Fitbit vs Other Brand

I uograded from Fitbit Flex to Charge HR because it has a real buckle, rather than a clasp. And it has a heart rate monitor.

Which one you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference: https://www.fitbit.com/compare

I have a fitbit hr and I love it!! Great motivation and it tracks sleep and calories burned!

JillianRN527 wrote: »

Are they worth it?

Personally I don't see a compelling reason for them, but it does depend on what motivates you and, your lifestyle is like and hat other activities you do.

On days that I cycle commute, or cycle, my tracker doesn't reflect that, and I'm not going to just go out and make the step count just to make up for that. Equally, days that I run I'll easily break the steps goal for the day. On long run days that might be three or four times over goal.

Which one is the best? Is there another brand that you like better?

Fitbit has greatest market penetration and brand recognition, but in practice there is lttle to disinguish the various products. Personally I use a Garmin, but I also use Garmin for running and cycling so I get benefit from having the wider systems. Garmin is also far superior around exercise tracking sophistication. Polar is also good, and their HR moitoring devices are probably the best, although that comes with the health warning that HR is a bit of a meaningless metric at low intensities. Activity trackers with HR monitoring are a waste of time.

Personally I'd prioritise Garmin > Polar > Fitbit, but my priorities are around performance improvement, not just simple step counting.

I have the Garmin Vivoactive. It syncs on MFP. I like it because when I go to exercise, I can indicate I am running, swimming, or biking, and because it has GPS it is pretty accurate with distance and calories. It is waterproof to 50m, so if you swim you might want to consider a model like this. I also don't worry about it in the shower or when I'm doing dishes.

It doesn't work too well on the elliptical though, if that is a piece of equipment you use regularly. I'm not sure which trackers are good for that.

I found a good price online and Best Buy matched it when I bought mine.

I have a Striiv Band - cheaper and simpler than the Fitbit, but still works great!

http://www.striiv.com/striivband/

I'm hoping to get the vivosmart in a few months. I like having a visible display and the waterproofedness

I also have a VivoSmart. I've had it since Xmas and I'm still learning new things on it! Its kind of like a smartwatch but also an activity tracker. I use it when I can't find my phone, or to switch songs when I'm in the shower. Lol I also like the alarms option, and as someone else mentioned, it tracks distance for you.

My dad has a Fitbit Charge HR and other than being a little dissatified with battery life, he loves it. He's a data junkie. The benefits of continuous HR monitoring are lost on me.

I used to have a Fitbit One and liked it. I put it through the wash, though, and it died. Since I can't have nice things, I bought a Xiaomi Mi Band for $15, which I've found to be functionally equivalent to the Fitbit One, great step and sleep tracking. It has to be accessed via mobile app (no desktop site and no screen) on either iphone or android. It lacks the social aspects of the Fitbit, which imo is where Fitbit has its competitors beat.

Best thing about the Mi Band is that its cheap. It's bands are cheap, its chargers are cheap. I bought wrist bands in all different colors to accessorize because I'm a dork. If you're on android, you can even have it light up/vibrate for different phone notifications. It's supposed to be waterproof, so I can stupidly wash it; and even if it's not, I'll get another one for $15.