review by Zoom
I ride over 12,000 miles per year. My Garmin strap finally gave up the ghost after about five years. The new strap immediately connected to my 520+ and phone.
Review by Ron
I've been using Garmin products for a long time. I usually end up buying a new strap/monitor every 3 to 4 years. I wish I could buy just the strap since I believe it's the strap that's failing/wearing out. Why can't Garmin just sell the strap? It's not an issue with the battery, I know how to change those and replace batteries about once a year due to the amount of time I spend wearing the strap/monitor. Fortunately they're not too expensive, but I really don't need anything but the strap.
Review by Tpalfini
Adjust to fit, turn on device, click to connect HRM to device. Simple. Worked flawlessly for me and more accurate than my Garmin Fenix.
Review by Timberwolve17
The major reason you would consider this is because of the Bluetooth + ANT support so you can zwift and use your Garmin computer at the same time. Sounds like a great plan, and when it works it is awesome.
My Garmin softstrap/removable hrm units have all had significant issues with hanging heart rates. You can start your ride, HR 75 bpm, 10 minutes of max effort later its still 75... remove the hrm, wait a minute reconnect suddenly its 185 bpm, stop all effort, take a seat on a bench, wait 30 minutes and your HR is still 185...
Thanks to an article from DC Rainmaker I learned that this is a feature from Garmin, want to impress your friends with obviously wrong HRs? Depending on how you play the Garmin strap game you can. This is not a sweat issue, i run my straps under lukewarm water prior to each ride in addition to spraying my chest with water. I wash my straps with technical fabric soaps, after no more than 2 uses, and rinse after every single use.
DC Rainmaker to the rescue, apparently it is a strap issue because he discusses using a polar strap with the garmin hrm. The connection buttons are technically a few mm spaced differently but it works. Tada! My garmin HRM Dual is back to working. Notably this issue has not occured with my Garmin HRMs that are built into the bands. I would not buy this again, I would love to sell it for half of what I paid and just upgrade to the HRM Pro with BT, ANT, and the old school strap/hrm one piece but that�s another discussion for another day.
Do Not Waste your Time unless you have an old Polar strap to use with this HRM.
Review by Anonymous
It does what it�s supposed to do. They do wear out after a few years.
Review by Ron
I've been using the Garmin heart rate monitors for nearly two decades, the latest HRM-Dual is the best so far. They finally replaced the Phillips screws for the battery compartment with Torx head screws AND a include your own Torx screwdriver for removing them! Changing the battery is always the biggest headache since the screws, as delivered from the factory, were always so tight it was hard to remove them without stripping the heads. Thanks Garmin for finally addressing this issue. The dual ANT+ and Bluetooth makes pairing quick. I assume there are other internal hardware/firmware changes because the heart rate recording seems more stable and less 'aliasing' (the misidentification of a signal frequency) occurs.
Review by Beth Mc
I use this primarily with indoor & outdoor cycling and see no drop-outs. The ANT+ and BT connectivity is a plus, but doesn't have an easy access to the battery compartment, compared to three other brands I've used over the years. I needed to change the battery and didn't have the exact right screwdriver and ended up ruining one of the screw holes, yeah, stupid on my part... while it still worked, I was afraid sweat would now get inside and corrode it so when I saw it on sale again, I bought another, and a correct sized screwdriver. :\
Review by bikerdad
I have been a Garmin user since they first came out with a bike computer/heart rate monitor. My only issue is that they don't last forever. I love this heart rate monitor strap. Garmin has the best price and shipping rate for it.
Review by Anonymous
Good sensor in the abstract; band is easy to adjust, connects to my cycling computer with no issues. Easy to wash, and when properly fitted you'll completely forget it's even there- I've worn it on a 4+ hour long century ride and didn't have it bother me at all. However, its response curve is suspect- it seems to think I get up to 190 BPM just walking my bike out the door, and reads an RHR about 15 higher than the one recorded at my last physical. Probably fairly accurate readings in relative terms, but in absolute terms take it with a lot of salt.
Review by Paul
I bought this to replace another Garmin HR strap that died after 2-3 years of use. I've been using the new one 3-4 days week for two months and have had no trouble with dropped signals or wonky data during rides and runs. The strap pairs easily with my Wahoo head unit (ANT+) and my iPhone (bluetooth). I've even worn the strap overnight to measure sleeping HR data and only noticed two points where the signal dropped briefly in a 7-hour period. Before working out, follow the instructions and wet the strap before putting it on you. You should also follow the instructions about regular washing, especially if you're a heavy and/or salty sweater.
I can't comment on battery longevity and replacement. However, my package did come with Garmin's proprietary screwdriver, which appears critical to opening and closing the battery compartment.
Review by Andy
Easiest to use (comfort, consistency) of any brand I've used over the years. Both my wife and I have moved to Garmin Bike Computers so we just adopted the Garmin Duals that came with the computers.
Two things... 1) battery replacement didn't go well with one of the Garmin transmitter units... I got the battery out, the new one in, and it worked but I damaged one of the screws so I was not going to be able to replace the battery again in the future. The new, new HRM being reviewed now comes with a 'special' screwdriver to use in battery replacement so things may be less risky the next time.
2) I've had two units start to corrode around one of the terminals that snaps into the strap. The two terminals look like a different color/material but one certainly starts to 'rust' before the other. That has happened on two of these HRMS for me. I've tried Garmin's recommended cleaning/drying strategy and I can't say that is extending the life vs just not worrying and just replacing every year or two once it dies. The good(?) news is that I may never need to replace a battery again because the thing rusts before the battery needs replacing.
Final note, the description says 'may not need to replace battery for up to 3.5 years'... welllll... I rode 11,000 miles last year with the HRM and the battery needed replacement early this year... so 3.5 years not so much, unless there are internal changes now that make battery life longer.
Review by Anonymous
This HRM is much more comfortable than an earlier Garmin HRM strap. In dry weather such as cold winter days, it's important to first spray or drizzle some water on the electrodes to get readings started. Otherwise, you may need to wait a bit for sweat to do the job early in a workout. The HRM has worked very reliably and has provided consistent readings on my Garmin bicycle computer. A tool was included for removing small screws when the battery needs replacement.
Review by Mark MN
So it works but I bought it so that I could get heart rate on my watch and Zwift at the same time on my trainer. Haven't gotten it to work that way. I ended up getting the pro version and it has worked flawlessly. This one works for either but not both at the same time from my experience. Tried it connected to my watch with both ant+ and Bluetooth and didn't play well. All that said, it would do either perfectly well, so four stars it is. I should also mention I would have tried harder to figure it out if the pro hadn't gone on sale. May we'll be a way to make it work that I didn't search hard enough for.
Review by JP
I've had two of these. They work well with my Garmin Edge and are reasonably responsive to changes in heart rate. The strap needs to be run under water before you put it on, and I rinse/soak the strap (with the monitor unclipped) after every ride (3-5 rides/week).
Why have I had two? They seem to need to be replaced every couple of years. After several months you'll see accuracy drop/disappear, which is usually fixed by replacing the battery. But after a couple of battery changes, the monitor craps out totally and battery replacement doesn't fix it. As an annual cost it's not a big deal, but it's odd that this item has such a short lifespan. By comparison, my speed and cadence sensors have never needed to be replaced.
And the comments about battery replacement are spot on. '70's-era tiny-screw technology. Use the right screwdriver, put on your patience face, and soldier through. Seems like Garmin could come up with a more human-friendly design.