[BAND2] Last Straw - Going to Switch.

[Kylesh12]

Today was the last straw - I have put up with the quirks of the band hoping things would get better but after today, I am on the hunt for a replacement. I took place in a ride today and I knew that it would take me 2 - 2 1/2 hours to complete, so I made sure my band was a 100% - turned the GPS to sampling and turned off blue tooth -- and the band still died before the end of the ride.

 

[Nate Silver]

I enjoy the Band for 24/7 tracking, notifications, etc. But for actual activity tracking, I don't depend on it. My personal favorite is my Fenix 3HR. You're talking a substantial increase in cost, but I've not found anything with comparable features and reliability (though I've only had the F3HR for a week or so, I've had my regular Fenix 3 for a year). If you're serious about running/cycling/hiking, tri's, etc., its best to go for something more than the Band, or imo and experience, any of FitBit's offerings. I continue to use my Band along with the F3HR, but yes, two devices is overkill, and at some point I'll probably toss the Band..........like when the strap breaks again.

 

[luxnws]

I'm drooling over the Fenix 3 HR. The Fenix 3 HR is very nice but at $599 it is definitely not in the price range of most fitness band wearers and certainly not for more casual band wearers. Here's hope the upcoming vivoactive HR at $249 is a good compromise between features and cost.

 

[Brian McMahon]

I can normally squeeze around 4 hrs out in gps power save mode or 2.5 in non power save mode, I usually put the band in airplane mode and then turn the display off rather than have it display my ride data all the time. Seems to work well. Have you tried power cycling the battery?

 

[Kylesh12]

I do not know what you mean by power cycling - but even 4 hours will not work for 60 miles plus rides for us slow people : -)

 

[Brian McMahon]

I do not know what you mean by power cycling - but even 4 hours will not work for 60 miles plus rides for us slow people : -)

No probs bud, when i first got my band i gave it one full charge upto 100 % for around 8 hrs constant then used it as much as possible till i got the low battery notification at 10% i think. Gave it another full charge and then did the same and it seems to have helped extend the battery a bit.

It has helped bring my average speed up though as i try and get through my route faster so i'm not left with zero battery. Hopefully the next band will have a larger capacity unit as it has so much potential but i wouldn't be without it now.

 

[Kylesh12]

Thank you. I will give it a try - just disappointing to have the last 6 miles of your ride not captured.

 

[Brian McMahon]

Thank you. I will give it a try - just disappointing to have the last 6 miles of your ride not captured.

Yep, longer rides of 60 miles + I normally take a powerbank so when we stop for a cafe break I can top it up while the band is paused. Just another thought as well as you can pick up a decent one quite cheap now.

 

[Memristor]

I had several Band 2 replaced and I can tell you that the battery life is different with every Band I received. The reason for my replacements was the power loss problem. Back to the battery, my latest Band 2 is lasting much longer. I would say it's a difference of about 25-30% over my first Band. I can ride easily 3h to 3:30h before I have to plug it back into a power bank or my little solar charger. I remember my first Band lasted for about 2:30h and I could barley make it through the day on one charge. I would look into a replacement fist before switching to something else.