A lot of people like the  Vivoactive 2 and the Garmin Forerunner 235. The vivoactive has apps for other exercises one can download.

My aunt told me about Garmin last week which I never heard of let alone heard of Vivoactive until now. How are they? 

Dont know! I dont have one (yet)!

:)

This is true. I have the surge and 1 week AFTER owning it for a year the band starts peeling.

I called them and they sent me a new one since their warantee is for 380 days.

But my point is...for something that is $250.00, it SHOULD last more than a year. I will be damned if I blow $250 ever year on a new tracker. So when this replacement goes, I will be looking into Fitbits competitors for something more durable.

I have had one for about a month. I investigated for awhile and did not find one model that does everything - I finally just bought the Charge HR as having most of what I wanted.  It's main problem is that it does not have an idle alert like the cheaper fitbit models. It's other problem is that many are defective and will not sync with your computer (you might want to try to sync it with your computer using the dongle, if you ever plan to use it from your computer). Totally agree with Hala - it may break so keep receipt (or expect to buy a new one in a year).   Once you have a fitbit account, you can join their discussion groups - you will see that many people complain that they fall apart and asked for new ones.  If you look on youtube, you will also see reviews.  

I do not use the APP, although the reviews generally rate the Fitbit App higher than the Garmin App. 

You also an flick your wrist and the read-out lights up, so you don;t always have to press the button (difficult with gloves on).

I like that you can read your steps and HR directly on the watch and not have to have your phone on you like some models (jawbone). I have not done it, but you are supposed to be able to change the order of the readout so that you could make the HR first. So, when you flick your wrist your HR (or steps) shows up first and you do not have to cycle through the time, etc, to get the info you want most. 

I am not usually motivated by these gimicks.  But, I do alot to get my 10,000 steps in.  One evening (about 10 pm) I only had 2500 steps and I went to the 24 hour Walmart and walked around the aisles to get my steps in.  So, I have found it to be helpful - I love the buzz and smile when I hit 10,000 steps.  I have the Charge HR and I check the HR during exercise, but it is not accurate enough for an Olympic athlete, but gives a general idea.

One day I went on a long hike and hit 25,000 steps.  It does not vibrate every 10,000 steps (no second celebration at 20,000 steps), but it keeps counting. 

It was a very nice gift from you Aunt. I hope it keeps you on track.

I have the Charge HR and I like it, but I will not own another fitbit once this one bites the dust. The battery life is TERRIBLE (even without Sync and HR turned on) and the app leaves a lot to be desired. It gets the job done, though. I don't hate it, just not really what I expected from all the hype and great reviews. 

I previously had a Jawbone. Never had to charge the battery (just replace battery when it dies every 6 months or so) and the app was AMAZING. I'll probably go back to Jawbone when my Fitbit dies. 

Thanks for the info.. I had to start somewhere. I'll look into Jawbone and others that are mentioned in the replies down the road in the future.

MISFIT also has a stylish tracker.  ONe is a swarvoski crystal that can be used as a watch, put in a pin, or hung from neck like a pendant.

The Shine is some kind of modern art looking thing. I like them both. 

MISFIT was bought by Fossil, so I expect them to have good durability like the watches.

The one think I dont like about MISFITs is that you get dots for data when looking at the crystal/tracker face. I want numbers. I want to know I got 2K more steps to go to make my goal.

But MISFITS are really really nifty looking

Thanks! I'll look into these! I LOVE Fossil watches and have never been disappointed by them, so it's nice to know they're getting into this market! 

I did get a spare charger and little screen protectors from ebay - $5.