[spoiler title=’Click for video transcript’ style=’default’ collapse_link=’true’] I’ve had my fitbit alta for over six months now so I thought it’d be a good time to do a product review fitbits are expensive and I know one of the thoughts I had was is it really gonna be worth the money because I’ve had a Fitbit in the past and it didn’t even last me two years and it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth because you know I felt like it should last longer for the price that I paid for it the first one I had was a flex and the thing was is I really missed having a Fitbit I’ve talked in the past about how you know you can use your cell phone as a pedometer and it does work but I got tired of you know charging my phone all the time and having to carry it around because a lot of times I don’t have pockets so I ended up getting another Fitbit and ultimately fitbit will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first thing that showed me just how sedentary my life had become you know the first day I strapped on my Fitbit and I got like wake-up call like you are not moving enough so let’s talk about the pros first of all I love that it’s got this you know thin band it’s sleek I really like it I like the way it looks on my wrist I love that it has a clock and that it can show me my steps exactly how many I have whereas the Flex you know it just has the dots I love badges I don’t know why I love badges I know that they mean nothing in the real world but you know having the weight loss badges and the different steps badges I just I love it I find it very motivating for whatever reason and some other cool features is like you can do these virtual hikes with your friends and stuff and it’s neat because they have pictures that say like Yosemite National Park and you know as you go a certain number of steps it shows you a Vista that you would actually see after you’ve traveled that many steps along that hike and so if your friends in real life have fitbits then you can be their friend on the fitbit app and you can encourage each other and and motivate each other and compete and stuff in different challenges and things like that which I find really neat and since I’ve been putting my link in the description now for several months I’ve gotten a lot more friends on Fitbit and so there’s constantly a challenge happening which is really neat I know in the beginning when I started doing my steps I’m trying to be more consistent I really was a lot more motivated by you know seeing other people getting their steps in so I know that that can help you to move more the battery life seems to be really good it seems like I have to be less aware of when I charge this one as opposed to my Flex I always just charge mine when I’m taking a shower or a lot of times I charge mine at night I don’t let it track my sleep or anything just because I like this little feature where when you pull up your wrist it’ll show you your step count lit’s called like quick view but at night when that happens like when I’m asleep it wakes me up so I just take mine off at night another cool little thing is it shows this fireworks display when you hit your step goal for the day and I just really like it there are some major cons okay first of all I had only had my device for about two weeks and the charging clip broke and it was just kind of crazy to me I didn’t do anything wrong with it I was taking very good care of it and it just broke and that has been a very big problem apparently because I did a Google search to see is I’m am I the only one that that happened to and I’m not it was a very common problem I was able to fix it and I even posted a video about that but then also you know they did send me out another one right away another thing that happened was my wrist band started to pop apart and so I had to contact support again and they sent me out a new wristband but still it just it floored me that it’s not even been six months yet and twice I’ve had to have them you know send me parts for this device that paid you know one hundred twenty eight dollars for another thing is I for whatever reason that this it seems like it’s not that thick you know but I keep banging it on the doorway as I walk through it’s like it’s just a little bit higher of a profile then then it feels like it is and I find I bang it against stuff a lot and so then my screen has gotten really scratched up even though I’m trying really hard to take care of it another thing is it’s kind of hard to take it off and put it back on like the first band that they said that I had you know that comes with it it’s like these little prongs you have to press them in and it takes some you know some muscle to put it in there and then another thing is that when they sent me the replacement it’s this it’s more like a watch band but it’s actually pretty hard to put into with my Fitbit flex I had to just buy some off-brand you know wrist bands and they worked fantastically so it’s kind of crazy to me that you can’t just figure out how to make a better one and one thing I didn’t even really consider when I first bought it but now it’s more of a big deal is it’s not waterproof and at the time when I bought it I never went swimming but now that we’re doing this full-time RV thing there’s a lot more opportunities for swimming so then I have to you know if I’m gonna get some steps in you know on the walk down to the place we’re gonna swim then I have to figure out where to put my Fitbit and it’s just kind of a thing I wish I could just jump into the water with it on so ultimately you know the big thing about the Fitbit is the cost I think it was a hundred twenty eight dollars for me it was one big reason why I hesitated as long as I did because I thought it’s just not gonna last you know but I ultimately did miss it enough and my husband here’s how he put it to me like look you don’t go to the gym all you do this is this is like your gym membership and you know it’s gonna last for at least a year because it’s under warranty for a year so divide that out by 12 you know it’s like 11 bucks a month I get that much enjoyment certainly out of using that and ultimately even though I’ve had to contact them and have them send me things I still would go back and buy it again you know and when this one breaks which it probably will probably just outside of the warranty period I’m gonna buy another one to replace it and if you’re on the fence about whether to get a Fitbit or not I would say you know ask yourself you know will you be motivated by your friends who have fitbit’s because that is certainly a thing if you can have a group of people around you that can support you like that and that’s another thing to consider but if your budget you know really just won’t allow for it you could certainly use your phone or also I’ve heard some really great things about the misfit shine which is much much cheaper and it’s also waterproof but at this point I have so many friends on Fitbit that I’m just gonna stick with Fitbit I’m curious to know what are your experiences with Fitbit have you had really good experiences or really bad ones okay thanks for watching be sure to LIKE comment subscribe down below [/spoiler]
Video Recap
I’ve had my Fitbit Alta for over 6 months now. I wanted to wait until I’d really used it before I did a review. I want to talk about the pros, cons, and whether I’d buy it again.
Price: $128
Pros
- Thin, sleek wristband
- Clock display
- Shows exact step count
- Fireworks display after you hit your step goal
- Motivates me to move more – Fitbit was the reason I realized how sedentary my life had become
- Ability to earn badges for weight loss, lifetime steps, and daily step achievements
- Community of friends (in real life, or in the virtual world) who are supporting you
- Neat virtual hikes that show you beautiful vistas at various points along the way
- Battery life seems to have improved compared to what I experienced with the Fitbit Flex I had
- Fitbit support is super nice, and will send you replacement parts if it’s in warranty
- More convenient than using my smartphone as a pedometer. I just strap the Alta on, and I don’t have to think about it.
Cons
- My charging clip broke in less than 2 weeks (Fitbit support sent a replacement right away)
- My wristband started popping apart after 5 months of usage (Fitbit support sent a replacement right away)
- It seems like the device itself is a little higher than than it seems, so I keep banging it against door frames, even though I’m trying to be very careful with it
- I have scratched up the screen, mostly due to previous bullet point
- It’s difficult to take off and put on (I’ve experienced the prong based band that comes with the device, and a more wristwatch type band that they sent when my original one broke)
- Not waterproof
- High price
Final Verdict
If I could go back in time, I’d still buy my Fitbit Alta. I love the convenience of it, how many friends I have on Fitbit, and I will always have a special place in my heart for Fitbit, because it showed me that I truly needed to move more.