Fitbits - waste or worth it?

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  • kikih64
    kikih64 Posts: 349 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I have one of the earliest ones - the Ultra - and I've never had a problem with it and I love it. It's been about 5 years and going strong. It's the clip on kind which I prefer over the wristband. (I like real jewelry). It motivates me and gives me the data I want. You should go for it!
  • butcher206
    butcher206 Posts: 61 Member
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    I was being ultra negative. I guess the other Fitbit features are pretty cool. Like the sleep tracking.... heart rate monitor is cool. So I don't know I kind of expected it to be more "advanced" and more "seamless" but I like it enough not to return it. Sorry about the negativity
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    kindrabbit wrote: »
    I own my own business which is a housecleaning business (would love a Fitbit that counted stairs). But out of curiosity...how can an employer ban them? That's terrible!

    Hi, I also run my own cleaning business! I have a charge Hr and that does count the number of flights of stairs you climb per day. (its doesn't give you more calories if you're carrying a vacuum unfortunately!)

    [/quote]

    it doesnt accurately count stairs even though there is a little stairs icon, per fitbit-"it detects floors using an altimeter, which is a sensor that calculates altitude change based on atmospheric pressure. Therefore, atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing elevation, so the Charge HR calculates elevation gain based on the reduction in atmospheric pressure and just like she said: your tracker registers a floor when it detects continuous motion combined with an elevation gain of about 10 feet. If you feel that your floors aren't being accurately counted" so if you are hiking and climbing hills it will also say you climbed stairs
  • mmmmaidservice
    mmmmaidservice Posts: 85 Member
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    butcher206 wrote: »
    I was being ultra negative. I guess the other Fitbit features are pretty cool. Like the sleep tracking.... heart rate monitor is cool. So I don't know I kind of expected it to be more "advanced" and more "seamless" but I like it enough not to return it. Sorry about the negativity

    I certainly didn't take it as negativity. I asked for opinions and I'm appreciative of all the comments whether they are pro or con. It's helping me to make my decision. So thank you!
  • mmmmaidservice
    mmmmaidservice Posts: 85 Member
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    I also like hearing their customer service is great and I think I'll opt for a warranty as well.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    mumblemagic wrote: »
    Not sure where your husband got his reviews from, because they are really popular and get 4.5* reviews on amazon and argos. If you're not the kind of person that likes those kind of stats on yourself then you won't like it, but most people I know have been really satisfied and found them to be really helpful. I have a flex. It's great! I do a lot of walking and it makes it really convenient tracking my activity levels and syncing up with myfitnesspal. I like the sleep tracking as well. It really helps me take care of myself.

    ETA: at some point this year I want to upgrade to a Charge HR 2. I'd like the heart rate monitor, watch, and smartwatch capabilities.

    They recently had a recall on the Force and have discontinued those sales...it has really hurt the company and their stock has tanked...that combined with smart watch competition from tech giants has caused some concern as to whether the company will make it.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Three Fitbit Ones replaced under warranty. I got hit hard by a car with my Garmin on and it works as well as the day it was made.
  • festerw
    festerw Posts: 233 Member
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    The Fitbit social aspect and customer service is fantastic, however in my experience the product leaves a lot to be desired. Between my wife and I we went through 3 Flex and 3 Charge under warranty.

    They do work well when they work but seem to be plagued by battery and band issues.

    We switched to Garmin and while the social part isn't as good the hardware is much better, but again depends on the functionality you are looking for.

    I wanted built in GPS and the ability to add sensors for biking which Fitbit doesn't offer.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    The step count and calorie burn features are great motivators and tools for me.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    It all depends on expectations.

    For data geeks these things are like crack. I've been tracking my performance since 1996 using a Polar chest strap and Excel spreadsheet. I upgraded to a HR7 which does an excellent job of tracking my workouts.

    I picked up a Flex and upgraded to a Flex 2 for the added features and waterproofiness. I jockey a desk now and this is a good reminder on when I'm sitting down for extended periods.

    On a personal side my Flex started dying early and wouldn't hold a charge. I called customer service and they ran diagnostics online and priority shipped a new one next day - no questions asked.
  • hesfeld
    hesfeld Posts: 95 Member
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    I love my Charge HR. I've had it replaced once in warranty because the plastic where you plug it in broke off. Customer service was super helpful and prompt. I'm thinking of even upgrading to the Blaze. The only hassle I've had is trying to find your HR when working out. If it's not held perfectly still, the HR won't display for a minute as it tries to find it. The lighter colors also turn black pretty easily. I wipe mine down with alcohol daily but it will still look dirty. I was also the type to say "I'm active all the time, why do I need a tracker to prove it?" It was uncomfortable on my wrist the first couple days, but that went away after I got used to it. But it is so motivating to see that you're under your step goal and need to get moving. It's taught me how little sleep I get. I also thought I was walking way more than I actually do. I say it's worth it.
  • jillybeansalad
    jillybeansalad Posts: 239 Member
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    mmmmaidservice wrote: »
    I own my own business which is a housecleaning business (would love a Fitbit that counted stairs). But out of curiosity...how can an employer ban them? That's terrible!

    Well, I know that places that work with sensitive/classified information do not allow anything that can connect via bluetooth, wifi, or USB.

  • papercut2k
    papercut2k Posts: 83 Member
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    I used my rewards points to buy mine a few days. I don't think I would have bothered if I didn't use "free money". That being said. I like it so far.
  • mmmmaidservice
    mmmmaidservice Posts: 85 Member
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    @jillybeansalad that makes sense.

    My husband won me a used Fitbit alt on eBay. So I'm starting with that one for now.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    I have had 4:

    The first one had the button clasp. Fell off in the snow after 3 months. I was irate and called Fitbit. They said that if I sent them a receipt, they would give me a new one. It was a gift and I just forgot about it.

    Then my birthday came along, and my wife gave me a much upgraded heart-rate model (Charge HR?). I liked the functionality, but broke it about every 5 months due to impact or moisture. Fitbit replaced it twice, then offered me a 20% discount on a new one.

    I'm still on the fence about getting a new one. You get everything except HR by using your phone. (With one of the fitness tracker apps. I like Google Fitness. S Health is also good.)

    I have a Wahoo fitness HR monitor for when I exercise. It's cheaper than a fitbit and works directly with a phone app during exercise.

    Fitbits overestimate steps (you get a few steps while driving). Phones underestimate steps (mostly because you put them down every once in a while).

    Feature I miss the most: Sleep monitoring and silent alarm.

    I might spend a lot more for a Garmin the next time...
  • ptsmiles
    ptsmiles Posts: 511 Member
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    I started with the Zip, upgraded to the Charge HR and now have the Blaze. I love it. The customer service has been great and the challenges have been very motivating.
  • HOOVEY17
    HOOVEY17 Posts: 59 Member
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    Worth it! It definitely keeps you motivated to hit your goal. The challenges between friends has definitely helped me along with the stepbet app
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I use mine solely to gauge how active I am during the day. I do not trust the calorie info it provides at all as it hasn't matched my food diary/weight loss records. In addition, I've had a terrible time trying to get it to sync up with MFP. I try it again every once in awhile (and just did last night actually) but it's never worked correctly for me.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    I love my Fitbit! You just have to recognize that like any other tool, it has limitations. Have realistic expectations and it is a really helpful tool.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    mmmmaidservice wrote: »
    Bluwaves1 wrote: »
    I have used one for a month now and it really is good to look back to see how your week was, how much sleep you got, your resting pulse etc. you can see improvement in the numbers. unfortunately the place where I work just banned them so I probably won't use it because the 40 hour gap will make it kind of useless. But I would recommend it to anyone, just make sure you can use them at work first before buying.

    I own my own business which is a housecleaning business (would love a Fitbit that counted stairs). But out of curiosity...how can an employer ban them? That's terrible!

    They do count stairs. Definitely worth it, the calorie count is actually pretty accurate I've found, and the community is great. I use an Apple Watch now but I miss the fitbit challenges etc.

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