Wrist-worn hear rate monitors are nice sales gimmicks [click through for video]

When they work, it’s great. The $200 Microsoft Band has given me a deeper look at my intense spinning workouts, which can’t be measured in steps, and the $200 Basis Peak has even calculated my resting heart rate fairly accurately after weeks of wear (confirmed by Dr. Osher to be about 60 beats per minute).

The problem is the results from the wrist are highly erratic, especially when moving.

As I stood stationary on a treadmill in Dr. Osher’s office with EKG-connected electrodes stuck to my chest, she said my heart rate was 72. The Microsoft Band said the same, and the Basis Peak also started out in sync.

But when the treadmill started up and began to incline, the bands had a harder time keeping up than I did. When the EKG said I was at 130, the Basis said 115 and the Microsoft 100.

Unsurprisingly, chest-worn heart rate monitors were accurate during activity. I guess wrist-worn heart rate monitors are still sales gimmicks.