My Basis Peak Review

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IamMCM
IamMCM Posts: 122
in Fitness and Exercise
I've had my Basis Peak for a week and a half now, so I wanted to share a quick review for those who might be considering it for Christmas. This is coming from a former Fitbit user who loved her FBs but didn't replace her last Flex when she lost it. I was planned to wait for the FB with heart rate monitor but have up since they haven't given a firm release date yet.

Pros
For the Basis Peak, I love that fact that it's really waterproof. I haven't tried it while swimming yet, but it does just fine in the hot tub. I also like the secure band, having lost a Fitbit One and a Flex, and I love the heart rate monitoring without a chest strap. I'm also a big fan of the automatic sleep mode and seeing my sleep broken down into things like REM and deep sleep periods. It also snaps into its charging cradle with a magnet so you know it's secure, and it charges really fast. I like the habits you can set up with goals and the competitive slant that it puts on them to make you "earn" new habits.

Cons
The Basis Peak will pick up periods of inactivity, like watching a movie, as sleep, too, which gets annoying. It's kind of bulky and not too sleek looking, although I like having the watch feature close at hand. It doesn't come with instructions so it has a learning curve, and you have to search out answers for some functionality questions. I also had some syncing trouble, although the latest firmware update seems to have helped. It has a very short battery life compared to my Fitbits. It doesn't hook up with MFP, even though they keep saying that it's coming.

The pros outweigh the cons for me, so I'm going to keep it (Best Buy would let me return it all the way through Jan. 15 since I bought it in the Christmas season). I think the Jawbone and Fitbit models with HRMs will be comparable, but I didn't want to wait, and I'm glad I took the plunge. I know I'll feel a twinge when the new Fitbit comes out, but oh well. I find it very motivating to have a fitness band to act as my conscience, and the Basis Peak is working out nicely so far.

Replies

  • mtgrzz
    mtgrzz Posts: 33 Member
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    Thank you for the review! I have pre-ordered the UP3 but am debating on canceling it and getting this one. Do you just manually log your steps into MFP?
  • cmbauer99
    cmbauer99 Posts: 184 Member
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    Be careful with the wrist HRM they are not as accurate as the chest straps. be careful when using it to calculate calories
  • IamMCM
    IamMCM Posts: 122
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    I haven't been tracking exercise here but will probably just start doing that manually. I don't mind the fact that it's less accurate than a chest strap since the fact that I wear it much more offsets the minor loss in accuracy. With a strap, I only bothered while exercising, but with the Peak it's on almost 24/7. I do have to say that the battery life is annoyingly short, though. I plug it into my laptop while working every 2 to 3 days, but I really wish it lasted as long as my old Fitbit. I guess it's the price I pay for the screen. I also wish it was a little more feminine. I want to get a couple of the new colored bands, but they're $30 each. Ouch!
  • rgraville
    rgraville Posts: 3 Member
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    I also have one my wife got for me for my birthday. As to heart rate monitoring, it is fairly accurate. Obviously it cant be perfect, but when comparing it to Withing Body Analyzer scale, or the elliptical machines at the local gym, or even the nurse at the doctors office, it was within +/-2 on each of those, at various heart rates.
  • bio79
    bio79 Posts: 22 Member
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    I love mine :)

    I have had it almost a month now and it is great. I find the battery lasts about 3 days, but if I charge it while I shower it hasn't needed charging outside of that yet.

    I know a lot of basis peak users are complaining about the lack of smart watch features but I didn't buy it for a smart watch I bought it as a fitness tracker and it is a great fitness tracker :)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Thanks for the review. That fast charging with a magnetic cradle sounds nice. I have an early Charge HR and it has poor battery life, too, but I've got 3-4 daily alarms set at this point, so it might be better if I remove those. I charged it to full yesterday and it's down to half today. The auto sleep tracking is nice. I think Best Buy has them now (or did) if you decide to change over. I'm not sure how accurate the HR data is. My HRM battery died but my HR seems a lot lower than I'm used to seeing but it might be right, I'm not sure.
  • IamMCM
    IamMCM Posts: 122
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    Bio, I'm with you on the smart watch, I hate answering my phone as it is; I don't need my watch bothering me too! I just wish it had activity notifications right on the watch, like "you need to start walking" or "you're close to your daily goal," but that's enough notification for me. I'm hoping they might add that at some point.
  • bio79
    bio79 Posts: 22 Member
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    yes IamMCM I would love a simple notification or even just for it to vibrate if I have been inactive for a set time period, but I can wait for that :)

    aside from that, I love my Basis Peak :)

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