Activity tracker recommendations

abhinavsood89
abhinavsood89 Posts: 11 Member
edited March 2018 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone.

This might seem like a recurring post in the forums - I did read through other posts in the forums about recommendations for activity trackers however I found that many of the recommendations are beyond my budget. I thought of creating a new thread to seek recommendations for my needs and budget, and any suggestions are welcome!

I am looking for an activity tracker that can:
1. Track Sleep
2. Monitor Heart Rate
3. Track Activities (I walk and run mostly, lift weights and bike occasionally and plan to start swimming soon)
4. Provide details such as pace, cadence, elevation, etc.
5. Connect with my Android phone (One Plus 5)

My budget is about $250 to $400, and I'd like to have something light weight mostly because I have not worn watches for the most part of my life (or your feedback if this does not matter :smile: ).

I have looked at:
1. Garmin Vivoactive HR
2. Garmin Vivoactive 3

I would like your feedback on these choices, as well as any other suggestions that you might have. I definitely like Vivoactive 3 but I want to know if there are significant differences between the HR and the 3. I wanted to check out Fitbit as well but the number of models they have is mind-boggling and I got lost in the process.

(I am also curious if anyone else here is in Canada and has used Manulife's Wellbeing account for buying a fitness tracker - I would love to know your experience about what trackers were covered)

So, I would like to ask you. How has your experience with fitness trackers been and what are your favorite trackers? What would you recommend for me?

Looking forward to your suggestions! :smiley:

* Oh, and if there's a tie, I can buy two as well and gift one to my brother for his birthday :smile:

Replies

  • abhinavsood89
    abhinavsood89 Posts: 11 Member
    It seems that Fitbit Ionic and Fitbit Versa might be formidable choices as well.

    TBH, digging through older posts and reading all the reviews is starting to get overwhelming so I think some actual recommendations might help me find something. All suggestions/recommendations are welcome!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Go to dcrainmaker.com and read his reviews of the devices you're interested in. He writes very thorough, comprehensive reviews of fitness/activity trackers, many with comparison tables with other devices included.
  • Srgwrd
    Srgwrd Posts: 1 Member
    I am buying the Fitbit Versa, it tracks all you mentioned it seems light and is $200 usd, you can check the reviews on Youtube, it comes out on April 16 I think
  • melissa6771
    melissa6771 Posts: 894 Member
    Srgwrd wrote: »
    I am buying the Fitbit Versa, it tracks all you mentioned it seems light and is $200 usd, you can check the reviews on Youtube, it comes out on April 16 I think

    I am preordering this today as well. Excited for it to come. Looks like it has all the features I've been looking for
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Go to dcrainmaker.com and read his reviews of the devices you're interested in. He writes very thorough, comprehensive reviews of fitness/activity trackers, many with comparison tables with other devices included.

    I'd second this.

    ersonally, I'd steer clear of Fitbit. I run, cycle, swim and want to analyse the statistics so use a Garmin.
  • melissa6771
    melissa6771 Posts: 894 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Go to dcrainmaker.com and read his reviews of the devices you're interested in. He writes very thorough, comprehensive reviews of fitness/activity trackers, many with comparison tables with other devices included.

    I'd second this.

    ersonally, I'd steer clear of Fitbit. I run, cycle, swim and want to analyse the statistics so use a Garmin.

    I'm curious why you say you'd steer clear of Fitbit?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited April 2018
    melissa6771 wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Go to dcrainmaker.com and read his reviews of the devices you're interested in. He writes very thorough, comprehensive reviews of fitness/activity trackers, many with comparison tables with other devices included.

    I'd second this.

    ersonally, I'd steer clear of Fitbit. I run, cycle, swim and want to analyse the statistics so use a Garmin.

    I'm curious why you say you'd steer clear of Fitbit?

    They're low end technology. They entered the market through the step tracking end, and they've been trying to break into the more sophisticated end for several generations of device. Garmin and Suunto were already producing good devices when they stepped into the low end of the market, so their products have superior build quality and technology. Polar are similar, although their HR monitoring tech is their strong point.

    My watch can connect to my laptop, tablet, phone, HR strap, footpod, cadence monitor, speed monitor, power meter and video camera. Fitbit can't do that. It doesn't even contain the underlying technology that would allow it to do so.

    If I'm running I can determine pace length, vertical movement, the balance in running efficiency in each leg. That's all information that feeds in to my training.

    If I'm swimming I'll get number of strokes, distance of stroke, HR, cumulative distance, fatigue, and an efficiency measure.
  • t4nn1e
    t4nn1e Posts: 46 Member
    I’ve preordered the versa too so I’m looking forward to it arriving as well! I’m not a professional sports person so I think it’ll more than be enough for me :)
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Also suggest dcrainmaker, but you may want to look at the Fenix 3HR. It's a bit big but connects to more things than the two you listed (as far as I know). Pricing is under $400 CDN on it. But it is as big as a Fenix 5x
  • melissa6771
    melissa6771 Posts: 894 Member
    t4nn1e wrote: »
    I’ve preordered the versa too so I’m looking forward to it arriving as well! I’m not a professional sports person so I think it’ll more than be enough for me :)

    What color did you order? I'm planning on getting the silver. I keep debating between the silver and the black because I'm a hairdresser and I don't want it to get dirty from haircolor but I think It will look a lot nicer and brighter on my wrist. I have found the new fit bit's to be fairly accurate and like you, I'm not a runner or a swimmer so it does everything I need. Sleep tracking, calories, and tracking my steps and workouts.

    I went to pre-order it last night with 20% off but then realized my whole wallet was missing. I got rear-ended on the way home from the gym yesterday and apparently in the chaos my wallet got lost or stolen. So someone made out with a lot of cash, some gift cards and all my stuff. Now I can't order until my new cards come. Hopefully tomorrow.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    In terms of Garmin, if you're going to be looking at any of the Fenix series watches, make sure to also check out the Forerunner 935. It is essentially a Fenix 5 but made out of plastic instead of metal and thus less expensive. The Forerunner 735 and Forerunner 645 would also be a good to look at given they both have the ability to track swimming.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    t4nn1e wrote: »
    I’ve preordered the versa too so I’m looking forward to it arriving as well! I’m not a professional sports person so I think it’ll more than be enough for me :)

    Fwiw the point was that you get far more for your money elsewhere. The Versa is about 25% more expensive than the equivalent Garmin.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    I'd had nothing but issues with my last Fitbit. I got a Garmin Vivoactive 3 for Christmas and love it.
  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    I like the fitbit software. But I hated the Bluetooth connectivity issues to my phone as well general bugginess. I'm prepping to do my workout, now sitting around waiting for GPS signals and phone connection, then reboot everything, then activities not getting logged. etc. etc. HRM suddenly stopping etc. Fitbit wasn't a fun experience for me.

    Currently using Samsung Gear S3, its not a fitness tracker rather a smartwatch. , But it is solid hardware and does a lot of things well. Never has connectivity problems, and it works well in standalone has its own GPS and wifi. The problem is the SHealth software is a disaster, its completely disorganized and has lack of workout options on the watch. The UA apps for the watch are really pretty great, but had sync issues early on. Those are finally working better and things are syncing up, but they still over estimate calories by a lot. so for pure fitness I wouldn't recommend. My mother who is avid race walker, uses the Garmin Vivo and she has nothing but great things to say.
  • abhinavsood89
    abhinavsood89 Posts: 11 Member
    Thank you so much again, all you wonderful folks. I just went ahead and ordered the Garmin Vivoactive 3 :smiley: I indulged a little and ordered Slate with Black Silicone which is slightly more expensive due to the color. But, oh well! :smile:

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