Fitness Bands - Cheap and Cheerful?

bubbles9021

Hi Guys!

So I'm looking to get a fitness band to help keep me in-line with my new healthy lifestyle. Mainly I want to track of my steps but anything else is great. I have found that pedometers aren't always reliable as a slight knock can count as 3 steps or a slow pace doesn't recognise all steps taken!
I am currently trying the Pacer app but I don't think it's recording my steps well enough or its not recording when I'm holding it in my hand - and I don't always have pockets!

I'd like to go for something that doesn't cost the earth as saving is a big thing for me atm - Getting Married in December! But I don't want to waste money on something that isn't going to do what I need accurately. That's where you guys come in. I've seen a lot of posts about different bands and how great they are but I don't know what it is I exactly need to get the most of my money. Or what device would be best for value.

Any help would be great!
S x

Redbeard333

I'm enjoying using my Fitbit Charge I bought off eBay in March for ~$88. I didn't want to spend the $125 for a new one, so I found one that was used as a display at a trade show and bought it. It's pretty darn cool, since it syncs up nicely with MFP, and the fitbit.com site gives you a dashboard you can view your current stats at (calories in vs. calories out, # of steps, # of active minutes, pounds to goal weight, etc.).

I'm sure others will chime in with their favorites, but I'm really digging the Charge

Mjones23456

I have the Peak Basis and love all of the data. The drawback is the limited ability to sync with other apps.

madhatter2013

I use this Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer. I love this thing. I have been through many pedometers and this is the one I love. It comes with software to download your steps every night and it's fairly cheap. I paid less than $40 for mine. It tracks steps, aerobic steps, calories burned and miles walked. I also have 2 setzs of this Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set with Door Anchor, Ankle Strap, Exercise Chart, and Resistance Band Carrying Case. I keep one at work and have one at home. They are also less than $40. Black Mountain is a great brand, highly reviewed. These are the things I use and highly recommend. I also have a balance ball I sit on at work instead of a chair but that's neither here nor there. It's just a personal preference cause I don't like chairs.

IammeCA

A great deal depends on what you want. Pretty much any of them have the basic step counting functionality. I have tried Fitbit, Jawbone and Misfit. All 3 had pros and cons.

The Jawbone had a function to vibrate if you have been sitting still too long which I really liked, but I didn't like the band without a clasp or not being able to sync to my PC. The Misfit looked good and it was waterproof but it also didn't sync to PC plus Android users are really second class citizens in the Misfit world. The iphone app had more features and was being updated more regularly. Fitbit is what I currently use. I like that it syncs to my PC but I wish it had some of the functions of the others.

So it depends on what is important to you.

angelexperiment

Well what features do you want or need? Some have altimeter (count stairs) others don't.

angelexperiment

I have a vivofit2 it is great. It pairs with a strap hrm (heart rate monitor) which I read are most accurate for a hrm. Step wise I read the fit bitzip pedometer is most accurate at about 60. The fit bit one is 100 but again a pedometer for the pocket.there are the fit bit flex, surge, and charge. All progressive in price.

then there is polar loop which can also pair with chest strap hrm. It is around 80. But tge hrm is seperate cost of about 60. Or get a bundle.

then there is garmin vivofit2, vivofit, vivosmart, and vivo I forget the name on it. But these too with base model being the vivofit at around 125. I think. My vivofit 2 was 129.00 in a bundle I bought on amazon. Ordinary it is 145.

I like it because it is waterproof, where the fitbits are water resistant so I can swim with it. It has a back light where the vivofit does not. It counts steps even while using a stroller. It counts calories burned. It has a more secure latch band than vivofit. It has a sleep tracker the vivofit does not. It has a non led display. A timer. Oh and distance tracked which the polar loop does not have.

there are more ch3aper trackers like jawbone up, and some other brands I don't know the names of all. To me I read reviews on them all. I wanted to not have to replace ut in a few months. My battery ladts one year and does not need charging like other trackers. It syncs easier than the vivofit but it is not compatible with android. So I got one that is more than I would have paid but has all the features that are important to me. Id l9ve to have the one with gps but thats something quite a bit more expensive.

ive also heard good things on the garmin forerunner.

editorgrrl

I love my Fitbit activity tracker. I lost the weight & have maintained for more than ten months. They make several models, starting at US$60.

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

bubbles9021

Thanks everyone and sorry for the late reply! I mainly go on MFP app and for some reason the community pages aren't loading!

My main reason for wanting a tracker is to have a bit more of a reliable source of my daily steps, calories burned, etc.

Anyway, I've been looking at reviews on YouTube for different trackers to try and narrow down what one i want to get. Currently there is a store that has the FitBit Charge on offer for £84.99 with the FitBit Flex still at £65. The only thing that puts me off is how bulky looking the charge seems to be. I like the fact that they both track sleep as I am a restless sleeper and want to try and see if there is a pattern in my sleep - but they both have to be told that its sleep time don't they? (i.e don't auto recognise sleep) I'm not much of a water sports person so being waterproof inst a biggy for me but being water resistant for the shower is obviously great. As I'll be using the app with whatever tracker i get i don't think that i will need to worry about a display although it is a nice idea to be able to see progress at a quick glance. I've also heard that there is a silent alarm (vibrating) built into the Charge but is this a feature on the Flex? And do the apps differ depending on the model being used?

Thanks for all your replies so far!
S x

editorgrrl

All Fitbits use the same app. All the wristbands have a vibrating alarm.

I have tiny wrists, and the Fitbit Charge HR is much larger than the Flex. I upgraded because it has a real buckle (like a watch), and I eventually got used to the size. The Charge HR knows when you're asleep, but I don't know about the Charge. The Flex doesn't—but I always put mine in & out of sleep mode via the app rather than tapping it. YMMV.

Vinwah26

I have the Garmin Vivofit.
It cost around $80aud but it is the baseline product of the fitness tracking bands.
It is water resistant upto 50m apparently not game to try and test it's limits however in the shower is fine.
You can get band packs to change the colours blue purple teal black grey red. You get a large and a small band in the box. A bluetooth USB connector for computers.
It measures steps calories burnt distance goals time date and HR if you get the HRM strap which is sold in a bundle pack or separate.

I recommend getting a more advanced one if you want other features.
This doesn't have backlit display so you need a light on to see it. No alarm or vibrations.
It has a red line indicator if you a stationary for 1hr and every 15 min after this a red dot apears untill you move again.

I'm happy with my purchase i even bought one for the Missus too.