ADVICE: Garmin Vivosmart HR+ versus Fitbit Charge HR/HR 2

Love4fitnesslove4food2
Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
edited November 2016 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all! I'm on my 3rd Fitbit charge hr in 14 months (band keeps separating from the screen) and looking to replace my fitness tracker since Black Friday is the perfect time to do so. Problem is...which to buy?

Interested in hearing the experiences of all of you...particularly if you have had both. I am interested most in the calories burned feature (both during workout and TDEE). I know these are all just estimates but i find it useful to be able to compare data from one day to the next and over time. So, of course, I'd prefer the unit that provides a more accurate picture of my caloric expenditure.

So, share your experiences and preferences with me! Thanks :)

Replies

  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    Well, I've never owned a fitbit but my wife does so I get a rough idea of the differences.
    The Garmin is far more versatile, but in all honesty, I don't play around with all the aps and functions it offers.
    All I use it for is an activity tracker, and I'm extremely pleased with it so far. It seems to track steps more accurately than the fitbit, the HR monitoring is spot on and calorie burn calculations seem to be realistic.

    In short, I'd buy another if I had to.
  • MiniMansell1964
    MiniMansell1964 Posts: 188 Member
    I had 4 fitbit which all broke
    I now have the tomtom spark cardio cardio and could not be happier
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    Fitbit if the "social" features on their web site are important to you, Garmin otherwise.
  • steplaj
    steplaj Posts: 586 Member
    I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR and I am very happy with it. The nicest feature is the fact that the band clasps like an actual watch band and not like the others that just snap and do come lose. I would have to agree with CM in his statement "I don't play around with all the aps and functions". I basically use the HR, pedometer and occasionally cal burned. But thats basically it.

    This is actually my second, my first was also a Garmin and as you can see, I stayed with Garmin when I go my new one. My first one had a heart strap for monitoring HR which I did not like. This one has be wrist based HR and I love it.
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    shredcamps wrote: »
    I had 4 fitbit which all broke
    I now have the tomtom spark cardio cardio and could not be happier

    Never heard of this one. Going to have to look this up. Thank you.
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Fitbit if the "social" features on their web site are important to you, Garmin otherwise.


    The social features are of no import to me. So, why would you suggest the Garmin?
  • MiniMansell1964
    MiniMansell1964 Posts: 188 Member
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 wrote: »
    shredcamps wrote: »
    I had 4 fitbit which all broke
    I now have the tomtom spark cardio cardio and could not be happier

    Never heard of this one. Going to have to look this up. Thank you.


    much like EVERYONE has hear of GoPro yet they are in no way the best on the market. and everyone has heard of a hoover, yet other makes are better. fitbit and garmin are the ones people hear about, there are way better on the market. the Tomtom just happens to be one of those better options.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Fitbit if the "social" features on their web site are important to you, Garmin otherwise.


    The social features are of no import to me. So, why would you suggest the Garmin?

    I've had a Garmin Edge 800 for 6 years and have used it on every bike ride I've done in that time period, many tens of thousands of miles. It's been almost flawless.

    I've a Garmin Fenix 3 GPS watch for 2 years and it's been excellent. I got hit by a car going 35 to 40 mph and almost broke the arm I had my watch on, it came out of it without a scratch, still functions as well as before the accident.

    My experience with the several Fitbit One units I owned was less stellar. I bought my girlfriend a Fitbit Charge HR and we returned it because the HR was all but useless during exercise (when you actually want an HRM).

    The Garmin has better integration with your phone. Fitbit only accepts text, call, and calendar notifications. I let Uber buzz my watch so when I walk to the grocery store, I can get a ride home with my heavy bags, and I can put my phone away as soon as I call it because my watch will vibrate and chime with "Your Uber has arrived," etc.

    You can swim or shower with the Garmin but not the Fitbit. Useful for me because sometimes I hike with a friend, and sometimes I can talk him into driving; this means I get his "I'm leaving now" text while I'm in the shower and know I'm on track.

    The Garmin has GPS in the tracker, so you can use it without your phone in exercise mode (like to know your pace when you run).
  • _NMW
    _NMW Posts: 30 Member
    I recently purchased a Garmin Forerunner 35 - been using it for a few weeks and I love it, gives me motivation to get out and run and monitor my progress. Now that I have running goals and the WANT to be a runner, I wish I'd have bought the model I wanted originally - Forerunner 235. I was looking at the 630 but I don't want to wear a HRM chest strap all the time.
  • LilacLion
    LilacLion Posts: 579 Member
    I like my Garmin Vivosmart HR. the heart rate feature has been accurate to one beat every time I've checked it. Of course it's waterproof and that works well for me since I never take it off except to charge. I like the Garmin Connect interface/apps and would buy another if needed.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I have a Garmin Vivosmart (non-HR). I prefer the chest strap for monitoring heart rate as the research shows they're more accurate and I only care about HR when I'm training.

    I love the "haven't moved alert." If you stay stationary for more than 40 minutes, the watch vibrates to tell you to move. It takes at least 100 steps to clear the move bar. It's a great reminder how much we sit during meetings. My staff think it's hilarious that I make them all get up during our staff meeting and walk around the table until the watch says we can sit down again.

    I do like and use the apps. I like the apps are calibrated for indoor/outdoor movement as well as different activities. I love the versatility of the watch faces--you can download different watch faces to show different things. My current favorite watch face shows: day/date/time with seconds, calories burned that day, average calories per week, steps that day, daily step goal, Miles that day, average steps per week. The move bar is also a little person on this watch face and I like the little person. When I put the watch in "sleep" mode, the person lays down with little zzzz's.

    I also like comparing the sleep quality/duration graph with what my phone app (non-Garmin) says to see how they compare

    I do love the notifications. You can't have a phone conversation, but you can accept or decline calls, read texts, see FB/twitter/instagram alerts and the like.

    Had it for a year and a half. Love it! There are quite a few MFP folks on Garmin and we compete weekly for steps.

    I like that it's water-proof (up to a certain point)--you can swim in it, charges fast and holds a charge well.
  • rnadine
    rnadine Posts: 1 Member
    Thanks everyone for the information on this thread! I currently have a Fitbit Charge HR but I only bought it because at the time Garmin didn't have a heart rate monitor on the wrist. I saw the vivosmart HR for Garmin is also cheaper than the charge HR and I am thinking about switching. The charge HR portion goes in and out during exercise which is a real bummer since that is the main reason I bought it. As far as steps I think it is pretty accurate but it definitely counts flights of stairs that I know I haven't climbed. I think I am going to change to the Garmin and give it a try and give the charge to my sister who has been wanting an activity tracker.
  • 88Rian
    88Rian Posts: 7 Member
    What did you get?
    I just bought the Tomtom Spark 3
    All the versions have GPS tracking
    The Cardio has HR and fitness tracking
    If you jump to the Cardio + Music you can also load music (500 songs) and playback via Bluetooth earphones. All in one gadget.

    Not the prettiest watch in the bunch though. I like the look but not nearly as sleek as a Fitbit.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    Fitbits are junk in my opinion! I say this because my first one broke within 6 months and the replacement last one month before it had issues syncing that have yet to be resolved. I bought a Garmin Foreunner 35 as a quick replacement as I was working towards a half marathon and wanted a way to keep up with my runs. It is way better quality product than the fitbit ever though about being. Also, about everyone I know has had to have their fitbits replaced within a year. I honestly don't know how fitbit is still in business.

    Polar and Garmin both make quality fitness trackers and have various models with so many features in each model to look at. I think it really will depend upon what is the features that you have to have versus the fun ones that you may like and how much you want to spend to have those features. I hope you found an awesome tracker that you enjoy!
  • brvanisi
    brvanisi Posts: 3 Member
    I had a Fitbit Charge HR and now have the Garmin vivoactive HR and it is awesome! The GPS settings are very accurate for pace feedback. The built-in HR gives you an accurate calorie burn because it factors in your actual HR instead of estimates. It also tracks my swimming workouts and gives good swim workout feedback (pace per 100m, SWOLF, strokes per length, etc..) It integrates well with the entire "mapmy" family. I can upload any workout from the device to the mapmyrun or mapmyride app. It has alot of little widgets, like one I use to control the music player on my phone from the watch. The battery life is AWESOME. I use it to track a GPS workout (running, cycling) about 5 times a week, plus a few swim workouts, and the normal step counter, sleep monitor, etc. The battery lasts about 7 days and it fully charges in a couple hours.
  • davepete57
    davepete57 Posts: 33 Member
    edited November 2016
    I had a chargeHR and now have a Vivoactive Hr & my wife has a VivosmartHR. We are very happy with the Garmin. The are must more resilient than the Fitbit and the VivoActive is great for running as well

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