Band vs Surge

[Zerveone]

Hey Guys,

I need your help. I'm planning to buy a fitness tracker - my first chocie was Fitbit Charge HR (price is decent) but after some research I found it doesn't measure all activities well (it goes best only with the common walking/running). So i started to look further with the Band in mind. I'm not going to use most of the "smart" features band offers (I don't care much about call notifications, calendar and stuff) I want it for the fitness features.
What makes me want the band:
- integration with WP
- has more sensors than other bands
What makes me not want the band:
- battery life (2 days)
- not sure if it has the "silent alarm" option to wake me up from sleep gently

The Fitbit Surge is the only competitor I'm aware of. I like it design more, it has the ability to measure any workout (as far as i know) and the battery life is said to be up to 7 days. Yet i'm somewhat uncomfortable with it. Afraid that it won't be as much supported as the band would.

Ok, ok, up to the point - Does the band wake you up with vibration? Is there any way to exted its battery life without impact on the fitness functions? Is the size guide (pdf from microsoft site) accurate? I'm not from US or UK so I can't go and try it. Does it feel "big" on your wrist or it's just like a normal sized watch?
Also there are many topics concerning the band as a "beta product". I mean people say it was just an experiment to check how people will react. Is the band normally usable without any hickups? Are there any common problems i would face buying it (software and hardware wise)? Oh, and does the band and the Microsoft Health have full functionality outside US/UK?

Thank You very much for your assistance and time!

 

[HSolo]

I'll answer what I can / know:

Yes, it has vibrate to wake alarm. LOVE this! Didn't consider it to be one of the things I would ever use, but I use it every day to wake me up. It works incredibly well (for me), and never disturbs / wakes my wife. Only downside is that you have to remember to switch it on every time.....it remembers the last alarm time, so not a big deal.

I get 48 hours plus on my Band. And that's with notifications (emails / texts). As many have stated, simply plugging it in while you shower will charge it back up enough to give you plenty of useable battery life.

I went to the store for sizing.....don't know how accurate the size guide is :-(

It was an experiment......but a wildly successful one. Hence Band 2 next month

 

[NinerJet9]

I had both and kept the Band. I really like the Surge and I prefer the Fitbit app because it is rich in tracking data and the social challenges. However, I found that the notifications, Bluetooth pairing, and the screen is far superior. For example, the Surge was hit and miss on syncing data. Sometimes I would have to pair the devices and hit sync. The Band did this automatically and more importantly it was consistently. The notifications for email, text and BBM are awesome. The scrolling and quick glances are easy and fast. The Surge was more cumbersome to read a Sms or an email. Both are great fitness devices but I ended up loving the smart watch features of the Band.

 

[Witness]

Band beats Surge hands down and cost significantly less too.

You may not use the smartwatch now, but you will. Social aspect of FitBit is nice, but I believe Band 2 release will bring social as well. It almost makes no sense to buy Surge.

 

[Jazmac]

I'm with Witness on this. I have the Band one. 6 months and you're sending it back for repairs. The device still works, but the materials used in the Band don't survive regular wear well.

 

[realwarder]

I'm with Witness on this. I have the Band one. 6 months and you're sending it back for repairs. The device still works, but the materials used in the Band don't survive regular wear well.

Mine starting splitting too. Went to the store and they swapped it immediately. Given this is the #1 issue with the first Band, I'd assume the materials are better on the second.

 

[Jazmac]

Mine starting splitting too. Went to the store and they swapped it immediately. Given this is the #1 issue with the first Band, I'd assume the materials are better on the second.

One could hope they have had enough of these returned to use different and better materials. They sent a replacement but I already know that come December, I'm going to feel a bit of sadness with this one too.

 

[Zerveone]

Hey guys!
Thanks for all Your replies! Very helpful.
Almost made my mind for the band but really? Does it wear so fast? I'm not from US or any MS supported country so it's going to be a problem for me to claim my warranty... Additionaly i wanted to ask if band is fully dust resistant? I work in a place where there is a lot of dust and small plastic fibers, would they harm the band?

 

[realwarder]

Hey guys!
Thanks for all Your replies! Very helpful.
Almost made my mind for the band but really? Does it wear so fast? I'm not from US or any MS supported country so it's going to be a problem for me to claim my warranty... Additionaly i wanted to ask if band is fully dust resistant? I work in a place where there is a lot of dust and small plastic fibers, would they harm the band?

The unit is IP68 so it should be fully dust resistant.

 

[gomezz]

If activity tracking is what is important to you I suggest you go for something like a Polar V800 or Garmin Forerunner 900XT. These fitness bands are just Mickey Mouse toys by comparison.

I recently got myself a Charge HR mainly for 24/7 HR tracking but TBH it doesn't tell me anything I didn't know already and is no good as an HR monitor when running as the display is not permanent, is hard to read in daylight especially when wearing sunglasses and perhaps most important is not that accurate when in the exercise zone compared to my trusty old Polar chest-band monitor which is enough to tell me my resting rate before exercise, help keep me in the cardio zone while running and the time to recover back to resting rate after exercise which are the key details for keeping tabs on your fitness level.

 

[Zerveone]

If activity tracking is what is important to you I suggest you go for something like a Polar V800 or Garmin Forerunner 900XT. These fitness bands are just Mickey Mouse toys by comparison.

I recently got myself a Charge HR mainly for 24/7 HR tracking but TBH it doesn't tell me anything I didn't know already and is no good as an HR monitor when running as the display is not permanent, is hard to read in daylight especially when wearing sunglasses and perhaps most important is not that accurate when in the exercise zone compared to my trusty old Polar chest-band monitor which is enough to tell me my resting rate before exercise, help keep me in the cardio zone while running and the time to recover back to resting rate after exercise which are the key details for keeping tabs on your fitness level.

I already ordered band through Ebay GSP. I wasn't looking for so professional stuff like Polar V800 or the Garmin. I might be ignorant choosing a band over those, but i was looking for something more casual, that would give me the motivation and idea where i am now. Band and Surge were fitting those criteria without having to put chest straps and stuff. And my budget was bit tight. Getting a Polar or Garmin here would cost me twice the band price.
I'm glad many people voiced their opinions here, it helped me decide. Hope my band gets to me in one piece and i won't have any problems with it as i'm quite sure warranty isn't going to help me here, where MS has no official band distribution.