Opinions and experiences with Fitbit and Jawbone UP

dancephysics

In the coming month I want to get myself a fancy-schmancy glorified pedometer, but I am a little paralyzed by choices. I am looking at the Fitbit (Flex or Force) or the Jawbone UP (or UP24). I really like the idea of the bracelet kind, because then I just don't have to take it off except to charge. I also like that the Fitbits sync through bluetooth, whereas the Jawbone UP has to manually sync (but, this makes its battery last longer). The Jawbone UP looks way nicer and more stylish, and the Fitbits are kind of blah looking. But the Jawbone UP is also more expensive. But I've already read that the Jawbone UP is not as comfortable. And I've heard that the bracelet type of of fancy pedometer is not as accurate as the clip on one, but I know I would frequently forget about it if I have to continually clip and unclip it to my clothes.

I've read reviews of all these, and there is no overwhelming conclusion about which one's better. So please, if you have one of these, please share what you like and/or dislike about it.

Mokey41

I have a Ftibit Zip because I don't care if it tells me how I sleep or how many stairs I go up. It's really more of a toy than a necessity and wearing a big ugly rubber bracelet doesn't really seem like a good idea to me. The Zip clips onto my bra so I put it on when I get dressed and take it off when I go to bed. It's small enough to fit right in there and no one knows but me. I haven't had any issues with it so far (since Aug 13) and it's interesting to see how many steps I take a day with the estimated calories.

BossLadyDSimp

I have the Fitbit Flex and I like it. I LOVED it before MFP. I like that it is always there. I only take it off after 5 days to charge for a little while. I get so many steps doing things that I don’t even think of. Yesterday, for example, I got 9000 steps in without even going to the gym. It really helps because I eat back my exercise.

DRAWBACKS: I now think that a heart rate monitor (HRM) would be better. There are a lot of things I am doing that my Fitbit doesn’t count. For example, the exercise bike, lifting weights etc. it would be more accurate to see how much my heart is pumping. I got my Fitbit as a gift and I am so glad that I have it. I will still keep it. I like that it tracks sleep but I think a HRM will be my next step.

Hope that helps, message me if you have additional questions.

debrag12

I love my fitbit zip, I use a HRM when in the gym though

Mokey41

I should have added that I use a HRM for activities that aren't step based like cycling or aerobics. Haven't found anything accurate for lifting so I just don't bother logging it.

xkissmekatex

I'll do a quick review here on the Jawbone Up24 and the Fitbit Force. I wore both for one week, compared results and decided that I liked Jawbone Up24 the best. Apologies ahead for typos this is on my iPad.

DISPLAY. none on Jawbone so Fitbit is the clear winner here. It is nice, but not that great. I need a watch with date and military time so this feature was average. I guess it's nice to check my steps but I usually have my phone close by so more often than not I just looked at the app. Both use Bluetooth to update and Fitbit is instant and jawbone takes a couple seconds.

BAND. Jawbone- yes, it catches on my clothes once in awhile but it's super easy to move around and I showered with it on. Water resistant so I dint worry about it much. Fitbit-okay, it's winter and I found it to be super sweaty. It's large and hard to get on off. I worried when I washed my hands, face because it isn't water resistant. Jawbone winner. I Los switch the jawbone to my ankle if I don't want so etching on the wrist.mit doesn't totally close but seems fine and is still accurate.

APPLICATION: fitbit app is smoother/ quicker at uploading steps. I could walk around and it was updating me step for step. I am not interested int he food section of either I love MFP. Maybe I couldn't find it but Fitbit didn't have a barcode scanner for food. Neither has much of anything in their database. For exercise I find that using map my run for my daily biking (I bike commute to work) works best. Then In Jawbone, I can change the difficulty...was it difficult, easy, gut buster. This is huge for me since it varies daily. I will be the first person to purchase a HRM wrist band that incorporates MFP, steps, sleep, and exercise. Maybe it exists and I'm not aware. polar seems close. I don't record walks, those go to my step count. I average about 26000 steps when I work. Fitbit didn't seem to give me the option to record difficult of activity. So winner is Jawbone integrating with Map my Run. I do wish Jawbone had swim as an exercise choice. Super strange they don't. I like the stairs on Fitbit but I'm not a stair climber so I don't really need this one way or not. I like the sleep function much better on Jawbone as well. Both require me to record it in some fashion and with jawbone I press the button when. I think I'll fall asleep and then when I wake. I forgot once and it asked me the next day if these were the times I was sleeping and it was spot on. Jawbone sends you nice little motivational articles and will make comments on patterns. I felt lonely with Fitbit.

ACCURACY. They both had almost identical results. Were off about 400 steps with fitbit giving me more. I also tried the Jawbone on my ankle and it was only 200 more than fitbit on the wrist. Neither is good for biking but I don't want it giving me steps for biking. I'm not walking, I'm biking and like to add this as actual exercise. I wish there was a pause or sleep function on both as they picked up random steps. Maybe 400 to 2000 with no pattern on a 40 min ride.

Take advantage of the no questions holiday returns. Target is super great with this. I have the Jawbone 24 and purchased on for the husband and my mother so now I have a little team:)

WalkingAlong

Nice comparison!

The Force is supposed to be water resistant, so splashes from hand washing and such should be no problem. The Up24 also says 'splash resistant, do not submerge' so be careful with showering. I did read a Force review where the guy showered in it and had no problems, but I wouldn't.

The Up24 only works with iPad and iPhone, I think. Though the Force only works with those and a few Android devices, but it works with your PC, too.

Does the Up have a web app or just a mobile app? Fitbit has both. I prefer a web app. My old eyes like a big display.

allbarrett

I have a Fitbit Flex and my husband has a Jawbone, so here is what we've found (6 months of comparisons and data).

Fitbit - bracelet doesn't catch on clothes, no little "cap" on the end to lose (hubbie has lost 1 cap already, replacements come in 3-packs, make of that what you will). Flex is "water resistant" but don't believe the documentation saying you can swim with it (it lies...just don't). Step count seems very good, even though I haven't "set" my stride length for walking or running (so it calculated it internally based on my height, gender, etc.). I think the Fitbit overpredicts my daily calorie burn somewhat, however it seems to consistently do so, so I can adapt to that (looking at actual numbers, I think it has my TDEE about 150 calories too high, and I cannot reset it). The app for Fitbit is really good, the sync function (wireless bluetooth) is terrific if you have an iPhone (it won't work with most Android devices or any Blackberry, there is a dongle to use it with your computer). The website is excellent and has a lot of functionality (some of which I really wish was in the app). I get about 5 days to a charge, sometimes 6. It sends me a message (email) when the battery is getting low. Usually about 10 hours before the unit dies.

Jawbone - bracelet catches on clothes etc., cap can come off and get lost. Replacements are cheap but annoying to obtain. Water resistant as long as you have the end capped. Has to be plugged into your phone to sync but works with more devices (including most/all Android phones, no connectivity to a computer). Step count virtually the same as the Flex (maybe different by a couple of hundred steps over the course of a long day). Very easy to calibrate step length (Flex you just enter a length, the Jawbone can calibrate itself based on a known distance). Jawbone seems to also overestimate daily calorie burn slightly, again it seems consistent though so it is probably picking up things that aren't steps and adding additional burn (like the Flex above). The app is terrific while the website just allows downloading if you like keeping your own stats. My husband gets about 5-6.5 days on a charge. There is some message he gets regarding battery (I don't know if it is through the app or via email).

Summary: either will do the job if you just want a superficial overview of your day. These are basically jumped-up toys and shouldn't be used as serious weight-loss or health tools. They are fun, very motivating, and I haven't regretted buying mine (nor has my husband regretted his) but you have to be realistic about your expectations.

WalkingAlong

" I think it has my TDEE about 150 calories too high, and I cannot reset it)."

In your shoes, I would tweak my age or height setting to get the estimate closer to what you think it should be.

PunkyRachel

I use fitbit, its awesome and I love it! I've had it for almost 2 years

sam_r_i

I just got the fitbit force. I originally purchased the jawbone up, but returned it after about a week. I didn't like that I had to manually sync it and it wasn't very comfortable to wear.

So far, I really like the force. The only downfall I've seen so far is the clasping mechanism isn't the best. It's a little hard to close sometimes and seems like it will come loose (only has once so far though).

I also found another one that isn't available yet that looked interesting. It has a HRM included, but I didn't want to wait.

http://www.amiigo.co/