Initially, I purchased this product from my local bike shop for $120. After getting it home and opening the package, I realized that the watch/monitor was totally dead. I contacted the manufacturer who stated the battery was dead and that it needed to be replaced. The manufacturer wanted me to send them the unit and they would replace the battery for free. But, since I already paid $120 for the unit, I did not want to incur the cost of shipping the unit on top of that.

I returned the unit and found it at Amazon for $75. After reading other reviews about the product, it seems that all of these units were made in 2003 and the batteries are pretty much guaranteed to be dead. I ordered the product from Amazon realizing that I would have to replace the battery. Once I got the unit, the battery was indeed dead. I found the replacement battery at Wal-mart for < $10. I did replace the battery myself (this is not recommended by the manufacturer), but a jeweler or any place that changes general watch batteries can perform the battery change.

Overall, I am very happy with the unit since having the battery replaced. It has quite a few nice features and the Amazon price was far less than the local bike shop price (even including the cost of the battery replacement).

Having heard rumor that the company has not made this device in some time, I contacted tech. support. They confirmed that was the case , but stated that over the last six months they had been replacing batteries in thousands of units and anything on the market should be ok. Guess what? Mine came with a dead battery. This was replaced at no charge.

I was delighted with my PRO 9 HRM for several years. The functionality is superb and the controls are very easy to navigate (it did take a few iterations before I understood the instruction booklet).

When the battery died, I took it to the local battery store franchise. The guy easily took off the back and replaced the battery, but he took about ten minutes to get it back together. Most of that time was putting the band back on. He didn't charge me anything except the cost of the battery. Didn't affect the waterproofing at all.

HOWEVER, when the band finally wore out and broke, I called Sports Instruments to obtain a replacement band. After several phone calls to different companies, I ended up leaving a few messages with the guy who supposedly could help. He never returned my calls.

Too bad this good product line was bought by people who don't care about it. Now I have to go through the whole HRM decision process again. ARGHH!

it also fails because of the case breaking off the little 'ears' that hold the band on

i;ve broken about 8 of them now

ridiculous

at least [...] takes them back every time

i finally got a pro 9 metal from them

wle.

Sports Instruments (SI) was a Utah based company with 3-4 employees that was sold to Bell Sports in 2004 (and Bell Sports was later sold to Easton Sports in 2006). SI's activities had slowed, and it is reasonable to believe that Sports Instruments Pro, Fit and ECG Heart Rate Wristwatches were last produced in 2003 or earlier. Products were made in Asia by a reputable factory.

Designer and competitive masters athlete Bill Corliss created products with an intelligently designed user interface that was easy to use. The Pro 7 and Pro 9 Hear Rate Wristwatches provided detailed and valuable data for the serious athlete. The Fit and the earlier ECG Fitness Heart Rate Wristwatches had fewer advanced features. The chest transmitter should work with most fitness equipment designed to work with the Polar standard.

If you buy SI branded Pro, Fit or ECG products, you should know that the original watch batteries are at the end of their shelf life. Unless the seller has recently replaced batteries, you will quickly or immediately face the burden and cost of dealing with battery issues.

Replacing the watch batteries is too difficult for most consumers. Even a professional repair person must use care to maker certain that the parts are precisely returned to the original positions to maintain water resistance. Expect to pay $9-20 to have the watch battery replaced, and tell your repair person you want the product to keep its water resistance. The battery on the wireless chest transmitter may be less drained than the watch's and is user replaceable, a nice feature. The chest transmitter's CR2032 3-volt lithium battery should be available for under $4. Total outlay for 2 batteries: $13-24.

The Sports Instruments Pro, Fit and ECG products are closeouts with manufacturing dates of 2003 or earlier. If you are willing to deal with battery replacement issues, make certain that you get a good enough price to justify the added repair burdens ... and that you get good information about how to obtain warranty service from a brand that is no longer produced.