Vivosmart Series

I got frustrated with Fitbit after getting several faulty ones. I've had a Garmin Vivosmart 5 for 2 weeks and I'm delighted with it.

I've been with Fitbit since 2014 but the last year I've had awful problems with them. I've sent 4 devices back because they wouldn't charge or the band constantly becomes unclipped and they just sent another faulty device. I bought a Garmin Vivosmart 5 a week ago and so far very happy with it.

I'm a subscriber to the endurance training platform intervals.icu. Every morning, I use a Shortcut to run a questionnaire in which I enter my Vitals heart rate and then a survey of subjective recovery metrics: sleep quality, mood, stress, soreness, motivation, injury, and notes. The only numerical value is my Vitals HR, which represents the early morning, just-before-waking heart rate. This is by far a better predictor of my training readiness and health than any numerical value spat out by any algorithm I've ever tried. It's a much better way to track my long-term health context. I still have a Garmin but I ignore everything except Body Battery, which I actually do think does a great job of capturing my sleep quality and training status. If you listen to top endurance coaches, they don't use any of the numerical, algorithmic values from any devices, other than maybe resting heart rate. What they use is conversations with athletes, questionnaires, and whether the athletes have been adhering to their training schedule.

i also had a fitbit and left when google took over. i have a garmin vivosmart 5-it doesnt have all the bells and whistles of the other ones but it does the same thing and not as expensive.

Vivosmart 5 - simplicity and size

I have a vivosmart 5 which even though it's entry level, was a hell of a lot of money for me on welfare, but I've never regretted it. HR alerts and no subscriptions. The reason I went with it and not a huawei or no-name was because I read a ton around it before buying, and testing shows Garmins are more accurate. If I didn't have enough for a vivosmart 5, I would get a second hand/ refurbed vivosmart 4.

I have a Garmin vivosmart 5 and I love it. It is very small and light, just does the bare minimum. As someone else has said though, make sure to check with parents that there are no issues. The tracking of runs is fine, but it can easily spiral into more sinister territory from there.

This is what I do when I want to wear a dressy watch. It looks more like a fitness devise and less like a watch. I have the vivosmart HR+. It was my first garmin before I upgraded.