Garmin Or Fitbit?

journeyrock92

Hi all,

My husband is wanting to get me a fitness tracker that I can wear as a Christmas present. Problem is, I'm having a hard time deciding which one. I've also heard that Garmin is a good brand, too. All I'm basically looking for is a tracker that will keep up with heart rate, calories burned over the course of the day, and steps taken. Which brand would you recommend getting that's affordable? Thanks!

cwolfman13

A HRM and activity tracker like a FitBit are two very different things and serve different purposes. If you're just looking to track general step type of activity, a FitBit is fine...they have one with a HRM, but that's really irrelevant to the purpose of a FitBit.

If you're wanting to track your HR for training purposes and different zone training, you'd want a HRM...you don't wear these all of the time, only when you're actively training.

It really depends on what your objectives are...I have a Garmin 510 for my bike...but it's really specifically for cycling whereby I can track my HR as well as cadence, speed, elevation, and a whole host of other things that are applicable to what I do.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I had a Fitbit One before Fitbit made HRM models. I got the Fitbit Surge (one of the Fitbits with wrist-based HR) shortly after it came out and stuck with it until just over a week ago. At that point, I upgraded to the Garmin Fenix 3 HR because it has more features and customization (by a large amount) and a much better battery life (especially when using GPS tracking).

For the basics you are saying you want, including wrist-based HR, just go with the Fitbit Charge HR.

NCBWilliams673

I think from what I've heard and limited experience with wrist hr monitors, they are generally accurate only for sedentary and mild motion, being very rough estimates above say 110 bpm. You could not expect to accurately track five zone hr workouts, but they are good if it has the right app for keeping track of the time you are sedentary vs active vs exercising. Many people have wrist trackers with hr for this and steps, but use a hr chest strap for exercise. Now Moov is coming out with a temple hr monitor worn in a sweatband or swim cap. They, of course claim this is more accurate than wrist or chest strap, and have some internal and anecdotal evidence to back it up, but I don't really know.

NorthCascades

Heart rate monitoring isn't really useful for walking for most people. Walking isn't a cardiovascularly intense exercise. The difference between 105 and 115 bpm isn't important when you're walking, and it's as likely to be a result of the coffee you drank as it is of the walk you're doing.

Get whichever one looks nice and is on sale.

Shanairah1991

I used a Fitbit Charge HR throughout my 70lb weight loss. I trusted the calories burnt and it worked out for me. I did weight training and HIIT. I gave it away to a family member and plan on buying a Garmin (when and if I can afford one) because I took up running and I would prefer a garmin for its gps. Good luck!

singletrackmtbr

As always I side with Garmin. Check all the threads here about fitbits breaking down. Garmins are waterproof, and many pair with a chest strap for the best of both worlds.

7lenny7

In my experience, the Fitbit is a poorly made product. I had my Fitbit charge replaced 4 or 5 times under warranty. Now that it's no longer covered, I switched to the Garmin Vivosmart HR.

jennybearlv

I like Garmin because they are waterproof and don't need charged as often as Fitbits. But, what are you looking for in an activity tracker? What do you do for sports or exercise? Do you want a tracker that doubles as a smart watch? Do you want something hidden, that looks like jewelry, or something sporty? Does it need to sync with MFP or any other apps?

journeyrock92

I usually do long walks. I'm mainly looking for a fitness tracker that will tell me how many steps I take each day and how many calories I have burned. I also wouldn't mind knowing my heart rate. I'm sort of leaning towards getting a Fitbit Charger 2, but I'm not sure.

singletrackmtbr

jennybearlv wrote: »

Do you want a tracker that doubles as a smart watch?

Garmin does this as well as Fitbit.

Tacklewasher

One thing is to avoid the Garmin Vivosmart HR. I've had one and it is pretty unreliable and the software has more than it's fair share of bugs. I've replaced mine with the Garmin Vivoactive HR. Much more versatile unit and the software is better. Still not perfect but those things that don't seem to work are common with others (stairs, intensity minutes). And it is much closer to my chest strap for measuring heart rate. Plus I can download golf courses to it.

I don't want a FitBit as they are not waterproof (although I understand they have one waterproof one now).

jjjjemail

Garmin is my choice. Waterproof and works well with biking. That being said if all of your friends are use Fitbit then that may be the way to go

jennybearlv

Do you want to put on a chest strap when you exercise, which is more accurate, or have the HR monitor built into the wristband, which is less accurate but easier to use? If you don't need an HR monitor or smart notifications you can spend less than the Charge 2 and get a thinner wristband or one you can clip on to your bra or put in your pocket. I've heard the clip on ones are better at counting steps especially if you walk with a stroller or cart. Also, how often is it convenient to charge your tracker? Nightly, weekly, or change a battery every six months? Do you want something waterproof or are you good about remembering to take jewelry off before jumping in the pool or shower? Sorry I ask so many questions, but there are a lot of tracker options these days.

U2Bad1

I can't speak for fitbit, but I am very happy with my Garmin vivoactive hr.

_NMW

Love my Garmin Forerunner 35

Briantime

I'm using the Garmin Vivoactive for both step tracking and GPS running tracking. No HR on this model though. I'm very pleased with it.

NorthCascades

jennybearlv wrote: »

Do you want to put on a chest strap when you exercise, which is more accurate, or have the HR monitor built into the wristband, which is less accurate but easier to use?

A third option is to just not track your heart rate while you exercise.

How good an option it is depends what kind of exercise you're doing, and what your goal is with it.

cookma423

like @Briantime, I use the Garmin Vivoactive (though mine has the HR built-in). I absolutely love it, and I have had better luck, reliability, and resiliency with my Garmins than Fitbit. I will say that I like the FitBit app better though; seemed easier, more of my friends were on it, and it seemed to give metrics that were easier to read. I wouldn't trade my Garmins (either one; I have two) for the world. I think that the Vivofit might be a good choice for what it sounds like you want, but ultimately you're going to get a million opinions here. At some point you'll just have to take a leap of faith and pick one. If you end up not liking it, try something else in the future.

NCBWilliams673

If you want to go in depth on the research dcrainmaker.com has in depth reviews of each tracker after using them for a month and has a table at the end of each review comparing it to other similarly priced options. There is a lot in each review but he has it organized well with headings for various sections so you can skip the ones that don't apply to you. Just enter the tracker you are interested in in the search field at the top of his webpage. Someone here mentioned this site to me a bit ago. Very helpful.

MeanderingMammal

jennybearlv wrote: »

Do you want to put on a chest strap when you exercise, which is more accurate, or have the HR monitor built into the wristband, which is less accurate but easier to use?

You're in the realms of spurious accuracy there. Whilst technically correct that electrical detection is marginally more accurate than optical pickup, that's only meaningful for a subset of trainers. Given that there originator is talking about steps, and not about training, the greater accuracy from an HR strap is lost by HR being a meaningless metric.

That said, is generally recommend Garmin. The fitbit social platform is better but the technology is superior and the wider ecosystem is more extensible.

aspencompton

I've been using the FitBit Charge 2 for the last 2 months and I love it. HR, steps, calories burned, and so much more. I believe it to be accurate because I was using a Polar HRM during exercise and I was gaining weight even though I thought I was at a deficit. Once I got the FitBit, I saw it was showing less calories burned, I corrected my calorie intake based on the FitBit measures and am now losing weight.

treehugnmama

I love my garmin vivoactive active hr. I had a wirthings tracker before that tracked my steps and sleep etc and I needed next level when exercise bumped up. I do alot of walking and hiking fast paced. I climb stairs on my breaks. in the summer I swim. I find fitbit to be the trendy tracker but garmin is way better in my opinion. it tracks intensity minutes as well as just steps. as we know walking around daily steps is not the same as a fast paced hilly walk! I'd go garmin hands down.

curlsintherack

My wife got us fitbit charge hrs earlier this year in May. I am on day 1 with my third tracker this morning the other 2 the bands have bubbled and started to separate from the tracker unit. My wife is on her second after her first tracker stopped charging after a month or 2 of use.

Now I will say here that fitbit customer service is fantastic in replacing defective units however the rep I spoke with seemed to believe my bands are separating due to extreme temperature environments like Kayaking in the sun and running in the cold. Now correct me if I'm wrong here but fitbit is designed to track your activity and should be durable enough to do this. If I had this decision to do over again we would both be wearing Garmin units.

Cylphin60

I'm going to pick up the Fitbit Charge 2 later today and can post my impressions of it, even though it won't have seen much use by then. My biggest hurdle has been choosing a device in a flooded market that doesn't come with a ton of options I'll never use. For me, steps/stairs/hr and sleep patterns are the metrics I want to track, and the charge 2 seems to fit that bill for a reasonable price.

journeyrock92

I didn't know it, but my dad ended up getting me the Fitbit Charge 2 for my birthday. So my husband doesn't have to get me one. I still haven't tried it yet, but I would like to know some results. I kind of wish I had went with the Garmin. But what is done is done. Thanks for all the helpful tips, guys! I still might switch later on, if I'm not satisfied with the Fitbit.

Cylphin60

I just finished setting up my charge 2. Super easy setup and firmware update, the size is comfortable, but I'll be swapping out bands if I can find one made of leather or similar. I just don't like it.

Other than that, so far super easy to use. That's all I have at the moment as I've barely moved since setting it up lol.