Fitbit or other device

Im thinking about buying a fitness watch. Fitbit or other device? Waste of money or worth the purchase?

Replies

  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    I love fitness watches and have owned various Fitbits...but I wouldn't recommend Fitbit specifically, as they don't tend to last more than a year. I asked for a Garmin for Christmas this year. Fingers crossed!
  • Sweatwpat
    Sweatwpat Posts: 2 Member
    I have had two fitbits and loved them both, seeing those numbers keeps pushing me throughout the day to set goals....I think its a powerful motivator if that's what you're looking for.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I love fitness watches and have owned various Fitbits...but I wouldn't recommend Fitbit specifically, as they don't tend to last more than a year. I asked for a Garmin for Christmas this year. Fingers crossed!

    I have a Blaze that I bought last Thanksgiving and it's still working perfectly. I also had a first generation Flex for about 16 months...no issues.

    OP, whether or not a Fitbit/any activity tracker is worth it for you is dependent on what you want out of it.
  • crysgabriela
    crysgabriela Posts: 34 Member
    I love my Apple Watch. It tracks my workouts, heart rate, steps, calories burned, etc. It motivates me to workout and it's fun to check your results by the end of the day. I would recommend buying one if you want that extra motivation.
  • olive1968
    olive1968 Posts: 148 Member
    I have the Fitbit charge2 and I love it. When it dies I will probably upgrade to the Apple Watch as I would love something waterproof and a bit fancier. Having the Fitbit has been motivational for me and worth every penny.
  • watts6151
    watts6151 Posts: 905 Member
    My Fitbit charge2 is just over a year
    Old, it’s taken a battering as I use it
    Everyday for work and is still going strong.
    Really impressed with its durability tbh
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    edited December 2017
    Maybe I should've gotten the Charge 2. My Blaze only stays charged for two days now, the GPS works maybe half the time if I'm lucky, and this summer I ran 7 miles and apparently only burned 81 calories. I contacted Fitbit, but as I'd already owned it for over a year, they said there was nothing they could do. I'm definitely moving on after being in the Fitbit family for about six years.
  • fern3378
    fern3378 Posts: 8 Member
    edited December 2017
    I thought about that too, but I came across ones on amazon for less than $30 that had the same capabilities as a FitBit. I thought that if I wanted to see if I was going to use it, I’d buy something cheaper and maybe upgrade to something later.

    I’ve had it for a month now and I loved it! It tracks my sleep, steps and calories. Gives me reminders for my texts, calls and reminds me to get up and move. So for me, I thought it was a great minor investment!
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
    My Charge2 rocks. And I wear it 24/7 except for showers (which is when I charge it). I've had to replace the band as I'm very rough on it, but I just bought a multi pack on Amazon and now have about 10 different colors so I can match my outfits.
  • teksystems
    teksystems Posts: 3 Member
    I just bought the Fitbit charge 2 yesterday. I am challenged when it comes to technology. I have managed to get the calories I log on MFP to show on the Fitbit app, but I don't know how to get the Fitbit calories burned "credited" on MFP to my total daily calories allowed. Please help...
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    I got myself the Garmin Fenix 5X. Love it.
    My main use is for swimming. The face is big enough for me to read without my glasses.
    I don't much care about step tracking.
    Haven't used the hiking function with GPS topographical maps yet.
    A lot of triathletes use Garmin devices.
  • olive1968
    olive1968 Posts: 148 Member
    capaul42 wrote: »
    My Charge2 rocks. And I wear it 24/7 except for showers (which is when I charge it). I've had to replace the band as I'm very rough on it, but I just bought a multi pack on Amazon and now have about 10 different colors so I can match my outfits.

    Ha! I always tell my husband that I have to buy my Fitbit new outfits!
  • CassieBanks757
    CassieBanks757 Posts: 7 Member
    I started with one of the under $30 Amazon ones, but quickly found out it couldn't handle more than one sleep cycle and it had to be over 3 hours. Inasmuch as I have Central Sleep Apnea it was important for me to have the most detailed information I could get about my sleep so I went with a Charge 2 FitBit. I love the detail the FitBit app gives me on every part of my exercise, steps and sleep. I do everything with the exception of water and food through my FitBit app. Food and water I do through here.
  • Mike1804
    Mike1804 Posts: 113 Member
    Hands down, my apple watch (2 years so far). Countless, 3rd party fitness apps to use, so you aren't left with only the core app if it doesn't fit your needs. Add the fact that it does more than fitness tracking ... not cheap, but worth every single penny IMHO
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Yet another vote for the garmin stable of devices.
  • tmoneyag99
    tmoneyag99 Posts: 480 Member
    I'm anti-Garmin. I'm on my 3rd device in about 1.5-2 years. Bands break and you can't replace them. I have the Vivosmart HR (bought it this time last year) and the GPS is no longer supported on it. I cannot afford to pay $150 every year or every 6mths in my case for a device that either doesn't work, the software is gliticy, they calorie count is off, and THEN they don't support it.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    It depends on your goals and needs. Mine got me moving and has kept me moving. This month I reached 20,000 floors and 10 Million steps, in about 3.5 years. Previously that would have taken 15-20 years, literally. Definitely worth it to me.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    tmoneyag99 wrote: »
    I'm anti-Garmin. I'm on my 3rd device in about 1.5-2 years. Bands break and you can't replace them. I have the Vivosmart HR (bought it this time last year) and the GPS is no longer supported on it. I cannot afford to pay $150 every year or every 6mths in my case for a device that either doesn't work, the software is gliticy, they calorie count is off, and THEN they don't support it.

    It depends which one you get. Mine survived getting hit by a car. I used an Edge computer for almost a decade, only gave it up because it got stolen. Their newer watched take bands that exchange without tools, I wear a yellow one on dark rainy days and the blue one when the sun is out.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    fishgutzy wrote: »
    I got myself the Garmin Fenix 5X. Love it.
    My main use is for swimming. The face is big enough for me to read without my glasses.
    I don't much care about step tracking.
    Haven't used the hiking function with GPS topographical maps yet.
    A lot of triathletes use Garmin devices.

    The F5X has this feature where you can park somewhere you aren't familiar with, and it can give you turn by turn navigation through a bike or running loop, tight back to your car. I used that a few times this summer when plans fell through and it worked very well for me.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    tmoneyag99 wrote: »
    I'm anti-Garmin. I'm on my 3rd device in about 1.5-2 years. Bands break and you can't replace them. I have the Vivosmart HR (bought it this time last year) and the GPS is no longer supported on it. I cannot afford to pay $150 every year or every 6mths in my case for a device that either doesn't work, the software is gliticy, they calorie count is off, and THEN they don't support it.

    It depends which one you get. Mine survived getting hit by a car. I used an Edge computer for almost a decade, only gave it up because it got stolen. Their newer watched take bands that exchange without tools, I wear a yellow one on dark rainy days and the blue one when the sun is out.

    The 935 (as with the Fenix models) can use the Garmin quick change bands, and there are a ton of aftermarket ones available. I have 4 different bands for it that I swap around. It takes all of about 5 seconds to swap bands.

    It seems weird that GPS is no longer supported on the Vivosmart HR - that would mean that Garmin would have had to deliberately cripple it in a firmware update. I know they're quirky about their firmware upgrades and sometimes break one thing while trying to fix another, but deliberately crippling such a key feature would be strange.
  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
    I love Garmin, have the fenix 5x