Unit arrived on schedule from Amazon. com; setup and config are simple, and the watch is easy to use – no issues with getting HR read-outs.

Will update later as I compare/calibrate the readings with other meters. For now its working okay, easy-to-use, and reasonably accurate.
Rating: 4 / 5

Rating: 4 / 5

Pros: can be used as everyday sporty watch; water-resistant; fairly straightforward user interface; keeps track of workout data; beeps when you hit your max heart rate; has backlight; has alarm; when in heart-rate display mode, you can bump your chest-band with the watch and it will display the time for a few seconds (a feature I use surprisingly often); chest-band transmitter displays on my Precor EFX546 elliptical (although the Precor and the wrist watch often differ by as much as 10 BPM).

Cons: thick band keeper leaves dent in wrist; actual color is a dirty wasabi green (not the sassy lime green pictured); watch face is cheap plastic and scratches easily; embossed flower-power decoration on band and watch face is cheesy; claims that the unit can “analyse your current physical and mental condition” seem both lofty and dubious.

I urge novices who plan to use the FT40’s advanced features to do some research on the physiology of fitness training, so you will know what this monitor is actually measuring, such as what percentage of your maximum heart rate is safe, or what it really means when it says you are in the “fat-burning” as opposed to “fitness” zones. Used in conjunction with a little book-learnin’, this monitor can definitely help optimize a training program.

As an aside, I took the FT40’s so-called fitness test twice, and both times the unit put me in the “elite” category. I question the accuracy of this flattering assessment, since I’ve only been working out for 2 weeks following an extended lay-off for cancer treatment, I get out of breath walking my dogs up a gentle slope, and I’ve been a smoker for 30 years.
Rating: 4 / 5