Polar F11

The Polar F11 heart-rate monitor seems to hit the performance-value sweet spot. Reviewers give it good feedback for accuracy, and the workout tracking features are popular with athletes who like to use statistics for motivation. The big downside is that you can't replace the battery yourself -- that needs to be done at an authorized service center. Some users say that's a minor hassle, but others consider it a major annoyance, especially since even some budget monitors like the Omron HR-100C (*Est. $35) have user-replaceable batteries. Update: For 2009, the Polar FT60 (*Est. $215) gets the best reviews, and it's one of the few Polar heart-rate monitors that includes a user-replaceable battery. The FT60 has many of the popular training features included on the Polar F11, but a computer uplink is not included in the price as it is with the F11.

We found some excellent user reviews of the Polar F11 heart-rate monitor on both Amazon.com and Epinions.com. Amazon.com has far broader coverage, with more than 100 entries. Epinions.com has the most in-depth owner-written reviews, with some thoughtful critical analysis of the Polar F11's strengths and weaknesses. Walmart.com comes in a distant third with a few short posts. There's also what amounts to a user review at AssociatedContent.com, but it doesn't go much beyond a description of features.