Mark of Fitness MF-180 Exercise/Heart Rate Monitor

Reviews of Mark of Fitness MF-180 Exercise/Heart Rate Monitor

1.) What a relief to find a monitor that works!
Reviewed by: W. Baker
Rating:

I've tried several monitors over the years....including one that attached to the ear lobe and a chest strap. Neither of these worked at all well. I've had the Mark of Fitness for close to a year and it is great! When I first got it I had probs with it sticking to a constant pulse reading...even changed batteries, but then I read their manual and they indicated that the censor should be on a clear patch of skin. My clearest spot wasn't at the direct bottom of my finger but a bit off to the side. Every since then, it's been great! It's not 100%...you have to have the proper tightness on the velcro strap.....but it's easy to adjust. By the way....I do aerobics walking as well as use an excercise bicyle.

2.) What a Great Tool for Anyone Trying to Lose Weight
Reviewed by: Book Lover in Lemont Lemont, IL
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I really love my Mark of Fitness MF-180 Exercise/Heart Rate Monitor. I really use it to keep track of the calories that I burn during my workouts. Plus it lets me know when I'm out of my set target zone.

I would recommend this for anyone that is trying to lose weight.

I did have a problem with the first monitor I got not being able to get a reading but I contacted Amazon.com and they sent me another one without questions and I sent the defective one back.

3.) No more nasty chest strap for me
Reviewed by: tigerhawk Iowa
Rating:

I love this monitor. I wore a Polar chest strap for several years. Although I liked the information I got from the Polar, I absolutely HATED the sweaty, sticky, nasty, uncomfortable chest strap - as a female, it never fit me just right. Bought this monitor in late January and it has worked great since day 1. Heart rate and calorie counts seems very consistent with readings I got with my Polar. Yes, you do have to keep the index finger relatively straight, but I've had no trouble on the elliptical, the treadmill, or even the weight machines. I've also had no trouble getting the finger sensor positioned correctly (I do have relatively small hands). Mostly however, it is COMFORTABLE which means I'm more likely to use it regularly. The only feature I miss from my Polar was the ability to have an average heart rate at the end of a workout. This unit doesn't do that, but it has enough other advantages for me that I give it 5 stars.

4.) Worked great for me
Reviewed by: Leonardo_de_Jim Richland, WA
Rating:

I have had no problem with this pulse monitor. Good solid signal from the sensor. It is very convenient to use and has all the functions I need and then some! Like the recovery monitoring function. No negatives at all.

5.) Love It
Reviewed by: Paris PHX
Rating:

I think this is a great item. It took some time to get used to all the features, but I really only use the monitor and calories burned. I use it for running and it works great. However, after I got better at running, it would have trouble picking up my signal when I would first put it on. I put in a new battery this may have helped. But I now use one of those hand squeezers to get the blood flowing to my finger before I put it on and it seems to work as great as it always did.

6.) Works like a champ!!!!
Reviewed by: thelildago Metariie, La.
Rating:

Worked first time used and has just been fantastic. Still got to learn all the bells and whistles but main thing, heart rate, is what I was more interested in. I know when I get used to all the other options will be super. Highly recommended for those who do not want to wear that strap across your chest.

7.) Great workout watch/monitor
Reviewed by: daigu Austin, TX
Rating:

Terrific product if, like me, you can't wear a chest band heart monitor. Even if you can you may find this little jewel more convenient. Stop watch,lap counter, heart rate/pulse monitor, time in heart rate zone, watch...all accurate and easily accessed. The directions folder is a little vague at several points, but the setup is fairly intuitive if you've ever owned a digital watch. I can't say enough about the quality of this little device. Very well made in Japan, a bargain!

8.) Chicks dig it...
Reviewed by: Mel Phoenix, AZ
Rating:

Sooo glad I don't have to wear those sweaty chest straps any more. Works great, plus it looks kinda cool, Robocop style. Lots of comments at the gym...

9.) Works well but controls are a bit cumbersome
Reviewed by: Satre Stuelke New York, NY
Rating:

After reading other reviews, I'm wondering if the manufacturer has improved their sensor because I almost always get a good reading and it is very close to or exactly the same as other heart monitors I compare it with around the gym (the kind on the machines where you have to grab 2 electrodes). I've had it now for about 3 months and I'm pretty happy with it. The only time I don't get a good reading is when I haven't positioned the sensor properly. The trick is that you have to have the sensor over one of the arteries in your index finger, which is off center, NOT in the middle. You also don't want it too tight -- certainly less tight than the manual says. Just make it snug and you should get a good reading. I use the "cross-country skiing" orbital trainer machine most often and it works perfectly with those kind of movements. The only time I've seen it get confused is if you intentionally wildly swing your hand around to try to confuse it. That kind of movement never happens during workouts, though, so the criticisms about it being inaccurate unless you're not moving are not the case at all in my experience. I would have to assume that the user didn't have the sensor positioned correctly. I've been quite active with it and it has always kept up just fine. I also haven't had to have a perfectly straight finger to get a good reading. Just don't try to get a reading while you're grabbing a chinup bar or curling or anything like that. You shouldn't be looking at your heart rate while lifting weights anyway, you should be paying attention to what you're doing.

I do think they could improve the glove, but it fits my hand pretty well. I'm a male with a medium-sized hand. Someone with a large hand would probably find the glove uncomfortable, and someone with a small hand would probably find it just fine. It just seems like cheap material next to the rather well-made readout and sensor. I felt that the controls were cumbersome because, as someone only interested in cardio workouts (which is the reason to have a heart monitor in the first place), the modes I need to use are several clicks away from each other. If you want to monitor recovery time, you have to click the top button 4 times to cycle through a bunch of other modes before you get from heart monitoring, to recovery time values. Definitely could have been better thought out, but all the necessary things are there, and even some fancy things I haven't taken the time to learn yet. The big advantage is, of course, that you don't have to wear a chest strap which I have found extremely appealing. I would have given 5 stars if they would have made a better glove and would have thought out the sequence of functions with the buttons more realistically. All things considered, though, knowing what I know now, I would still buy it over any other monitor.

10.) tri prep
Reviewed by: Happy Yogi
Rating:

I really do love this item. I've been using it without fail since the day it arrived. I haven't had any significant problems with it and highly recommend it for anyone. I hated wearing the chest strap on my other monitor.

The only problem I have found is that I can't grip things and have the monitor continue working. So when I am lifting weights I have to leave that finger extended, when I'm using the eliptical trainer I have to leave that finger extended. Now that I'm used it, it isn't a big deal.

It is accurate. So far it has agreed with all other monitors that I've checked it against. So with the one minor exception I highly recommend it.

11.) Comfortable to use
Reviewed by: AR
Rating:

I've only recently started using this product to monitor my heart rate and am still in the learning process of how to use the produce efficiently. It has so many things that it can keep track of. I find it to be rather comfortable to use. It monitors my heart rate in % which helps me to stay within my range. I would recommend this product to anyone who is looking to get away from those chest strap monitors.

12.) Excellent for what it does.
Reviewed by: LV Bloomington, IL. United States
Rating:

My review is based on 6 weeks of ownership. I asked for this for my birthday, and my wife got it for me. I am very pleased with it!

It is very accurate for sports activities which do *not* require the use of the hand you've got it wrapped on. In the past six weeks I have used it for the following activities: walking, running, solo racquetball practice, treadmill, stationary recumbent exercise bike, solo basketball practice. I haven't used it with boxing or swimming. ;) Only during the basketball practice does it have a problem with keeping accurate measurements (because shooting with both hands disturbs the sensor on your index finger.)

It's got a green LED and sensor in the same module, similar to a hospital-style fingertip monitor. I have checked it by getting my pulse to a certain level, stopping my exercise, and counting my pulse manually and comparing. I have also used the momentary pulse grips on treadmills, and it's always withing 2 beats of that display (and I think the MF-180 is the more accurate measurement.)

Best features: While you've got the pulse meter turned on, you've got constant access to your pulse rate throughout the exercising. No nasty chest strap. No holding two fingers on the face of it, either. It even displays your pulse rate in "stopwatch" mode, though at a slower refresh rate than just pulse display alone. Plus it's got "zone" settings - you can target what pulse range you want to exercise at.

So, why 4 and not 5 stars? Only three reasons:
* My model did not have the little gray grommet on the strap buckle (as shown in the photo.)
* The straps that attach the reading unit to the "glove" are OK, but a little too short. (When strapping it on it has come loose a couple of times, then straps down just fine again.)
* The design would have been *much* helped by the addition of a separate "reset" key. It's easy enough to learn how to use, but there is a learning curve, mainly because of this.

Overall, I've been *very* satisfied with this product. I'd heartily recommend it to anyone who hates chest straps and so forth but wants a constant pulse readout. I hope to use it for years to come.

Tips on using:
* Keep in mind the "select" button is also the "reset" button if you hold it long enough / too long.
* The sensor has to be on the meat of the finger. I find keeping it just off-center towards the thumb is best.

13.) Exercise Heart Rate Monitor
Reviewed by: Tom Terrific
Rating:

Works wonderfully. With one exception. The finger wrap where the sensor lies is a little too large so it is a bit uncomfortable when wearing it. The system works beautifully when used during heavy exercise.

14.) Does what I want
Reviewed by: W. Kilgore Massachusetts
Rating:

I found this product to be a little glitchy at first, but after a few weeks I'm satisfied with it. I only use the basic function - real-time heart rate. Once you learn the proper positioning and tension for the sensor, the monitor seems fairly accurate and stable. I still get a drop-out once in a while, but it resets within 10-15 seconds.

One thing that threw me at first: the unit I received is branded "Prevention" (like the magazine) instead of "Mark of Fitness", but otherwise it's the same model (MF-180).

I find that nothing increases the efficacy of my workouts like a target heart rate. And having a personal monitor is so much better than relying on one that's tied to a machine (when you can find one that works at all).

15.) Comfortable, and less complicated than chest strap with watch combination
Reviewed by: H. Miller
Rating:

LOVE it. Comfortable, barely restricting, takes seconds to put on. I use it mostly for running, and it causes no problems. Also seems very accurate. Target zone alarm works well. Only real negative is that it's not particularly intuitive how to get between functions or how to change a setting. Explained well in manual, but not easy to remember on the fly. Overall thrilled with it.

16.) Very Satisfied!!
Reviewed by: Miyaya Dallas,TX USA
Rating:

I tried my heart moniter as soon as it arrived and it worked very well.I've had it nearly a month and use it several times a week and it works great.The monitor is overall pretty decent for it's price.I love the "out of range" alarm feature!I recommend this product to anyone who is a beginner in monitoring their heart rate during excersize.It is very easy to program and use.

17.) Nice HRM
Reviewed by: Barbara Durham, NC
Rating:

This is a solid, classy unit, with options for tracking lap and split times, and calorie counting in addition to the heart rate monitor. The hr monitor is fairly accurate, and can give you % of time spent in target zone, but not the high/low/avg heart rate calculation that my old monitor gave. I do like the fact that you can enter your personal information for the unit to calculate your personal bpm training zones. The menus are fairly logical and relatively easy to use. Especially nice is the hr recovery calculator. But the best part is the continual bpm readout without the chest strap! Prevention says it has plans to provide access to online tracking software. Eventually you should be able to download your saved heart rate monitor stats to the website to track your training data over time.

18.) Heart Monitor
Reviewed by: P. Sievert MN
Rating:

This was a gift . It came on time and was half the price of one we had looked at . So we were happy !

19.) Inconsistently accurate, with occasional spurious readings and some wear discomfort.,
Reviewed by: Reader
Rating:

This unit was purchased with the hope that it would give continuous and reliable readings. It often does, but inaccuracies are not uncommon; e.g., when removed it sometimes continues to report a heart rate, and during use it occasionally reports erroneously higher readings, compared to baton and direct pulse measurements.

Others with different hand and blood vessel geometry may obtain different results, but with the anatomical dimensions of my hand I found the unit too inaccurate to consistently rely on.

Wearing the unit is not without comfort issues for me. The velcro fastening material is placed along the full width of the finger mount. This results in the unit sometimes becoming uncomfortable to wear. Also, the width of the finger mount means the index finger cannot be easily flexed when the unit is worn.

Although settings are not intuitive, the instruction manual is clearly written, and the unit provides a number of useful additional functions, i.e., clock, alarm, stopwatch, under and over heart rate alarms, and calories burned.

However, my primary aim was to get a consistently accurate heart rate monitor. For that purpose, this unit has proved less than fully satisfactory.

20.) limited usefulness
Reviewed by: CHH1
Rating:

This will require a large mitten in colder weather.
This does not appear to use electrical impulse.
This will require more adapting to than you might think.
When working, it is accurate.

21.) NOT FOR CYCLING OR DANCE OR FREE WEIGHTS
Reviewed by: B. Nelson
Rating:

"DO NOT USE WHEN BICYCLING." This is printed on the back of the MF-180 package. This gadget is intended ONLY for JOGGING & WALKING. Inside the user manual it further states that this monitor WILL NOT give accurate measurements for any exercise that requires gripping or "excessive hand movements".

Additional limitations: if you have dry skin or cold hands the readings will not be accurate. The technology behind this gadget is limited to very specific conditions.

For me that meant that the bulk of my exercise routine of which includes bicycling, aerobic classes, free weights and Nautilus type machines. I should have picked up on that from the other reviewers and their comments about keeping the finger in a particular position. I will continue with the chest belt.

22.) looks good but doesnt work as great
Reviewed by: Evans N. Fernandes San Jose, CA (USA)
Rating:

the monitor looks really cool on the hand while cycling or at the gym... however due to its design, it does not provide accurate readings. the finger has to be in a specific position with the sensor and that too without movement if it has to be anywhere close to accurate. I'm going to stick with the chest strap for accurate readings.

23.) Uncomfortable pulsemeter
Reviewed by: Steven Broyde Burlington, CT USA
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While this unit may be as accurate as described, I nonetheless had to return it because it was an extremely uncomfortable, annoyingly intrusive fit on my wrist.

24.) Not a good measurement
Reviewed by: kate Nebraska
Rating:

Mark of fitness MF-180 did not work. It did not pick my heart rate accurately no matter how many times I repositioned it. It was also uncomfortable. I do not recommend this for anyone who needs a reliable heart rate reading.

Features of Mark of Fitness MF-180 Exercise/Heart Rate Monitor

Exercise/Heart Rate Monitor that does not require a chest belt. Great for walking, jogging or running. 8 functions: Heart Rate; Outside Target Zone Alarms; Displays Percentage of Maximum Heart Rate; 255Time Memory; Time; Stopwatch; Lap Mode; Count-Up Timer. Electro-luminescent back-light. Includes 2 CR2032 batteries.

1.) No chest belt required;
2.) 8 functions;
3.) Great for walking, jogging, running;
4.) National Health & Wellness Club tested and recommended;
5.) Includes 2 CR2032 batteries;

Package Height x Length x Width: 9.6 in. x 9.6 in. x 6.6 in.
Package Weight: 0.25 lbs.