Activity tracker accuracy - clip on vs wristband

[Kindle 8,667]

So my parents want to get me an activity tracker for a late Christmas gift. My brother and his wife and daughter are totally into the Jawbone up24 and are actually looking to upgrade to the Up3. Of course I research the shit out of any purchase I make before I make it, so much to my dismay, I found way too many activity trackers to choose from!

After reading all the reviews I could online, I figured I'd turn to good ol' BP members for advice. As for my activities, I do not have any sort of exercise routine. I do not run or workout or swim, etc. I do not use MFP or any other app to track calories or food. I simply have what I consider an active lifestyle and would like to keep track of steps, distance travelled, possibly elevation changes and sleep patterns. I'm thinking the data output may point to areas that I could improve on.

So my first basic question is....which is more accurate, the wristband style or the clip on? I do a lot of movements with my arms at work, so am concerned that it may be interpreted as steps. Does the pedometer clip on style give you a more accurate step count? Also, I do occasionally ride my recumbent bike. Which style would more accurately track this activity since my arms aren't moving in this case?

Thank for any insight. I will have many more questions once I proceed past this first obstacle of style.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Look for brands Polar or Garmin. They seem to have the best products. I didn't like the jawbone because you have to use your phone to get feedback. I wanted everything right there at a glance. I thought misfit shine was overly complicated. From what I've read wrist bands are better than clip ons. It's been a while since I looked, but polar I believe has several that key into your pulse and thus track any type of activity. I believe you can compare on their website

Edited December 27, 2014 by BLERDgirl

[swimbikerun 1,041]

Kindle, just wanted to say congrats and it is WONDERFUL to see that someone really digs into finding the best for them. Congrats and the best of luck. I'm sure you will do well with an excellent work ethic.

[stephh 634]

I have had two kinds of FitBits: the One, which clips to your belt, underwear, etc and the Flex which is one that you wear on your wrist. I feel both were mostly accurate. Both also track sleep.

The One also counts flights of stairs, but if you're in a meeting and standing up and sitting down a lot, it counts that action as going up a flight of stairs. Not exactly accurate: one day I "went up" over 50 flights of stairs!

The flex does not work as well when grocery shopping or pushing a stroller. Your arms are not moving as much, and it shorts you on steps. That being said, you can also put this tracker in your pocket to count steps, which fixes that problem. It does not count how many flights of stairs.

I love the FitBit brand! My husband lost his (we think it fell off on a run) and contacted the company and asked if they could find it. They cannot, because there isn't a GPS in their trackers, but said if we sent in the receipt, they would send him a new tracker. We sent in the receipt via email and his brand new tracker in packaging (so not a refurb) arrived less then a week later. We didn't even have to pay for shipping.

A lot of BP people also have FitBits. It's fun; some of us have competitions for most steps and stuff!

Hopefully this helped give you some insight on wristband vs a wearable lifestyle tracker.

[Kindle 8,667]

@@BLERDgirl thanks for the suggestions. Since I'm not using it for an actual workout, I probably don't need something with a display. I see me just checking numbers and trends on my phone at the end of the day. But I'll definitely check those out.

@@stephh thanks for the insight. That's exactly the kind of real life comparison I'm looking for.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Kindle

[AngelaIsReady 15]

I have had 2 fitbits and am now using the Up24. I've lived them all. But for me, the up24 had become my new favorite because I'd the idle tracker. It will notify you by vibrating if you have been sitting still longer then the certain amount of time you set it up for. Mine notifies new if I'm parked more than 45 minutes at a time. You can set up alarms with fitbit, but not the same way and it is a pain.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

The Polar loop notifies you if you've been sitting too long.

Vivosmart vibrates.

@@Kindle - Jawbone may be just the thing for you. Since I'm retired and sedentary I need the constant reminders to move. I also like being able to check my progress throughout the day. If I'm not moving enough I will go upstairs and back down again or pull up a 10 -15 minute workout On Demand.

[ProjectMe 909]

I wear a Garmin Vivofit....the one that puts a red bar on your wrist tolet you know to get up and get moving. It is way more accurate than a waist pedometer. I tested whether the pedometer would record steps with arm movements by sta ding on the elliptical and just doing the arm movements and...NOPE. The vivofit did not register any steps. Then I checked it again after a 60 minute complete elliptical workout and the number of steps almost matched the steps/distance on the elliptical. So I'm definitely sold on garmin's vivofit

[SuzeMuze 338]

I've been using a FitBit for just a couple of days now, and really like it. It's way more accurate (and encouraging with little "you can do it!" messages on my phone) than a steptracker app on my phone (which seemed to count everything as a step), or the pedometer I used to keep clipped to my bra strap that would register a "step" just by bumping it. Plus, the FitBit is Water resistant so I don't have to take it off to shower or do dishes. FitBit also syncs wirelessly to my Android phone & laptop via a USB dongle anytime you're within range. Just my two cents

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Just resurrecting this thread. today I won a jawboneup24 at the Lane Bryant Livi Fit active wear launch. It was easy enough to set up once I figured out how to charge it. I'm going to wear it for a while and see how the numbers compare to my vivosmart. The only downside is it's not Water proof so I'll have to take it off to shower and when I take water aerobics.

[Kindle 8,667]

Just resurrecting this thread. today I won a jawboneup24 at the Lane Bryant Livi Fit active wear launch. It was easy enough to set up once I figured out how to charge it. I'm going to wear it for a while and see how the numbers compare to my vivosmart. The only downside is it's not Water proof so I'll have to take it off to shower and when I take Water aerobics.

that will make for a good experiment. As for me, I finally settled on the Fitbit Charge HR (I figured the realtime heart rate monitor would make the assessment of my activity more accurate). However, I became impatient since they wouldn't give a release date and I finally broke down and got a Fitbit One. I figured it would be easier to transition from one Fitbit product to another once the Charge HR became available. And then, just my luck, they released the HR the day after I ordered the One. I debated just sending the One back, but decided clipping the One on my pants or bra would work better for me than wearing something on my wrist. I just deal with too much gross stuff during the day....cat pee, dog vomit, diarrhea, sweaty horses, stinky cows, etc. and not being waterproof, I would worry about washing my hands 20+ times/day.

Let us know how the two compare.