Looking for the best HR monitor/wrist band...fitbit or wait for the apple watch?

Ultimately any HRM watch is limited-especially if it's only the watch and doesn't use a heart rate band. (From everything I've read, the bands are just more accurate). But HRM is most effective in monitoring continuing cardio activity, not HIIT, not strength training, and all numbers are an estimate.
I can tell you my experiences-I have used a Fitbit activity tracker since they first came out-starting with the first model, then an Ultra, and then a Zip. They were fine for tracking my steps and I found myself motivated to get my numbers over 10,000 every day. I would sync them with MFP.
I also used a Polar FT4 HRM for a few years and that was fine-again keeping in mind it was an estimate of my heart rate. I had to adjust the heart rate zones because my heart rate just seems to be higher. I could see a 170 on the watch but my perceived rate of exersion was much less.
Now I have a Garmin Forerunner 15. It's a activity tracker, heart rate monitor, and GPS running watch. I love it. I wore it at the same time as my Zip and the step counts were in the same ballpark. I bought mine with a chest strap for the HRM. I feel that the Garmin is more accurate at estimating calories burned, etc because when I set up my account, it asked me for things like my VO2 max, resting and max heart rate, in addition to height, weight, age, gender. My polar only asked for height/weight/gender.

Really it comes down to what your goals are, and how much you spend will determine the limitations of the technology.

I tried the Charge HR and it is very cool and seems like it would work for most average people, but for me I still had to go to my trusty Zephyr Bluetooth HRM with Digifit if I wanted an accurate heart rate above 120. I personally think that Optical just isn't there for the wrist area.
The Scosch Rythm+ has good reviews but it only lasts 8 hours and can be sketchy for when you move your muscles in that area, like weights or cross training.

I have been looking at the Garmin Vivoactive for the interface and the battery life, it has yet to be fully baked but I will still try it. I have tried all the smartwatches and they all need to be charged every night along with my phone, along with my tablet, along with my... Ugh. The apple watch last about 18 hours from what I read, so it is like the others out there, and will be limited to try and be everything to everyone like all the others.

If you are looking for fitness as the primary goal, then you want a real fitness tracker, I love the fitbit interface, but I still had to charge the Charge HR every three days.

I want a long lasting battery, one that will last a week so I can charge it on my day off, like my Zephyr BT HRM. After much debate, I found that using my BMR with TDEE was the best method for me, with a HR montior and Digifit. Steps really don't matter to me because I will do what I can regardless of what a tracker tells me to do. They do overestimate the calories for most people, and really is just a motivational tool. For $250-300, if I can't motivate myself for that kind of money, then I really deserve to be the fat guy on the couch.

It is my opinion that these things will get better soon, but the current batch of smartwatch/HRM/Music/Calendar/tracking/Facebook/Youtube watches just aren't there yet. They look cool, but they need lots of love and attention that I am not willing to give them.

I meant the Surge, I guess the Charge is the lower cost one.. Both look like they have come down in price since I looked before Christmas.

I'm guessing once the apple watch comes out, they will drop even more, so you may get a deal....

I would wait for the apple watch this Friday to pre-order,

What I am using now is a fitbit one to track daily activity and a garmin 610 to track runs. I don't think there is any better solution to tracking aerobic exercise calories than a newer garmin simply because they use an entirely different way of analyzing exercise heart rate that takes into account your changing fitness levels and even your degree of recovery from the last exercise session.

thanks for the input, I've been thinking about buying an HR all-in-one tracker. Currently have the FitBit Flex which is OK but I would like to track my HR also. My problem is that I'm also registered with Weigh & Win and they only recognize FitBit at this time. Guess I need to keep on being patient & looking

As other commenters have noted, the current state of wrist-based HRMs is that they're pretty good at all-day HR monitoring, but tend not to do as well tracking HR during vigorous activity. This is likely going to be just as true of the Apple watch as it is for the current generation of Fitbit devices. If you really want accurate HR monitoring during serious exercise, your best bet is going to be a chest strap HRM. This may not be true in a year or two, but certainly seems to be now.

As has also been noted above, do keep in mind that increased accuracy for HR tracking doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get precise calorie burn measurements. Every manufacturer uses their own algorithm to derive estimates of calories burned based on HR, with the limitations mentioned about those estimates being best for cardio activities as opposed to strength stuff.

Finally, an unsolicited opinion on the Apple watch. I'm also intrigued by it, but decided to make the move on the new Garmin Fenix 3 - which I am seriously digging. Keep in mind that the first iPhone was pretty janky. The first iPad was also pretty janky. Almost without exception, the first generation of any cutting-edge Apple product has been more about establishing what the product will eventually become, as opposed to being ready to go right away. I'm more than happy to let other people find the bugs for the good people at Cupertino to address. You'll need to decide if you really want to be one of those early-adopter bug-finders. ($.02 from the cheap seats.)

I use a Polar FT4. Basic watch with a linked chest strap. I have found it to be VERY accurate. Water resistant up to a certain depth as well which was very important for me. It's about $60 on amazon and again it's the basic so no GPS, or any special apps linked to it.

I had a fitbit and I was allergic to it. They sent me a refund and I used it to buy a Garmin vivofit with the HRM strap. I absolutely love it! I've had it almost a year now and I love the versatility of the bands and that it is waterproof is a definite bonus

I also have a first generation Ipad and it works fine. Lol. But as far as the trackers go I have the Polar Loop which I've never been 100 percent happy with. I'm not concernd with my steps per day or my sleep patterns so the Loop with the chest strap is really pointless to me. I thought I was upgrading and I should have just stayed with what I had. I've been wearing my old Polar HRM for the last month and I like it better because as another poster mentioned beyond being a tracker the Loop paired with the HRM just doesn't offer me the feedback I get with my stand alone HRM worn just for exercising. I've been considering the Garmin Vivofit and DC Rainmaker offers good reviews so I am going to check that out. Costco also has a couple varieties of the Fitbit and the Garmin. If I had purchased my Loop there I would take it back at this point.

Love my fitbit charge HR. It's pretty cool and accurate.for the cost. Don't know.much about the apple watch.