EKHO Heart Rate Monitors

For the past three years my workout activities have concentrated on riding a bike.  At the beginning of the year I got the bug to attempt a 1/2 marathon, so I added running into my workout routine. I have an awesome Garmin Edge 305 cycle computer, which I use when out on all my bike rides. Although the Garmin Edge includes a heart rate monitor, it is a bit large and clunky, so I wouldn't want to use it while running. EKHO Heart Rate Monitors I had the opportunity recently to try out two EKHO heart rate monitors. The two models tested were the EKHO WM-108 and the EKHO WM-128. WM stands for weight management, the WM-128 heart rate monitor can help you keep track of how many calories you are burning throughout the day. According to the EKHO website, the WM-128 is; "Unique only to EKHO Heart Rate Monitors, we have designed this simple Heart Rate Monitor to allow you to enter in how many calories you want to burn during the day and as you work, walk, exercise; you can see how many calories you have left to meet your goal." Both of the EKHO monitors are water resistant, the size of a large watch, and can comfortably be worn on your wrist while working out. [caption id="attachment_770" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="EKHO WM-128"][/caption]

Features of the WM-128 Monitor

• Heart Rate Functions:
  • Current/Average/Max Heart Rate
  • 21 Laps (Lap Time & Average Heart Rate Recall)
  • Target Zone
  • Time In/Above/Below Target Zone Recall
  • % of Max Heart Rate
• Calorie Functions:
  • Fat Burnt – In grams
  • Calorie Calculation
  • Total Calorie Counter
• Includes:
  • EKHO Transmitter
  • Elastic Strap
  • Bike Mount
  Other Functions of the EKHO WM-128 Heart Rate Monitor:
  • Time (12-hour/24 hour)
  • Date (Day/Month/Year)
  • Stopwatch (H:MM:SS) 0:00:00 – 29:59:59 (Max 21 Laps)
  • Countdown Timer (H:MM:SS) 0:01:00 – 29:59:59
  • Warm Up Timer – User selectable, 5 minutes before training starts
  • Recovery Timer – User selectable, 5 minutes after training stopped
  • Alarm – Daily alarm, alarm for heart rate limits and target calorie goal
  • Key Lock Function
  • Light
  • ECG Accurate
  • Comfortable Ultra-Slim Ergonomic Chest Belt transmitter
  • User changeable batteries
  • Interfaces with Heart Rate Interactive exercise equipment at home and in the gym
  [caption id="attachment_771" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="EKHO WM-108"][/caption]

Features of the WM-108 Monitor

• Heart Rate Functions:
  • Current Heart Rate
  • Target Zone - alarm for heart rate limits
  • Time (12-hour/24 hour)
  • Date (Day/Month/Year)
  • Stopwatch
  • 15 Lap Counter
  • Light
  • ECG Accurate
• Includes:
  • Comfortable Ultra-Slim Ergonomic Chest Belt transmitter

Other Functions of the EKHO WM-108  Heart Rate Monitor:

• Time
• Date
• Stopwatch
• Countdown Timer
• Warm Up Timer – User selectable, 5 minutes before training starts
• Recovery Timer – User selectable, 5 minutes after training stopped
• Alarm – Daily alarm, alarm for heart rate limits and target calorie goal
• Key Lock Function
• Light
• ECG Accurate
• Comfortable Ultra-Slim Ergonomic Chest Belt transmitter
• User changeable batteries
• Interfaces with Heart Rate Interactive exercise equipment at home and in the gym

I found both EKHO heart rate monitors easy to setup using the enclosed instruction manual. It took me only a few minutes to setup each monitor, with my personal vital statistics, before taking them out for a run. Both heart rate monitors also come with a mounting bracket which can be used to add the monitor to the handle bars of a bike. I found it very easy to attach the EKHO WM-128 to my Trek Madone 6.5 road bike so I could use it for one of my Tuesday morning bike rides. Heart Rate Transmitter Both of the EKHO heart rate monitors include a chest strap, which transmits your heart rate to the monitor. Like other heart rate monitors I've used, I always have a problem with the monitor not picking up my heart rate when I first put the strap on. That's because my skin is dry, since I haven't started to sweat. The simple solution, I've found, is to carry a travel size package of wipes with me. I use one of the wipes to wet down the back of the transmitter strap, before attaching it around my chest, just below my sports bra. The wipes can also be used at the end of your bike rides and runs to help you clean off all the sweat and dirt you'll be covered with, before you have a chance to go home to clean up. At the Gym Both EKHO heart rate monitors will interface with heart rate interactive equipment at home and in the gym. The next time I go to a spinning class at the gym, I am going to take one of the EKHO monitors with me to see how it works along with the spinning bike. I will be reviewing the EKHO Bee-Fit Pedometer in a future blog post. Availability Check the EKHO website for information on where their products can be purchased at a location near you. As of December 9th, 2008, there is a message on the website saying the WM-128 heart rate monitor is back ordered and will be back in stock in February, 2009. EKHO heart rate monitors must be a popular item for Christmas gift giving! The economical EKHO WM-108 heart rate monitor has a suggested retail price of $64.95, while the deluxe EKHO WM-128 heart rate monitor has a suggested retail price of $149.95. If you are looking to buy a heart rate monitor, and researching the possibilities, be sure to include either the EKHO WM-108 or the EKHO WM-128 monitors on your list of options.

Take care,

Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Comments

[WeightLoss]

I have an older Polar heart rate monitor that I absolutely love. It tracks how many calories I burn during workouts and gives me a weekly log of my activities. This really helps motivate me.

[Andrew]

Thanks for bringing these heart rate monitor to my attention! Never heard of them

We also tend to find that HRMS with built in calorie counters are great, especially for weight loss. However, I still would stick with the big 3 (Suunto, Polar, Garmin) as they are bigger brand names and typically have better support.

Andrew
http://www.heart-rate-monitor-fitness.com/