Fitbit Flex vs Jawbone

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Yo guys, I need some advice: I'm thinking of getting a fitness band (even though my wrists are tiny and I usually don't wear any sort of watch or bracelet). So, as the title suggests, which do you prefer, the Fitbit Flex or the Jawbone UP?

I'm not a runner. I lift, do pilates, and a little bit of cardio, if that makes any difference in which would be better for me.

Basically, help!

Replies

  • altogirl2
    altogirl2 Posts: 105 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I think you have to decide what your needs and wants are first. I bought a JawboneUP24 before Christmas and like it, especially the software, but I forgot that I hate wearing anything on my wrists and hands, LOL! I ended up wearing it on my ankle in the house (one thing that you can't do with the Fitbit) and in my pocket when I go out. Wearing it on my ankle also works great with my recumbent bike.

    Another thing to keep in mind is that no wrist activity tracker can track your steps when you're not swinging yours arms (such as pushing a grocery cart). You have to remember to put it in your pocket.

    My daughters have the Fitbit Flex and like it. No matter what you get, I would definitely check out the software first and read a lot of reviews on Amazon. The Garmin Vivofit is getting a lot of press right now but I don't think it's supported on MFP like the Fitbit and Jawbone. The Jawbone UP24 is being phased out and a new UP3 is in the works.

    I'm thinking of getting a clip-on tracker for my next one, but that's just me. Again, the whole wrist-hands being free thing.

    Hope this is helpful. You may want to check out the Fitbit http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users and Jawbone http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/13420-jawbone-up-bracelet groups here.
  • berescga
    berescga Posts: 27 Member
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    I have an Up 24 and bought it specifically for the idle alert. I have it set to vibrate if I sit for 30 min during the day because I work a desk job and need to be reminded to get up and move sometimes.

    Decide what features you really want and then find out what bands have them.
  • jodigrengs
    jodigrengs Posts: 21 Member
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    I just bought a flex. I like it because it's water resistance, wish it had the time . A lot of time I will keep it in it's band and wear it in my sock...I forget about it and also I don't have to worry about keeping it higher on my wrist ( which isn't natural feeling)
  • jmac4263
    jmac4263 Posts: 245 Member
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    Ive had a Flex for over a year and love it. It will sync with your MFP and really once you have wore it a while you feel naked with out it.

    I also wasnt doing cardio for a while just weights you can manually log these activites on the fitbit dashboard. Thats one difference I noticed, it gives you calorie allowance for weight lifting where it doesnt seem that MFP does.

    I do like that you can set the alarms on it, to be honest I am terrible at getting up in the morning, I have 3 alarms set on my phone I always hit snooze but my fit bit alarm I set is the one that always wakes me up.

    You can do all the same stuff basically on the fitbit app and dashboard that you can here, one difference is the community set up. There isnt alot of that type of thing on there like here but the challenges are awesome!!!

    Good luck!
  • sugarpuff29
    sugarpuff29 Posts: 18 Member
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    You don't have to swing ur arms for the jawbone to track your steps I walk with a pushchair and it always counts my steps
  • irishguns
    irishguns Posts: 53 Member
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    I've had a flex for a few months now. It seems to track my steps whether I'm swinging my arms or not. I do kickboxing 3 times a week and I haven't quite figured out what to do with it then yet. I've been taking it off but manually tracking the workout in the fitbit app. Overall, I like it as a little tracker.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Flex & a Jawbone UP24. They both do the same thing, but UP requires a compatible smartphone or tablet. Fitbits can sync (via a dongle) with a computer.

    They've both broken & been replaced. After all, they're tiny computers I wear on my wrist 24/7. (I only take them off to charge.) But Jawbone's customer service is awful.