Fitbit or heart rate monitor or Jawbone UP?

nrheasley

Looking to purchase a reliable calorie counting tool. Any recommendations? I'm torn between these 3 products!

jill07

I have a fitbit zip (clip on style) that I really liked but wanted to try a bracelet style that tracked a few more things. I got a Jawbone UP that I really liked but only had it for 2wks before it stopped working. The company sent me a new one but that also started having issues after a week of use. It was a shame because I really liked it when it worked! I now have a Garmin viviofit (very similiar to the fitbit flex) and I love it! The reason I chose this one is because I have had good luck with other Garmin products and this syncs with the heart rate monitor strap I already had from my GPS watch. Good luck!

Livnat82

Hey

Whatever you decide to get, do not go with any Polar products.
Battery life is extremely short and the batteries are very expensive (2 new batteries once a month for watch and belt at a cost of $13), their customer service not very helpful either.

babsabs2011

I'm also torn between these 3! Any recommendations would be great

tahneesummers88

I have a polar and it serves me well :-)

It only cost my husband $85 as a birthday gift to me, so if I had to pay $13/month.. which isn't really all that "expensive" for what it does for you.. I wouldn't mind :-) I've had it a while now.. and no battery problems. But each to their own.. Now I've said that, it'll probably die.. lol

deerushforth

I have a fitbit flex and love it - the only thing I would recommend is on ebay there is a company selling little rubber band to slide over just to secure it a little better so it does not come undone and you lose it. I love everything about the fitbit it and it is amazing to see how many times I actually wake up during the night. I wish I could get the hot pink band but they are 2 months back ordered on them.

airangel59

I have Fitbit Force (yes it was recalled, no issues here so keeping it), had the Flex, loved it but wanted more.

Have a Polar FT7 HRM and batteries are cheap (can get off eBay , I went to Batteries +), wearing over a year before needed new batteries, still using the original strap. Got mine new in box off eBay.

pinkstp

I had the FitBit Force (that's the newest one, right?) and it hurt my wrist so I returned it. I think I'm going to go for a HRM because that's what I wanted most anyway and honestly counting steps didn't really do much for me and I have a sleep app on my phone that works better than the FB did. Good luck w/ whatever you end up getting

1948sixty

I have used the Fitbit Flex bracelet for six months.....love it, love it. Find it very motivating to move more.

ManjeetBhatia

FitBit is a great choice but might want to look at Samsung Fit that is being released on the 11th. It has a built in heart rate monitor.
Check out this FB page.

https://www.facebook.com/SmartWearTalk

daw0518

I have a Fitbit Flex & love it. I wanted a Jawbone UP all the way up until the moment I saw it in store & saw how big it was. The band on them is super thick & non-adjustable. The Fitbit has a thin band that doesn't bother you when you're typing & stuff. That coupled with the fact that the Jawbone UP doesn't [or didn't at the time I was purchasing] have a wirelessly syncing device for Android sold me on Fitbit - not to mention the Fitbit was cheaper by like $30! I've had mine since the end of Feb & so far, so good! I love it. :]

I think Fitbit/Jawbone & HRM's are totally different things tho. Fitbit/Jawbone are pedometer type devices that you wear 24/7 & they track your steps, distance walked, calories burned in a typical day, sleep, etc. HRM's only track your calories burned & such at the time you're doing higher intensity cardio. So I think the first questions to ask yourself is what kind of activity do you do & what are you looking for in a device. I personally would like to get an HRM in addition to my Fitbit someday because it tracks something that my Fitbit doesn't, which is calories burned during non-step based cardio workouts.

BleedyPokes

I have a Jawbone UP! The only issue I've had with it is that it doesn't like to get really wet... I've had to reset it twice because I've spilled drinks on it.

You can set alarms to vibrate if you've been idle for too long, it tracks your sleep and steps and you can log your individual exercises (it can be linked to MyFitnessPal, but your exercise has to be logged separately into both MFP and the UP) and it gives you little motivational messages in the morning when you sync it with your phone. It tracks your steps if you put it in your pocket or tuck it into your sock if you can't wear it on your wrist (I work in a pathology lab and can't have anything on my hands or wrists except for my gloves).

It works great with my Samsung Galaxy, but the newest version only works with iPhones.

After using it for 4 months, I can say that I think it's great but could live without it since I track all my food and exercise on MFP. My favorite thing about it is the "idle alert."

jeastin123

My Fitbit Zip arrived in the mail today, ordered from Amazon. It was super easy to set up and I can already see how motivating it will be. As a Fitbit owner for about six hours now, I really like it! ;-)

mhotch

Hey

Whatever you decide to get, do not go with any Polar products.
Battery life is extremely short and the batteries are very expensive (2 new batteries once a month for watch and belt at a cost of $13), their customer service not very helpful either.

I've had a polar product for over three years. I changed the battery once so far in the watch and the transmitter. I use it 5-6 days a week.

jadedone

I'd say skip the jawbone. I went through 5 of them in 4 months. I gave up because I was sick of having to go through the return process every 2-3 weeks. My sister's failed after 3 weeks as well.

Never buying jawbone anything again.

anzmoo86

I have a Fitbit zip and the polar Bluetooth hr monitor that pairs with my iPhone 5S and Polar FT4 watch. I love my Fitbit and I wear it every day.