Polar H10 vs HRM 600 vs Wahoo TRACKR
The Polar H10 has the peer-reviewed validation and the lowest price of the three on my check. The HRM 600 adds running dynamics and swim storage, and the TRACKR is lightest, with no memory.
A tracker is not a medical device. Its readings are estimates for general fitness and wellness, and it doesn't diagnose or treat anything. A few features are cleared for one specific use in specific regions, and a page says so where that applies. If you have symptoms or concerns, talk to a clinician.
| Figure | Polar H10 | Garmin HRM 600 | Wahoo TRACKR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery | 400 h coin cell, manufacturer claim | 2 months at 1 h a day, rechargeable, manufacturer claim | Over 100 h, rechargeable, manufacturer claim |
| Weight with strap | 60 g, manufacturer claim | 61 g M-XL, manufacturer claim | 39 g, manufacturer claim |
| Water | WR30, manufacturer claim | 5 ATM, manufacturer claim | IPX7, manufacturer claim |
| Connections | ANT+ and 2 Bluetooth, per Cyclingnews | ANT+ and 3 Bluetooth, manufacturer claim | ANT+ and 3 Bluetooth, manufacturer claim |
| Onboard memory | One session up to 30 h, manufacturer claim | Stores swims and stand-alone use, manufacturer claim | None, per Tom's Guide |
| Running dynamics | Not stated | Yes, with select Garmin watches, manufacturer claim | Not stated |
| Peer-reviewed ECG test | Yes, Schaffarczyk 2022 | Not stated | Not stated |
Buying a chest strap to get better numbers than your wrist? All three will probably do it. What separates them is what happens around the heart rate: batteries, memory, and what you can do with the strap when your watch stays in the locker.
I haven't worn any of these. Measured results below belong to the named authors or outlet, and I checked all of this on 3 November 2026.
£69.20 on polar.com (UK), checked 3 November 2026. £149.99 on garmin.com (UK), checked 3 November 2026. £72 on sigmasports.com (UK), checked 3 November 2026.
On those checks the H10 costs the least of the three, at £69.20. The TRACKR's figure comes from a retailer, Sigma Sports, not from Wahoo.
Accuracy: only one has the paperwork
The H10 is the only one here with a peer-reviewed test I could read. Schaffarczyk 2022 (peer-reviewed, Sensors) compared it with a 12-channel ECG in 25 recreational adults during rest and an incremental cycling test to exhaustion. Heart rate and RR correlations reached r = 1.00. In exercise, RR limits of agreement ran from 4.3 to -2.8 ms at low intensity and 1.3 to -0.5 ms at high intensity.
Three limits. Five participants were dropped from the exercise analysis for artefacts above 5%. It tested a steady ramp on a bike, with no lifting. And the authors report no external funding, so that's as independent as this gets, but it's one small study.
For the other two, I have reviewers only. Tom's Guide found the TRACKR "spot on" against an H10 in workouts. road.cc called the HRM 600 accurate in its review. Both are independent and non-peer-reviewed, with no figures I can quote. I read no measured comparison between all three.
A strap measures electrical signals at the chest, so it has less to fight than a wrist sensor in the sessions covered in why wrist heart rate fails. None of these is a medical device. If you have a heart condition, follow your care team's guidance on training zones and not a strap reading.
Battery and charging
Polar's claim: 400 h, Coin cell. That means no cable, plus the occasional shop for a CR2025, per Cyclingnews.
Garmin's claim: 2 months, Rechargeable, using 1 hour per day. road.cc quotes 60 h of use and says its unit comfortably exceeded that over several weeks. The module charges through Garmin's own plug.
Wahoo's rechargeable figure is in the table. At an hour a day, that's about 14 weeks between charges, so it won't trouble many people.
Memory and swimming
This is the clearest split. Garmin says the HRM 600 stores heart rate for swims and stand-alone use, then forwards it. Polar claims memory for one session of up to 30 h, and Cyclingnews says the H10 can be worn swimming, though the WR30 rating sets the limit.
The TRACKR has no onboard memory. Tom's Guide says that makes it "no use" for swimmers, because Bluetooth struggles in water. Wahoo agrees it isn't built for lap-pool swim tracking.
For gym work, memory means leaving the watch behind. Only the H10 and HRM 600 offer that. On the TRACKR you need a watch, phone or head unit listening, because Tom's Guide says a session it can't send anywhere simply isn't recorded.
Pairing with what you own
All three do ANT+ and Bluetooth. Wahoo and Garmin claim three Bluetooth connections at once, and Cyclingnews gives the H10 two. road.cc ran the HRM 600 with an Edge 830, a Forerunner 955 and Zwift together. My strap pairing guide has the steps.
Running dynamics are the HRM 600's unique card here. Garmin's press release lists stride length, vertical oscillation and ground contact time balance on select watches. road.cc is blunt about it: great for multi-sport athletes, overkill for pure cyclists.
Which to pick
Buy the H10 if you want one strap for any brand and care about validation. It costs the least here on my check, too.
Buy the HRM 600 if you run with a Garmin that reads dynamics, or you swim and want heart rate logged. It's £149.99, the highest of these three.
Buy the TRACKR if you hate coin cells, ride or run with a device always paired, and want the lightest strap: 39 g, With strap against 60 g, With strap; 21 g without for the H10.
My heart-rate monitor roundup goes wider, and the gym and bike goal page has the rest.