Garmin vs Fitbit
- Thread starter zola1
- Start date
marazoe
Cathlete
I have a Garmin Vivo Fit 2. I have never had a fitbit. I like what I have because the battery is a watch battery and lasts for a year. No recharging. I sync it to my laptop every morning . They enter you into contests with other people so that makes you want to do more steps. They change your daily goal depending on what your average is. The sleep meter is interesting to see how well you sleep. The only thing about it is I wouldn't call it a step counter , I would call it an activity counter. I can clean house and get a lot of steps on my band. I am dusting which doesn't involve any steps or cleaning the bathrooms. The numbers are large and readable. The bands come in pretty colors.
I hope others chime in. I have a Polar FT 4. I'm looking at a Polar A300. It's VERY confusing. I don't want to waste money! I've read and heard that the Fitbit is better suited for runners and is underestimating calories. I want to see a graph of my activity, calories burned, HR in zone etc.
I have the Fitbit Charge HR. I am considering changing to the VivoFit. Here is why: mine is 6 months old and has been replaced twice in that time. They have had hardware failures. Customer Service is great, they send a new one with no problem but three in 6 months is indicative of a manufacturing problem. When it is working, it is great. I absolutely love it. I even bought one of the charms that cover the display and make it look more like a bracelet. I do hate having to charge it so frequently, my only real complaint (well, other than the hardware failures). The Internet interface is good for me. No complaints with that either. I like being able to set it to count my HR and steps while I workout, then I can see what type of effort I expended. It then adds those steps to your total when you are done.
So of course I'm now looking at the Garmin Vivo fit. I'm making myself crazy reading all the info and reviews. Did anyone get something from Santa? Could you please share what you have , pros, cons, any info would be helpful. I'm looking for ACCURATE calorie count, would love to know minutes in training zone, fat burn zone etc, max HR during workout, sleep tracker, syncs to computer to show data....all of it. Please shed some light on this. What do you use and why do you love it?
Lucia A
Cathlete
I have two Polar watches with a chest strap (I thought my first was broke and bought a second). I wish there was something out there that were as accurate. I like knowing my Inzone, max and average as well as calorie counts. Can either of these watches replace my HRM's and give this info? It would be nice not to have to wear the chest strap.
marazoe
Cathlete
Peg my Garmin vivo fit 2 doesn't track when you are in the different zones you mentioned. It does track sleep which is very interesting and I feel that is accurate. It does sync to the computer. It is pretty much steps/activity . I don't think the steps are accurate. It shows calories burn and distance.
I got a Polar A360 for Christmas. There is no chest strap. It monitors steps, distance, calories, and training sessions (you can choose different types of training). It also tracks sleep, and time in each zone. The calorie count seems accurate for my fitness level and weight. You choose your activity level. The watch gives you reminders to move if you've been sedentary for too long. Battery life depends on whether you are using the bluetooth. Batteries are rechargeable and connect to your computer or to a wall plug in. Polar is working on updates to the software which will be able to be downloaded to the watch when you sync. Can sync to either your computer or your smart phone. So far, and I've only had it since Christmas, I love it. No glitches like I had with my Fitbit which I had to return. My Fitbit was saying that I was climbing 58 floors each day at work. That would have been nice if I actually did that instead of working in a warehouse with no stairs 
.
All this being said, Polar has been my go-to monitor for years now. I have heard that if you are hardcore into running and or cycling, Garmin is excellent.
Good luck.
.All this being said, Polar has been my go-to monitor for years now. I have heard that if you are hardcore into running and or cycling, Garmin is excellent.
Good luck.
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I have read that the best way to get the most accurate calorie burn is with a chest strap. No wrist device can be as accurate due to the positional changes during activity. All wrist devices are somewhat inaccurate on step count, due to the same thing. Some are more inaccurate than others. That said, based on what you want most to track, I would recommend Polar with the chest strap. Great reviews on these.
Thanks for the info. I'm still pondering. I currently have Polar so I feel loyal to them in a way. I looked at the Garmin Vivo fit 2. At first the reviews were great but I checked again last night....many of the most recent reviews were mediocre to negative which really surprised me. I also believe that the best or most accurate reading would come from wearing the chest strap. I don't mind that because I do it now, some of the reviewers found it annoying. I also have to be careful with the reviews.....what kind of wkouts does the reviewer do, what is their goal in wearing it, what kind of info are they hoping to obtain etc.
That's why we all come here right? I like info and insight from someone who does the same type and intensity of wkouts that I do. Thanks!
That's why we all come here right? I like info and insight from someone who does the same type and intensity of wkouts that I do. Thanks!