Fitbit vs. Garmin in terms of longevity

Speakeasy76
Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I tried looking this up in the message board archives, but couldn't really find anything.

I think I already know the answer, but want to hear from fellow MFP'er's before I buy yet another fitness tracker. My Versa Lite kicked the bucket after only 19 months of use, and actually Fitbit had to replace my original one within about 3 months of purchase. This is my 3rd Fitbit, and they never seem to make it to 2 years. However, I had a Garmin years ago, and it seemed to last a long time. I think I only replaced it because I just wanted a new one.

I contacted Fitbit, and they offered me a 35% discount to get another Fitbit. I know what they're doing, and I have to admit it IS enticing. But the logical part of me knows that my Fitbits never last that long. The discount and the fact that I already have the Fitbit app makes me want to get another one, and honestly, probably their own marketing and reviews I've read comparing the two. I'm looking for a mid-range tracker and don't need ALL the bells and whistles, but some are nice.

Replies

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I don't know if Garmin makes any these days but their earlier trackers ran on watch batteries. I have been wearing mine for 5 years now and had to change the batteries once, which was easy to do.
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 460 Member
    My Garmin is starting to give up, but it's not completely done yet. For context, I got it in March, 2018.
  • HungryTraveler
    HungryTraveler Posts: 39 Member
    My Garmin (vivofit 4) is just over 4 years old and I've had to replace the battery twice. I do work in medical imaging and it has been exposed to an mri once or twice. So that might have something to do with that.
    I had 3 Fitbits (2 Fitbit Flex' and one zip) before my garmin and - even though I much prefer the interface and app of Fitbit - they all died within a year. So for longevity I would choose Garmin over Fitbit any day.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    edited October 2021
    I had my Garmin Vivoactive 3 since August, 2018. I wear it every day, 24x7 except when charging. I'm fairly hard on it (there are a few scratches on the case, even though it's pretty tough). It's been fine, though it's been giving me the occasional questionable reading lately (last couple of months). It may be random, but I'm considering upgrading, more to get more up-to-date functions than because of concern about that.

    It's still charging up well, though it needs charging more frequently than when it was new. Even lately, I don't recall having charged it more than once in a day as long as I got it to full charge, though when I have it using GPS plus a HR chest belt for a long time period, it does use the battery more intensively, so it's possible I've recharged more than once in a day if I did multi-hour GPS stuff. (I do 1-3 hours of GPSing pretty often, without needing 2 charges that day.)

    I need the chest belt for rowing on water or machine: Too much arm flexing in the activity, the wrist monitor loses contact, so I get weird HR results. For other activities I do, wrist has been fine.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    I really like my fitbits, but they do seem to have a life that isn't much beyond warranty. I almost got garmin this cycle but went with the cheaper fitbit.
  • KNoceros
    KNoceros Posts: 326 Member
    I got 4+ years out of my Fitbit one. It was still working when I changed it for an Inspire 2 back in April (unusual for me to change tech that works, but really wanted an upgrade).
    No problems with the inspire 2 yet either.

    Husband has an inspire which is 2 yr old. Again, zero issues. (Unless you count a scratched up screen but that’s his fault not it’s!)
  • Draculza
    Draculza Posts: 61 Member
    I started with the Vivoactive 4 about 3 years ago. Then upgraded to a Fenix 6x Sapphire in March of 2020. Gave the Vivoactive to a friend and it's still going strong though he doesn't use it for the tracking and just more as a smart watch. My Fenix 6 is going strong as well. Obviously if I track GPS and listen to music through bluetooth, battery life is dramatically reduced (down to 5 days if I'm lucky). If I'm using it normally and being lazy (not doing much exercise where I need the GPS) I get about 15-20 days on the battery. I'm very happy with my Garmin.
  • MsFraggleRed
    MsFraggleRed Posts: 12 Member
    I got a Fitbit One in 2014, upgraded to a Charge 2 in 2017 and a Charge 3 in 2019. I had to replace my Charge 3 within the initial 30 day period after the screen stopped responding but haven't had any issues since. All 3 work fine. I alternate between using my Charge 2 and 3.
  • notnovelty
    notnovelty Posts: 1 Member
    I've never had any issues with my fitbits themselves, i upgraded every few years because i went from the basic step counters to the smart watch versions, and found myself wanting to upgrade because of new additional features. I did however find with my most recent 'upgrade' (original versa to versa 3) that the original versa was starting to get glitchy with the app every time it updated and wasn't syncing as well with MFP. I guess a bit like with mobile phones, as they get older the updates are often more of a hinderance as they're not as compatible. This annoying, but i had it for approx 3+ years before i had this issue. I've never had a Garmin because i preferred the look of fitbits.
  • UberAya
    UberAya Posts: 94 Member
    I've actually had great success with all of my Fitbits. I've only every upgraded when I have the credit card reward points to cover them, and that was out of splurge...not necessity. I've gone from the Charge HR, to the Versa, to now the Sense over a period of years and quite liked them all. My MIL is still wearing my old Versa, and one of my best friends is still using my Charge HR.
    Not that I'm Fitbit for life or anything...just at this point I'm established in my ways and literally have never paid real $ for one. =)
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    I may just have bad luck with my Fitbits! My son got a Fitbit Inspire, that was actually "gifted" to him by his grandparents as they got one free through Medicare. The sleep tracker is WAY off. I mean, we already knew he was a restless sleeper and this confirms it, but no way is he getting a little over 3 hours of sleep per night.

  • TinaLeigh67
    TinaLeigh67 Posts: 669 Member
    I have a Garmin Forerunner 45S that has been going for a little over 2 years. Wear it 24/7. My daughter is using my origianal Garmin that I purchased about 6 years ago and it is still working just great. I think the original is a Vivofit. I would go Garmin again if I needed to replace.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Garmin has been in this business for a long time and provide a much more robust product, even for their more basic lineups. Garmin is hands down a superior product quality wise. I've been using them for hiking, biking, and mountain biking for about 30 years. I've had my Garmin Instinct since 2018 and it's going strong. I've used my Garmin bike computer for going on 9 years.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    edited November 2021
    Also, if you are looking to train in running/cycling, Garmin is fairly ubiquitously supported by pretty much every training metrics site.

    ETA: (one reason I didn't consider the competitors like Polar and Suunto at the time).
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I got hit by a car, my Garmin watch slammed into the hood, the ER admitted me to the ICU which held me overnight. The Garmin didn't have a scratch. (I'm fully healed.)

    I had a Garmin Edge bike computer for 8 or 9 years.

    I've had several Fitbits that didn't last very long.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    I've had my Garmin Vivosmart hr+ for 4.5 years. Has been sent for repair (free) once, and they have replaced the charging cable free of charge as well. Can't beat good customer service!
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »
    My Garmin 920XT is 7 years old. They seem like they last almost forever (so, alas, no excuse to upgrade for added features (I want a basemap and a few other things that weren't available pre-Fenix line...they merged features of the triathlon & outdoor watches)). I can't necessarily speak for the longevity of newer models. I've beat the @%#^ out of this poor thing for years, and it hasn't given me any issues. Battery life is still fine. I do have to make sure I charge it after a winter night ride (below freezing temperature + continuous backlight set to on + higher sensitivity gps setting = only a few hours battery).

    Same experience here. The Garmin 920XT is a rock solid device. 6 years and LOTS of training use. Almost wish it would fail so I could buy a new Garmin toy. Same experience with my Garmin 520 bike computer and Vector 3S pedals (power meter). My garmin stuff was not inexpensive, but they have provided great value and the customer service is spot on.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,312 Member
    edited November 2021
    I am not going to claim that Fitbits have been paragons of longevity... cause I did have a charge hr, and a charge 2, and a charge 3, and a charge 4... and only the charge 3 which went to a friend (and the 4 so far) made it out alive and without at least one (in some cases more than one) in warranty (or post warranty converted to in-warranty) replacement...

    but... there was a reason I ditched Garmin to go to Fitbit.

    Maybe it was the "era" (2013-2014)? Maybe it was the fact that I went with a lower end device? Maybe that I was obese at the time?

    But the heart rate strap worked for *kittens*. Support was non existent and un-helpful. The website was a sorry mess and the forums were moderated to the point of not allowing anything even remotely unfavorable about Garmin to be brought up. Sorry, but the Fitbit experience AT THAT TIME was incredibly more friendly and accommodating. The battery on the Garmin I had was amazing... and the screen non existent.

    Obviously things have changed since then. And while Fitbit warranty service remains very good as an absolute value, it is no-where near as over the top accommodating as it was during the Charge HR era. The whole package however, including the price, capabilities, and compatibility of the charge line remain compelling for me.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,211 Member
    HungryTraveler wrote: »
    My Garmin (vivofit 4) is just over 4 years old and I've had to replace the battery twice. I do work in medical imaging and it has been exposed to an mri once or twice. So that might have something to do with that.
    I had 3 Fitbits (2 Fitbit Flex' and one zip) before my garmin and - even though I much prefer the interface and app of Fitbit - they all died within a year. So for longevity I would choose Garmin over Fitbit any day.

    Noooo that's not the way to treat a garmin lol

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