Garmin vs Fitbit

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karmaheart
karmaheart Posts: 75 Member
edited February 2016 in Fitness and Exercise
I would like to purchase one of these devices. If you own one I would like your advice on which you think is a better buy.

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  • fitdaisygrrl
    fitdaisygrrl Posts: 139 Member
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    I have a Garmin Vivosmart now (got as a gift) and am adjusting- but for years I had a Fitbit. I'll be honest, I'm kind of missing my Fitbit. IMHO, here are the pros/cons of each:

    Garmin. Pros= reminder to MOVE every hour, extra bells/whistles on the tracker (ie: find phone, easy music controls to phone), design is sleek/pretty, waterproof up to 50 metres, automatically gets sleep stats, ups your walking goals each day to challenge you a bit more. Cons= a little to reliant on phone and very tech heavy (buzzes if you aren't close to phone/bluetooth and it's kind of annoying, phone app not as nice as Fitbit, sleep isn't very accurate,

    Fitbit. Pros= easy to scroll and not so tech-heavy, phone app is awesome!, customer support (I lost one, got a free replacement so easy!), i understand the charge hr autodetects activities (ie: it magically knows you were on the elliptical or that you ran). Cons= design isn't as sleek on wrist (not by much though, still is well designed!), doesn't auto track your sleep (at least the last model I had), not waterproof (again, model I had).

    With this said (and I could say so much more!), I want to keep giving Garmin a chance. I have come to appreciate that it reminds me to move and that it buzzes if I am too far from my phone (has saved me a few times of forgetting it or almost losing it). But I really miss the Fitbit App and for that alone would really recommend exploring the Fitbit first. If you can afford it, I heard the ChargeHR is awesome. Also check out youtube to see some video reviews- might give you a better idea of what brand and model would work for you.

    Lots of different models for each brand, obviously, so my little review is just based on the few devices I've used.
  • karmaheart
    karmaheart Posts: 75 Member
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    fitdaisygrrl wrote: »
    I have a Garmin Vivosmart now (got as a gift) and am adjusting- but for years I had a Fitbit. I'll be honest, I'm kind of missing my Fitbit. IMHO, here are the pros/cons of each:

    Garmin. Pros= reminder to MOVE every hour, extra bells/whistles on the tracker (ie: find phone, easy music controls to phone), design is sleek/pretty, waterproof up to 50 metres, automatically gets sleep stats, ups your walking goals each day to challenge you a bit more. Cons= a little to reliant on phone and very tech heavy (buzzes if you aren't close to phone/bluetooth and it's kind of annoying, phone app not as nice as Fitbit, sleep isn't very accurate,

    Fitbit. Pros= easy to scroll and not so tech-heavy, phone app is awesome!, customer support (I lost one, got a free replacement so easy!), i understand the charge hr autodetects activities (ie: it magically knows you were on the elliptical or that you ran). Cons= design isn't as sleek on wrist (not by much though, still is well designed!), doesn't auto track your sleep (at least the last model I had), not waterproof (again, model I had).

    With this said (and I could say so much more!), I want to keep giving Garmin a chance. I have come to appreciate that it reminds me to move and that it buzzes if I am too far from my phone (has saved me a few times of forgetting it or almost losing it). But I really miss the Fitbit App and for that alone would really recommend exploring the Fitbit first. If you can afford it, I heard the ChargeHR is awesome. Also check out youtube to see some video reviews- might give you a better idea of what brand and model would work for you.

    Lots of different models for each brand, obviously, so my little review is just based on the few devices I've used.

    Thank you! This is very helpful.

  • selig0730
    selig0730 Posts: 509 Member
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    I love my fitbit
  • beautifulsparkles
    beautifulsparkles Posts: 314 Member
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    I got a vivofit. I think I chose it because it was the cheaper option, it went on my wrist and it only needs new batteries once a year. I didn't want something I would need to charge. Funnily enough, I barely wear it on my wrist, I usually just put it on before some of my walks.

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