Wahoo Tickr Fit Review

When shopping for a heart rate monitor, you want something that's comfortable and easy to use. You also want it to connect to your fitness apps, smartwatch, bicycle computer, and whatever else you use. The $79.99 Wahoo Tickr Fit meets all of these requirements easily. It has a physical button for quickly switching it on and off, and uses indicator lights to give you feedback about its status. And it's rechargeable, so you never have to worry about replacing a special coin cell battery. It doesn't include all the special features of our Editors' Choice, the Wahoo Tickr X, which doubles as a run tracker and can also count reps when you lift weights. If you prefer an armband, however, and don't need the added features, the Tickr Fit should be on your short list.

Design, Fit, and Battery

The Wahoo Tickr Fit has two components: a sensor and a band. Both are black. The sensor has a white Wahoo logo on its face plus a long, bright blue button on one edge that turns it on and off. An LED next to the logo blinks blue slowly when it's searching for a connection and red rapdily when it's shutting off.

To wear the band, you thread the ends through two slots on either side of the sensor. The inside of the band uses a hook-and-latch fabric so that the ends easily attach and lay flat. There are no added buckles or adjusters. You can get it in a small size (with a maximum 10.2-inch circumference) or large (maximum 14.75 inches). I was able to tighten the large band down to about 8.75 inches, which should work for most people. If your hulking forearms need something larger, try the Polar OH1, which stretches to a 24-inch circumference.

The strap has some give, but I wouldn't call it stretchy, not like an elastic waistband anyway. Because of the material, you'd be hard-pressed to over-tighten it, so that's a plus. You position it right below the elbow, or wherever on your forearm is comfortable. I had a hard time adjusting the size once it was on, however. I had to remove it to tighten it and reattach the ends. Also, be sure to hand wash it only.

When you buy the device, it comes with a USB charger. It's a little disc with tiny prongs and a magnet that snap the sensor into place when you nest it on top. A full charge should last about 30 active hours.

Compatibility, Apps, and Use

I took the Wahoo Tickr Fit with me to the gym and jumped on a treadmill. When I turned on the treadmill's Bluetooth, it found the Tickr Fit quickly, but I declined and opted to use Wahoo's Run Fit app instead. If I had connected to the treadmill, I would have seen my heart rate on the treadmill screen in real time while I worked out.

The Tickr Fit can pair with a range of fitness apps, not only by Wahoo but also Strava, Runtastic, Endomondo, Komoot, and dozens of others. You can also connect it to fitness trackers and bike computers. I connected mine to a Garmin Vivoactive to give it a try. When you use a connected device, whether it's a phone or a watch, you can see your heart rate in real time. Otherwise, you can't.

Just to be clear, the majority of heart rate monitors don't have a display or screen. That means when you put one on, there's no way to see your heart rate. You must connect it to an app, watch, or other compatible device that shows your beats per minute. For example, when I connect my Tickr Fit to my Garmin Vivoactive, the watch shows me my bpm. When I connect the Tickr Fit to my phone and use a Wahoo app to record a treadmill workout, I can see my heart rate in the app. I can also see the history of my heart rate during the workout and after it ends by pulling up a graph in the app. What you can't do is put the HRM on and see your heart rate unless you have a secondary device.

Accuracy

To get a sense of accuracy, I compared the Wahoo Tickr Fit's readings with those coming from two other sources: a Garmin HRM-Dual and a Fitbit Charge 3. The HRM-Dual uses electrical rather than optical sensors to read heart rate, so it's a better point of comparison than simply relying on another optical sensor. The Fitbit Charge 3 uses a built-in optical sensor, but it's on the wrist, so I decided to include its data, too.

I warmed up with a walk, progressed to a jog, and topped it off with an easy-pace run. The whole time, all three devices were nearly in perfect sync. The greatest discrepancy I saw was 2bpm, and it never lasted longer than a minute.

The Wahoo Tickr Fit never lost connectivity with my iPhone or the app. I propped the phone up on the treadmill ledge and left the screen on so I could keep an eye on my heart rate the whole time. The app shows the bpm reading in a large number in the center of a circle. The color around the circle changes to correspond to different heart rate zones. Blue is easy, green is moderate, and so forth. You can customize the range for each zone. The color fills the back of the screen as you get closer to the next one.

During the different phases of my workout, I watched to see if the bpm readings would plateau as my pace steadied. They did. Everything worked as expected. To be perfectly honest, I went in with high expectations for the Wahoo Tickr Fit and Garmin HRMs; it was the Fitbit Charge 3 that surprised me by keeping up so well.

Comparisons and Conclusions

The Wahoo Tickr Fit costs $79.99, which is an attractive price for a comfortable armband HRM that uses ANT+ and Bluetooth. The Polar OH1 sells for the same price and, following an April 2019 firmware update, now supports ANT+ alongside Bluetooth. The Scosche Rhythm+ is similar, and it sells for the same price as well.

Chest strap HRMs generally cost anywhere from about $49 to $99, depending on how new they are and what additional features they have. For example, Wahoo's other top seller, the Tickr X, goes for $99 (although you can usually find it for closer to $75 because it's not the latest model). It comes loaded with features, doubling as a run tracker, and can count reps during strength training with select apps. If you want a basic HRM with no additional features, they sell for around $45. The cheapest ones can be stiff and scratchy, though, so be sure to take materials into consideration.

With that in mind, the Wahoo Tickr Fit is a comfortable and accurate armband heart rate monitor. It has plenty of extra features, plus maximum compatibility with other devices. The price is right, and it's easy to use. So if you're looking for an optical armband HRM, it's definitely one worth checking out.

Wahoo Tickr Fit Specs

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Further Reading

• Hands On: Omron's HeartGuide Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor