Originally Posted by
TimothyH
A lot of misinformation on this thread.
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Also, optical heart rate sensors currently available are far from "junk". Every link posted or article cited here was based on a clinical health care setting. The level of accuracy required in a clinical setting is not required for sports training. Even so, the current optical sensors put out by MIO and others are comparable to chest straps. Those who dismiss optical sensors as "Junk" are dismissing a whole class of devices that are used by some of the world's top athletes with excellent results.
DC Rainmaker actually tested optical and chest straps side by side on the same exercise as far back as 2014 and the graphs speak for themselves.
Scosche RHYTHM+ Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart Optical HR Band In-Depth Review | DC Rainmaker
-Tim-
Tim: I think it's fair to say that some optical heart rate sensors are suitable for avid cyclists in training, doing hard intervals. Others are less responsive and less accurate over shorter periods, though fine while resting or doing long consistent efforts. IIRC, for instance, the first generation Apple Watch did not perform as well as the Mio sensors you've mentioned. The consumer needs to be picky now; not all optical heart rate sensors are equal.