Gadget Fans: Fitbit Flex - Yes or No?

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!!

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

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.)

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.

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/

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!

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.