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bestactivitytrackers-blog · 8 years ago

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Waterproof Fitbit for swimming

It’s sad to say that Fitbit just offer only one model that is safe for swimming, that is Fitbit Flex 2. You can find this information right in Fitbit website.

Fitbit Flex 2 Features

Track steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes. Comes with both small and large size band

Ultra-thin, removable tracker hides in bands, pendants and bangles

Swim-proof for tracking swimming, life-proof for wear in the ocean, shower, pool and beyond

SmartTrack automatically recognizes select workouts and records them to your Fitbit app; Get call and text notifications on your wrist with unique vibration patterns and color-coded LED lights

Automatically track how long and how well you sleep, and set a silent alarm to wake with a small vibration; LED display lights up to show progress toward your daily goal

Fitbit Flex 2 PROs

- Minimalist design, slimmest Fitbit device I have seen so far

- Automatically tracks basic activity like steps, distance, active minutes, sleep, and calories burned (more on calories later). All this can be viewed on the phone in the Fitbit app (Flex 2 doesn’t have a display).

- Waterproof – Finally a slim tracker that I can wear to log swims! Couldn’t do this with any previous Fitbit. Convenient to be able to wear it in the shower as well (though I’ve been wearing the Blaze in the shower for the past year and it has been working just fine, but I wouldn’t recommend taking the Blaze into the pool)

- Automatically tracks sleep so I don’t need to manually start sleep mode on the tracker (like I did for the original Flex)

- Smart notifications (texts and calls) are convenient, though no caller ID. It simply alerts you to incoming calls or texts so you can reach for your phone. Convenient feature if you’re in a meeting where your phone is in silent mode, or in a noisy place where you can’t hear your phone ring.

- Battery life approximately 4 days so far (better than some fitness devices, but I think this is more a con than a pro). Took me a little over an hour to get a full charge. You get an automatic email from Fitbit if your battery level is low. - Strap is of good quality. I’m not sure exactly what material it’s made from, but it’s significantly better than the original Flex strap (which broke in no time and couldn’t be exposed to water)

- $99 price point! This price point alone justifies some of the lacking features. You can always trade up to the Alta or Charge 2 for $30-50 more if any of the lacking features are a must-have for you.

Fitbit Flex 2 CONs

Along with some cons, I am also including some of the lacking features here for an objective view, but I do wish to highlight that with a $99 price point, the Flex 2 is not really meant to have these features like the Alta or Charge 2. It is meant to be a basic basic activity tracker.

- No clock – there is no screen, just 5 small LED lights for notifications and charting daily steps progress. Note that even though it doesn’t have a clock, you can still set silent wake alarms using the app. The Flex 2 gently vibrates to wake you up.

- Tracker needs to be removed from strap every time for charging. This is my biggest issue with this device, it’s inconvenient to say the least. I have seen much cheaper fitness trackers lately where the charging pins are accessible with the tracker remaining in the strap. I’m sure Fitbit can come up with two small holes in the strap that allow the dock to connect to the tracker. - Battery life of 4-5 days. Even though this is a Pro (better than some other watches like the Apple watch which needs to be charged daily), I would expect battery to last a lot more given that there is no screen.

- The strap is significantly better than the original Flex (which was difficult to put on your wrist). However, it still takes getting used to.

- Calories burned is purely a guesstimate – it computes calories based on the age/gender/weight that you enter in the app. Since it doesn’t have a HRM, this calories number can be very misleading because actual calories burnt will depend on a variety of additional factors like your fitness level. I simply ignore this number in the app.

- Lacking features (don’t really mean to list these as cons) - No Heart Rate Monitor, altimeter (won’t measure floors climbed), GPS, caller ID, or ability to answer/reject calls. The 2 main things from this list of Cons I would really like to see improved are the ability to charge without having to remove it from the strap, and a better battery life given that it doesn't have a screen. Personal rating of 4 stars because of these 2 issues, but the low price point adds an extra half star to the rating in my opinion.

ACTIVITY TRACKING

The Flex 2 automatically tracks most activities like walking, running, swimming, and sleep. Given that it lacks a heart rate monitor, tracking is based primarily on arm movement. In order to log a swim, you need to first go into the app and set the default pool length, this needs to be done only once. If you take a rest break between laps, your average time per lap as recorded will be impacted. The Garmin Forerunner also works in this manner, but that can be paused during the swim. With the Flex 2, the only way to pause the workout is if you have your phone with you.

TIPS

1. LED lights – I found this a little confusing on the first day and had to contact Fitbit to get an answer, so I thought I’ll post this here in case anyone else has the same question – what do the various LED colors mean? The tracker has 5 LED lights that basically show your progress towards your daily goal. A red light is a reminder for you to get up and move, blue light indicates an incoming call or text, and all the LEDs light up once you reach your daily steps goal (default is 10000 steps, but this can be changed in the app).

2. Smart notifications do not automatically turn off when you are sleeping, even though the tracker detects sleep. To turn off notifications on the Flex 2, you can either turn off notifications on your phone (airplane mode), or go into the Fitbit app to turn off notifications on the tracker. Leaving your phone in Silent mode does not turn off notifications on the Flex 2.

QUICK COMPARISON WITH ALTA and CHARGE 2

ALTA – Alta has a screen which shows the time as well as a quick snapshot of your daily activities right on your wrist. With the Flex 2, this information can only be accessed on your phone. Both lack HRM, GPS, and altimeter. Flex 2 is waterproof, Alta is not. The Alta is pretty slim by itself, but Flex 2 is slimmer.

CHARGE 2 – Charge 2 has a great touch screen to show time and a snapshot of your daily progress. It also has a altimeter, HRM, and a multi-sport mode. However, Charge 2 is not waterproof like the Flex 2. Flex 2 is much slimmer in comparison to Charge 2. In my opinion, the Charge 2 is right at the sweet spot between the Flex 2 and the Blaze in terms of price point – it is $50 cheaper than the Blaze, but delivers almost all of its features. PRICE – Flex 2 $99, Alta $129, Charge 2 $149 (I have seen that prices for most Fitbit devices drop by a good 10-20% during the holiday season, so if you’re thinking of buying these as gifts, it might be worthwhile to check prices around Black Friday or shortly thereafter).

BOTTOM LINE

- If you’re looking to buy your first fitness tracker (something basic that will track your daily activities and sleep), the Flex 2 is a great inexpensive way to get started. This is also a good gift for teenagers and parents/grandparents alike who wish to start keeping track of their activity levels.

- If you have an older fitness tracker like the original Fitbit Flex or Jawbone Up, the Flex 2 is a somewhat decent upgrade with its new features (auto activity/sleep tracker, smart notifications, waterproof), though I personally don’t think switching to the Flex 2 would be that much of an upgrade – if your original tracker is working fine, I recommend staying with it for now. You could hang on to your original tracker and perhaps wait for a newer version of this to come out in the next year with more bells and whistles.

- If you lead an active lifestyle and prefer more accurate tracking of your activity levels, and are willing to spend an extra $50, I personally recommend going for the Charge 2. The HRM (and the resulting accuracy in measuring calories burnt) in the Charge 2 makes it more compelling than the Flex 2 even though the Flex 2 is waterproof. Hope you find this review helpful. Please feel free to post questions and I will try to answer them in a timely manner. Will also try to keep adding to this review as I’ve had more time to play around with this device, even though it seems fairly basic so far.

If water resistant is not crucial to you, I suggest you refer Fitbit Charge 2. It’s the best fitness tracker that was released in 2016. For Fitbit Charge 2 Pros and Cons, please check out this Fitbit Charge 2 Review

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bestactivitytrackers-blog · 8 years ago

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Best waterproof activity trackers

If swimming is your favorite hobby, definitely you would like to improve your performance. Having a fitness tracker that is waterproof is the best way to track pace, stroke, and your heart rate during a swim.

Here is the best water resistant activity trackers that I recommend

To be in this list, a fitness tracker must be labelled water resistant at least 5M or IPX8. Besides, a built-in heart rate monitor would be a plus as it would help you swim more efficiently.

Polar A360 Fitness Tracker with Wrist Heart Rate Mo…

Best activity tracker: Polar A360

Polar A360, released in October 2015, is a good choice for swimming fan. It’s water resistant to 30m. What I really like of this smartwatch is that it has a heart rate monitor which works smoothly under water. Though having a colorful touch screen, its battery can last up to 2 weeks. You rarely see a smartwatch with a lot of functions that has such a long battery life. Besides tracking your heart rate, Polar A360 can track workouts, steps, distance, calories burned, sleep quality, and activity 24/7. It can connect iPhone and android devices via bluetooth.

Garmin vívosmart HR Activity Tracker Regular Fit - Black

Best activity tracker: Garmin Vivosmart

Garmin Vivosmart HR was released in May this year (2016). This one is in the wishlist of many people due to its sleek design with 3 color options: black, imperial purple and midnight blue. Beyond heart rate monitor feature, this fitness band also tracks steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors climbed and activity intensity. You can receive text, call, email, social media and calendar alerts. Besides it allows you to control your music and your VIRB action camera. It can connect with Bluetooth & ANT+ devices and battery can last up to 5 days. Reasonable price for offered functions!

And if you compare Vivosmart with other devices of same price and same functions, you will be impressed with the water resistant level of Vivosmart. It’s totally safe for swimming and showering since it can be submerged under water of 50m depth. I know that the information might sound good in theory and you may question if the device really stops working after a swim? Here’s a review that you can refer: ”I have a Garmin Vivosmart that stopped working one day after swimming (it was great for about 6 months before that). I returned it to Garmin and they sent me a new one right away. It was great warranty service!”

Garmin vívoactive HR GPS Smart Watch, Regular fit - …

Best activity tracker: Garmin Vivoactive HR

This one is a more sophisticated version of Garmin Vivosmart, thus of course more expensive. But it’s worth every penny. Garmin vivoactive is a smartwatch that has long battery life of up to 8 days. And built-in GPS is what makes it expensive. It has water resistance of 50m like Garmin vivosmart. In a nutshell, this one fits those want to take all kinds of exercises: running, cycling (with GPS), swimming, boating (water resistant 50m), gym, etc…

Garmin 010-01004-00 Swim Watch with Garmin Connect

Best activity tracker: Garmin Swim Watch

This watch is born for swimming as its name refers. It’s water resistant to 50m and can record swim distance, pace, stroke count and pool lengths. I didn’t put this watch to the top of the list just because it doesn’t have a heart rate monitor. But if you’re serious about swimming and just swimming, you should definitely consider this one.

Pebble 2 + Heart Rate Smart Watch- Black/Flame

Best activity tracker: Pebble 2+HR

Pebble 2, launched in Sep 2016, is the latest model of Pebble. It is water resistant to 30m which is safe for swimming. It has quite a lot of functions beyond tracking heart rate: sleep and activity tracking; built-in microphone, record voice notes; music control, etc… It offers 5 color options for you to choose: Black, white, aqua, flame and lime. E-paper display screen allows battery life of up to 7 days. You can find my detailed review of this smartwatch here.

Mio Alpha Heart Rate Monitor Sports Watch

Best activity tracker: Mio Alpha

Mio Alpha is water resistant to 30m. Comparing with other fitness trackers, it has less functions and battery life is short – just 20+ hours. Priced less than $70 but it does have a heart rate monitor that can tell you data during exercise. If your budget is limited, this is still a good choice.

I know that there are a lot of Fitbit fans are feeling disappointed right now as they don’t see any Fitbit model listed here. But you know, most of Fitbit devices can just withstand hand spraying. Only Fitbit Flex 2 is asserted as swim proof. However, this super slim fitness band doesn’t have a heart rate monitor which is a big drawback! You can’t exercise targeting your heart rate zone for better performance. And the band doesn’t have a screen at all, which is also a minus because you have to finish your swim then read all data later in your smartphone. Similarly, Moov Now and Misfit Shine which are recommended for swimming by some sites are not in my list for having no heart rate monitor and no display screen.

Source: Heart rate monitor review

For current price of these products, please check out: Amazon.com

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