Wearables

[Egoista]

Subject Fitbit Charge HR

HI all,

I was wondering if any posters are using this particular wearable.

IF so is it
Accurate (especially when it comes to measuring the sleep patterns )?
Can accurately measure Heart Rate
Does it actually cause pain in the wrist and /or a rash on the wrist where you wear it?/

Do these things come in handy tennis or running wise?

I am really interested in purchasing this but would want to hear other users opinions especially on the accuracy and the rash subject.
thanks

 

[Egoista]

36 views but no response

 

[Thajor]

36 views but no response

I haven't tried a FitBit charge, but I had a FitBit Flex that was decent. The Charge seems like a great upgrade.

I LOVE the Microsoft Band though; you can do so much with it. Microsoft band is by far the best wearable tech I've tried, and I've tried several- FitBit, Nike FuelBand, Jawbone. To top it off if you're a golfer, the new golf app for Microsoft Band is simply amazing!

 

[Egoista]

Okay but the main thing i am worried about is the rash thing as well especially if you are sleeping. The microsoft band looks great but .........

 

[Thajor]

Okay but the main thing i am worried about is the rash thing as well especially if you are sleeping. The microsoft band looks great but .........

Since I don't have a Charge I can't say, but I would assume it could happen to some and not others.

I've had no rash, pain, or any discomfort from the Microsoft Band. I haven't heard of anyone who has for what it's worth.

Sleep tracking has been great, and the heart rate monitor has been reported to be the most accurate wrist-wearable heart rate monitor (blew away the "iWatch"). I don't remember where I read the article about that, but I'll post a link if I find it.

 

[Egoista]

Sounds great maybe I will switch to the microsoft band...sounds great..............
thanks alot

 

[realed]

Since I don't have a Charge I can't say, but I would assume it could happen to some and not others.

I've had no rash, pain, or any discomfort from the Microsoft Band. I haven't heard of anyone who has for what it's worth.

Sleep tracking has been great, and the heart rate monitor has been reported to be the most accurate wrist-wearable heart rate monitor (blew away the "iWatch"). I don't remember where I read the article about that, but I'll post a link if I find it.

I also use the Microsoft Band and have no issues with it.

 

[wt888usa]

I have the Charge HR and I find it useful for gauging how many miles I ran during a tennis match, what intensity level it was based on heart rate, etc.

As far as HR accuracy, I'm not sure as I don't have any other 'accurate' device to compare it against, but I mainly use it to see my resting heart rate over time, and work on trying to decrease that over a long period with health choices, etc. I also don't have any rash issues, wear it all the time, and just put it on the charger when I'm taking a shower. Those 10min a day are good enough to keep the band topped up.

The sleep tracking is nice too as you can set a goal (i.e. 7 hours) and you can track and try to meet that goal every night. I think my fav. thing about it (after researching a lot of the other bands, Jawbone, Misfit, Microsoft, Withings, etc.) is the social aspect of it, as most of my friends were on it and it's nice to motivate each other to push further. I do think it could be improved (you only compete on steps), and I'm sure the other fitness bands also have good social features, if not better, but not as many of my friends were on it, just 0-2 on each, as opposed to the 25 friends on Fitbit. From my research, I also found the Jawbone 'coaching' aspect of it pretty cool, and wish Fitbit had that. Let me know if you have any other questions about the Charge HR.

 

[Egoista]

I have the Charge HR and I find it useful for gauging how many miles I ran during a tennis match, what intensity level it was based on heart rate, etc.

As far as HR accuracy, I'm not sure as I don't have any other 'accurate' device to compare it against, but I mainly use it to see my resting heart rate over time, and work on trying to decrease that over a long period with health choices, etc. I also don't have any rash issues, wear it all the time, and just put it on the charger when I'm taking a shower. Those 10min a day are good enough to keep the band topped up.

The sleep tracking is nice too as you can set a goal (i.e. 7 hours) and you can track and try to meet that goal every night. I think my fav. thing about it (after researching a lot of the other bands, Jawbone, Misfit, Microsoft, Withings, etc.) is the social aspect of it, as most of my friends were on it and it's nice to motivate each other to push further. I do think it could be improved (you only compete on steps), and I'm sure the other fitness bands also have good social features, if not better, but not as many of my friends were on it, just 0-2 on each, as opposed to the 25 friends on Fitbit. From my research, I also found the Jawbone 'coaching' aspect of it pretty cool, and wish Fitbit had that. Let me know if you have any other questions about the Charge HR.

thanks for the detailed info....I think with the price compared to the micro band seems a good fit......just cant help wondering why there were so many complaints on the rash scenario but maybe that was in the past and as you use it whilst you sleep I assume it is not constricting or tight at all...........I am wondering whilst playing tennis does it record the miles your legs do...etc.....

 

[rectoralex]

I have enjoyed my Charge HR so far (I've had it about 5 weeks now). There is no problem with a rash, etc...

The only concern I have is the accuracy of the HR monitor. I think for resting heart rate it is great. I have measured my resting heart rate manually and compared it to the Charge HR reading and it was only 2 beats off. However, when I am working out it seems to be a little erratic, but I don't have any solid evidence to back this up. Overall I enjoy it, and I think the app for the i-phone is great.

 

[wt888usa]

thanks for the detailed info....I think with the price compared to the micro band seems a good fit......just cant help wondering why there were so many complaints on the rash scenario but maybe that was in the past and as you use it whilst you sleep I assume it is not constricting or tight at all...........I am wondering whilst playing tennis does it record the miles your legs do...etc.....

Yes it does log miles during your tennis match, and steps taken, avg HR for the workout, etc. As one other person had mentioned, the accuracy on HR during workouts might not be suspect. I have no actual HR monitor to back up this info. However, I mainly use the HR to really gauge my resting heart rate over time, as the ultimate goal is to get my heart stronger and my resting heart rate lower. This is accurately measured, especially if you sleep with the band.

 

[Egoista]

Yes it does log miles during your tennis match, and steps taken, avg HR for the workout, etc. As one other person had mentioned, the accuracy on HR during workouts might not be suspect. I have no actual HR monitor to back up this info. However, I mainly use the HR to really gauge my resting heart rate over time, as the ultimate goal is to get my heart stronger and my resting heart rate lower. This is accurately measured, especially if you sleep with the band.

thanks for the info...I think I may go for it after alll...

 

[West Coast Ace]

Just found this thread...

I read about the Misfit on one of the Tech News sites I read regularly. The story claimed the Misfit had a separate tennis option. So I decided to give it a try. In one word: underwhelmed. Yes, you can select Tennis as an activity and hit Start/Stop. But there's no way to break that out from the rest of the day and compare it to other days (I was hoping to do different workouts and compare). Furthermore, I don't think it gives accurate credit for all the small steps that we tennis players take and thus doesn't give the credit for calories burned. I'm 4.5/5.0 and know I burn more than 250 cal in 1 hr 45 min. As far as support, not very impressed. The website is like many of the fitness trackers' - all fluff and no substance - no explanation how to use it, just a lot of cute pictures. The app is nice and the device does connect to bluetooth and sync easily. The device has a rubber band that is easy to wear on your non-playing wrist - but does pop out on occasion.

 

[ewcrider]

I read about the Misfit on one of the Tech News sites I read regularly. The story claimed the Misfit had a separate tennis option. So I decided to give it a try. In one word: underwhelmed. Yes, you can select Tennis as an activity and hit Start/Stop. But there's no way to break that out from the rest of the day and compare it to other days (I was hoping to do different workouts and compare). Furthermore, I don't think it gives accurate credit for all the small steps that we tennis players take and thus doesn't give the credit for calories burned. I'm 4.5/5.0 and know I burn more than 250 cal in 1 hr 45 min. As far as support, not very impressed. The website is like many of the fitness trackers' - all fluff and no substance - no explanation how to use it, just a lot of cute pictures. The app is nice and the device does connect to bluetooth and sync easily. The device has a rubber band that is easy to wear on your non-playing wrist - but does pop out on occasion.

Which misfit do you have, and did you wear it around your ankle/shoe or on your wrist? I wonder if 'tennis' mode sets the threshold higher as to not record strokes as steps. A friend with an older garmin tracker said his stepcount jumped whenever he hit a backhand...though he hits his backhand quite hard.

 

[West Coast Ace]

Which misfit do you have, and did you wear it around your ankle/shoe or on your wrist? I wonder if 'tennis' mode sets the threshold higher as to not record strokes as steps. A friend with an older garmin tracker said his stepcount jumped whenever he hit a backhand...though he hits his backhand quite hard.

It's the latest, Shine 2. And I wear it on my wrist. There was no guidance on their site to select one spot over another for optimum tennis data (was expecting it). You can also put it in your pocket - maybe I'll try that. I have thin ankles - but I don't think the rubber band will make it around.

 

[atatu]

I just got the fitbit surge last week as a present. It's pretty good, I find the display to be a little dark. I really like the way the gps function sends me a map and the distance of my walks/runs. The "tennis" function doesn't do too much, it tells you how long you played tennis, at what intensity (heart rate) and how much ground you covered. For example yesterday I played doubles for one hour and 20 minutes, my average heart rate was 130 bpm and I covered 1.67 miles and burned 852 calories. The sleep function is useful and the heart rate function seems relatively accurate. I'm still figuring out how to really use it, but so far I'd say it's pretty nice but if you aren't a runner maybe not worth the cost.

 

[PhxRacket]

I received a Charge HR for Christmas and I find it very interesting. I don't feel it is a scientific device. I feel that it provides anecdotal information that I can use to improve my fitness. As mentioned, the social aspect is fun. No problems with skin rash.

 

[schmke]

It's the latest, Shine 2. And I wear it on my wrist. There was no guidance on their site to select one spot over another for optimum tennis data (was expecting it). You can also put it in your pocket - maybe I'll try that. I have thin ankles - but I don't think the rubber band will make it around.

I have a Misfit Flash and it works great when playing tennis. I do generally manually start and stop my activity (press the button) rather than letting it figure out the activity boundary on its own, but when I do that and tell it I played tennis, I find the data it reports to be reasonably accurate.

For example, I played this morning for 1.5 hours and it says I burned 849 calories and moved 1.5 miles with 3,758 steps. And the points it calculates seem reasonable too as I do accumulate more points when I play singles than doubles which makes sense as I generally move more and it is more intense when playing singles.

See http://computerratings.blogspot.com/2015/12/tracking-your-activity-when-playing.html where I wrote a bit about my experience with it.

 

[West Coast Ace]

I have a Misfit Flash and it works great when playing tennis. ...

Thanks. Good review. Do you wear it on your wrist?

But since you're also an IT/data guy like me, aren't you disappointed there is no way to save and store each practice/match and compare graph over time? Or is there and their website (and the guy who answered my email) doesn't cover it?

 

[schmke]

Thanks. Good review. Do you wear it on your wrist?

But since you're also an IT/data guy like me, aren't you disappointed there is no way to save and store each practice/match and compare graph over time? Or is there and their website (and the guy who answered my email) doesn't cover it?

Yeah, I wear it on my left (non-playing) wrist. I've thought about, but not tried yet, wearing it on my right wrist to see if it tracks things any differently.

Misfit does have an API I've started looking at, so perhaps it could be used to get the raw data and do analysis/charting like you describe.

 

[ls206]

Subject Fitbit Charge HR

HI all,

I was wondering if any posters are using this particular wearable.

IF so is it
Accurate (especially when it comes to measuring the sleep patterns )?
Can accurately measure Heart Rate
Does it actually cause pain in the wrist and /or a rash on the wrist where you wear it?/

Do these things come in handy tennis or running wise?

I am really interested in purchasing this but would want to hear other users opinions especially on the accuracy and the rash subject.
thanks

I have the Fitbit Charge HR and have been wearing it daily for about 7 months now. I have also worn it to play tennis in, it's very comfy and I've never had a rash.
I don't wear it to sleep as the sleep data isn't very meaningful to me, also the battery last a lot longer that way.

It's an easy way to gauge how well your fitness training is going as you will be able to see lower day to day numbers and also lower peak heart rates during exercise.

In terms of accuracy, I have found the live display to be pretty inconclusive and can be off by 50bpm. However the graph that gets recorded and viewable via the Fitbit app is actually quite accurate and only waivers by a few bpms. I have compared the data with a chest strap heart rate monitor.

I haven't actually compared the running distance on the Fitbit with a GPS tracker.. I'll have to give that a look.

 

[Tyler-James]

I started with a Charge HR, but recently upgraded to a Surge over Christmas.

Both are great for tennis, general fitness, HR monitoring, calorie counters, and sleeping. The main benefit that the surge has is integrated GPS so you can leave your phone at home when running (and a built in tennis setting for exercise).

The main problem I notice in data collection is that playing tennis tends to give me extra flights of stairs climbed throughout the day (e.g., tossing my fitbit hand in the air for the serve).

No rash problems for me, I generally wear mine all day, except in the shower.

Tennis and general fitness = Charge HR
Avid runner = Surge

 

[shamaho]

I use the charge HR since Mar. of 2015.

I use it daily but not during sleep. Also use it during tennis and gym workouts.

Tracking seems pretty accurate but it does have a lag to avoid spikes etc.

You can specifically start and stop workout mode and tracking sampling is improved during that time.

During this time it has had a couple of firmware updates adding new features and tracking improvement.

I can highly recommend it.

 

[Surion]

To bring up this rather old thread:

I'm tempted to buy the Charge HR, but I have a few questions.

How strong is the silent alarm to wake you up in the morning?

I'm sleeping pretty...deeply and have to set a couple of very loud alarms in the morning to wake up.
Is the vibration strong enough?

How does that SmartTrack feature work exactly?
I read online, that it'll start track after 15 minutes of a given exercise, but since Tennis isn't like that (breaks, changing sides etc.) I guess, that won't work?

And on top, is the calorie counter okay? The accuracy won't be spot on, but is it at least reasonable? And not like the stuff you can read online sometimes, burning 700 calories during an hour of tennis or so.

Thank you very much.

 

[Tyler-James]

To bring up this rather old thread:

I'm tempted to buy the Charge HR, but I have a few questions.

How strong is the silent alarm to wake you up in the morning?

I'm sleeping pretty...deeply and have to set a couple of very loud alarms in the morning to wake up.
Is the vibration strong enough?

How does that SmartTrack feature work exactly?
I read online, that it'll start track after 15 minutes of a given exercise, but since Tennis isn't like that (breaks, changing sides etc.) I guess, that won't work?

And on top, is the calorie counter okay? The accuracy won't be spot on, but is it at least reasonable? And not like the stuff you can read online sometimes, burning 700 calories during an hour of tennis or so.

Thank you very much.

Silent alarm is vibration on the arm... it wakes me up, but I'm a moderate sleeper. Imagine taping your phone to your wrist: the ringer is going off on vibrate on your wrist. Will you wake up?

I have a Surge now, but I generally do manual start for tennis. But, if I forget, it always starts a "sports" smart track. It accounts for some of the pauses in tennis.

Calorie counters in general (calories burned) shouldn't be a good thing to use for how much you eat. Stick with your own calorie limit, and don't include the addition of exercise in your equation (if you are trying to lose or manage weight). If I play intense singles, it will give me 700-1000 calories an hour. Fitbit will generally give me 3500-4500 calories burned a day: I'm 6'0" 195 and very active, but not THAT active.

 

[Surion]

Silent alarm is vibration on the arm... it wakes me up, but I'm a moderate sleeper. Imagine taping your phone to your wrist: the ringer is going off on vibrate on your wrist. Will you wake up?

I have a Surge now, but I generally do manual start for tennis. But, if I forget, it always starts a "sports" smart track. It accounts for some of the pauses in tennis.

Calorie counters in general (calories burned) shouldn't be a good thing to use for how much you eat. Stick with your own calorie limit, and don't include the addition of exercise in your equation (if you are trying to lose or manage weight). If I play intense singles, it will give me 700-1000 calories an hour. Fitbit will generally give me 3500-4500 calories burned a day: I'm 6'0" 195 and very active, but not THAT active.

Thanks for your answer.

The calorie limit available in the Fitbit app is totally ridiculous.

It tells me to eat no more than 2000 calories per day if I wanna stay the same weight.
I have to eat 3500 to keep my current physique.
But that's the usual problem...ignoring muscle mass and so on.

 

[shamaho]

To bring up this rather old thread:

I'm tempted to buy the Charge HR, but I have a few questions.

How strong is the silent alarm to wake you up in the morning?

I'm sleeping pretty...deeply and have to set a couple of very loud alarms in the morning to wake up.
Is the vibration strong enough?

How does that SmartTrack feature work exactly?
I read online, that it'll start track after 15 minutes of a given exercise, but since Tennis isn't like that (breaks, changing sides etc.) I guess, that won't work?

And on top, is the calorie counter okay? The accuracy won't be spot on, but is it at least reasonable? And not like the stuff you can read online sometimes, burning 700 calories during an hour of tennis or so.

Thank you very much.

Vibration strength might be subjective thing but in my case I turned it off because it was a very sudden vibration, oh I woke up I assure you. I prefer the gentle alarm from my phone.

Calorie count I think also takes into account heart rate so it should be relatively accurate.

Calorie wise I have connected fit bit with my fitness pal

Excuse my brevity, sent from mobile on puny keyboard and rocking public transport

 

[eagle]

I have the FitBit HR Charge.

I like it for all the features and benefits it offers.

But the biggest dislike I have is the display screen being washed out when outdoors.

I am not able to see or make out what's on the screen when I'm playing on the court. I have to work really hard to shield it from the sun just to see anything on it.

Perhaps there is a display intensity setting so I can pump up the brightness to 100%. If so, I haven't found it yet.

Any tips to get around the problem would be appreciated.

BTW, I got it as a present, so it was not my choice.

 

[Shangri La]

For accurate heart rate monitoring, you still have to count on chest-strapped ones. I read some reviews that wrist bands can be off by 20-30 bps when exercising, while chest straps are within 1 bps compared to EKG.

 

[shamaho]

For accurate heart rate monitoring, you still have to count on chest-strapped ones. I read some reviews that wrist bands can be off by 20-30 bps when exercising, while chest straps are within 1 bps compared to EKG.

Actually the fit bit had been found to be quite accurate, thing is the tracking values can lag quite a bit, if the workout produces fairly tight range of heart rate the tracking will tend to very accurate values.

Excuse my brevity, sent from mobile on puny keyboard and rocking public transport

 

[shamaho]

Actually the fit bit had been found to be quite accurate, thing is the tracking values can lag quite a bit, if the workout produces fairly tight range of heart rate the tracking will tend to very accurate values.

Excuse my brevity, sent from mobile on puny keyboard and rocking public transport

Also the release notes for the prior update of the firmware stated that accuracy was improved in workout mode vs the regular 24/7 tracking. I think the sensor polling rate is higher during e exercise mode.

Excuse my brevity, sent from mobile on puny keyboard and rocking public transport

 

[eagle]

Bad news. My FitBit HR of about 3 months is no longer working.

After doing a google search , I found from other users at the FitBit forum that it has suffered the "Bar of Death" .... update/power charge screen stuck halfway and nothing happens.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-HR/Charge-HR-Frozen-Progress-Bar/td-p/859442

Lots of frustrated FitBit users.

I will contact FitBit and hopefully get a replacement. Problem is that there is no fix for the problem. It could repeat on the replacement.

So, if you are thinking about a FitBit, please keep this in mind.

 

[Tyler-James]

Bad news. My FitBit HR of about 3 months is no longer working.

After doing a google search , I found from other users at the FitBit forum that it has suffered the "Bar of Death" .... update/power charge screen stuck halfway and nothing happens.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-HR/Charge-HR-Frozen-Progress-Bar/td-p/859442

Lots of frustrated FitBit users.

I will contact FitBit and hopefully get a replacement. Problem is that there is no fix for the problem. It could repeat on the replacement.

So, if you are thinking about a FitBit, please keep this in mind.

I had a fraying band on my Fitbit, and they just sent me a new one. I gave the old one to a friend. Whoops