Gadget Fans: Fitbit Flex - Yes or No?

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Replies

  • JuliRamone
    JuliRamone Posts: 365 Member
    I ordered one last year, but I sent it back after 3 weeks.
    It's fun, yeah, but for me... it wasn't worth the money. Maybe you get the possibility to try it for one or two weeks.
  • tinglesby
    tinglesby Posts: 96 Member
    Hey Guys,

    I am looking for any opinions on the Fitbit Flex:
    http://www.fitbit.com/au/flex

    Do you have one? Do you like it? Would you recommend it? Is it useful/accurate?

    Any info would be appreciated before I decide to make the investment or not! :)

    Danke!



    Mieke







    I got one for christmas and i have to say i LOVE it!! It so motivating to get my butt in gear and MOVE!! it sets automatically to 10,000 steps per day, but i found that with a 30 min workout and what i do for a living i was smoking that!! So i upped my steps to 11,500 and i'll prolly keep it there for a couple weeks, then up it again!!! i highly recommend it!! you wont regret it!!
  • Booda101
    Booda101 Posts: 161 Member
    I've had the Flex since September. And while I do realize that it is a fancy pedometer, I believe it has aided in breaking a months long plateau. I like that it syncs to MFP and has certainly made me more aware of calories in/out.

    Would I recommend it? At this point I'd have to say no for the following reasons: 1) Many companies are entering the activity tracking market and will likely produce wearables that have even more features and style 2) after a couple of months of wearing the Flex, I developed a rash. Apparently this is not unique to the device. I've coated the clasp with a healthy dose of clear nail polish and applied copious amounts of hydrocortisone to the affected area.

    Good luck!
  • Angel03744
    Angel03744 Posts: 74 Member
    I love the fit bit one, Had it over a year now. never without it :)
    Also have the fit bit Aria weigh scales - those are a waste of money .. way to sensitive.. I tested them at 3 different spots in one room.. each gave a huge reading difference :(
  • Lifereclaiming
    Lifereclaiming Posts: 34 Member
    It has contributed significantly to my weight loss! I am naked without it and I really love it. It is by far the best pedometer until now. It is also not so bulky as the Jawbone UP. In other words, I LOVE MY FITBIT FLEX!
  • naariel
    naariel Posts: 37
    For me the Fitbit Flex is a meh. I tried my brother's one for about a month (he'd changed for a One) and had some issues with it. And since that test, I acquired my own gadget, which is a Withings Pulse.

    Anyway, my personal review and why I think other products are best (or worse).

    - Bluetooth connection was rubbish, my phone really had some trouble detecting the Flex and I frequently had to turn Bluetooth off/on/off/on until eventually it worked. Maybe it's just my phone (S4, which was brand new at the time so maybe some update fixed it since then) or other interferences but still, issues with syncing are annoying. My Withings Pulse is more smartly engineered in that way, because when you install it you have to pair your device with your phone in the Bluetooth connections, so your phone keeps the connection in its memory and identification is never a problem. That could be an improvement for the Flex, a permanent connection, like with the Aria scale permanently connected (to your wi-fi since it stays at home, but it's easily done with Bluetooth too). I have no idea how well/easily the One connects, but Pulse definitely has a point here.

    - Counting steps on the wrist isn't very accurate. Yes, it's more convenient, but seriously the steps can be VERY over or under estimated, usually over-estimated. If you have a desk job, you'll move your hands. Even if you put it on your non-dominant arm, it will still count non-existent steps. Same for driving. The only way to eliminate this miscalculation is to enter your driving and job hours as activity and delete the steps it counted during that. The other way around, if you push a caddie, or walk back from your groceries with your arms full, you won't move them around and it will not count very deserved steps (you're even carrying loads of fruits and veggies ffs, that's definitely an exercise). For an accurate pedometer, ones that are clipped on the waistband (or bra) are best, so for Fitbit the One has my preference. (Withings Pulse is also a waistband/bra clip. And both Fitbit One and Withings Pulse can be attached on the wrist, for sleep tracking mostly.)

    - The wristband broke easily, because of frequently taking the Flex in and out of it.

    - A great thing with Fitbit is their user pannel. Withings' one (called Health mate) is less extended, it doesn't have a food diary I think, though I never used Fitbit's one anyway since both sync with MFP. Since the pannel is the same for Flex and One, I would still rec One though. (And the One has more options.)

    - One thing Withings Pulse has that Fitbit hasn't is the pulse meter, hence the name Pulse. It's not a cardiometer though, can't use it while doing your cardio, it's just a gadget to track your pulse every morning and/or evening, or after exercise, whatever. I don't use it much since I have no need of checking my heart obsessively and even if I did a manual pulse check is better. (My principal use of Pulse is to track my sleep, and a bit my steps.)

    - One thing Fitbit (both One and Flex) has that Withings Pulse hasn't is the silent alarm. I didn't use it much when I tested the Flex since I have a great alarm app on my phone, but I can see the appeal for prescription reminders.

    Finally One and Pulse are the ones I would recommend. I went with Withings because they're more close to me (Europe) and I tend to support geographically closer firms, but based on specs and prices they're pretty much the same to me. (Prices may vary though, I don't really know.)
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I have a Flex and I really like it. I'd recommend it to anyone!
  • momesq33
    momesq33 Posts: 1
    I have a fit bit Zip. I love it because it is very motivating. While it might just be a glorified pedometer, I put it on every day and, no matter what, I tend to meet my goals.
  • janetteluparia
    janetteluparia Posts: 318 Member
    Love my Fitbit One. Clip it to my bra or slip it in my pocket. Easy peasy
  • karibj2010
    karibj2010 Posts: 264 Member
    I started with the Flex last May (2013) and then in ummm November, I believe, I upgraded to the Fitbit Force. I don't know what I would do with out it. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I like the Force more because of the LED and actually numbers instead of dots. It has a watch, pedometer for steps, calories burned, stairs, and silent alarm. The charge lasts about 10 days and it's water resistent. I don't take a shower with mine on (like I did my Flex) but between showers and charging...it's the only times I take it off.

    Right now on Time magazine fitness trackers, the Force is rated #1. http://techland.time.com/2014/01/09/26-fitness-trackers-ranked-from-worst-to-first/
  • Lovlilyn
    Lovlilyn Posts: 79 Member
    I got the Force for Christmas, and I like it so far. I had worn a BodyMedia armband for over a year, and so when I saw I could wear this on my wrist, I was attracted to that feature. So far, I find it pretty accurate. I keep forgetting to set my sleep, but you can add it in on the website. I don't like that part of it - BodyMedia would just know when you were lying down or sleeping, but OTOH, my BM monitor sometimes showed me as being awake and vertical for hours in the middle of the night (which wasn't accurate), so it's a trade off :-)
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
    I can't speak for the Flex, but I've had a Fitbit One for over a year now and I LOVE IT!!! It's tiny and can clip onto virtually ANY outfit and hide easily. It counts my steps, stairs/floors, distance, and how many calories I've burned, which seems to be pretty accurate in my experience. It syncs super easily to MFP and I've found the sleep feature to be quite helpful because I struggle with getting quality sleep!

    It may be a glorified pedometer, but the step counting, distance, and calories burned are all pretty accurate and seeing all of those numbers every day and then on charts online over a period of months really motivates me! That and the badges! My Fitbit One has helped me live a more active life in general! So I'd definitely recommend a Fitbit product!
  • caroline_mason42
    caroline_mason42 Posts: 83 Member
    I have a fitbit One and love it - it really drives you to add just a few more steps each week which is very motivating and i love getting my smiley faces on the dashboard each day....the obly thing i would have changed is to have it in black as it is easier to hide on a black suit, but I have ordered a new black jacket for it so hopefully i will be able to hide it a little better from now on - Love it :happy:
  • shannova
    shannova Posts: 28
    I just received my fitbit flex yesterday and so far I am a bit disappointed. The step counter seems WAY off. I understand that with any movement there will be some steps added but I feel like it is almost doubling (if not more) my steps. I'm going to give it a few more days to see how I like it. If I don't feel like it's very accurate I'm going to return it and try something else. For $100 I don't want something that is just throwing out crazy numbers that aren't going to help me.

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