Looking for input from Fitbit One/Charge HR owners!

jessimacd

So I've been using my Fitbit One for a couple of years now and love it. However, because I have a tendency to want the latest and greatest thing, I've been considering the Charge HR. What I'm wondering is, for anyone who may have owned the One and/or the Charge HR, what would be the advantages (and disadvantages) to upgrading? Having only owned the One myself, here's what I've come up with:

Fitbit One:

Pros
- Great at logging steps; overall have been very happy with its accuracy and its integration with MFP
- I can wear it discreetly on my bra strap (no worrying about it clashing when I'm trying to dress for work)

Cons
- Older model (does newer mean better?)
- Doesn't track heart rate (would my calorie burn data be more accurate with a HR monitor?)
- For activities like basketball, I'm not sure how accurate it is at calculating my calorie burn... Because obviously basketball is more intense than just the steps the One is logging. And I can't really enter it as an activity on MFP, because although it's a 60 min game, we sub every 10 minutes or so, so it's not 60 minutes of continuous activity (I play maybe 40-45 mins). This is where I'm wondering if a HR monitor would be more accurate

Fitbit Charge HR

Pros
- HR monitor means more accurate tracking(?)
- The call display feature seems like it would be cool
- If I'm wearing it continuously on my wrist, I'm more likely to use it for sleep tracking (I find that when I try to use the One for sleep tracking in the arm band thing, it's too out of the norm for me and I toss and turn all night.. very sensitive sleeper!)
- Not likely to ruin it in the washing machine (I've had a couple near-misses with my One)

Cons
- Pricey
- Worn on the wrist instead of discreetly under clothes; may be bulky (I have small wrists); does it look odd when worn with business-casual attire?
- Since it's worn on the wrist, I've heard it can pick up arm movements as "steps". Is this true?
- I play basketball and have heard from other girls that the referee has made them remove their watch-style fitness trackers (this could be a dealbreaker for me... But thought maybe I could cover it with a sweatband?)

Can anyone who's owned the Charge HR (or both) add anything to my pros and cons lists? Obviously I like to make informed decisions, lol.

If it helps, I'm also doing a learn to run program (walking/running intervals) as well as Les Mills Bodypump classes 2-3 times/week at the gym. And I've been dabbling in spinning a bit. So I'm wondering if the Charge HR is for me.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read my novel of a post and responds! :-)

NancyN795

I had a One and now have a Charge HR. You've pretty much got the pros and cons.

I think it looks fine with business casual attire. The Surge is huge (IMO), but the Charge HR is more the size of a medium sized watch. You wouldn't want to wear it for a fancy night out, probably, but it should be fine for every day, even on a small wrist.

I do like having the heart rate monitor. I'm not entirely sure it is more accurate than my One was as far as estimating my TDEE. I didn't notice a dramatic change in my calorie adjustments, but until a couple of months ago I was not logging my food carefully enough to evaluate how accurate my Fitbit was.

Tracking sleep is much, much easier. Not only do you not have to mess with the wristband (or find some other way to fasten it to your wrist), you don't even have to put it into sleep mode. It just figures it out. However, you'd have to get used to wearing it at night. Since you say you're a sensitive sleeper there would probably be a period of adjustment.

I love not having to remember to move it when I change clothes. I love having the display right there whenever I want to see it. I love not worrying about washing it. Washing my One is what caused me to make the switch.

I can't speak to the basketball issue. Both the One and the Charge HR track not only steps, but the intensity of the steps, so your One may do a better job at that than you think. However, the HR may be better at it - if you're allowed to wear it.

Yes, the Charge HR will occasionally pick up false "steps". But, so does your One, you just don't notice it. Both of them also sometimes miss steps. Don't fret over getting an exact step count. The false steps won't be a significant part of your day. One more "con" for the Charge HR. Pushing a shopping cart (or similar, such as a stroller) will cause it to miss a significant number of steps.

The good news is that I understand you can have the best of both worlds. Fitbit now supports having multiple trackers. So, you could wear your Charge HR most of the time, but take it off and clip your One to your bra strap when you can't, or don't want to, wear it on your wrist. I wish I still had my One so that I could do this.

editorgrrl

jmacbrodie wrote: »

Fitbit Charge HR

Pros
- HR monitor means more accurate tracking(?)
- The call display feature seems like it would be cool
- If I'm wearing it continuously on my wrist, I'm more likely to use it for sleep tracking (I find that when I try to use the One for sleep tracking in the arm band thing, it's too out of the norm for me and I toss and turn all night.. very sensitive sleeper!)
- Not likely to ruin it in the washing machine (I've had a couple near-misses with my One)

Cons
- Pricey
- Worn on the wrist instead of discreetly under clothes; may be bulky (I have small wrists); does it look odd when worn with business-casual attire?
- Since it's worn on the wrist, I've heard it can pick up arm movements as "steps". Is this true?
- I play basketball and have heard from other girls that the referee has made them remove their watch-style fitness trackers (this could be a dealbreaker for me... But thought maybe I could cover it with a sweatband?)

I have tiny wrists and the Charge HR is pretty big. You may be more comfortable with the Flex—but it doesn't have a heart rate monitor. Whichever one you choose, buy it at a retail store near you, keep the receipt, and return it if you don't like it.

I can't answer the basketball question, but I can address the business attire. I just had a meeting with the second-in-command at a huge company, and she had a Charge HR, too. (I like my plum better than her slate.) And President Obama wears a Surge, which is even larger.

I had a Flex for almost two years. I lost the weight & have successfully maintained—meaning my Fitbit burn is 100% accurate. I upgraded to the Charge HR because it has a secure buckle—my Flex fell off a handful of times. And because it comes in purple. I"m not very active, so the heart rate monitor wasn't that important to me. But more data is never a bad thing.

The caller ID freaks me out a little. But it has come in handy a few times when my phone rang & I was carrying a bunch of stuff.

Edited to add that you can sync both your Charge HR and your One with the same Fitbit account. So wear the One whenever you have an important meeting.

aSearch4Me

I had a One, and would frequently forget to clip it on in the morning (& hated the wrist band for sleep tracking). I got a Charge HR about a week & a half ago...AND I LOVE IT.

Granted, I have a large bone frame (in addition to being large), so the size of the HR doesn't look weird on my wrist in my opinion, so I can't speak to the dainty wrist question. I think my Charge HR is more accurate at counting steps than my One was (probably something to do w/ my body mechanics). I row in addition to walking/jogging activities, and the Charge HR tracks my heart rate pretty consistently to what the Polar HRM Chest Strap for my rower does. It also is consistent with my Polar HRM watch/strap that I used to use (& don't anymore since getting my Charge HR).

I'm a sensitive sleeper as well, and I think the Charge HR is more comfortable for sleeping than One Wristband.

As far as the arm movements for steps--the only time I have noticed this is when vigorously clapping at a ceremony . I wear mine on my non-dominant hand and I don't usually get false steps.

I wear business attire every day, and I don't think it looks odd. But then again, I work in healthcare administration & there are a lot of people walking around with Fitbits. lol They are actually encouraged...I did get the black band over the plum though, because I thought the black would be a bit more professional than rocking a purple bracelet every day.

jessimacd

Thank you all SO much for your input!! The shopping cart/stroller issue is interesting. I know that with my One, it tracks a lot of steps while I'm driving, so I installed a third party app called "Drivebit"; I just press "start" when I begin my commute and "stop" whe I'm done, and it tells Fitbit that I was driving and cancels out the steps for that time period.
I'm guessing the wristband trackers also have an isue with tracking steps while driving.

editorgrrl

I don't drive, so I can answer that. My Flex & Charge HR get extra steps sometimes, and miss steps sometimes. I don't stress about it, though—because my Fitbit burn is accurate. That's all that really matters!

NancyN795

jmacbrodie wrote: »

Thank you all SO much for your input!! The shopping cart/stroller issue is interesting. I know that with my One, it tracks a lot of steps while I'm driving, so I installed a third party app called "Drivebit"; I just press "start" when I begin my commute and "stop" whe I'm done, and it tells Fitbit that I was driving and cancels out the steps for that time period.
I'm guessing the wristband trackers also have an isue with tracking steps while driving.

Yes, my Charge HR does register a few steps when I'm driving. Mostly, from what I can tell, when stopping & starting. I don't drive very much, so it isn't an issue for me. If I did a lot of driving, I'd use Drivebit.

The shopping cart issue is only a problem for me when I go to Costco, because that's usually a lot of steps with a cart that can't be pushed one-handed and my heart rate isn't elevated. So, I turn off the HR function and put it in my pocket. For shorter trips to the regular grocery store, I try to get one of the small carts and push it mostly with just my left hand. I know it misses a few steps, but not so many that I care. If I still had my One, I'd just use it and leave the Charge HR at home.

bigkahuna1950

My first HR was very inaccurate with steps/miles. I sent fitbit the proof that is was off and they replaced it with another one. This one has been so much more accurate. I use my phone's GPS as I walk and it is generally within 5% of each other.

I love the fact that it has a heart monitor. It motivates me to do more and I can see when I reach cardio and peak burns.

As to the caller ID, i turned mine off. Just something else to run the battery down faster. That is a con...the battery does not last a full 5 days. I generally charge mines every two days before bedtime.

editorgrrl

bigkahuna1950 wrote: »

As to the caller ID, i turned mine off. Just something else to run the battery down faster. That is a con...the battery does not last a full 5 days. I generally charge mines every two days before bedtime.

http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/Tracker-battery-information/

Your Charge HR's battery should last about 5 days.

Increasing the number of alarms you have set on your Charge HR will decrease your battery life. Each alarm reduces battery life by small percentage.

Frequently pressing the Charge HR's button to check your statistics will reduce the battery life.

Frequently receiving call notifications will reduce the battery life.

Keeping the Heart Rate Tracking setting on On will reduce battery life. Change the setting to Auto or, for maximum battery life when you don't need a heart rate reading, change the setting to Off.

FishyK

editorgrrl wrote: »

...you can sync both your Charge HR and your One with the same Fitbit account. So wear the One whenever you have an important meeting.

This. A huge plus to upgrading any Fitbit. Just change your device like you are changing your earrings. I have both a Flex and a Charge HR, and just wear the one that's more appropriate (usually Charge HR). If I had a habit of attending elegant events, I'd probably buy clip on Fitbit also.

skinny4me2be

I had a Fitbit One and now the Charge HR. The HR gives me a waaaay more accurate calorie burn vs my One. I have worn my HR to weddings and work functions just paired it with another bracelet to sort of disguise it. The heart rate monitor compared to my chest strap. My only con for the HR is battery life which is 4-5 days vs 10-12 days on my One. My One was under reporting my calorie burn by 2-500 calories..so I was not eating enough. Now that I am eating more I am losing.

jessimacd

So glad to know that anyone who's made the upgrade is happy!

I'm wondering - is there any reason why I wouldn't want to use a wrist sweatband to cover the Charge HR while playing basketball? Could the moisture get trapped inside and ruin the device? (I know.. I tend to overthink things. Lol!)

editorgrrl

jmacbrodie wrote: »

Is there any reason why I wouldn't want to use a wrist sweatband to cover the Charge HR while playing basketball? Could the moisture get trapped inside and ruin the device?

I think you're more likely to cause skin irritation than damage it: https://www.fitbit.com/productcare

kuranda10

For wear with business attire, formal attire etc, there are "bracelets" on amazon and etsy that are designed to cover it up.

I just went to the local Claire type store and bought a bangle that fits over it.

jessimacd

Well, I went and got a Charge HR on the weekend, and so far I'm really liking it! I'm not finding it nearly as obtrusive as I thought it would be, and even though a couple of times I was skeptical about the accuracy of the heart rate monitor (it often shows my resting heart rate as being as low as 53 bpm), upon checking it against my own manual count, I've found it to be very accurate!

So.... So far, so good! (Note: I'm a chronic returner/victim of buyer's remorse so I do have 30 days to change my mind, but I'm hoping it continues to perform as well as it has so far!).

I got size small which is funny because I've seen people complaining about how the size small is really only meant for "children".. Yet I'm 5'9" and still have at least 20 lbs to lose. lol.

NancyN795

jmacbrodie wrote: »

Well, I went and got a Charge HR on the weekend, and so far I'm really liking it! I'm not finding it nearly as obtrusive as I thought it would be, and even though a couple of times I was skeptical about the accuracy of the heart rate monitor (it often shows my resting heart rate as being as low as 53 bpm), upon checking it against my own manual count, I've found it to be very accurate!

So.... So far, so good! (Note: I'm a chronic returner/victim of buyer's remorse so I do have 30 days to change my mind, but I'm hoping it continues to perform as well as it has so far!).

I got size small which is funny because I've seen people complaining about how the size small is really only meant for "children".. Yet I'm 5'9" and still have at least 20 lbs to lose. lol.

I'm glad you're liking it. I wish I could figure out the secret formula they use for resting heart rate. I know for a fact that mine is around 45-50 (I take my blood pressure every morning and my heart rate is always in that range when I do). But, I can't get my Fitbit to measure my resting heart rate below the upper 50s, sometimes over 60.

Wrist size is a funny thing and I don't think it is as affected by excess weight as other measurements. I got a large and it fits me fine. I'm 5'1". My son, who is almost 6' also wears a large. When we measured, his wrist was pretty much the same size as mine. His hands are much bigger than mine. (We can't quite figure out where he got those hands - my husband and I both have smallish hands with stubby fingers and he has big hands with long fingers.)