Fitbit vs Garmin

JustDoIt987
JustDoIt987 Posts: 120 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was thinking of getting a fitness tracker next month.
However I cant decide between Fitbit Charge 2 or Garmin Vivosmart HR+
The most important thing for me is the accuracy for calorie burn and TDEE ( i know neither is 100% accurate)
What do you guys suggest?

Replies

  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    edited April 2017
    I honestly love my Garmin but I have no experience of the Fitbit. I also don't use a wrist read heart rate device, the high potential for inaccuracies puts me off.

    I have a Vivoactive and wear a chest strap for exercise. I have downloaded an app called GymTimer for my Fitness Blender workouts and if I'm in a running phase I'll use their built in running app. I have been using a Garmin device for a little under two years and my numbers have always been spot on. I can eat all of my calories and lose/maintain as expected.

    Of course that will vary from person to person regardless which one you go for. I do believe generally the Garmins are considered to be much better all round.
  • FitGlowNow
    FitGlowNow Posts: 8 Member
    I previously owned a fitbit flex. I loved everything about it except the band! I went through like 5 different bands in two years. So, I started doing my research and looked over all the other choices. I ended up with the Garmin Vivosmarthr+ and it was the best choice! I really like Garmin Connect (the app that goes with it) the move bar has really motivated me to get up and move around. Since my purchase I have been using the GPS function and have been running! I'm already down a few pounds and its only been 2 weeks! And the best part about it all is the band is holding up well and it feels like such better quality then fitbits bands ( yes I even checked out the new ones to see if they had improved at all) I also am excited for warmer weather because the HR+ is waterproof! Cant wait to try it out in the pool! My Vote is Garmin but fitbit would be my next choice.
  • JustDoIt987
    JustDoIt987 Posts: 120 Member
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    I honestly love my Garmin but I have no experience of the Fitbit. I also don't use a wrist read heart rate device, the high potential for inaccuracies puts me off.

    I have a Vivoactive and wear a chest strap for exercise. I have downloaded an app called GymTimer for my Fitness Blender workouts and if I'm in a running phase I'll use their built in running app. I have been using a Garmin device for a little under two years and my numbers have always been spot on. I can eat all of my calories and lose/maintain as expected.

    Of course that will vary from person to person regardless which one you go for. I do believe generally the Garmins are considered to be much better all round.

    Thank you for your help!
  • JustDoIt987
    JustDoIt987 Posts: 120 Member
    FitGlowNow wrote: »
    I previously owned a fitbit flex. I loved everything about it except the band! I went through like 5 different bands in two years. So, I started doing my research and looked over all the other choices. I ended up with the Garmin Vivosmarthr+ and it was the best choice! I really like Garmin Connect (the app that goes with it) the move bar has really motivated me to get up and move around. Since my purchase I have been using the GPS function and have been running! I'm already down a few pounds and its only been 2 weeks! And the best part about it all is the band is holding up well and it feels like such better quality then fitbits bands ( yes I even checked out the new ones to see if they had improved at all) I also am excited for warmer weather because the HR+ is waterproof! Cant wait to try it out in the pool! My Vote is Garmin but fitbit would be my next choice.

    Thanks ! I think I will be getting Garmin
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    With what you are looking for I would go for the Garmin.

    Understand going into this that the heart rate monitor (HRM) on the wrist is not accurate - the chest monitor however is on par with medical grade equipment. The caloric burn estimators are simply not accurate at all unless you are strictly doing long steady state cardio, specifically running and/or biking.

    Now honestly unless you're a pro athlete it doesn't need to be that accurate, but keep an eye on your weight and adjust your intake based upon your experience. This will come with time and you will learn how to adjust the caloric read out from your device and what you are really burning. All these calorie estimations are based on algorithms so accuracy is dependent on how close you are to a test subject

    Personally I use a Flex 2 to track daily steps and a Polar H7 to track my runs, but I've been partial to Polar since using this since the '90s.
  • JustDoIt987
    JustDoIt987 Posts: 120 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    With what you are looking for I would go for the Garmin.

    Understand going into this that the heart rate monitor (HRM) on the wrist is not accurate - the chest monitor however is on par with medical grade equipment. The caloric burn estimators are simply not accurate at all unless you are strictly doing long steady state cardio, specifically running and/or biking.

    Now honestly unless you're a pro athlete it doesn't need to be that accurate, but keep an eye on your weight and adjust your intake based upon your experience. This will come with time and you will learn how to adjust the caloric read out from your device and what you are really burning. All these calorie estimations are based on algorithms so accuracy is dependent on how close you are to a test subject

    Personally I use a Flex 2 to track daily steps and a Polar H7 to track my runs, but I've been partial to Polar since using this since the '90s.

    Thank you ! I am not a pro athlete and mostly do steady rate cardio ( dancing , walking , elliptical )
  • heiliskrimsli
    heiliskrimsli Posts: 735 Member
    edited April 2017
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Understand going into this that the heart rate monitor (HRM) on the wrist is not accurate - the chest monitor however is on par with medical grade equipment.

    I personally have had a lot more problems with getting a decent reading from a chest strap based HRM than the one I wear on my wrist. To the point that if I pause and actually count my pulse, what's on the wrist display will match and the chest strap is recording nothing.

    Your mileage my vary, and mine did considerably.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    heiliskrimsli wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Understand going into this that the heart rate monitor (HRM) on the wrist is not accurate - the chest monitor however is on par with medical grade equipment.

    I personally have had a lot more problems with getting a decent reading from a chest strap based HRM than the one I wear on my wrist. To the point that if I pause and actually count my pulse, what's on the wrist display will match and the chest strap is recording nothing.

    Your mileage my vary, and mine did considerably.

    With the chest strap you should dampen the contact points and also ensure it's in the right spot and tight enough. They're scientifically proven to be more accurate.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited April 2017
    heiliskrimsli wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Understand going into this that the heart rate monitor (HRM) on the wrist is not accurate - the chest monitor however is on par with medical grade equipment.

    I personally have had a lot more problems with getting a decent reading from a chest strap based HRM than the one I wear on my wrist. To the point that if I pause and actually count my pulse, what's on the wrist display will match and the chest strap is recording nothing.

    Your mileage my vary, and mine did considerably.

    I did too... because I had a faulty model. It was a Polar and it just wouldn't record data.

    I gave up on wearing a chest strap because of the style of sports bra I need for support (underwire), but after doing thorough research on the matter, I know that they are far superior in terms of accuracy.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    heiliskrimsli wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Understand going into this that the heart rate monitor (HRM) on the wrist is not accurate - the chest monitor however is on par with medical grade equipment.

    I personally have had a lot more problems with getting a decent reading from a chest strap based HRM than the one I wear on my wrist. To the point that if I pause and actually count my pulse, what's on the wrist display will match and the chest strap is recording nothing.

    Your mileage my vary, and mine did considerably.

    I did too... because I had a faulty model. It was a Polar and it just wouldn't record data.

    I gave up on wearing a chest strap because of the style of sports bra I need for support (underwire), but after doing thorough research on the matter, I know that they are far superior in terms of accuracy.

    I've been thinking about switching my chest strap for the allegedly superior model (what makes it superior I don't know) but I worry it's actually a bit bulkier. The one I have now tucks in nicely with my mega boob holding bra.
  • ryleenicholeee
    ryleenicholeee Posts: 7 Member
    GARMIN. I have owned THREE different fitbits and didn't like any of them. I got my garmin on Black Friday and still use it everyday! I LOVE it. It is very accurate and reliable

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