What is your experience with Fitbit?

I have the fitbit surge upgraded from fitbit charge HR. I love it. flex counts your steps however Charge HR and surge both have wrist Heart rate monitors which are really good for steady state cardio not so much for weight lifting. Surge which is the expensive one also has GPS available and also counts your pace.

I have used the Flex, but it wasn't really appropriate for my work environment. It counts steps based on wrist movement so it will pick up "steps" if you swing your arm while on the couch, and it won't count your steps while pushing a grocery cart, unless you push it with the arm you are not using for the tracker. I currently use a Zip. It's a little clip on. Seems to be pretty good, but only for step based activities, so I log swimming, and kickboxing manually through FitBit. Log food here. Sync the two. Works well for me!

Which one works for you will depend on your lifestyle and what you are wanting from it. Hopefully others will drop in to share their opinions.

Some people find that the Fitbits worn on the wrist aren't accurate enough for them. For reference, I have a Flex.

Yes, mine does get false steps if I'm swinging my arms back and forth fast enough but I'm not moving otherwise, and it doesn't seem to get them all if I'm pushing a cart. I don't do either of those things enough for the inaccuracies to matter, though, and they seem to essentially cancel each other out.

My big complaint is that the bands aren't made very well. You have to remove the tracker to charge it, and the plastic is just a little too stiff to handle this well and the bands end up tearing. I requested a new one through Fitbit's customer service and they sent me one for the original band I had, but I had the same issue with a second one I bought. Didn't have the receipt for it so I didn't bother asking for a replacement for it.

You can get replacement bands on Amazon and ebay, though, for much less than what FitBit sells them for (I got mine 3/$10; I've heard of folks getting them for as little as $1 per band). I haven't had my Amazon ones long, but they seem just as good as the Fitbit ones.

The Flex is marketed as being water resistant, so you can do things like shower or wash the dishes while wearing it (as long as the Flex wouldn't be immersed), but I don't for either of those. If it gets wet, it's from sweat while I run, and I always take the tracker out, dry it off, then let it sit while I shower so it can dry more. Then I'll put it in a dry band and let the one I wore air out.

I like that I can pick a band that matches what I'm wearing that day - that's not an option with any other Fitbit model. You can "bling" the Charge, Charge HR or Surge if you wanted, but not as easily as a Flex.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend the Flex if you're considering it - and don't mind having something on your wrist all the time. However, hit Amazon/ebay right away and get some extra bands and keep your receipt in case yours tears up - might as well get a free replacement if you can!

~Lyssa

I have worn a fitbit daily since July 2012. I wore out my Ultra after 2.5 years and now have the One. I prefer the clip on type as I don't want to wear something on my wrist 24/7. I only take mine off to shower. It has definitely kept me aware of getting enough movement and steps during the day and been a major factor in maintenance.

Started with the ZIP as I was cheap but then ended up hating the battery changes. I have had a ONE for a long time now and like at as it goes in my pocket or clips on my waist and holds a charge a very long time. I use it just for steps as I have a Garmin GPS watch for running for pace and tracking my progress. My wife had the flex and hated not having the count visible, had a ONE but lost it (loved it), now a surge and she hates the wrist band.

I considered buying a Fitbit but passed once I realized I can get free apps on my iPhone that do the same. These apps all sync with Apple Health (installed in OS 8). I take my phone with me everywhere, so it does a good job logging steps and floors, although the Apple Health app is lacking the visual read outs. So I use both 'Stepz' and 'Human' to get a lot more information. (there are plenty of free walking/pedometer tracking apps to chose from.) I have read plenty of comparisons to know that both the Apple and Fitbit readout are relatively the same and over time will show the same consistencies. So at this point and time, I don't have a need for a Fitbit.