Polar A300 or Fitbit Charge HR?

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fabotih10
fabotih10 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm trying to decide between the Polar A300 and the Fitbit Charge HR. I know the Polar needs an extra accessory with it to check heart rate unlike the Fitbit. But it is waterproof unlike the Fitbit, which is just sweat and splash proof. Just looking for any help, suggestions, advice on which to choose. Thanks!

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  • Rinkey78
    Rinkey78 Posts: 20 Member
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    I recently got the Polar a300 and I love it!!! It is completely waterproof, and yes you do need a chest strap to measure your heart rate but it is far more accurate than the Fitbit HR. Also, I prefer the polar app to the Fitbit app. Overall its an awesome watch! It tracks sleep patters, steps etc.
  • ls8735
    ls8735 Posts: 53 Member
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    I just got the Fitbit Charge HR a few weeks ago and I am loving it. It is sad that I can't take it swimming but I knew that before I bought it. I feel like it gives an accurate calorie burn count and I like the way it looks.
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    I have a Polar chest strap HRM and the Charge HR. The Polar chest strap HRM is accurate, the Charge HR is not. I still enjoy the steps part of the Charge HR. Also the sleep mode is accurate and i like looking at the graph and times i was restless and woke up during the night.
  • trusty48
    trusty48 Posts: 75 Member
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    I like my Fitbit Charge HR- but sometimes the heart rate data can be unreliable. It usually works great but sometimes during intense cardio the heart rate monitor will just stop working or give a ridiculously low number. I have been able to fix this by wiping sweat off and repositioning the band.

    The plus to the Fitbit is that the band can be worn 24/7 and will give a lot of info about heart rate during rest and normal activities. For instance, I never knew that housework or shopping could elevate my heart rate. If your main concern is your exercising heart rate, however, the chest strap is the better bet.
  • littleblue2
    littleblue2 Posts: 76 Member
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    I got the Polar A300 exactly a week ago today. I LOVE IT! You only need to wear the strap when you are actually working out. Otherwise, throughout the day the watch counts your steps and does everything the fitbit does and more. As they have mentioned above, it is completely waterproof, very user friendly, the app is helpful and informative. And a petty plus is that you can switch out the bands to different colors. I bought a black watch but bought a yellow band for my kids to wrap up for Mother's Day. I don't even know if I have ever been so excited for Mother's Day lol.

    I can't tell you enough how much I recommend it.
  • fabotih10
    fabotih10 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks for all the info! I'm still having a hard time deciding.
  • coryrood
    coryrood Posts: 100 Member
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    I've got the a300's bigger brother. Some friends have the fit bit charge hr. The chest strap is way more accurate during exercise than the light sensor (get alot of anomallys ) I prefer the polar.
  • IngridGurule91
    IngridGurule91 Posts: 10 Member
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    I love my polar a300. Had a fitbit and exchanged it for this watch instead! A lot more accurate with the chest strap when working out and is something you only need to wear while working out and the watch still monitors your activity through out the day. Best fitness tracker yet!
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    fabotih10 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the info! I'm still having a hard time deciding.

    It would help if you describe what you plan on using an exercise / tracking device for. What do you do?

  • Balikkk
    Balikkk Posts: 6 Member
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    I have two question about A300. Does it give you the total calorie burn? And on their website it says it only syncs with Myfitnesspal under iOS. Anyone tried it with any Android device?
  • bbontheb
    bbontheb Posts: 718 Member
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    Bumping because I'd like to know if it will sync on Android?
  • tiggerlove
    tiggerlove Posts: 225 Member
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    I've had the A300 from day one and I love the features and the waterproof makes it all that better. The only time you need to use the chest strap is when your working out so to me its not that much of a big deal and IMO the chest strap is more accurate. As for the ppl asking about Androids they have a lot of updates coming out for Android users..go to polar.com and look for the updates. Good luck in your decsion.
  • joyous06
    joyous06 Posts: 8 Member
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    I came online to ask this exact question tonight. I have purchased the fit bit HR I do not find the steps accurate, from point A home to point B work in a car it says my steps are from 200 to 500. The heart rate monitor also does not seem accurate compared to the monitors on the machines in the gym. Looking into the reviews polar with the waistband is much more accurate I'm looking to keep my heart rate at the optimal level during my workouts running, kickboxing and kayaking. I will not be able to wear my fit bit in the ocean while kayaking so I think I'm going to exchange it for the polar thanks for all the above advice
  • tiggerlove
    tiggerlove Posts: 225 Member
    edited August 2015
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    @ joyous06..I don't think you will regreat it.
  • airbent
    airbent Posts: 150 Member
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    Steps on the charge hr I find to be quite accurate, more than my phone was and more constant because it's always on you. I don't know about the A300 and whether it tracks your daily activity/TDEE the way fitbits do, but that's my favorite thing about my Fitbit. If you log accurately and setup correctly with mfp you'll find you can eat back step based calories and lose the expected amount per week.

    However it's not designed for intense cardio tracking. But i already owned a basic polar chest strap for that. Keep in mind that an HRM won't be accurate for non steady state cardio anyway--strength training, circuit training, etc-- almost worthless no matter where you buy it.
  • KyriaCathy
    KyriaCathy Posts: 44 Member
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    Before you buy look at the Moov Now, $59.00, waterproof, real time feedback and more. Here's the PC World review

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/2948580/fitness-hardware/moov-now-is-a-100-fitness-wearable-that-does-what-apple-watch-and-fitbit-cannot.html
  • XavierNusum
    XavierNusum Posts: 720 Member
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    Chest strap HRM are far more accurate than wrist. That's something else in favor of the Polar A300 + H7. The A300 will also do HR while swimming, don't know if that was listed specifically.

    I currently have a Polar Loop + H7 and am waiting impatiently to upgrade to an A300.

    Downside of Polar (UNLESS YOU HAVE IPHONE) it does not play well with MFP on andriod platforms.
  • lalaperk
    lalaperk Posts: 2 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Late on this thread. But I have a Polar FT7, currently functioning fin3. However, want a new device (that syncs & tracks daily acitivity). I want to stick with Polar, but the A300 has so many negative review functionality wise. Researched the Fitbit Charge HR which seems to be comparable. Is everyone still on board with Polar over Fitbit?
  • tayter_tot7
    tayter_tot7 Posts: 220 Member
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    I am trying to decide which tracker to get

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