Fitbit Flex vs. One Review

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  • jsandie76
    jsandie76 Posts: 201 Member
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    Two weeks ago I bought my Fitbit One. I did a fair amount of research prior to buying it and in the end vanity won out over all. The Flex is a rubber type bracelet that you wear on your wrist (I hear someone talking about their ankle but not sure) My One can be clipped anywhere, I personally wear it clipped to my bra in between my breasts. Either one would be absolutely fine day to day BUT
    if you need to get dressed up for a night on the town (or work in an environment that requires formal clothing) then walking around with a rubber band on your wrist is going to spoil the look imo. No matter what I am wearing I can find somewhere to clip the one and nobody is any wiser.
  • gg0123
    gg0123 Posts: 2
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    I had the same experience and feel the Fitbit One is slightly more accurate. However for me I like seeing the band. It reminds me to move. And also reminds me to log my food. I think I need that more than the accuracy. When I wear the One I forget it is even there.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
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    So its been 2 months now since I have had the Fitbit One. I have it clipped to my bra in the space between my breasts.

    In the 8 weeks since I have had this, I have lost 12 lbs. A little more than I thought I would in that time but I am overjoyed by it. Having the One has really helped me figure out my 500 cal a day deficit which is my goal. Especially on the really busy or lazy days.

    I have been able to lose weight because of the calorie deficit but I also work out 5-6 days a week. I use my heart rate monitor for known fitness activities and manually enter the cals burned in MFP. I do cardio and weight training.

    On my fitness days I eat about 1800 cals a day and on non fitness days I eat around 1300.

    My concern about washing the One has not happened. I unclip it from my bra when I take it off and put it on whatever I am changing in to. Since I do my laundry in the middle of the day or evening, i am likely to be wearing my fitbit. At least that is how it has worked out so far.

    I have been on many diets and tried lots of products to lose weight but this Fitbit has really been the best device for me to help me with the calorie burn and following the 500 cal daily deficit plan has made me lose this weight.
  • juliocarraro
    juliocarraro Posts: 1 Member
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    I am braziliam, but I have to thank not even knowing how to write English. Great job. Thanks very much.
  • gfroniewski
    gfroniewski Posts: 168
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    Honestly in terms of getting you to move more, I think both Fitbit Flex and Fitbit One accomplishes this. Ultimately it really depends on what you're looking for in a tracker. Here are my pros and cons:

    [Fitbit Flex]
    Pros:
    - Waterproof
    - Wear all the time without worrying about breaking it or losing it

    Cons:
    - No display, can only get data by syncing
    - Sensitivity on the tap sucks (I had hard time activating/deactivating sleep mode)
    - There is water residue that built inside the band (though tracker should be safe considering they are waterproof)
    - Seems to be less accurate than torso clipping trackers
    - No altimeter
    - Band seem to wear off easily if you frequently take the tracker out of the band

    [Fitbit Ultra or device that clips onto your torso]

    Pros:
    - Display that shows your steps
    - altimeter
    - More accurate than wrist trackers

    Cons:
    - Not waterproof (I've killed my Ultra before with my sweat :P)
    - Easy to lose (I've lost one previously and I have no idea how... now I have pedometer strap on it)
    - Easy to forget to put it on
    - Easy to forget to take it off before laundry (washing it will break it)

    So I was going to switch to Fitbit One but my coworker told me about Withings Pulse which is a tracker similar to Fitbit One. I picked it up today so I'm going to give this a test ride.

    Good points all around. I have been interested in the Pulse ever since I heard about it. After some testing can you come back with comparisons? :) Also, pay special attention to the HRM function and let us know how accurately that works!

    I really wanna get their Wifi scale since it syncs to all the apps I use. It also has a lot more features than the Aria to boot.
  • Dunebugi
    Dunebugi Posts: 1
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    Thanks so much for your post!!! I was on the fence between the two and now I'm NOT!!! :) I will go with the Fitbit ONE!!! :)
  • duemoko
    duemoko Posts: 2
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    Thank you for this thread, it helped me decide that I will get the Fitbit One. I prefer the idea of the flex but I hate wearing anything on my wrist. If they did an ankle version I might be convinced to try that one day :)
  • vzocca
    vzocca Posts: 2
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    If I am reading you correctly you are saying that if I bought the flex and left it in my pocket I would get the same results as the one? That would be good for me, I have the convenience of wearing it in my wrist if I want to, automatic syncing, or putting it in my pocket if I am moving my arms too much. Did I understand you correctly?
  • erikaegg
    erikaegg Posts: 1
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    Thank you so much for your research!!! I was on the fence about which fitbit to buy and I miraculously happened to come across the awesome research you did and now know which to buy. Thank you again for this!!! :-)
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
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    If I am reading you correctly you are saying that if I bought the flex and left it in my pocket I would get the same results as the one? That would be good for me, I have the convenience of wearing it in my wrist if I want to, automatic syncing, or putting it in my pocket if I am moving my arms too much. Did I understand you correctly?

    Yes, I found putting it in my pocket to give me the same readings as the One (or close enough to be reasonable) but since that defeats the purpose of having the flex, I thought that was not a reasonable reason to keep it given the other discrepancies I had.

    ---

    ~3 month update!!

    Still using the One. Love it. It truly has made losing weight easy for me. I just landed a temp gig in the city so I am more active than my normal day to day stuff. I love how the One keeps me current with my numbers so I know what I can and cant enjoy for the day.

    I have lost a little over 15 lbs since using the One. Its been about 12 or 13 weeks since I had it. I am still loosing about 1 lbs a week and I still eat what I want so long as I have the cals for it. I try to meet my macro goals and make better food choices but there are times were a treat is worth it or we were not home to cook a meal. I do what I can to stay in my cal goals.

    I use my HRM for fitness and eat back most of the exercise and fitbit cals.

    I have not lost the fitbit or even thought there was a risk of losing it but my sister did. She does not know how she lost it but she thinks it fell off her bra at work. She reached out to fitbit and they sent her a free one time replacement.

    Oh and I needed a new cell phone and even though I was already going to get the Samsung Galaxy S4, knowing that my Fitbit syncs with it made spending the money that much easier, especially since I am now working out of the house and away from my own computer. And the syncing is flawless so far.
  • RabbiBeth
    RabbiBeth Posts: 37 Member
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    Thank you for this comparison! I am trying to decide between Flex and One~!
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
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    Thanks for the update!

    I've got the Fitbit One on my Wish List but I keep hoping someone will come out with something similar that also tracks exercise other than walking, like weight training and cycling. I don't want to need multiple devices in order to get the whole picture.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Thanks for the update!

    I've got the Fitbit One on my Wish List but I keep hoping someone will come out with something similar that also tracks exercise other than walking, like weight training and cycling. I don't want to need multiple devices in order to get the whole picture.

    That's not going to happen because there's really no way for any device to actually know you're lifting weights.
  • iquiltoo
    iquiltoo Posts: 246 Member
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    Most of my points have been mentioned, but one thing I have read from a number of people is that when shopping, no the flex is NOT picking up their steps when they are pushing the cart as their arms are not moving. One lady said she got her hubby to push the cart! Also the sleep tracker records your movements, so if as one lady says she is able to lie there for an hour without moving that arm, it will seem to the device as if you have gone to sleep already; or on the other hand if you toss and turn, you will get more "steps" and it will seem as if you are awake - really it's just showing your movement during those hours rather than real wake or sleep time. But it's an indicator of how well or poorly you probably slept. (haven't lost mine, tucked in the bra, nor washed it as always can see it before throwing it in hamper!)
  • cameothern
    cameothern Posts: 1
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    A few points in FAVOR of the Flex -
    I don't ever have to worry about losing it. I very rarely take it off, and it is ok for water.
    The Flex settings can be changed for Dominant or NonDominant hand--accuracy is inherently linked to having it set up properly.
    And this is kinda goofy, I know, but I like that I can get different colored bands for my Flex.. I haven't yet, but I intend to.

    I *like* that it's on my wrist. I don't have to think about it. I've had a couple of people think it's just a cool looking bracelet. I like telling people about my latest gadget.
    I like that I don't have to fish it out of my bra every time I want to look at it. (Bra does seem like a very good place for the One, I'll admit) If I don't have time to sync it to see where I'm at goal-wise, I double tap the bracelet and the 1 to 5 little lights works for me.

    I have to agree with a previous poster - yes, you may have false "steps" if you are waving your arms around but not walking, but all movement creates caloric burn. I want points for the non-step movement, too.
    And I *LOVE* when the thing vibrates once I've hit my goal for the day! My Flex is cheering for me!

    Fitbit's site does not recommend putting the Flex in a pocket. It is designed to be worn on the wrist.

    Finally, it's like a scale. Your scale may have me 3 pounds heavier than mine. But at the end of the day, it is the TREND that is important. Is the scale going up or down? Same with the Flex; are you moving more than you did yesterday? If your answer is Yes, you are receiving the intended benefit.

    Happy Stepping, everyone!
  • LisaM271970
    LisaM271970 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks for all the reviews. Just ordered the Fitbit One. :)
  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
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    I'm late to the party, but thanks for the comparison. I was wondering about the differences.
  • sauerkrautpolka
    sauerkrautpolka Posts: 266 Member
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    I just got the One for my birthday last week... sure enough, I accidentally washed AND dried it on its first day of use! When I retrieved it from my clean clothes that had just been taken out of the dryer, I had did everything wrong (pressing the button right away to see if it'd still come on, not immediately putting it in rice) that I later read online NOT to do. It wasn't until the next day that I was even able to acquire some rice to put my One in, but at this point I had lost all hope and didn't expect the rice (instant rice, at that) to do squat, but figured I didn't have anything to lose. Left my FitBit One in the brown instant rice for about 24 hours and then plugged it into my computer like the FitBit Customer Service had suggested, low and behold it came on!!! A few days later and my One is still working as new. I am amazed that the rice trick worked even after I did everything wrong. Anyway, this thing is a beast and I've been quite impressed by it!
  • BorntoROAR
    BorntoROAR Posts: 91 Member
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    I have had the flex since May and have lost about 16 lbs since using it.

    If anything I have found it to be extremely accurate, but most of my exercise minutes are from treadmill time and walking my dog on a 3 mile track at the park. The mileage always matches up to what I know I did.

    I also work out with a trainer 3 times a week for 40 minutes and use weights. The flex shows me about a 50 calorie burn when I do this. I know it is closer to a 100-150 calorie burn, at least this is what my trainer tells me.

    For me, I find it to be extremely accurate, and I eat at about a 500-750 calorie deficit and continue to lose on average 1-1.2 lbs per week.

    I LOVE THE FITBIT FLEX!!!!!
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
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    Great job on the review. I've had a FitBit One (FBO) since March and LOVE it! Especially the 2 days a week when I work onsite (skyscraper) and walk the stairs repeatedly throughout the day. I love earning '75 floors' badges twice a week and getting that instant gratification of looking at the display.
    I have a Polar FT7 HRM for my cardio (e.g. treadmill) but will leave the FBO on anyway since MFP/FB sync properly. I do high-incline (avg. 12%) workouts, so the HRM gives me credit for the extra effort that the FBO can't account for.

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