EXPERT-TESTED PRODUCTS
GET REAL
The Coospo Realzone H9Z may be a no-frills heart rate monitor, writes Kieran Alger, but it’s cheap, reliable and has a useful rechargeable battery upgrade
The Realzone H9Z chest strap offers much the same basic set-up as its slightly cheaper stablemate, the Coospo H808S. But there’s one big difference: it swaps the classic chest strap coin-op battery for a rechargeable sensor with its own USB dock.
Key features
The H9Z sensor is lighter, more compact and a shade more comfortable than the H808S. Everything else is largely the same. That includes good, reliable connectivity with ANT+ and Bluetooth 5.0, and support for two simultaneous connections to your favourite fitness machines, apps and fitness trackers.
The Coospo Realzone H9Z is IP67 rated, so it’ll handle sweat and rain – and being submerged in a metre of water. But it’s not suitable for swimming. Like the H808S, there’s no onboard memory either, so you can’t track and store workouts independently, and then sync later.
The strap is pretty standard. It’s not as soft as some chest straps, but still perfectly comfortable. In testing, I wore it for up to three hours at a time, plus during lots of dynamic gym sessions, and had no problems with rubbing, chafing or cutting.
Tracking
In terms of tracking, there are no bells and whistles here. The H9Z clocks heart rate, heart rate variability and calories, and offers zone training alerts via the partner app. But there’s no additional smarts, such as running form tracking, step counting or other data you find on pricier straps, such as the Garmin HRM Pro Plus.
There are some really helpful tou
