The surge!

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13

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  • 12pinay12
    12pinay12 Posts: 5 Member
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    I feel so left out... for those of you who got the Surge last month, did you buy directly from Fitbit or from a retailer? How did you find out about it? As a current Fitbit customer, I feel like I should have been sent the special email and given the opportunity to buy it earlier as well. :(

    Hi Midwestern 85!

    I owned a Fitbit Force and because of the recall, they sent me an email with a special offer to be one of the first to get a Surge.

    Kim

  • zsgreenwell
    zsgreenwell Posts: 63 Member
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    I ordered the Surge on 12/29 from REI. I had chatted with their customer service a few days prior to that, and they told me it would be available on 12/30. So when I ordered it on 12/29, it went on backorder as expected. But then I was hoping it would be shipeed on 12/30. That didn't happen. They still show it as backordered today. :(

    I did the same, I then saw brookstone had them in stock so I cancelled my REI order and reordered from brookstone.
  • ArmyVet92
    ArmyVet92 Posts: 35 Member
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    I should be getting my new Surge tomorrow.. I ordered mine from Verizon yesterday afternoon. I can't wait!!
  • mmgavitt
    mmgavitt Posts: 82 Member
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    The closest REI to me is 2.5 hours away and I haven't been near there recently. You'll see above that I have one on backorder from REI and the most recent thing they have said is that they will get some on 1/11/15 and will ship then. Since 1/11 is a Sunday, I expect it will probably ship on 1/12. Then to get from their distribution center in Washington to my home in Iowa will take a few days at least. That assumes they actually get some on 1/11.

    Check Target and Walmart.
  • kelleybean81
    kelleybean81 Posts: 4 Member
    edited January 2015
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    mmgavitt, can you tell me whether the gps function on the Surge is any good? What benefits having it really offers? Without playing with the device myself I can't tell how it will work exactly, but since the GPS is the only feature I care about that the Surge has and the Charge HR doesn't, I'm wondering if it will be any better to use the Surge GPS rather than just Runkeeper on my phone. It seems like a good feature to have but...I'm not really sure why, exactly. Is it worth the upgrade, do you think? I kind of like the smaller size of the Charge HR.
  • momdracup
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    Hi - just got mine about an hour ago - soo excited - ordered it directly from fitbit, got it in about 3 days! Hoping the "dent" in my arm from my bodymedia link band will now go away (sigh, I may miss that awkward tan line ... haha just kidding!)
    Hopefully this will be as awesome as I think it will - I'm gonna like not having a monthly fee, that's for sure!
  • missyjane824
    missyjane824 Posts: 1,199 Member
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    Can I get some feedback from anyone that is on the smaller side. I have concerns about the size of the surge on my short arms.

    Anyone know if any stores have them that I can go try one on. I saw Walmart had a display model but it is attached to the display pretty securely. I stopped in to verizon and they didn't have any yet.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    mmgavitt wrote: »
    The closest REI to me is 2.5 hours away and I haven't been near there recently. You'll see above that I have one on backorder from REI and the most recent thing they have said is that they will get some on 1/11/15 and will ship then. Since 1/11 is a Sunday, I expect it will probably ship on 1/12. Then to get from their distribution center in Washington to my home in Iowa will take a few days at least. That assumes they actually get some on 1/11.

    Check Target and Walmart.

    Target doesn't have any in stock, Wal-Mart has never heard of it apparently.

    I checked with REI today, since they were supposed to get some from Fitbit today. They said their shipment has been pushed back to 1/18. :'(
  • mmgavitt
    mmgavitt Posts: 82 Member
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    mmgavitt wrote: »
    The closest REI to me is 2.5 hours away and I haven't been near there recently. You'll see above that I have one on backorder from REI and the most recent thing they have said is that they will get some on 1/11/15 and will ship then. Since 1/11 is a Sunday, I expect it will probably ship on 1/12. Then to get from their distribution center in Washington to my home in Iowa will take a few days at least. That assumes they actually get some on 1/11.

    Check Target and Walmart.

    Target doesn't have any in stock, Wal-Mart has never heard of it apparently.

    I checked with REI today, since they were supposed to get some from Fitbit today. They said their shipment has been pushed back to 1/18. :'(

    Weird. The Walmart by me had a big fancy display. Sorry you can't find it. Good luck!

  • gbel1975
    gbel1975 Posts: 86 Member
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    I got mine on Dec 26 at Target. Having had it for a couple of weeks, I'm generally pleased. If you've read any number of other threads, you know there have been some concerns and negatives about it. For the most part, I've not experienced any issues that I can't live with. This is my first Fitbit product so I don't really have anything to compare it to.

    GPS Accuracy: I've read that people have had problems with this. Previously I had a Garmin Forerunner 10, which had incredible accuracy. I could run down a road on the left side and come back on the opposite side and it would track the difference of the width of the road. The Surge's GPS accuracy is not that accurate. It's also necessary to give it some extra time after it indicates it's gotten a signal. However, I'm pleased with the overall function.

    Battery Life: No problems for me...have only had to recharge it every five days or so. If I use the GPS the battery life is much shorter and I'll recharge it after use. I am running a half marathon in February and will be interested to see how it does for two to two and a half hours on GPS. The tips say to turn off other functions like the Bluetooth and auto-sync. Given the specs of a five hour battery life with GPS I think it will be fine.

    Size: Yes, it's large. It's probably not for some people. I have relatively large forearms and I think it looks fine on me. If you are a petite woman I could see how you might not like it.

    HR Accuracy: For running, elliptical, walking, etc. the HR seems accurate. For weight/circuits where you have a lot of bending of the wrist it is definitely not accurate (too low). This is probably my biggest complaint, but not enough of one to cause me to return it. I have not tried wearing it further up my arm as some suggest to fix this issue.
  • krysannboggs
    krysannboggs Posts: 48 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I just received mine on Saturday. So far it's been pretty accurate. My wrists are tiny but the small size is surprisingly comfortable. I forget that I am wearing it for the most part. Have even slept with it without issues. I had a Vivosmart before this and a Force before that which I returned for the recall. The HRM was a big draw for me. Plus Garmin's app interface isn't as intuitive as Fitbit and I wanted to compete against family, who all still have their Fitbits. So I now have a small purple Garmin Vivosmart for sale if anyone is interested haha ;)

    Heart rate seems comparable to the Wahoo chest strap I was using with my Vivosmart. Still have to use it a few more times to make sure since everything is still new. I haven't tried the GPS function yet.

    As for battery life, I've left the cord and a USB plug in the bathroom so I just let it charge while I shower every morning. No problems there! Loooooving the new app interface with challenges, sleep monitoring (Garmin's sleep monitor is very very basic), and daily HR.

    Verdict thus far = LOVE. Please feel free to add me if you want, both here on MFP and Fitbit: Fellow Surge owner here. Please feel free to add me here and at Fitbit: https://www.fitbit.com/user/23MWBB

    :)
  • thegizzard
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    Surge owner here. Got it Saturday. I like the idea of charging it while in the shower. But I shower at the gym. I'll figure out a system.
  • StaceyJ2008
    StaceyJ2008 Posts: 411 Member
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    I love the Surge. Still haven't figured the whole thing out yet but so far I really like it.
  • Chls122
    Chls122 Posts: 22 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I just received my surge and I'm now in the process of returning it. It was incapable of monitoring my heart rate during a spin class. After looking through the FitBit community support site and going through all their FAQs, I found out that's one of the known issues with it. So, if you're like me and you like cycling and you wish to monitor your heart rate, the Surge won't work.

    I'm going to get a FitBit One instead, I like seeing how many steps I take and I wish to monitor my sleep quality as well.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    Chls122 wrote: »
    I just received my surge and I'm now in the process of returning it. It was incapable of monitoring my heart rate during a spin class. After looking through the FitBit community support site and going through all their FAQs, I found out that's one of the known issues with it. So, if you're like me and you like cycling and you wish to monitor your heart rate, the Surge won't work.

    I'm going to get a FitBit One instead, I like seeing how many steps I take and I wish to monitor my sleep quality as well.

    What is the issue? The HRM never works? The HRM doesn't work above a certain pulse? Can you expand on that?
  • SimonCypher
    SimonCypher Posts: 254 Member
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    It's just been released here in the UK and am glad to of read all these reviews. I've had the Charge for a week and think I'm contemplating upgrading to the Surge. Thankfully I have someone who will take the Charge off of me for face value so not losing any money. Keep them coming as my decision won't be made for another week or so. :)
  • _Tzefira_
    _Tzefira_ Posts: 65 Member
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    Also have a Surge which I bought, and a Charge HR which was a gift -- Fitbit's blog says they're working on multi-device support for the same account so I'll probably hang onto both so I can eventually switch between them when I feel like it.

    Overall I prefer the Surge at the moment. The always-on versus button tapping is a plus (and backlighting at night). I was leery of the Surge's size before it arrived (I'm 5'0" with tiny wrists), but while it's noticeable I don't find it too bulky. The Charge HR will be nice to wear when I need something less HI I AM WEARING A WATCH.

    Strap's very comfortable. I might be exchanging my small for a large; I have 6.5" wrists which should fit the smaller band but when they say it's small it's small.

    I find the heart rate readings tend to lag when you're checking in real-time. But I've compared the Surge's HR to my Garmin chest strap both at rest and while working out, and the final averages and calorie burns match up almost perfectly, so I'm happy. I have only tried walking, running, zumba, and yoga, have not done anything with weightlifting. The GPS isn't rocket science but it's enough for my basic needs.

    Text notifications are a bit shady. Some don't come through at all, and I haven't figured out what the issue is.

    Very nice not having to tell it to enter sleep mode. The silent alarm though is not strong enough to wake me up, which is a bummer.

    Anyway, anyone who'd like another friend please feel free to add me! https://fitbit.com/user/2W5VL6
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Chls122 wrote: »
    I just received my surge and I'm now in the process of returning it. It was incapable of monitoring my heart rate during a spin class. After looking through the FitBit community support site and going through all their FAQs, I found out that's one of the known issues with it. So, if you're like me and you like cycling and you wish to monitor your heart rate, the Surge won't work.

    I'm going to get a FitBit One instead, I like seeing how many steps I take and I wish to monitor my sleep quality as well.

    What is the issue? The HRM never works? The HRM doesn't work above a certain pulse? Can you expand on that?

    Hope we get a response, but I'm guessing anyway.

    In the FAQ's it's said for more accuracy, especially at higher HR's, you need to move the band farther up the forearm.

    So picture that and then traditional spinning bike hand placement and body motion - I'm sure it would be falling down all the time and be much looser and probably not even reading HR at the wrist then.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    Mine shipped yesterday and it should arrive tomorrow. I'm soo excited, but I'm out of town tomorrow. So I won't actually have it until Sunday early. What I think will happen is I will not go to sleep when I first get home, but will want to open it and get started and such. We shall see...
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    OK, I got my Surge, but I cannot figure out how to manage music with it. I thought that was one of the features. Does anyone know about that?

    Also, I just want to say as far as the HRM goes, I manually took my pulse when resting and was only 1 bpm away from what the Surge was saying. I haven't tried that during exercise, but it seems like it is pretty accurate when resting.