Which activity tracker works best with MFP?
kiela64
Posts: 1,447 Member
I think I’ve lost my tracker. I went on a walk yesterday, got coffee, bought groceries, and by the time I got home it was gone. I’m going to check the coffee shop lost & found but I’m fairly sure it’s gone. I’ve worn it in my pocket because I’d read that was more accurate (but perhaps less safe).
I had an old Misfit Flash from 2015, I’m not sure they even make them anymore. But before I lost it, I was having issues syncing. It would skip days, give me a drastically high number of calories & just be really vague & weird about it. I would barely move and it would already sync and give me 100+ calories “from exercise” for no reason I could discern. Then it wouldn’t finish logging my steps until the next day, after I’d already completed my diary.
What I liked about it was: I didn’t have to wear it on my wrist (although I might have to reconsider that because of the getting lost bit), it was waterproof/had swim tracking, no charging (just a battery replacement every 6+ months) & inexpensive (like $30 on sale).
What I didn’t like: claimed to have a readable watch with dots but in reality I couldn’t tell time on it, accessories (band & clip) broke easily, not much information other than steps/time of a dedicated exercise (if I walked too slowly it didn’t count). But mainly the syncing issue.
I was wondering if there is a kind of tracker that doesn’t have the MFP syncing issue?
And if there is and there’s one that his enough of my interest points I’ll probably look there to replace it.
I had an old Misfit Flash from 2015, I’m not sure they even make them anymore. But before I lost it, I was having issues syncing. It would skip days, give me a drastically high number of calories & just be really vague & weird about it. I would barely move and it would already sync and give me 100+ calories “from exercise” for no reason I could discern. Then it wouldn’t finish logging my steps until the next day, after I’d already completed my diary.
What I liked about it was: I didn’t have to wear it on my wrist (although I might have to reconsider that because of the getting lost bit), it was waterproof/had swim tracking, no charging (just a battery replacement every 6+ months) & inexpensive (like $30 on sale).
What I didn’t like: claimed to have a readable watch with dots but in reality I couldn’t tell time on it, accessories (band & clip) broke easily, not much information other than steps/time of a dedicated exercise (if I walked too slowly it didn’t count). But mainly the syncing issue.
I was wondering if there is a kind of tracker that doesn’t have the MFP syncing issue?
And if there is and there’s one that his enough of my interest points I’ll probably look there to replace it.
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I current have a Samsung Gear Sport. I have had it for about a month and a half now. I do not have any issues syncing it with MFP. It is waterproof up to 50 meters. You can track detailed information from workouts. It tracks and displays real time steps, calories, floors climbed (up and down stairs), heart rate. From personal experience, the samsung app tracks calories burned better than the UA apps (UA apps tend to overestimate). It also tracks sleeping automatically. It seems pretty sturdy. I have not noticed any stretching of the band. It doesn't feel like anything will break any time soon.
Downsides: it requires charging every couple of days. It is a smart watch, so you do have to wear it on your wrist. It is also a little spendy (typically runs around ($250-$280)
I have really enjoyed having it though. I think it was worth the purchase. Below is a screen shot of data recorded from a crossfit workout.
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I would also like to add that included with the watch is 1 year of MFP premium. So that has been pretty nice too.0
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Cassandraw3 wrote: »I current have a Samsung Gear Sport. I have had it for about a month and a half now. I do not have any issues syncing it with MFP. It is waterproof up to 50 meters. You can track detailed information from workouts. It tracks and displays real time steps, calories, floors climbed (up and down stairs), heart rate. From personal experience, the samsung app tracks calories burned better than the UA apps (UA apps tend to overestimate). It also tracks sleeping automatically. It seems pretty sturdy. I have not noticed any stretching of the band. It doesn't feel like anything will break any time soon.
Downsides: it requires charging every couple of days. It is a smart watch, so you do have to wear it on your wrist. It is also a little spendy (typically runs around ($250-$280)
I have really enjoyed having it though. I think it was worth the purchase. Below is a screen shot of data recorded from a crossfit workout.
Thank you!! This sounds/looks awesome, and thank you for showing the details.
But yes, it is a little pricey and out of my expected realm (under $100). I may have to wait a couple months and save up for something good though.
I've found it truly is necessary to track my activity because it's so varied with my active job and non-active and necessary rest days (it's going to go down now my hours are reducing in the fall for school, but I'm hoping this means I can start incorporating exercise again, such as swimming which is more knee-friendly than work).
I like the stairs climbed feature, because I'm trying to take care of my knees and I find stairs to be a tad dangerous for them. So if I'm thinking "wow my knees hurt a ton but I didn't even walk as much as I did the other day" I might see "oh I actually did more stairs" etc. idk. It seems useful.
My concern about wrist wearing is that my arms are heavily involved in my job. I am picking things up and carrying them while walking and standing still while shifting things. I worry either a wrist-worn tracker will think I am standing still and waving my arms around to try to fake movement and not count steps, or will overestimate my steps massively.
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Since it has a built in gps, I have not had an issue with it counting arm movements as steps. The only time is did something crazy for me was when I was digging in my purse for something, it thought I was working out. If you are looking for something a little more "budget friendly", I know a lot of people do tend to like fitbits and they seem to sync pretty well to MFP. The fitbit flex 2 also works for tracking swimming and other activities. It doesn't have a standard watch face. It usually runs around $60. I have heard of people having issues with bands breaking on fitbits, but I do not have any experience personally to let you know on that.
ETA: Also, since it tracks heart rate, it is much less likely to overestimate exertion and calories burned. At least from my experience. I know the heart rate tracking is not 100% accurate, but it can give a decent approximation.1 -
Cassandraw3 wrote: »Since it has a built in gps, I have not had an issue with it counting arm movements as steps. The only time is did something crazy for me was when I was digging in my purse for something, it thought I was working out. If you are looking for something a little more "budget friendly", I know a lot of people do tend to like fitbits and they seem to sync pretty well to MFP. The fitbit flex 2 also works for tracking swimming and other activities. It doesn't have a standard watch face. It usually runs around $60. I have heard of people having issues with bands breaking on fitbits, but I do not have any experience personally to let you know on that.
ETA: Also, since it tracks heart rate, it is much less likely to overestimate exertion and calories burned. At least from my experience. I know the heart rate tracking is not 100% accurate, but it can give a decent approximation.
Thank you! Oh I didn't know that about the HR tracking, I thought it was more for steady-state cardio a-la running/cycling. That's good to know! I might be more likely to get something with that, then.
Thank you! That does look more in my price range for something I could get now without feeling like I was spending too much. But I did see there were some syncing issues with fitbit around the forums, I'd have to do a little more research & maybe talk to a few people who have them and see how it goes.0 -
I have the Fitbit Flex 2. It’s not horribly ugly which is my issue with most fitness trackers. It’s also waterproof if that is something you are looking for. I loved Jawbone UP Move bc it was a clip on, but their app has gone offline since May.
Ps. You can get it on Amazon for $58.1 -
I have the Fitbit Flex 2. It’s not horribly ugly which is my issue with most fitness trackers. It’s also waterproof if that is something you are looking for. I loved Jawbone UP Move bc it was a clip on, but their app has gone offline since May.
Ps. You can get it on Amazon for $58.
Thank you!! It seems to be my top contender at the moment. So few seem to be waterproof, which seems strange to me. I believe it may be a little more pricey in Canada, but if it's around $60 USD it's probably still under $100 CAD.
If I may ask some questions - Do you sync yours with MFP and have you had any issues? Also, how comfortable is it on your wrist? The Misfit had a round watch face and I found it mildly irritating. I've seen the design of the Flex 2 is more long and thin. I understand there is no time-telling feature at all? Any other thoughts/review points with using it with MFP?0 -
I’ve had mine for about one week, so I’m a new user. I do have it synced to MFP, I haven’t had any issues. I find it very comfortable and haven’t experienced any issues. I have a small wrist and it fits perfectly. The band is very soft and flexible & wraps perfectly around. There is no screen, so you’d have to open the app to see steps. You can set an alarm so that it vibrates to wake you up.1
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I’ve had mine for about one week, so I’m a new user. I do have it synced to MFP, I haven’t had any issues. I find it very comfortable and haven’t experienced any issues. I have a small wrist and it fits perfectly. The band is very soft and flexible & wraps perfectly around. There is no screen, so you’d have to open the app to see steps. You can set an alarm so that it vibrates to wake you up.
Thank you! The no screen is fine, I don't mind checking the app for steps. The only think I noticed when I wore my Misfit on my wrist at work was people kept asking me for the time and it was hecka embarrassing to have to say it wasn't a watch XD So I was hoping the next thing I got might have the time. The alarm sounds cool. I'll look into it more, thank you again!0 -
I've had several Fitbits and they reliably synced with MFP. Now I have an Apple Watch, the syncing leaves much to be desired. It's like the activity app talks to the health app which talks to MFP. Not so great.0
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mrowrmeowmrowr wrote: »I've had several Fitbits and they reliably synced with MFP. Now I have an Apple Watch, the syncing leaves much to be desired. It's like the activity app talks to the health app which talks to MFP. Not so great.
Thank you! That’s a strong vote for Fitbit functioning with MFP. I have no interest in an Apple Watch. I really don’t want to feel connected to my phone with text alerts and email, etc. Fitbit only has 2 waterproof trackers I think, the Flex2 & the Iconic/Versa (similar & pricey). I’m hesitant with the Flex2 just because of the charging, but that seems to be hard to avoid. I kind of feel like if I have to charge it I should get a little more of an interesting device but idk. Maybe making the switch to Fitbit is enough I should probably investigate the app to learn more about how their data functions...
Last night my dad and I were looking up consumer reports at the Library on these, and these 4 were sort of the top rated ones. I’d be interested in knowing anyone’s experience with using any of these with MFP: Garmin Vivofit3,
Garmin Forerunner 35, Fitbit Flex 2, Misfit Shine 2
I really appreciate your help ❤️❤️0 -
IMO, you get what your pay for with these things. Based on what you've said you want, go with a fitbit.2
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So I read this article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/health-fitness/best-cheap-fitness-trackers/
And it was also a good vote for the Fitbit Flex 2, so that remains in my list. But it also made me very curious about the Moov Now and Huawei Pro & Garmin Vivofit 4 & whether they work well with MFP or not really. Maybe a more unknown brand is more of a risk?0 -
So I read this article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/health-fitness/best-cheap-fitness-trackers/
And it was also a good vote for the Fitbit Flex 2, so that remains in my list. But it also made me very curious about the Moov Now and Huawei Pro & Garmin Vivofit 4 & whether they work well with MFP or not really. Maybe a more unknown brand is more of a risk?
Be aware that indeed the cheaper brands don't sync with MFP through their app, but there may be a 3rd party app that does, so round-about can get there.
Also be aware that some less-known brands report their info differently, some take the Apple approach and you have a daily calorie burn, and an exercise calorie burn that is not included in the daily figure.
Or sometimes a base calorie burn (like their math for sedentary that may or may not match MFP sedentary), and then an Active calorie burn for anything above that.
Problem with those methods if reported in the sync - MFP is only going to do math correctly if it receives a TDEE calorie burn, and as the term implies, that would include any exercise calories received.
Even if the optional method of sending workouts over is used, like Garmin correctly does.
So if the desire to sync with MFP is for MFP to correct itself to potentially better estimates of activity level and therefore daily eating goal - some of those won't work even if they do sync.
If it's to merely sync over a workout so your friend's list can see it and you don't manually post about it - some don't even do that optional transfer like Fitbit doesn't.2 -
I had the Garmin the battery laster forever and it tracked my steps and synced with MFP but that's about it.
I now have the Fitbit Ionic and it auto tracks my most popular activities (Running, Biking & Swimming) You can set it to not send you alerts for texts and emails ect. Yes I have to charge it twice a week but I just charge it at work. The only downfall for me was it tracks everything and once you sync with the app I can never eat enough calories to complete my food entry on MFP. So maybe it over tracks my exercise. Plus having other fitness friends on the fitbit tends to give me incentive to do more!2 -
So I read this article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/health-fitness/best-cheap-fitness-trackers/
And it was also a good vote for the Fitbit Flex 2, so that remains in my list. But it also made me very curious about the Moov Now and Huawei Pro & Garmin Vivofit 4 & whether they work well with MFP or not really. Maybe a more unknown brand is more of a risk?
Be aware that indeed the cheaper brands don't sync with MFP through their app, but there may be a 3rd party app that does, so round-about can get there.
Also be aware that some less-known brands report their info differently, some take the Apple approach and you have a daily calorie burn, and an exercise calorie burn that is not included in the daily figure.
Or sometimes a base calorie burn (like their math for sedentary that may or may not match MFP sedentary), and then an Active calorie burn for anything above that.
Problem with those methods if reported in the sync - MFP is only going to do math correctly if it receives a TDEE calorie burn, and as the term implies, that would include any exercise calories received.
Even if the optional method of sending workouts over is used, like Garmin correctly does.
So if the desire to sync with MFP is for MFP to correct itself to potentially better estimates of activity level and therefore daily eating goal - some of those won't work even if they do sync.
If it's to merely sync over a workout so your friend's list can see it and you don't manually post about it - some don't even do that optional transfer like Fitbit doesn't.
Oh geez. Thank you so much!!! ❤️ I didn’t even consider this. Yeah my goal is absolutely to make MFP’s eating goal more accurate. Which trackers would do that? Maybe then not the Moov or Huawei - but also not the Fitbit or Garmin?
I don’t care about posting anything about my activity. I’m capable of posting a status to MFP if I think the thing needs to be Known lol.0 -
I have a Garmin and it links/syncs flawlessly with MFP. Fitbit has had intermittent connection/syncing problems (as can be seen by many threads in the Suggestions forum). I haven't seen any issues with my Garmin, and I've been using it with MFP for over a year now.1
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I had the Garmin the battery laster forever and it tracked my steps and synced with MFP but that's about it.
I now have the Fitbit Ionic and it auto tracks my most popular activities (Running, Biking & Swimming) You can set it to not send you alerts for texts and emails ect. Yes I have to charge it twice a week but I just charge it at work. The only downfall for me was it tracks everything and once you sync with the app I can never eat enough calories to complete my food entry on MFP. So maybe it over tracks my exercise. Plus having other fitness friends on the fitbit tends to give me incentive to do more!
Hm, over-tracking doesn’t seem good. I had thought the Misfit was over tracking me, but when @heybales helped me do the math to understand how it was actually tracking my steps it accounted for my rate of loss fairly closely.
Maybe I should just get one of their other products 😐 although I don’t really like the idea of spending $100 for the same technology I had for $30 already, if it’s the most accurate option it’s still the best bet.
Also I thought as a piece of tech the Ionic seemed like overkill for me. I don’t run (I can’t currently, and may never be able to) and I don’t want those text, music, paying from it, etc.2 -
I have a Garmin and it links/syncs flawlessly with MFP. Fitbit has had intermittent connection/syncing problems (as can be seen by many threads in the Suggestions forum). I haven't seen any issues with my Garmin, and I've been using it with MFP for over a year now.
Thank you! I didn’t even know there was a suggestions forum oops, that’s really helpful to know. Which Garmin do you have & do you feel like it accurately predicts your calories with MFP?0 -
So I read this article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/health-fitness/best-cheap-fitness-trackers/
And it was also a good vote for the Fitbit Flex 2, so that remains in my list. But it also made me very curious about the Moov Now and Huawei Pro & Garmin Vivofit 4 & whether they work well with MFP or not really. Maybe a more unknown brand is more of a risk?
Be aware that indeed the cheaper brands don't sync with MFP through their app, but there may be a 3rd party app that does, so round-about can get there.
Also be aware that some less-known brands report their info differently, some take the Apple approach and you have a daily calorie burn, and an exercise calorie burn that is not included in the daily figure.
Or sometimes a base calorie burn (like their math for sedentary that may or may not match MFP sedentary), and then an Active calorie burn for anything above that.
Problem with those methods if reported in the sync - MFP is only going to do math correctly if it receives a TDEE calorie burn, and as the term implies, that would include any exercise calories received.
Even if the optional method of sending workouts over is used, like Garmin correctly does.
So if the desire to sync with MFP is for MFP to correct itself to potentially better estimates of activity level and therefore daily eating goal - some of those won't work even if they do sync.
If it's to merely sync over a workout so your friend's list can see it and you don't manually post about it - some don't even do that optional transfer like Fitbit doesn't.
Oh geez. Thank you so much!!! ❤️ I didn’t even consider this. Yeah my goal is absolutely to make MFP’s eating goal more accurate. Which trackers would do that? Maybe then not the Moov or Huawei - but also not the Fitbit or Garmin?
I don’t care about posting anything about my activity. I’m capable of posting a status to MFP if I think the thing needs to be Known lol.
No - Fitbit and Garmin both work.
Garmin uses the optional method of sending the workout as it's own record.
Fitbit does not. Which sounds like it doesn't matter.
Both send daily burn that contains the workout so MFP can do math correctly.2 -
So I read this article: https://www.digitaltrends.com/health-fitness/best-cheap-fitness-trackers/
And it was also a good vote for the Fitbit Flex 2, so that remains in my list. But it also made me very curious about the Moov Now and Huawei Pro & Garmin Vivofit 4 & whether they work well with MFP or not really. Maybe a more unknown brand is more of a risk?
Be aware that indeed the cheaper brands don't sync with MFP through their app, but there may be a 3rd party app that does, so round-about can get there.
Also be aware that some less-known brands report their info differently, some take the Apple approach and you have a daily calorie burn, and an exercise calorie burn that is not included in the daily figure.
Or sometimes a base calorie burn (like their math for sedentary that may or may not match MFP sedentary), and then an Active calorie burn for anything above that.
Problem with those methods if reported in the sync - MFP is only going to do math correctly if it receives a TDEE calorie burn, and as the term implies, that would include any exercise calories received.
Even if the optional method of sending workouts over is used, like Garmin correctly does.
So if the desire to sync with MFP is for MFP to correct itself to potentially better estimates of activity level and therefore daily eating goal - some of those won't work even if they do sync.
If it's to merely sync over a workout so your friend's list can see it and you don't manually post about it - some don't even do that optional transfer like Fitbit doesn't.
Oh geez. Thank you so much!!! ❤️ I didn’t even consider this. Yeah my goal is absolutely to make MFP’s eating goal more accurate. Which trackers would do that? Maybe then not the Moov or Huawei - but also not the Fitbit or Garmin?
I don’t care about posting anything about my activity. I’m capable of posting a status to MFP if I think the thing needs to be Known lol.
No - Fitbit and Garmin both work.
Garmin uses the optional method of sending the workout as it's own record.
Fitbit does not. Which sounds like it doesn't matter.
Both send daily burn that contains the workout so MFP can do math correctly.
Thank you!!! I think I will stick to those 2 brands from now on in my reading. My priority is accurate connections with MFP.0 -
I’ve been doing more research and I am unsure if I’m being skewed pricier by reviews.
Does HR tracking really impact the accuracy of calorie counting? Is GPS useful for non-runners?
It makes sense and then I pull back and think maybe it’s overkill. I’m not an athlete. I can’t run. I am going to use this for steps/work activity, swimming. Other activities I do are yoga & bodyweight & strength exercises. (Is the HR tracking actually a detriment here because HR goes up but calorie burn doesn’t?)0 -
I’ve been doing more research and I am unsure if I’m being skewed pricier by reviews.
Does HR tracking really impact the accuracy of calorie counting? Is GPS useful for non-runners?
It makes sense and then I pull back and think maybe it’s overkill. I’m not an athlete. I can’t run. I am going to use this for steps/work activity, swimming. Other activities I do are yoga & bodyweight & strength exercises. (Is the HR tracking actually a detriment here because HR goes up but calorie burn doesn’t?)
HR is most useful as a proxy for calorie expenditure in steady state cardio exercise (cycling, running, swimming, etc.). It's far less useful (and less accurate) for things such as yoga and strength training. Many of the trackers won't even try to record HR while swimming because the water interferes with optical heart rate readings - for Garmin to record swimming HR, they require your tracker to be paired with a chest strap designed for swimming and/or triathlons.
Optical heart rate readings work differently (and by that I mean better or worse) for different people, for various reasons. I find mine works great during my normal (non-exercise) daily activities, but it's essentially useless for strength training and even sketchy during steady state cardio. I don't worry about it for strength training, and I pair it with a HR strap during for cardio workouts, which is much more accurate than the wrist-based optical heart rate. Some people find the wrist-based OHR works great for cardio, but I'm not one of them.
GPS is/can be useful for outdoor exercises (again - running, cycling, open water swimming, hiking, rowing/kayaking, etc.), but most devices won't even turn it on for indoor workouts because it's not necessary or useful and just drains battery life. Thus, it wouldn't be used (or useful) for your daily steps/work activity, nor for your yoga/strength training, nor for your swimming if you're doing it in an indoor pool.2 -
I’ve been doing more research and I am unsure if I’m being skewed pricier by reviews.
Does HR tracking really impact the accuracy of calorie counting? Is GPS useful for non-runners?
It makes sense and then I pull back and think maybe it’s overkill. I’m not an athlete. I can’t run. I am going to use this for steps/work activity, swimming. Other activities I do are yoga & bodyweight & strength exercises. (Is the HR tracking actually a detriment here because HR goes up but calorie burn doesn’t?)
HR is most useful as a proxy for calorie expenditure in steady state cardio exercise (cycling, running, swimming, etc.). It's far less useful (and less accurate) for things such as yoga and strength training. Many of the trackers won't even try to record HR while swimming because the water interferes with optical heart rate readings - for Garmin to record swimming HR, they require your tracker to be paired with a chest strap designed for swimming and/or triathlons.
Optical heart rate readings work differently (and by that I mean better or worse) for different people, for various reasons. I find mine works great during my normal (non-exercise) daily activities, but it's essentially useless for strength training and even sketchy during steady state cardio. I don't worry about it for strength training, and I pair it with a HR strap during for cardio workouts, which is much more accurate than the wrist-based optical heart rate. Some people find the wrist-based OHR works great for cardio, but I'm not one of them.
GPS is/can be useful for outdoor exercises (again - running, cycling, open water swimming, hiking, rowing/kayaking, etc.), but most devices won't even turn it on for indoor workouts because it's not necessary or useful and just drains battery life. Thus, it wouldn't be used (or useful) for your daily steps/work activity, nor for your yoga/strength training, nor for your swimming if you're doing it in an indoor pool.
Thank you!!!!
So the HR thing would/could be useful for accuracy day-to-day but it should be turned off for swimming & strength/yoga to prevent inaccuracies/overestimating?
A lot of reviews seem to suggest that HR tracking is important for accuracy for calories burned but it also seems like it might be a problem too. I’m not sure if it’s valuable?
GPS would be pretty useless for me. I go for outdoor walks sometimes but not terribly far.
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Hi! I have the Fitbit Alta HR, having previously had the Charge HR. I loved both. The Alta HR, as well as, if I understood correctly, most newer Fitbit models come with changeable straps, so I ordered some cheap nice straps from Amazon and now my Fitbit actually looks like a watch and not a fitness tracker with a rubber band.
HR: I absolutely LOVE the constant HR. I have found it to be accurate with my way of using it, regardless of what kind of sport (I do strength training regularly) I do. I have the sync enabled, so my daily steps and overall calories are automatically synced between Fitbit and MFP. This includes any calories from my workouts, so I do NOT log workouts to MFP separately, as that would lead to double dipping. I have had them synced since the beginning of April, and my Fitbit overall burn, logged food, and actual weight loss consistently match what they should be mathematically. Over the summer I lapsed in logging my food and also hit a plateau, but that seems to be a causality between those two and not the Fitbit. The only thing is, I have my deficit goal set at 500 calories, but the Fitbit calorie adjustment is consistently trying to make the deficit 350, which would of course lead to a smaller loss. That's not a problem since the deficit goal is an even 500, so it's pretty easy to do the math in my head.
The Alta HR itself doesn't have GPS, I think the pricier models do, but you can use your phone's gps function within the Fitbit app.2 -
I was doing more reading and it said that the Fitbits - Ionic, Versa & Flex 2 - aren’t actually waterproof. They’re water resistant but swimming may damage them over time/if you swim too long 😞0
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I was doing more reading and it said that the Fitbits - Ionic, Versa & Flex 2 - aren’t actually waterproof. They’re water resistant but swimming may damage them over time/if you swim too long 😞
That was an absolute rabbit hole. It turns out 10ATM is best for swimming, but as best I can tell no fitness trackers are actually 10ATM and 5ATM seems to be standard across the Fitbit and Garmin devices okayed for swimming.
But it is a reason to go for a less costly item, if it's more likely to break over time with swim wear. Although my old Misfit Flash was always fine and it was apparently only 3ATM, however without a display or small buttons the design was safer.
On this note, I would be tempted to get the Misfit Shine because I am confident that that design is safe for swimming. But I was too embarrassed to have it on my wrist at work because it doesn't have the time and looks like a watch, and people kept asking me the time. And wearing it on my waistband/in my pocket is how I lost the first one. Plus, I found the app very limited. It's focus on this vague system of "points" was annoying, and I didn't feel like it did anything interesting with the data.
If 5ATM is okay, and I'm absolutely ignoring the higher end models I was looking into before (the Fitbit Versa and Garmin VivoActive 3 were my favourites yesterday), I've found a few models to focus at looking into.
Fitbit Flex 2 - $80CAD - Basically the Misfit except you a) have to charge it and b) have access to the Fitbit Realm & app. No HR or floors climbed. Has some swim-tracking features, which sounds pretty cool.
Garmin VivoFit 3 - $80 CAD - Has a tiny screen with steps info & digital time! Basically the same as the Misfit with the replaceable battery, but with a screen & the Garmin app instead. It's not going to be an invasive screen with too many alerts or colours. No HR or floors climbed. Can be paired with a HR monitor strap if I decided to get one (unlikely, but options). Has no swim-tracking features.
Garmin VivoSmart HR - $100 - Has an HR tracker, small touch screen (a reviewer noted it as scratchable, which worries me), needs to be charged every 5 days. Tracks stairs. No swim-tracking features.
If the HR sensing is totally valuable for daily calories burned, I'd see the VivoSmart HR being my pick. I really like the swim tracking for the Flex 2, but the lack of the time causes problems day-to-day. I like that the VioFit 3 has the little screen AND doesn't need to be tracked, but it's definitely a bummer that it doesn't track any more info on swimming.
There seems to be so many different ones, and yet I still want to pick and choose features haha. I would ideally like to finish this research by next week, but I still feel pretty overwhelmed by it. Any more suggestions of places to look or experiences to share are welcome!0 -
5 ATM means it’s waterproof to 165 feet underwater. As long as you don’t plan on swimming any deeper than that, 5 ATM should be fine.
If you haven’t done so already, go to dcrainmaker.com and read his reviews of the devices. He’s much more in depth and comprehensive than most of the derpy magazine/blog reviews out there.0 -
5 ATM means it’s waterproof to 165 feet underwater. As long as you don’t plan on swimming any deeper than that, 5 ATM should be fine.
If you haven’t done so already, go to dcrainmaker.com and read his reviews of the devices. He’s much more in depth and comprehensive than most of the derpy magazine/blog reviews out there.
Thank you, yes I read several of his reviews. He hasn't reviewed all of the ones I was interested in learning about, and doesn't seem to interrogate water resistance (unless I'm navigating his website wrong).
https://www.howtogeek.com/218747/water-resistant-gadgets-arent-waterproof-what-you-need-to-know/
That's the article I read about water resistance, and summarizes that trackers "rated to 5 ATM means they are perfectly splashproof and will survive the sweatiest workout, a run in the rain, or a trip into the shower just fine. (But, like the Fitbit lineup, should not be used for swimming, diving, or watersports.)"
Whereas DCRainmaker's response to the Flex 2 is "The unit is waterproof to 50m of depth, so you can go swimming all day long." Which is apparently an incorrect understanding of what 5ATM means, according to the above. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/08/fitbit-flex-2-and-fitbit-charge-2.html
This is why I'm a little confused on this point.
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