Blaze vs Garmin (Setting Intervals)

[tkugabrown]

I hope I can explain this currently 🤔

I just joined a running group and need a watch that notifies me of when I need to run or walk. I am doing a 30/30. Which basically means I run 30 seconds and then walk 30s.

Does anyone know if the Blaza has this option?

I can get a a timer, but it would be nice to just have an all in one.

So question is basically does the Blaze allow you to set intervals?

[bbarrera]

@tkugabrown

Short answer - no intervals or guided workouts. You might be able to hack something using the Blaze timer, but it will be somewhat awkward especially if you move beyond simple 30/30 walk/run intervals.

I do cycling intervals using a garmin bike computer, the running watches also support stuff like "warmup until I press the lap button, then start 4 sets of steady state intervals with one set = 8 minutes HR between 151-155bpm, then recover for 5 minutes" or even more interesting over/under intervals like:

repeat 4x

{

    repeat 3x

    {

      2 min HR 150-155bpm

      1 min HE 156-160bpm

    }

    5 min recover

}

which looks like:

1. warmup for however long you like, then hit lap button

2. 2 min HR 150-155bpm

3. 1 min HR 156-160bpm

4. 2 min HR 150-155bpm

5. 1 min HR 156-160bpm

6. 2 min HR 150-155bpm

7. 1 min HR 156-160bpm

8. 5 min recovery

9. Repeat steps 2-8 another 3 times

10. cooldown as long as you like

[shipo]

---

@tkugabrown wrote:
I hope I can explain this currently 🤔

I just joined a running group and need a watch that notifies me of when I need to run or walk. I am doing a 30/30. Which basically means I run 30 seconds and then walk 30s.

Does anyone know if the Blaza has this option?

I can get a a timer, but it would be nice to just have an all in one.

So question is basically does the Blaze allow you to set intervals?

---

Your best bet would be to download an app for your phone; as far as I know, there are no wrist based trackers which have such an app.

[bbarrera]

---

@shipo wrote:

Your best bet would be to download an app for your phone; as far as I know, there are no wrist based trackers which have such an app.

---

Yes there are wrist based trackers with interval features. For example the garmin running watches are wrist based, some have optical HR, and they are also trackers.

[bcalvanese]

---

@tkugabrown wrote:
I hope I can explain this currently 🤔

I just joined a running group and need a watch that notifies me of when I need to run or walk. I am doing a 30/30. Which basically means I run 30 seconds and then walk 30s.

Does anyone know if the Blaza has this option?

I can get a a timer, but it would be nice to just have an all in one.

So question is basically does the Blaze allow you to set intervals?

---

The higher end Garmins have a walk/run alert built right into the running app. You just need to go into the run app and create an alert. One of the choices will be run/walk, and you can set the time for each.

I must warn you about Garmin devices though. They are great hardware wise, but the software is full of bugs to the point that you cannot trust the data. I have a $500.00 fenix 3 that has been sitting in my drawer for the better part of a year, and a $600.00 fenix 3 HR that has been sitting in my drawer for the better part of a month. i keep hoping for an update that will fix all the numerious issues, but it just seems to get worse with every release.

my Blaze may not have the advanced features of the Garmin, but the features it does have work pretty consistantly, and more importantly, I can trust the data.

What good are a bunch of advanced features if they don't work, and you cannot depend on them.

you can download a free app for your phone that will prompt you with run/walk alerts.

[bbarrera]

---

@bcalvanese wrote:

I must warn you about Garmin devices though. They are great hardware wise, but the software is full of bugs to the point that you cannot trust the data. I have a $500.00 fenix 3 that has been sitting in my drawer for the better part of a year, and a $600.00 fenix 3 HR that has been sitting in my drawer for the better part of a month. i keep hoping for an update that will fix all the numerious issues, but it just seems to get worse with every release.

my Blaze may not have the advanced features of the Garmin, but the features it does have work pretty consistantly, and more importantly, I can trust the data.

---

My Blaze isn't accurate, and same for everyone I know. Step overcounting and undercounting, unlike the Fitbit One, or using my iPhone as Fitbit step tracker. The optical HRM isn't accurate, and that is echoed by every technical review that seriously tested HRM (and not 'tested' once by looking at shape of HR graph and declaring "looks good"). On a positive note the Blaze HRM is good at resting HR. My spin instructor won't take it off, despite having a bad Fitbit rash that didn't happen with her Charge HR. She bought a leather band and still has a rash.

To borrow your own line, what good is Blaze if you can't trust step count or distance? I'm not making this up, see all the posts on this forum. Honestly I really like Fitbit, but Force, Surge and Blaze have all been disappointing. My One and phone (MobileTrack) are more accurate step counters, what good is a display on your wrist if it isn't as good as the Fitbit pocket trackers? Seriously.

I don't agree with your Garmin warning.

Every runner I know has a Forerunner and they just work. And they support intervals and structured workouts.

Every tri-athlete I know has a Forerunner 920XT, and again, they just work and support intervals and structured workouts. The 920XT is the predecessor to your Fenix 3. You'll see the same feedback in 920XT forum.

My Edge 520 bike computer was introduced last year, bought it early. Regular firmware updates and additional features since purchasing, no issues with firmware. I do have to delete old bike rides from time-to-time, to keep maps happy while following a course. The higher end bike computers don't have that problem, and they have full navigation like a car.

The store manager at my local bike shop just picked up a Fenix 3 HR, I'll ask him about it. He mainly races BMX and rides a road bike twice a week. There are defintely some complaints on Garmin forums, not too different from the number of upset posts on this Blaze forum.

[bcalvanese]

---

@bbarrera wrote:

---

@bcalvanese wrote:

I must warn you about Garmin devices though. They are great hardware wise, but the software is full of bugs to the point that you cannot trust the data. I have a $500.00 fenix 3 that has been sitting in my drawer for the better part of a year, and a $600.00 fenix 3 HR that has been sitting in my drawer for the better part of a month. i keep hoping for an update that will fix all the numerious issues, but it just seems to get worse with every release.

my Blaze may not have the advanced features of the Garmin, but the features it does have work pretty consistantly, and more importantly, I can trust the data.

---

My Blaze isn't accurate, and same for everyone I know. Step overcounting and undercounting, unlike the Fitbit One, or using my iPhone as Fitbit step tracker. The optical HRM isn't accurate, and that is echoed by every technical review that seriously tested HRM (and not 'tested' once by looking at shape of HR graph and declaring "looks good"). On a positive note the Blaze HRM is good at resting HR. My spin instructor won't take it off, despite having a bad Fitbit rash that didn't happen with her Charge HR. She bought a leather band and still has a rash.

To borrow your own line, what good is Blaze if you can't trust step count or distance? I'm not making this up, see all the posts on this forum. Honestly I really like Fitbit, but Force, Surge and Blaze have all been disappointing. My One and phone (MobileTrack) are more accurate step counters, what good is a display on your wrist if it isn't as good as the Fitbit pocket trackers? Seriously.

I don't agree with your Garmin warning.

Every runner I know has a Forerunner and they just work. And they support intervals and structured workouts.

Every tri-athlete I know has a Forerunner 920XT, and again, they just work and support intervals and structured workouts. The 920XT is the predecessor to your Fenix 3. You'll see the same feedback in 920XT forum.

My Edge 520 bike computer was introduced last year, bought it early. Regular firmware updates and additional features since purchasing, no issues with firmware. I do have to delete old bike rides from time-to-time, to keep maps happy while following a course. The higher end bike computers don't have that problem, and they have full navigation like a car.

The store manager at my local bike shop just picked up a Fenix 3 HR, I'll ask him about it. He mainly races BMX and rides a road bike twice a week. There are defintely some complaints on Garmin forums, not too different from the number of upset posts on this Blaze forum.

---

Sounds like you got a good Garmin and I got a good fitbit.

I tested the HRM on the Blaze compared to my Polar V800 with an H7 chest strap monitor, and it never got more than 1 BPM off from the H7, and most of the time it was same reading. There was a slight delay with the Blaze HRM, but that is the case with all optical heart rate monitors. Doing the same test with my fenix 3 HR and comparing it with the H7, it was up to 10 BPM off at times, and was the same reading far less times. Garmin also suffers from the same step count issue as the fitbits. If I walk fast (about 4 mph or faster) they both only count about half the steps, but if I swing my arms like a power walker they both count all the steps. I power walk anyway so it's not an issue for me.

Lets talk about some of the advanced features of the fenix 3 & fenix 3 HR.

Intensity minutes Still dont work properly. never get any vigerous minutes even in zone 5.

Resting heart rate setting will not save and just changes back to the last setting.

OHR spikes and stops reading at all for intermitent times causing wildly inaccurate calorie counts

phantom activities, unknown device showing up out of nowhere

VO2max telling me my fitness level is declining over the past year, but my Polar V800 tells me it is improving. I have to go with the Polar V800 because over that year I went from barely being able to walk a mile at a 3 mph pace to being able to power walk at a 4.3 mph pace for 8 to 10 miles.

Training effect is a joke. I can do the exact same workout 10 times at the same pace and heart rate, and get 10 totally different training effect numbers.

the list goes on and on, and spending $600.00 on a device, a person would expect it to work a lot better than a $200.00 device.

People on the Garmin forum have been complaining about these issues for months now.

and what does Garmin do?

they release a new beta that does not address any of the issues, but adds a dog tracking feature. I don't know how much time you spend on the Garmin forums, but people are getting sick and tired of it. Their hardware is top notch, but they need to get a whole new software team in there.

This is just my opinion and my experience, but I will never recommend a Garmin product to anyone until they address the many many software issues they have.

[Rich_Laue]

For intervals please vote here. https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Requests/interval-Timer-Blaze/idi-p/1385123

[bbarrera]

---

@bcalvanese wrote:

Sounds like you got a good Garmin and I got a good fitbit. 

---

LOL, not really, like I said both the Blaze and Fenix 3 forums look similar - lots of complaints about things not working. Think its undisputable that both Blaze and Fenix 3 have issues. Surge too, and whats surprising to me is that after ~18 months Fitbit still hasn't fixed the cycling elevation chart. I remain hopeful that software stuff will get fixed by Fitbit.

Any serious review of heart rate monitor (HRM) on Blaze or Surge or Apple Watch has found that optical HR is hit or miss - the definitive reviews are DCRainmaker however I have bookmarks of other sites that took time to carefully compare HRM and came to same conclusion. Its pretty much that way with almost every other optical HRM in the market. You need a guy like Ray Maker that is constantly comparing multiple devices to point that out. As with DCRainmaker, I get the same type of "hit or miss accuracy" HRM graphs from Surge, Blaze and Apple Watch.

Some folks don't care about higher levels of accuracy, and focus on getting Fitbit app confetti celebration at 10K steps, and beating Bob in sales on the next Workweek Hustle or Daily Showdown. Its all good.

That said, Fitbit One and Flex just work, just like the 920XT and most of the Forerunners just work. You've gone a little overboard with a sweeping generalization about Garmin devices that isn't true, just like judging Fitbit build quality by the Surge, or tracker accuracy by current Blaze firmware is not fair. I never had step counting problems with One or Flex or Force or MobileTrack while walking fast (say 13-15 minutes per mile), but just like you I'm seeing step count issues with Blaze and I'm not going to modify my walking style for my tracker. 

[bcalvanese]

---

@bbarrera wrote:

---

@bcalvanese wrote:

Sounds like you got a good Garmin and I got a good fitbit. 

---

LOL, not really, like I said both the Blaze and Fenix 3 forums look similar - lots of complaints about things not working. Think its undisputable that both Blaze and Fenix 3 have issues. Surge too, and whats surprising to me is that after ~18 months Fitbit still hasn't fixed the cycling elevation chart. I remain hopeful that software stuff will get fixed by Fitbit.

Any serious review of heart rate monitor (HRM) on Blaze or Surge or Apple Watch has found that optical HR is hit or miss - the definitive reviews are DCRainmaker however I have bookmarks of other sites that took time to carefully compare HRM and came to same conclusion. Its pretty much that way with almost every other optical HRM in the market. You need a guy like Ray Maker that is constantly comparing multiple devices to point that out. As with DCRainmaker, I get the same type of "hit or miss accuracy" HRM graphs from Surge, Blaze and Apple Watch.

Some folks don't care about higher levels of accuracy, and focus on getting Fitbit app confetti celebration at 10K steps, and beating Bob in sales on the next Workweek Hustle or Daily Showdown. Its all good.

That said, Fitbit One and Flex just work, just like the 920XT and most of the Forerunners just work. You've gone a little overboard with a sweeping generalization about Garmin devices that isn't true, just like judging Fitbit build quality by the Surge, or tracker accuracy by current Blaze firmware is not fair. I never had step counting problems with One or Flex or Force or MobileTrack while walking fast (say 13-15 minutes per mile), but just like you I'm seeing step count issues with Blaze and I'm not going to modify my walking style for my tracker. 

---

You're right. I'm just ticked off about spending $600.00 on the fenix 3 HR and having issues. I just updated it to the latest beta release and the HR seems to be working better (so far). I hope Garmin resolves these issues because I really want to love the device.

[Rich_Laue]

I was talking to a Garmin owner last weekend, her only complaint is that her garmin has no ability to track steps.. Basically is only good for tracking events and not everyday activity. 

[bbarrera]

The newer models have step tracking. That said, most Garmin owners I know don't care about step tracking, unless they compete in Fitbit challenges. Thats because they are triathletes or dedicated runners or into cycling.

Folks in that fitness category often only care about tracking events (mostly training). For example the amount of calories I burn every week just tracking events is huge, ranging from 5600-12,000 calories per week which averages out to 800-1700 per day. Since starting to ride 100-150 miles a week I've stopped caring about tracking everday activity, it simply doesn't have any impact on my body or fitness level.

Its at this point in the fitness journey that many start caring about features that Fitbit leaves out (structured workouts, recovery time, etc). I track weight lifting (weight/sets/reps) and cycling, and do some swimming and skiing as well. Like most that start pushing harder, the challenge is to not over-train or under-train, and TrainingPeaks.com has the best tools I've found for managing my fitness level to stay in balance between over and under training, or prepare for a big event, like the recent DeathRide.com that I completed earlier this month.

Fitbit challenges are fun, and a lot of people need motivation to get up and move. Fitbit is great at getting people to move. At the other end of the spectrum, I'd love to have the Fitbit Surge be 'the ultimate fitness super watch' it was promised to be... unfortunately it fell well short of that (two examples: structured workouts, and 18 months with broken cycling elevation). Hoping to see something really targeted at "Performance" users!