Do any optical heart rate monitors work?

DC Rainmaker has some pretty good comparisons, newer coros or garmins are pretty good. If there's an issue with cadence lock you can always try to the polar arm band one.

No, optical HRMs just shoot bling bling neon pulses and spit out a fairly random number based on high tired you look.

Thanks, I appreciate his reviews and especially how thorough he his. That said, I think this is a good example where a single, or even a couple runs in a watch might not expose an inconsistency in the technology. So I thought I'd post here since people would have dozens if not hundreds of runs (or other workouts) with the watch.

Garmin is leaps and bounds above everyone else. Apple watch is an absolute joke compared. Have used Coros also, not on Garmin's level. I've compared data to chest strap data over long periods of time (daily running 1 month+ at all different paces and types of runs, terrain) My Garmin 245, which i keep regularly updated through computer updates, is nearly identical to the chest strap data. There is the random run where it will be noticabeably off (this happens maybe once every month or two, or less) - but you know it's off. Otherwise, it's on, and highly accurate in my case. I wear it decently tight to my wrist.

The polar arm band (oh1 is what I have but there’s a new version) is very good. I hate chest straps and the arm one goes on my upper forearm and is very accurate and reliable. Wrist ones are generally useless

Thanks, this is helpful. That's what so frustrating about the Apple Watch. Sometimes it's off just enough to be alarming, reading 10-15 bpm high for example. It's just not off enough to know immediately it's garbage data. But even when looking at the data post run, it APPEARS to be monitoring correctly. Meaning the data doesn't look like garbage. But when it's telling you you're running threshold pace for 90 minutes based on HR, and you know that's realistically laughable, that's a problem.

If you actually care about heart rate you need a chest strap. It really isn't a big deal. It is not annoying. It is the only accurate way to measure. Either wear a cheat strap or be okay with mediocre heart rate monitoring.

Consider this device, given in review form for a reason:

healthline.com

KardiaMobile EKG Monitor Review

Kristeen Cherney

The KardiaMobile is a pocket-sized personal EKG device that allows you to measure your heart rate and rhythm and capture the data on your smartphone.

Link:www.healthline.com/health/kardiamobile...

The "medical grade EKG" (approved by the FDA!) it gives you is no more valid than the Apple Watch you currently own. The FDA approval for both devices is identical.

The issue you seem to have is that you find your Apple Watch to be inaccurate. Reflect on why. The likely answer is that it takes your peripheral pulse; it doesn't monitor your heart directly. There is almost certainly a vast chasm in accuracy between both methods for most users. So, I'm skeptical that any optical monitor can beat a strap; even if said strap is 15 years old.

Also, perhaps you are getting hung up on accuracy. HRMs are a tool; their usefulness depends at least in part on how you use them.

I use a Garmin and the optical HR monitor usually works. When it fails it does so in a pretty obvious way (it's way off). I think wearing too loose or something is the problem when it's wrong, it's like the sensor isn't seeing what it needs to.

Just what 235 said. It works until it obviously isn't and then in most cases for me it is either too lose or sometimes too cold

My old Garmin 245 seemed to get cadence lock half the time or more. 2 years ago I got a G255, which is much much better than its predecessor. I trust my G255 about 95% of the time. If you want better than that, you have to go to a chest strap, which is not worth the trouble to me. It's not like I'm an elite runner or OCD about training metrics. I just want to get enough data to confirm that I am generally in the ball park on having an intelligent training plan.

I’ve gone through 3 high end hrmonitor watches (not Applewatch) but none were consistent or reliable. One was so hard to operate I gave up. Now I suspect all of those mediums are flawed.

That's sort of where I'm landing. I just picked up the FR265 and am going to make the switch. But frankly I don't expect a massive change unless I use a strap. But as I mentioned in my original post, that wasn't the only function that let me down as a running watch using Apple. So I'm addressing a few things by making the change.