[Closed] Fitbit things

We've got my wife's FitBit Blaze with a selection of straps (standard silicon and fancier leather and metal ones) going spare in the cupboard...

I have a FB charge 2, my wife a FB Alta HR both do everything you are after.

The Charge 2 has a little more functionality, which I rarely use. The Alta HR is a slimmer and less noticeable device so its almost a fashion choice. Both work well, seem reliable and have battery life in line with manufacturer claims.The Charge 2 links to phone GPS to give a better view of bike rides - with a map, just like Strava

Check for deals, we got both of these for <£100 before Xmas

I was recently looking for one of these and luckily I was given a Fitbit Alta (non-HR). I actually wanted a HR one but given the choice of free or £££'s I've done without the HR!

The Alta is really just a fancy pedometer, but what it does it does well, though the app annoys me and I keep getting emails about the fact I've been awarded a "badge"... It struggles to pick up cycling but does record running etc well, and integrates with MyfitnessPal well. It doesn't integrate with Apple Health though, if that's something you're looking for - you'll need another app to act as a go-between.

Before I was given the Alta, I'd been looking at the Garmin Vivosmart HR and Vivofit thingys, as they offer HR and are swim-friendly (the Alta isn't).

Thanks all.

Simple is prob better for the Mrs to start with.

Is Fitbit the way to go as a "standard" or are cheaper options as good?  I like things to work without faff so happy to spend for a brand if it saves sync'ing/connectivity issues.

Charge 2 here.  Great battery life and good app.

It will only connect to the phone to give 1 type of message and doesn’t tell you about missed calls or messages.   Only alerts you when the come in.

Got my pa (80+) a Huawei thingy for Xmas. He seems to be getting on with it OK and it was less spendy than a fitbit.

thepurist - Mmm, that was looking good till the HRM got a bit of a slating.  Like the built in GPS

Looking like the Alta HR at the moment

I have a Blaze and love it - it has all the functions I would expect from a fitness tracker (HR monitor, automatic recognition of exercise (ie, it will log a 'walk' if I walk into town), I can set it to 'record' a specific activity (ie if I do a spinning class) and when I take the bike out I can also record that and it auto-syncs with Strava.

It also has a few 'smart watch' features such as notifications, playing music etc.

i got my Mrs a Nokia steel.  Its also a fancy pedometer but It's waterproof, the battery lasts 8 months and it looks like a normal watch. It doesn't have a hr monitor but the steel HR does which is a bit more dosh.

I was that impressed so got one myself.

The watch auto syncs with the paired phone. I would say the app is evolving still but gives you info about activities.

Garmin do a watch looking one now which looks good also.

My Wife bought a Garmin Vivoactive 3 in November 2017. Despite being quite tech' savy she'd never had a fitness tracker before - but she loves her Vivoactive thingy.

Counts all the stuff you want - maps walking, riding etc... and does Heart rate via the wrist strap. To be honest I didn't expect the heart rate to work very well but it seems to work perfectly. A nice looking device too....

Another Charge 2 here.  Owned it for about 8 months and TBH it doesn't do much at all to justify the price tag.

The only thing I use it for on a ride or run is checking how long I've been out for.

It rarely speaks properly with Strava no matter on how I sync it, and therefore I sometimes get sessions duplicated or not at all.  Odd.

Also, original strap is easy to rip off.  Mine lasted 3-4 months at best.  Now have a £10 3rd party one that is much stronger.

Fairly pointless IMO.