Fitbit (Tech)

Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch
 
A fitness watch that’s as stylish as it is smart – the Fitbit Blaze watch tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and much more. Get PurePulse™ continuous, wrist-based heart rate monitoring with no uncomfortable chest straps and see simplified heart rate zones for quickly checking exercise intensity during workouts. Sync stats wirelessly and automatically to your computer and 200+ leading smartphones.

- Track steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed and active minutes
Get PurePulse™ continuous, wrist-based heart rate monitoring with no uncomfortable chest straps
See simplified heart rate zones for quickly checking exercise intensity during workouts
Use multi-sport tracking to track runs, cardio, cross-training, biking and more
Effortlessly and automatically record workouts to your dashboard with SmartTrack
Enable Connected GPS to map your routes and see run stats like pace and duration on display (when your phone is nearby)
Start a FitStar workout on your wrist and get step-by-step instructions and graphics to ensure you complete each move correctly
Receive workout summaries to identify insights and review a history of workouts to track your progress
Stay connected with call, text and calendar notifications (when phone is nearby)
Play, pause, and switch songs from your mobile playlist (when phone is nearby)
Automatically monitor how long and how well you sleep, and set a silent alarm
Hi-res color touch screen with customizable clock faces
Interchangeable watch bands and frames available in metal, leather and sport designs
Sync stats wirelessly and automatically to your computer and 200+ leading smartphones
Size: Small fits wrists 5.5” - 6.7” in circumference; Large fits wrists 6.7” - 8.1” in circumference
Stainless steel buckle and frame; elastomer wristband
Spot clean
Imported

THOUGHTS
Took me two years, but I'm here to finally post my thoughts about my Fitbit Blaze; and while I do love this model, and don't necessarily regret my purchase/choice, I do have a few gripes about this particular Blaze model...although I don't think they even sell this particular model anymore. I think it's been upgraded and the two newest smartwatch incarnations are the Ionic and Versa, but back to my thoughts on this model...

Complaint #1: I find the whole charging process to be annoying and more involved and time consuming than necessary...not that it's difficult or takes a lot of time, it's still a quick process, but I would just like for it to be even quicker and more efficient.

I used to have an even older fitbit...I think it was the original Charge model from several years ago and that one all you had to do was take it off your wrist and plug it into the charger. That was it. Super simple.

With this Blaze model, you have to take it off your wrist, pop out the watch face, open up the charger case, place the watch face inside, snap it shut...then once it's done, you have to open the charger case, remove the watch face and pop it back into the wristband.

Obviously there's nothing difficult or hard about this whole process, but why is there even a process? Why do I need to go through a whole process just charge it? Why can't it be like the older model where I just plug it into the charger and I'm good to go. Why do I need to go through a multi-step process when clearly theres a way to do it with just one step? 

Complaint #2: Oh my goodness does this thing get dirty...so dusty and dirty and grime-y. I don't know if it's just me, but there are so many grooves and crevices in this watch and wrist band that trap dirt and grime...it's gross and disgusting. I'm constantly having to clean the watch face and wristband and because it's got all those tiny little grooves and crevices I have to use a sewing needle to get into all those nooks and crannies and I'm constantly sanitizing the wristband.

Every time I have to charge my Fitbit, I use it as an opportunity to clean and sanitize, so you can imagine how often I'm cleaning this and still it gets so dirty and grime-y, but even beyond that, why does there have to be so many grooves and crevices in this device? Why can't the wristband just be a smooth surface so it's easy to clean and doesn't attract so much dirt and grime? I feel like dirt and grime wound't stick to the watch as easily if it were just a smooth surface vs. providing the grime with crevices to hide in. Why the slanted grooves on the wristband? Also, what's with the gap at the top and bottom of the watch face (highlighted in red below)?

So much dirt and grime and dust gets trapped in there too. I'm constantly cleaning it out and it's constantly getting dirty again. It's like an uphill battle/climb that I'm constantly losing. I don't know if my wrist has just gotten super dirty, but I don't recall this happening with my older Fitbit Charge model...probably because the watch face was attached to the wristband and there were no open gaps or crevices for dirt and grime to get into.

Anywho, I know I can be a bit of a clean freak and germaphobe, but it's ridiculous how much grime comes out of this thing when I clean it. Maybe I should've taken a picture of the aftermath of cleaning my watch, but it's so gross and disgusting.

Complaint #3: Sometimes, and by sometimes I mean like 50% of the time, the notification system goes haywire. I don't know if that's just a defect of my particular watch or just a problem in general across the board, but sometimes it will give me the same notification multiple multiple multiple times in a row, so my wrist will just be continuously vibrating. It's gotten so annoying that I just turned it off and don't use that function anymore.

Now that said, I do enjoy the watch. I love the colored screen, which is why I chose the Blaze over the other models at the time, and I love that I can track my steps and exercise and calories burned, my heart rate and even my sleep, though it's not perfectly accurate, it comes pretty darn close. I also love that there are some basic pre-programmed workouts I can refer to and that there's a relax category that will guide you through a breathing exercise to relax.

You can also program alarms as well, including reminders reminding you to move and walk around and not be chained to your desk, and if the notification/smartphone sync function hadn't gone haywire on me and I had it turned on, that would've been a plus as well and it pretty much gives me everything that I need and am looking for in a fitness watch, and I love that it emails you a snapshot and insight of how your week went. The app is also great and let's you track even more things like your meals and water intake and tracking your period and weight loss goals, etc.

Oh, and speaking of pluses...you can also sync your Fitbit to Walgreens steps program, so that you're steps walked can translate into points, which of course then translates into rewards cash you can use at Walgreens, which is pretty awesome...but this isn't limited to the Fitbit, so definitely check it out nonetheless even if you don't have a Fitbit: https://www.walgreens.com/steps/brhc-loggedout.jsp since it can work with fitness apps on your smartphone as well.

Fitbit has of course come out with newer models since 2016, and like I already mentioned above this model seems to have been upgraded to the Ionic and Versa, and I'm intrigued to take a look and see what upgrades they've made, but this gives me all the functions that I want and need in a fitness watch with the aesthetics to match, so I'm content for now.

It would be nice to upgrade because who doesn't want the newest tech out there, and if I were super rich I would probably upgrade to the newest model every year, but generally overall if you're in the market for a fitness watch, then I think Fitbit's as a whole are really nice. I enjoyed my older original Charge model and I enjoy this Blaze model as well...despite my complaints, so I would definitely recommend giving them a go.

If you're interested in getting one, then you can take this quiz on their site to find out which one of their products would be right for you: https://www.fitbit.com/compare.

References...
1. Macy's

FTC disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links.

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