Fitbit vs Garmin
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Tacklewasher wrote: »Yes, Garmin is not so good for any social/group stuff. For running & cycling, Strava's site (it will auto-pull from Garmin server) is really nice. (It will group together and show every other strava person who was on your route, along with flyby's that will show where everyone was when; also segments where you can compete on time).
And where the secret military bases are
I use Strava and it does seem to fill the "social" side of it fine for me.
It also allows you to trim the run from Garmin, If for example you forgot to tap stop before you drove home from your hike/race.
A feature Garmin still has not added.0 -
My two cents is that if you want an exercise tracker, than Garmin is the better option for features, accuracy, customization via peripherals, etc.
If you want a lifestyle tracker, that does an acceptable job of tracking your exercise but also gives you the social stuff, sleep data, etc. in one place, than Fitbit might be more what you're after since it's kind of all-in and it just kind of does what it does out of the box.
I think of them as very similar to the Android vs Apple cell phone thing, where Garmin is the Android and Fitbit is the Apple, if that parallel makes sense. I'm an Apple girl and a Fitbit girl, which probably makes some people draw unfavourable conclusions about me, but both of those brands are more appropriate to my usage and wants (namely, simplicity and style), so...0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Yes, Garmin is not so good for any social/group stuff. For running & cycling, Strava's site (it will auto-pull from Garmin server) is really nice. (It will group together and show every other strava person who was on your route, along with flyby's that will show where everyone was when; also segments where you can compete on time).
And where the secret military bases are
I use Strava and it does seem to fill the "social" side of it fine for me.
It also allows you to trim the run from Garmin, If for example you forgot to tap stop before you drove home from your hike/race.
A feature Garmin still has not added.
yes! I've had to do that a few times on remote events where I got in the car and drove off before remembering to stop the Garmin.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »...
A feature Garmin still has not added.
They also haven't implemented the full functionality of the old computer software that they obsoleted on the web platform. (which is annoying because it would be so much more convenient to send routes/courses and workouts via bluetooth than USB cable). Namely: [1] The old software lets you create a training session where you loop over a set time or distance (not just a number of instances) - I don't need this as much anymore..I used to use it a lot when I was training with more specific intervals. [2] While the old software didn't auto-create turn cues, you could manually add them and send the route with turn cues to your watch. (It still sucked, so I didn't use it anyway). It would be nice if the new platform, at a minimum, would successfully import .tcx files & maintain turn cues (so I can send via BT on demand from wherever I am); or better yet, generate a route with turn cues so I don't have to use ridewithgps (to generate the .tcx) and javawa to convert to .fit at all. On the bright side, Garmin is ubiquitous enough that such 3rd party options are there.
ETA: FYI-I use dynamic.watch if I really need to have a route immediately on demand. (so at least an option does exist in a pinch).0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Yes, Garmin is not so good for any social/group stuff. For running & cycling, Strava's site (it will auto-pull from Garmin server) is really nice. (It will group together and show every other strava person who was on your route, along with flyby's that will show where everyone was when; also segments where you can compete on time).
And where the secret military bases are
I use Strava and it does seem to fill the "social" side of it fine for me.
It also allows you to trim the run from Garmin, If for example you forgot to tap stop before you drove home from your hike/race.
A feature Garmin still has not added.
i can edit time and such on the app and site with garmin0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Yes, Garmin is not so good for any social/group stuff. For running & cycling, Strava's site (it will auto-pull from Garmin server) is really nice. (It will group together and show every other strava person who was on your route, along with flyby's that will show where everyone was when; also segments where you can compete on time).
And where the secret military bases are
I use Strava and it does seem to fill the "social" side of it fine for me.
It also allows you to trim the run from Garmin, If for example you forgot to tap stop before you drove home from your hike/race.
A feature Garmin still has not added.
i can edit time and such on the app and site with garmin
Looks like they finally added "Course Points" and Import for Courses. Does NOT keep pre-existing Course Points (Turn cues) though.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Yes, Garmin is not so good for any social/group stuff. For running & cycling, Strava's site (it will auto-pull from Garmin server) is really nice. (It will group together and show every other strava person who was on your route, along with flyby's that will show where everyone was when; also segments where you can compete on time).
And where the secret military bases are
I use Strava and it does seem to fill the "social" side of it fine for me.
It also allows you to trim the run from Garmin, If for example you forgot to tap stop before you drove home from your hike/race.
A feature Garmin still has not added.
i can edit time and such on the app and site with garmin
Yes. But what you can’t do is trim off the end of a run and delete that segment.
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I would've recommended a FitBit, but they've discontinued the clip-on trackers that work and I'm uneasy about using a wrist tracker (skin issues). If you have $200-$300 to drop on a tracker, go with Garmin.0
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Great info, will help me decide which way to go, thanks!!!!0
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4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »They are both good brands. I have personally used both. Largely, it comes down to what you want out of your tracker.
IMO there isn't much different between their daily activity tracking capabilities.
If you want good GPS capability Garmin is probably better for you. I think fitbit still only has phone linked GPS, meaning if you want to track a run you have to take your phone along too.
For me (I am a woman) I think Fitbit has a lot more attractive models. I would love to see garmin work on the "looks department". I think where they are really failing at the moment is they don't have very attractive female options outside the phoenix, which is a very expensive model and way more than I need out of a tracker. I think they did just come out with a chrome finish on their new FR model, which is a step in the right direction. But, since they now have integrated activity tracking into most of their models they need to think about appearance from an every day wear standpoint. Some ladies like to look nice, and a clunky sports watch look doesn't really cut it (IMO).
Yes- last I browsed, the Fenix is pretty much the only one that looks nice as a daily wear watch, but size-wise is probably similar enough to my 920 that it is ridiculously large-looking on a female wrist (and I do get comments on my giant watch). (edit: spelling)
But the 920 is so petite!
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stanmann571 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Yes, Garmin is not so good for any social/group stuff. For running & cycling, Strava's site (it will auto-pull from Garmin server) is really nice. (It will group together and show every other strava person who was on your route, along with flyby's that will show where everyone was when; also segments where you can compete on time).
And where the secret military bases are
I use Strava and it does seem to fill the "social" side of it fine for me.
It also allows you to trim the run from Garmin, If for example you forgot to tap stop before you drove home from your hike/race.
A feature Garmin still has not added.
i can edit time and such on the app and site with garmin
Yes. But what you can’t do is trim off the end of a run and delete that segment.
well, if you can edit the start time and the length of time, you are trimming off the end of the run.
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stanmann571 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Yes, Garmin is not so good for any social/group stuff. For running & cycling, Strava's site (it will auto-pull from Garmin server) is really nice. (It will group together and show every other strava person who was on your route, along with flyby's that will show where everyone was when; also segments where you can compete on time).
And where the secret military bases are
I use Strava and it does seem to fill the "social" side of it fine for me.
It also allows you to trim the run from Garmin, If for example you forgot to tap stop before you drove home from your hike/race.
A feature Garmin still has not added.
i can edit time and such on the app and site with garmin
Yes. But what you can’t do is trim off the end of a run and delete that segment.
well, if you can edit the start time and the length of time, you are trimming off the end of the run.
NO you're not. You're just changing the time. The calorie burn and distance stays the same. As do the speed calculations. Doesn't help my logging much if I've got a 2 minute mile in my run log.1 -
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4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »I would've recommended a FitBit, but they've discontinued the clip-on trackers that work and I'm uneasy about using a wrist tracker (skin issues). If you have $200-$300 to drop on a tracker, go with Garmin.yeah, I can't believe they discontinued the One
I specifically got the Vivofit 3 when I had to replace my tracker because I could also get a clip-on holder for it rather than use the wrist band. I compared a clip-on with a wrist tracker, and the numbers were so different, I just can't bring myself to trust wrist trackers. I don't see them as accurate for my personal use.
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4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »I would've recommended a FitBit, but they've discontinued the clip-on trackers that work and I'm uneasy about using a wrist tracker (skin issues). If you have $200-$300 to drop on a tracker, go with Garmin.yeah, I can't believe they discontinued the One
I specifically got the Vivofit 3 when I had to replace my tracker because I could also get a clip-on holder for it rather than use the wrist band. I compared a clip-on with a wrist tracker, and the numbers were so different, I just can't bring myself to trust wrist trackers. I don't see them as accurate for my personal use.
The biggest thing I have noticed (and I have seen a lot of reviews mentioning this as well) is when doing something where my arms cant really move it doesn't pick up on the activity. So pushing a shopping cart, stroller (this ones is a biggie for me at the moment!), or push mower doesn't count well. I never had that issue with my One.
What was your experience between the two styles?0 -
Do they track when you weight train too or are they mostly for cardio workouts?0
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TrinityR05 wrote: »Do they track when you weight train too or are they mostly for cardio workouts?
What do you mean by "track"? They will all track movement/activity, so in that sense, yes. Only some/few actually have a strength training activity mode, and who knows how accurate the calorie burn estimates are.0 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »The biggest thing I have noticed (and I have seen a lot of reviews mentioning this as well) is when doing something where my arms cant really move it doesn't pick up on the activity. So pushing a shopping cart, stroller (this ones is a biggie for me at the moment!), or push mower doesn't count well. I never had that issue with my One.
What was your experience between the two styles?
I started with a clip-on and used it for well over two years, but it was dying (had to constantly reset the sync to my phone, battery changes were needed more frequently, etc) so I looked for a new one. By that time, all the clip-ons seemed to be off the market, but I found an aftermarket company that could convert the Vivofit 3 to a clip-on if I needed it, so I went with that. However, I did test the Vivofit as a wrist tracker while using my old tracker for comparison.
It was off. Like, more than 30% on some days off in the amount of steps (which is my main source of activity at this point). I work a desk job, true, but I'm moving my hands constantly. I drive a manual shift. I play video games. I use my arms--both of them--a LOT, and it showed in how my movement was tracked. Mind you, I can get anywhere from 7k to 20k in one day, so I like to have at least consistency in relative movement tracking. It didn't even seem to be a consistent difference between the two. As a test, I took the same walk twice at the same (or close to the same) pace and pumped my arms a bit more on the second one. Sure enough, the clip-on got almost identical steps, and the wrist tracker was off by several hundred steps from itself.
So, as another comparison, I converted the Vivofit to a clip-on and wore both clip-ons for a week. Much better. They weren't the same, but they were always within 100-200 steps of each other, and it was a reliable difference that I could just attribute to a different algorithmic calculation of my steps between the two units.
So I'm using the Vivofit as a clip-on now. I may use the wrist band for exercises that emphasize arm movement (like swimming and kayaking), but for walking and tracking general activity, clip-ons work better for me.
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i figure the noncaptured steps are a bonus for wrist trackers.
however it did capture some of my steps while i used my manual mower.
otherwise samsung health and vivosmart hr are about the same most days0 -
i figure the noncaptured steps are a bonus for wrist trackers.
however it did capture some of my steps while i used my manual mower.
otherwise samsung health and vivosmart hr are about the same most days
Except in my case, the wrist band reported an excess of steps, not noncaptured steps (though I can see that I didn't specify that. Oops). It was reporting far MORE steps than my clip-on, which made me not trust the data at all because I hadn't suddenly increased my activity. I value relative consistency over absolute accuracy, and switching from the clip-on to a wristband would have introduced inconsistent results to my system. So I stuck with the clip-on. FWIW, when I've done 'counts' of steps mentally (the longest was 400), the clip-ons are accurate, especially once I customized the stride. I admit, I didn't do that test with the wristband, but someday I might.0
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