PolarFt4 vs FitBit

Depends on your needs. Polar FT4 is used only when exercising . I believe FitBit is used throughout the day.

Both

I have a HRM for cardio workouts & wear the fitbit one all day so I can see how active generally I have been. HRM is a must if you want to workout in a HR zone & stay in that zone & I would not be without my fitbit mainly due to me walking alot, if you don't walk that much then perhaps a HRM is a better option if you just want one.

This is a response I wrote to a similar thread about a week or so ago .... hope it helps...



The key point is to recognise that these are two really different things and used for different purposes.

The Fitbit is a pedometer, it tracks your daily steps and some level of intensity, but it does not accurately track your heart rate and does not track all forms of motion effectively - as such it will not give you an accurate burn rate for some exercises - such a cycling, rowing, swimming, weight lifting and gym classes.

I use it only to track my daily walking - and basically to keep me accountable for doing a certainly amount of steps a day - and it really does that.

I use a chest strap HRM for all exercise other than walking. The good thing is that the Fitbit will synch to MFP and when you log an exercise using a HRM it will overwrite the fitbit calculation for that period of time if you have it set up right. So it will give you a great read and much more accurate read if you want this.

Of course an HRM will also help you to set some fitness goals, times, distance, intensity, exertion also.

So in the end the two are complimentary.

There is Fitbit group here and if you ask to join there are lots of threads of information.

Good luck with your decision

PolarFT4 is an HRM. Fitbit is a fancy pedometer. Get the Polar if you want to track burns while exercising; get the Fitbit if you want a ballpark figure of your daily calorie burn.

Agreed. I have both (Polar FT7). I only wear the HRM during exercise. The Fitbit I put on in the morning and take off at night (I have the Zip, it doesn't monitor sleep). The Fitbit tells me my daily calorie burn and how many steps I've taken in a day. I call it a glorified pedometer (that I love more than any other pedometer I've had)

I have both. I have had my fitbit for about a year. I just got my Polar for Christmas.... I am already in love with my Polar.
I always liked my fitbit but I had a hard time really knowing what I burned during a workout (especially strength training). Turns out I burn a heck of a lot at a full gym session. The fitbit determines your burned calories basically from the steps you take. So if you aren't running or on an elliptical you have to kind of judge for yourself which drove me bananas.

I like to be a precise as possible so I like both, but I'd say the PolarFt4. Gave me a ton of motivation while at the gym!

Unlike the others I think Polar is better. It shows actual burns. I also own Bodymedia, it's similar to Fitbit, and I don't use it any more as I don't count the steps and I think it's not accurate for actual burns.