Customer Ratings & Reviews

Little did appointed with this. I can move my arm up and down and it would count it as a few steps. I wish I would have chosen a Garmin Forerunner

Have not been able to get notifications to work and synching doesn't always work correctly. Downloaded manual leaves many questions unanswered.

All the features work great unfortunatly, much like the two surges I had previous to this, they still have a delaminating problem

I bought the Fitbit Surge from REI and received it as a Christmas present. I have been using it every day along with the Fitbit app on my iPhone 5 and the Fitbit Dashboard on my Macbook Pro. Here are my observations: I bought the Surge from REI when they had a few in stock (got lucky!). I have been using it consistently since Christmas day and am very happy with my purchase. Here are some observations that may help you in your decision making process: 1) It's a great motivator to get in shape. If you're the type of person that likes to track data and finds that seeing your progress helps you to get going, then this is a GREAT product. I am overweight (about 30 lbs) and have been back to working out for the last 2 months. This tracker has greatly enhanced my motivation by allowing me to see my progress in multiple areas. The app and dashboard not only show you your workouts (so you can compare and see your progress), but they also allow your to track your calories in and calories out. You can also record your water intake. These elements have been literally life-changing for me. 2) The workout variety is great and it allows you to customize your workouts, so the tracking possibilities are endless. The dashboard gives you very detailed information on multiple areas including (for a walk): Elevation, Pace, Heart Rate, Heart Rate Zones, Calorie Burn and Impact on Your day. The GPS works flawlessly, and as long as I'm outside, does not take long at all to hook up (5-10 secs). I have used the Exercise area for: Walking, Weight Lifting, Spinning, and Elliptical. 3) The app on my iPhone allows my to easily enter the type of food I am eating and the amount of calories, and calories from fat. The app is synched up with a HUGE database and allows you to scan a barcode on a package and it automatically shows you the pertinent nutritional information. I have used this feature on about 30 items so far, and about 70-80% of these items were in the database. The others I added manually, but then you can pull the up easily the next time you eat that food item. You can also type in the name of a restaurant and it will pull up items on their menu. I have done this at Panera Bread, Chick-fil-a and Ruby Tuesdays. It has worked on 100% of the these with 95% of the items listed. Do you know how many calories are in a Chick-fil-a Large Fry? Holy Smokes! There are 520!! Not eating those anymore! 4) Setting my weight loss goal is wonderful! It asks your current weight, your target weight and how long you want to take to get there (It shows you the date you should achieve your target weight in 3-4 categories ranging from Easy to Difficult). I have lost 3.2 lbs in the last 6 days. I have been rather ambitious! Other goals can be set and tracked! 5) The dashboard gives you badges and motivational "splashes". Fitbit also will send you a weekly email showing your weekly stats and progress "at a glance". All very helpful and encouraging. 6) The tracker itself is VERY comfortable. I can't sleep with anything constrictive on me, but because the band is made of such soft material, I hardly know that it's there. The sleep tracking has been helpful in showing how many times I am "restless" during the night. I have tried sleeping in different locations/positions in order to increase my "sleep efficiency". So far, I am sleeping at between 92-98% efficiency. 7) The tracker charges very quickly. I have docked it while taking a shower with half battery life and after my shower (10-15 mins) it looks fully charged. I have had no issues with better life whatsoever, and considering all that it does - the battery last longer then I would expect. 8) The face of the tracker is very nice, the displays are less then "dazzling", but I realize this is probably part of the reason for the long battery life. I don't mind not having the "glitzy" face of the MS product. This is much more effective from what I have read. The build of the device is strong and I expect it to last a long time. No issues with inadvertently swiping the face, it does so easily but not often accidentally. The back light works really well. I have left mine set to "auto" and it seems to come on just at the right time. 9) OK, so you can tell from the above that I really like the Surge. Still, there are some drawbacks and here is what I have found: A). The HR Monitor does drop during high intensity workouts. I usually start my workouts with cardio so if I am on an elliptical, spinning or a treadmill - IT WORKS GREAT! I literally can grab the HR monitor on the gym elliptical and watch my Surge and they almost always change simultaneously! I would say that 90% of the time they are matching perfectly or 1 beat off. That's pretty amazing! So, after my cardio I move quickly to weight training on "selecterized" equipment. This is where the HR tracking can go haywire. Because of the rapid arm movements, and possibly the level of sweat that is being generated - the tracker can go from 130 BPM to 98 BPM in a second. Now, I know that my HR is not doing that. I tried all the suggested fixes: sliding up my arm further, making sure it was loose enough, tight enough, etc. and nothing seemed to work. I even called fitbit and spoke with an women (who could barely speak english) for quite some time. She pulled up my workouts and could see what I was saying (that was kind of cool also). She recommended I try it on my other arm. I did, really no difference. She did say that the irregularities were probably due to my arm moving so quickly and the tracker not staying in touch with my arm the whole time. In this area, it just seems like the technology has limits. I used to use a polar chest strap monitor a long time ago (when I was a runner), and those obviously can be more consistent in activities like this, but it a series of "trade-offs". I hate taking the time to put on and take off and chest strap and could never walk around all day with that on. They also have their limitations and if the area that reads becomes dry - it also will drop out or get irregular readings. I don't' think Fitbit is going to be able to change this inconsistency through firmware or software updates due to the "anatomical limits" of the technology. The good news is, if you take a min or two and reposition the device it can go back to an accurate reading and overall, your workout should be close to the correct amount of calories burned. B) The only other gripe I have is that the device can record "faulty" steps. Now, if I am out on a walk or "walking" it does just fine. BUT, I can sit (just did) and wave my arm around and steps will be recorded. I just logged 5 steps sitting and writing this review by waving my arm around. If you're a person that talks with your hands, this can problematic. So, what I plan on doing is paying attention most closely to the amount of steps I take during a stepping exercise and realize that some of the steps recorded (overall) may not be actual steps. Since I shook my arm a min or two ago, I have just been typing and no additional steps were recorded so if needs to pick up a level of activity similar to a step to record. The floors climbed is also cool and seems to be very accurate. Overall, I give the Surge 4 stars. I really would like to see more consistent readings of the HR monitor during intense workouts and find a way to not have the device pick up "false" steps, but I realize that the technology is still young. The many pluses that come with the Surge (to me) outweigh the negatives, so I am happy overall with it. Hope this review helps you in your decision making process. I guess if you're SUPER serious about having a very accurate HR reading during intense workouts, then the chest strap in the way for you to go. For me, I'd rather have a little inaccuracy and not have to deal with the polar device. Blessings!

The product's water resistant ability is inaccurate,looking forward to return it.

Over the last month I have tried the Garmin Vivosmart hr, Fitbit charge hr and now the Fitbit surge. Out of all of these products the Surge performs the best but it still has a lot of flaws. Pros: - I'm not a huge runner - I climb and bike mostly so the workout, biking and spinning exercise functions are great (though you really don't get any kind of "credit" for climbing). - heart rate is rather accurate even worn below the wrist bone but during a serious excursion it takes awhile for it to actually catch up to a heart rate of 135bpm or more - controlling my music is great though you can only skip to the next song and pause. No going to the previous song - silent alarm and notifications is great for when my phone is in my pocket and I want to know who's calling or texting. - I like that it's always on and easy to use. Step count is a swipe away and everything is easy to read. - group challenges are fun. I actually got this through work as my team is having a fitness challenge. You can set up a team on Fitbit website and see everyone's progress. I wish it showed more info but it's a nice advantage over other brands. - the Fitbit app is fantastic and makes garmins absolutely laughable. Cons: - it's uncomfortable - it sits very oddly on your wrist. I keep it fairly loose but the protruding hr tracker can be felt at all times. You kind of get used to it but it never really feels comfortable. This is magnified when sleeping. This is where the charge hr form factor was nice - you barely feel vs this is a big hunking piece of rubber and plastic on your arm while you sleep. I end up taking it off at night now. - notifications are bare bones. This isn't a smart watch by any means. You literally get just texts and calls. No email etc. For $250 this is disappointing. - battery life. While they claim up to 7 days. I've had to charge it every 3 days (if you use the gps for an hour or so a day this drops to 2 days). It's not terrible but not a pro either given its a super basic black and white screen. All in all I think the charge hr is likely the better buy but all of these trackers still have flaws in comfort, tracking and functionality. If you can get the surge for $200 or lower I'd say it's worth it. But it's hard to see where the extra $100 in value comes from unless you're a hardcore runner.

GREAT FOR FITNESS, NOT SO GREAT SCREEN. SCREEN SIZE IS TOO SMALL COMPARED TO MODERN TRACKERS

After using it for a year it stopped working properly. The free-run function was starting and stopping by itself. The sync function did not work at at. I called cuatomer service and everything they said was "your fitbit is out of the 1-year warranty and this is a new technology so there is nothing we can do". I am not spending money again in this brand

I satisfied. Felt the sales person did not know enough about the product to inform me.

I bought this watch/tracker after quite a bit of research and review reading. I had planned on buying the microsoft band 2 but changed to the Surge after discovering the frequent occurrence of the band breaking on the Microsoft. I wanted a watch that: I could wear everyday, Would track my cardio and Weight lifting sessions, Track my sleep, had a integrated heart rate monitor. The Fit Surge met all of these for me. I would like it to be waterproof and offer a little more interaction with my phone. Pros: Comfortable, fairly accurate HR, tracks sleep, Great Dashboard integrates well with other fitbit products, Decent battery life, Gps. Cons: No lock during tracking modes, not waterproof, no interchangable bands, Band material is coming unglued. I will explain a couple of the cons. When I lift weights I activate one of the tracking modes to keep track of the time, my HR, and calories burned. The first day I used this I looked at my Surge to check my HR and it was back to the home screen. I guess while lifting I pressed the button to end the tracking session and close. This has happened several dozen times. It is very frustrating and Fitbit may be working on an update that would fix it. As of about a week ago I have a large bubble under the rubber material that cover the band. And on the opposite side of the watch the rubber is unglued and the edge. I am going to contact their CS to see what they will do. Over all I recommend this device.

This thing worked ok for about 6 months then it just stopped with all the pairing and transferring of data. Best I can tell the Bluetooth will not reconnect. I have tried everything and it will not reconnect. Buyer beware. This has happened to others I know also - read the blogs before purchasing.

Didn't connect well with my computer. Ended up returning it

Face is to small to read had to return it not all that.

Very difficult to see. Poor lighting on the watch. I brought in the original watch and returned it, to get this and I regret it. I don't wear it. It sits on my desk at home. The band is ok. Its comfortable, but not happy.

Fitbit has outdone themselves. Created a neat pedometer that connects on Bluetooth when it feels like it. Every time I want to download the data I have to reboot the Fitbit. Tried all the upgrades options etc. Just a frustrating item.

I was really looking forward to using the Surge. I saw it in the store, but I couldn't try it on. It looked big, but I figured that I'd make it work. Alas, it looked and felt like it was wearing me. I'm 5'0 and Asian. Also, I'm a side sleeper, and it got in the way of my side sleeping. I loved all the features though. It had everything I needed and things I didn't know I wanted. I had to downgrade to the Charge HR but it's just not the same. Sigh...

Fitbit's products are garbage. We have tried three or four and they all stop working or fall apart. Do not waste your time, spend the extra money and get something of quality. Very disappointed and wasted a lot of cash.

I was so excited when I saw this coming out, I love seeing my progress and workout info, but I hate wearing the band. For a short summary, this watch works great to keep your heart rate if you are still.. If you move around a lot it doesn't keep it, or it is way low or if you sweat at all it stops working. During my 30 min run I had to stop twice and take it off and clean the back of the watch and my arm. That is the short summary, I will list some individual points below... First I will start with the positives: Positives- *The watch is very comfortable and easy to use *It appears the screen is durable and pretty scratch resistant Negatives- *Can't keep hear-rate during exercise *No way to reset watch (so if you mess up your account or something you just have to create a new one) *Battery life is not 5 days, more like 3ish *Band is a rubbery material that does not appear will hold up well, mine was already looking warn after about a week *Can't work with any amount of sweat *Doesn't stay connected to bluetooth very well *The ability to change the music comes from a separate bluetooth connection (so there are two different connections between your phone and watch and this is the one that is very difficult to get paired and doesn't stay paired long) *The connection between the watch and the phone seems to drain the phone MUCH quicker than normal bluetooth connections (possibly because of the multiple connections??) Over-all if you want a very expensive pedometer I suppose it is ok, but if you are looking for a true fitness watch keep looking.

If you are a runner that likes to use GPS and does not want to carry a phone and chest strap heart rate sensor around while running, this is perfect. It has everything with software and apps that are so simple to use. 24/7 heart rate with sleep patterns are sweet. This watch has the complet functionality that all brands will have in a matter of time. A sports watch that definitely has set the standards for the rest. I got the Best Buy two year replacement plan for $50.00..

Great and accurate at tracking steps, distance and heart rate. Perfect for those looking for a dedicated fitness tracker and don't need the extra functions of a smart watch. Fitbit customer support and IOS app are top notch.