Have been let down by garmin in the past. Time to try Fitbit?

LotusCass
LotusCass Posts: 145 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've used 3 different Garmin products that have all had issues. The first, a HR monitor that would lose battery halfway through a run when started out fully charged. I gave up contacting Garmin after 3 failed attempts and just put that down to bad luck. I then got a vivosmart that had a faulty screen. I didn't use it initially and after some time decided to contact Garmin support. Luckily they replaced that one. Then after only 6 months the screen went completely blank. I was out of warranty by that time (since I'd barely used it in the first 6 months) so now I need to find a replacement. I'm frustrated as I like everything else to do with the garmin products except that they don't last. I'm now trying to decide between a Vivosmart HR+ or a Fitbit Charge 2. Are fitbits any better in terms of their longevity? Or have I just had bad luck with garmin? They seem quite similar in many ways, except the fitbit isn't waterproof (which is a big thing for me). I'm really torn. I've looked through many reviews and comparison guides and they're really mixed. The biggest difference is amazon reviews, with fitbit rating significantly higher (but I wonder if it's just because more people who don't really exercise and just want something to get them moving use fitbit, whereas garmin users may expect a bit more???). I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Replies

  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    I'm the opposite. Four Fitbits, now I've got a Garmin. All my Fitbits started having issues after a year.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited January 2018
    FitBit customer service have a good reputation for replacing faulty units. You'll see lots of people raving about how easily they've had defective units replaced... make of that what you will.

    fwiw the original VivoSmart had a class wide problem with screens, they replaced mine with a VivoSmartHR without quibbling.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    FitBit customer service have a good reputation for replacing faulty units. You'll see lots of people raving about how easily they've had defective units replaced... make of that what you will.

    fwiw the original VivoSmart had a class wide problem with screens, they replaced mine with a VivoSmartHR without quibbling.

    I agree Fitbit CS used to be great. Not so much anymore.
  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
    apple watch
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    LotusCass wrote: »
    I've used 3 different Garmin products that have all had issues. The first, a HR monitor that would lose battery halfway through a run when started out fully charged. I gave up contacting Garmin after 3 failed attempts and just put that down to bad luck. I then got a vivosmart that had a faulty screen. I didn't use it initially and after some time decided to contact Garmin support. Luckily they replaced that one. Then after only 6 months the screen went completely blank. I was out of warranty by that time (since I'd barely used it in the first 6 months) so now I need to find a replacement. I'm frustrated as I like everything else to do with the garmin products except that they don't last. I'm now trying to decide between a Vivosmart HR+ or a Fitbit Charge 2. Are fitbits any better in terms of their longevity? Or have I just had bad luck with garmin? They seem quite similar in many ways, except the fitbit isn't waterproof (which is a big thing for me). I'm really torn. I've looked through many reviews and comparison guides and they're really mixed. The biggest difference is amazon reviews, with fitbit rating significantly higher (but I wonder if it's just because more people who don't really exercise and just want something to get them moving use fitbit, whereas garmin users may expect a bit more???). I'd love to hear your thoughts.

    Based on many hundreds of threads posted here, bad luck seems more likely.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    I'd go garmin, but I'd probably be a little gun-shy to buy a new model before the market had had time to test it out for me.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Based on my experience, I would avoid the Vivosmart HR. I gave mine to my wife as it turned out to be a glorified step tracker and not good for activities (it double counted the calories). Seems (from the Garmin forums) to be a common problem, but it may be fixed now.

    I move to a Vivoactive HR and really liked it, but cracked the screen. Replaced it with the same model. After Christmas, I moved to a Fenix 3HR that has a tougher screen and gave the VAHR to my wife.

    Guess that means I have a VSHR to get rid of.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Tried a vivosmart hr+ and the calorie estimates were outrageously high, was in line with what my fitbit one would project when the hr was off. Gps was good but I couldnt stand how thick and weird it was to wear. Reviews indicated alot of 24/7 monitoring units overestimate burns across many brands. Not sure if this has improved in the last few months, seemed like an algoryth issue to me. Swithed to the fr 230 and am really happy with that.

    Never had issues with my fitbit or garmins, fwiw.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    If you are serious about your fitness and want advanced features check out the vivoactive 3. It seems to be more advanced than the lower end devices, but not quite as advanced as the higher end devices. I had one for a while but then decided to upgrade to the fenix 5x.

    Watch a bunch of YouTube reviews on these devices. They are helpful.
  • LotusCass
    LotusCass Posts: 145 Member
    I'm so confused about which to go for. I really like that Garmin is waterproof, easier to see in daylight, stays on all the time. I'm not sure if the bulkiness would bother me. I'll need to go and try one on. It sounds as though the technical issues I had were specifically to do with the initial version of vivosmart and they're not so much as issue with more recent ones. The reviews all put both Garmin Vivosmart HR+ & Fitbit charge 2 up there. I think I'm leaning more to the Garmin.
  • DanielleFayeS
    DanielleFayeS Posts: 1,981 Member
    I like my Garmin Vivosmart HR, except my first screen broke within the first 6 months. Really badly, just kind of flaked and cracked through. To their credit, they did replace it but it's a known issue and I had to lean on them. It's waterproof but doesn't record anything about swimming except HR. The stair counting is buggy and record ridiculously high in the winter through temp changes or if it's "dirty" or who knows.

    I was thinking of switching to one of the newer smart watch style models from Fitbit or Samsung those are supposed to be waterproof.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I feel your pain. 3/5 Garmin devices I've owned have bit the dust. My two Vivofits were replaced by REI, no drama whatsoever. So, I would recommend buying from a retailer with a good return policy whatever brand you go with.

    If you are unable to get a return, Garmin will trade you for a refurbished unit for a price. I did this when the Fenix 3 I bought used off Ebay stopped working.

    Even with my poor experiences with Garmin reliability I still keep buying. Their devices do everything I want, including being waterproof and having great battery life. I'm much more likely to wear a tracker if I rarely have to take it off.
  • ABabilonia
    ABabilonia Posts: 622 Member
    I had two FitBit devices in the past and now I have the Garmin Forerunner 235. So far the Garmin is way better than the FitBit. More accurate, both in distance and calories burned. I am mainly a runner, and the FitBit devices were not ideal for running. I honestly don't know, though, if the new Ionic is good, but I will not change my Garmin soon.
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
    Next month will mark my 4 year anniversary with Fitbit, and haven't had a problem with them! I originally had the first Flex and used it for 3 years (towards the end I had to charge it every day, but for the first 2 years it went 4-5 days). It was still working when I decided to upgrade. I bought the Charge 2 around this time last year and it's still going 5 days before needing a charge. The band did end up breaking about two months ago, but I just bought a $7 replacement off Amazon and it's worked perfectly (and has a much more fun pattern). They've been pretty accurate for me. Not being waterproof is the only real downside I've experienced since getting the Charge 2 (although water doesn't seem to bother mine - I keep getting in the shower or doing bath time with my kids where it gets submerged before realizing I didn't take it off).
  • KeithWhiteJr
    KeithWhiteJr Posts: 233 Member
    edited January 2018
    I'm still rocking my Microsoft Band. When it dies, I will find another MS Band.
  • dlhatch67
    dlhatch67 Posts: 32 Member
    I just got a Samsung Gear2FitPro for Christmas. I'm still reading the manual and trying to figure out how to link it with MFP, but a test yoga session this morning had it calculating my calories burned exactly the same as logging in MFP. This smart fitness tracker is supposed to be waterproof to 50m, so I will be trying it out in the pool very soon.
    Anyone else have one of these?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Beth's VivoActive 3 is really nice.
  • Jennikitten
    Jennikitten Posts: 142 Member
    I have had a Fitbit and I now have a garmin forerunner. I found that my Fitbit would overestimate distance by a tenth and overestimate calorie count by more than this. Also my gamin doesn’t add my walking calories on (only my exercise calories) which is much better for me as otherwise I end up with over a thousand exercise calories from walking!

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