Basis B1 reviews

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Does anyone here use the Basis B1 HRM? I like the looks of it and I am tempted to pull the trigger; however, there appears to be few reviews online about it.

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  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
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    Give it a while. I was on the forums there for over a year before it was released.... The communication to the "community" was dire. I'm glad i didn't pre-order.

    Before i even consider buying one, i want to read some proper user reviews... Not just the PR crap thats floating around at the moment.
  • khelm31
    khelm31 Posts: 51 Member
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    I have been looking at this device as well as the fitbit flex, and some of the other newer devices on the market. I like the bracelet format in that it will remind me to move. I've had one of the other devices that you had to clip somewhere it would easily be forgotten through out the day. I've just recently came across another one called misfit shine. I like that it can be clipped on or worn on the wrist. I would be curious to hear if anyone has opinions on any of these that I've mentioned.
  • spinnc
    spinnc Posts: 8 Member
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    I have one. I was on the waiting list for a year and was lucky to get in the first batch of orders.

    Simply, I wasted $200. I stopped wearing it in March. My old Fitbit Ultra is a much better tool than this.

    Specifically:
    * Poor Dashboard. Information isn't editable (all activity whether walking or exercising is marked Activity-you can't mark the entry with a note about what kind of Activity it was). The "Habits" you can pick from are all about activity or sleep and they're boring.

    *The watch itself is bulky and ugly. It may look fine if you're a guy, but I can't wear something that bulky all day every day. The watch is a lifestyle watch, not a performance watch, so the idea is to wear it every day.

    * Heart Rate Monitor isn't real time but if you are exercising and you get past a "safe" heart rate, this gadget has no idea. I've been in the middle of a pretty intense workout & it's rated my HR at 85.

    *As it turns out, the calories burned it estimates using the perspiration monitor, the heart rate monitor & the skin temperature function are very close to what Fitbit estimates for activities using just my personal information and the info gleaned from the fitbit

    *I slept with it & woke up one morning and the band had popped away from the watch in a way that couldn't be popped back in and I had to superglue it back in

    I know some of the reviews for it have been great, but I don't think the reviewers wore it long enough to make a really good judgement and if they weren't comparing it to anything else, it's pretty impressive.

    With regard to the how their site hypes it up, now that I have the actual watch- if I hadn't seen the site before & if I saw it without a picture of the watch, I would not be able to associate the thing on my wrist with the description on the site.

    Stick with a Fitbit. I indiegogo'd the Misfit Shine and if how they've handled this pre order to launch phase is any indication, this thing is going to be awesome. Basis was almost a year late, their communications were infrequent, and they really blew it with a large amount of the people who had been waiting on it. I would say their thing is a worse user expectation than the Jawbone UP initial launch. (with the UP, they communicated, they admitted the thing wasn't great and they refunded my money promptly)

    Hope that helps.
  • fitnessbugg
    fitnessbugg Posts: 141 Member
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    I have a Basis watch as well. I really wanted it for the heart rate and keeping track of sleeping. It seems to do its job, but I'm not totally sure. The band is very big for a small female, and as of this moment, they don't offer a smaller one. I'm hoping they have heard the complaints and will do something about it. It's great that you don't have an arm band that you have to wear, which is why I bought it, and the readings for total calories burned are very similar to when I did wear the armband.

    As you can tell, I'm sort of on the fence with it. I think that if I could sell it to someone I probably would and get something else, but if that's too much trouble, I would keep it. It was only $200, and there is no fee to use the website, so it's a pretty inexpensive buy.
  • monteiro77
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    I am happy with my basis but we all have to be patient as the amount of interesting data collected by the band is still not properly used by the software-app. It has a lot of potential but I confess the website is poor and does not generate useful info with skin temp and perspiration so far. I like the fact that it has a very accurate pedometer a fairly accurate hr (not supposed to be used for hard workouts as stated by the manufacturer) and a good sleep tracker (new software version coming end of jan 2014 will be nice to see deep insights on sleep quality). By now it is getting better and honestly is far more featured than any other tracker on the market.
    i would recommend to anyone looking for a good continuous heart rate monitor and sleep tracker. It is helping me a lot to improve my habits and I hope they will insert reminders too for that matter
  • moliver25
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    I've been wearing mine for a few weeks now and overall, I'm very happy with it.

    Major pluses - (these are why I picked the B1 and I'm happy with these features)
    *Love that I don't have to remember to tell it when I'm starting/ending exercise/sleep - could never remember with my last fitbit, seems like a small thing but for me it's huge
    *Love wearing it on my wrist rather than my upper arm - it's big but actually doesn't bother me when typing or anything else - and I'm one who tends to take watches/bracelets off while typing because they get in the way.
    *Love the habits/insights - I'm really making lifestyle changes now rather than just dieting, including focusing on a regular bedtime/wake schedule.

    Minuses:
    *The biggest disappointment is that it doesn't seem to recognize steps unless your watch hand is swinging. It seems to pick up only a fraction of my steps (sometimes no steps), if I'm on an elliptical (even using the moving handles), or if I'm carrying something or holding my dog's leash with my watch hand. So I try to keep my left hand free to swing when I'm walking or on the elliptical, and that seems to fix the problem, but wish I didn't have to do that... I can understand it not picking up steps on a bike, but I would think the up and down movement on an elliptical would trigger it..
    *Minor: HR monitor doesn't seem very accurate - but I wasn't looking for chest strap type results anyway
    *Minor: Looking forward to when it integrates with MFP
  • moliver25
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    Need to update my post. After posting this, I noticed that the Basis band actually *does* capture steps even if I'm holding something. Not sure why it didn't seem to work the other day, but I did confirm it worked fine last night for this. I tested the elliptical again this morning and it still does not work properly on an elliptical unless i swing my watch hand, which I'm doing anytime I use the elliptical now.
  • aaviles9
    aaviles9 Posts: 1 Member
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    I have the basis and I am very very unimpressed with it. To start off, their customer service is beyond horrible, they have no active phone or live chat for any issues. The only way to contact them is via email and I am being kind by saying it is slow. I have had 2 devices, the first one had a fatal error (they sent a replacement), the second is still having issues and they simply choose to not respond to my emails pleading for help. Yes, I am a bit disgruntled, but rightfully so. The HR monitor is good for an overall picture, but like others mentioned, it is not great for real time monitoring. IT also has some quirky issues, I had it on the charger for about 2 hours and later when I synced it up, it had me taking a nap in the middle of the day, while it was in the cradle charging. It is supposed to recognize the difference between walking, running and biking. It has yet been able to do so. I was in zumba and it had me running for 4 minutes, last week I was on a bike ride and it only recognized walking. It does not recognize indoor cycling as any of the 3 activities, it simply gives you an activity recognition. I love the idea of what this device can do, but it is a big fail. Save your money and purchase something else.