Brie...so sorry it took me so long to get this information for you. You've probably already gone and bought your heart rate monitor! I just kept forgetting to call my Mom and ask.

Anyhow, hers is the chest band with the watch and the brand is Polar. She paid $75 for both the band and watch but that was through her local Y. She says she knows they are also available through Dunham Sports (dunno if they have those in your area but figured it was worth mentioning).

She says that the chest band and watch work with some of the cardio machines at her Y (I think they are called Impulse) so that you don't even need the watch part if you're using those machines.

I've decided I would like to invest in one of these too, so if you've already bought yours, I'd be interested in hearing about which one it is and how you like it. Ditto that if you haven't yet bought it but will be soon.

Sorry again for the delay!

I have a Polar as well. I'm really happy with it.

I have a Polar HRM and it works well. They have really come down in price. If possible, get the one that has a built-in stopwatch too so you don't have to wear two watches.

Thanks for passing along the info. I posed the question for a friend of mine and she did go ahead and buy a Polar (in the same price range). She hasn't gotten it yet but I'll let you know what she says about it.