Any suggestions for a Fitness watch

Jezwinsborrow
Jezwinsborrow Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there I’m looking to get a fitness watch without breaking the budget. Looking for suggestions before I start couch potatoe to 5k. Tia 😁😁

Replies

  • sarah7591
    sarah7591 Posts: 415 Member
    You know if if you have a smart phone there are a lot of apps you can use rather than getting a watch. But since you asked.....I love my apple watch.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,199 Member
    This is an over-generality, but of the big brands, sports-performance enthusiasts (especially multi-sport) usually seem to like Garmin, and steps-oriented or social-competition-oriented people often seem to like Fitbit. (Fitbit also seems to have a wider range of more delicate, jewelry-fashion type models, but from your profile pic I'm thinking that might not loom large in your decision criteria. The Garmins, especially the high-end ones, are more commando looking, though some models are exceptions.) Apple enthusiasts like Apple watch. There are others, smaller brands, maybe cheaper. If you want to synch it to MFP, look at the list of brands that can synch with it, then consider what features you want in the watch, and compare.
  • Jezwinsborrow
    Jezwinsborrow Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks Anne I think the garmin are a bit out of my price range I not to techy really. I’m looking for something that does what it says on the tin so to speak.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    If you're concerned about price, go to eBay. Plenty of inexpensive devices that were barely used or simply a slight older model that people simply upgraded.
  • Iwannabeapunkrockmom
    Iwannabeapunkrockmom Posts: 61 Member
    Don't forget FB marketplace!

    I love my fitbit sense.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Jezwinsborrow wrote: »
    Thanks Anne I think the garmin are a bit out of my price range I not to techy really. I’m looking for something that does what it says on the tin so to speak.

    What do you want it to do? I know you didn't expect there to be a quiz on this. There are about five trillion fitness trackers to choose from, and the more you can say about what you're wanting, the more people will be able to help you narrow it down.

    To recap, you don't want to trade your car in for a watch, you want something that isn't overly complex, and you might start running?

    I got my friend an Amazon fitness tracker for her birthday. It was $80, has GPS (but not maps) so she knows how far she's hiked, it tells her when she gets an email or a text, the battery lasts several days. It checks a lot of boxes and the functionality is impressive for the price. She loves it. I've only used Garmin and Fitbit, I don't know how the data quality is, I'm not recommending to buy it but you should maybe look at the Amazon ones and see what you think.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,205 Member
    Yeah this is a BIG question.

    For someone who is thinking of getting into running, I strongly recommend a garmin. The forerunners are a great place to start and shouldn't break the bank. Second hand is a really good place to start. Garmin have a really good reputation and second hand is usually still reliable. Garmin watches have great GPS, sync well and generally just work.

    If you have all apple products, look at an apple. If you don't have apple products don't bother.

    I started with a second hand fitbit, then upgraded to another fitbit. As I got more into running I got a cheap Garmin second hand, loved it so upgraded, and have not got a fairly top end garmin because I'm training full on for events and wanted those features.

    The best thing to do is decide exactly what you want it for. Just steps? calories? heart rate, GPS, exercise load, maps? etc etc. Then decide what you can actually afford. Then find a watch that has the important features for the price you can afford.
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
    I'm a Garmin fan. I recently thought I would have to buy a new one due to mine being cosmetically unrepairable. I didn't have to because Garmin stands behind their products and sent me a new one.

    Garmin has a lot of trackers to choose from and varying price points. You can find the previous models on Walmart and Amazon for decent prices unless you just have to have the most recent model. That was my plan initially.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,940 Member
    You really need to give more information on what you want the watch to do, what kind of battery time you expect, what kind of phone os you use, and what your budget is. Nobody can advice you without knowing what you want.
  • Jezwinsborrow
    Jezwinsborrow Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for your comment I just want to get a tracker of daily activity. If I get into running big time will get a better watch. Garmin seem to be the way to go so might invest in one of those at a later date. Thanks again 👍🏻👍🏻
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    Apple offered me a whopping $25 trade in on my watch towards upgrade.

    Somewhere, there’s an outlet for these suckers.

    I didn’t bite, btw. The one or two added functions weren’t worth the upgrade. And btw, I love love love my Apple Watch. Don’t go anywhere without it these days.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,824 Member
    I don't know what budget you have, but Garmin has quite a wide range, from cheaper simple trackers to very expensive ones with loads of features. They don't all cost a fortune 🙂
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    Jezwinsborrow wrote: »
    Hi there I’m looking to get a fitness watch without breaking the budget. Looking for suggestions before I start couch potatoe to 5k. Tia 😁😁

    I think in general, for running: Garmin makes a good product. Many of which cover additional features as well. Personally I am a Fitbit fan, have been a user for 7+ years and can't imagine going with something else.

    Perhaps identify what features are relevant/important to you?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Garmin hardware excels at more than just running. They're great for hiking, cycling, and swimming too, plus daily lifestyle tracking.

    Example beyond running: when I'm on my bike, my Garmin watch beeps and vibrates noticably on my wrist whenever there's a car behind me. I can glance at the watch and see how many cars, how they're spaced, and how fast they're going. I don't think the OP is interested in this specifically, I'm bringing it up to say you don't have to be a runner to love Garmin watches.
  • allie_00p
    allie_00p Posts: 280 Member
    edited April 2021
    I have a chinese made watch that was $40, it works with my android phone and I really like it. I got it on Amazon, it's called the UMIDIGI uWatch3 GPS. It tracks steps, calories burned, heart rate, sleep, and you can control your music on your phone with it. It also displays text messages when they come in and the battery lasts about a week. It's not super intuitive, took me a couple days to figure it all out but it does the job.
  • elisejhnsn
    elisejhnsn Posts: 1 Member
    I have a very basic polar it tracks steps and with a few additional apps I can track workouts my model is very basic .but it cost me less than 10quid and I never have to take it off.the only thing mine lacks that I'd like is a heart rate monitor .
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Garmin hardware excels at more than just running. They're great for hiking, cycling, and swimming too, plus daily lifestyle tracking.

    Example beyond running: when I'm on my bike, my Garmin watch beeps and vibrates noticably on my wrist whenever there's a car behind me. I can glance at the watch and see how many cars, how they're spaced, and how fast they're going. I don't think the OP is interested in this specifically, I'm bringing it up to say you don't have to be a runner to love Garmin watches.

    How the heck does the Garmin know that? Do they have satellites in low earth orbit tracking you by your watch? 😝
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    edited April 2021
    @richardgavel

    They make a tail light with a radar gun. It tracks approaching vehicles behind you.

    I don't use it with my phone but here's a picture from somebody who does. One car a bit behind, a gap, two cars spaced close together, and then it's clear. When I need to turn left or just go around a pothole it's helpful to have an idea when I'll be able to go ahead of time, lets me adjust my speed and time it right. 🙂

    https://bikerumor-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Garmin-Varia-rearview-radar-with-mobile-phone-Varia-App_affordable-road-bike-riding-approaching-car-safety-alerts_cell-phone-connectivity.jpg

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