Timex Zone Trainer T5G971 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Suggested Retail Price: $69.99

Rating: 8/10

Top Features

• 27 lap recall
• Computes calories burned
• Analog transmission
• Contains manual target heart rate zone
• Contains 1 minute recovery timer and 100-hour countdown timer
• Transmitter belt battery can be replaced by user

Product Specs

• Displays heart rate, average and peak heart rate, and time spent within target heart rate zone
• Full clock and calendar function
• INDIGLO® night-light
• Comes with durable resin case
• 3.5 year average battery life
• Water resistant to 100 feet (30 meters)
• 1 year limited warranty

Disadvantages

• Few extra features to assist in athletic training
• You have to program your own target heart rate zone
• No computer or software support

Review

Like most Timex heart monitor models, the popular Zone Trainer T5G971 is accurate and simple to use, and is also relatively cheap.  Since it doesn't have many advanced functions or computer support, it's not the best heart rate monitor for competitive athletes, although it's still suitable for many people.

For those looking for a simple heart rate monitor, the Timex Zone Trainer is one of the best values.  It has no hidden costs, since everything you need to use it is included, and it even comes with its own carrying case.  Many heart rate monitors require you to ship them to the manufacturer for a battery change, which can be quite a hassle, but the Zone Trainer's battery can be swapped for a new one by the user.  And you won't need to do this very often, because this heart rate monitor boasts an outstanding 3.5 year average battery life.

While the Zone Trainer isn't very fancy, it still has many basic features.  It's able to display average heart rate and total time spend inside your pulse rate zone once you manually configure your target heart rate.  It's a shame that this model can't automatically set the zone for you, but with a little research you should be able to configure your correct zone without much of a problem.  Other functions for this heart rate monitor include 27 lap recall for runners, a 100-hour countdown timer, calorie tracking, and a one minute recovery timer.

Despite its ease of use and accuracy, this is not the best heart rate monitor for serious training.  It doesn't provide all the statistics you'd want for interval training, and doesn't give any advanced information, such as pace or distance traveled.  Still, the Timex Zone Trainer is a fine heart rate monitor for more casual training, or for someone who has recently started a fitness regimen.  Additionally, its high level of accuracy even makes the Zone Trainer a dependable model for cardiac rehab patients.