What do you think of the Zip?

[cheshirecat68]

Hi Everyone,

I'm thinking of getting a pedometer for my aunt for her birthday.  She has never used one before (but is always asking me questions about my FB One).  The things I'm keeping in mind are that 1) she is not really into computers, and 2) she is over 60 and has some health issues so has to take it easy.  I was looking at the Zip b/c I think the One might be more bells & whistles than she might like.  I saw the video on the website and it looks like it does steps (and not much else) and that it syncs to a dashboard (but might be different than the One??).  In any case, was interested in hearing from those of you who have the Zip on your impressions.  Thanks for your help!

[Jim_M]

The zip doesn't do stairs or sleep tracking, and that's really the main differnce.  I'm a BIG fan of the zip myself because it it VERY simple.  You don't even have to worry about the battery, except once every few months.  Set up her PC with a dongle, and the syncs will happen with no action on her part.

[Suzy]

This 66yr old has the zip.  It's a great motivator as you try to increase your steps each day.  I have a bunch of health concerns, but I'm not letting that stop me.  I joined Curves, do Zumba, and a Jillian Michaels workout all designed for the older American. Also, the socialization is great. Never under estimate what a person over 60 can do.  I have fibro, RA, and IC.  I have had 8 surgeries in the last 8yrs, but I'm not letting any of that stop me.  My parents are in their 90's and I hope that I will be able to be around that long.  They took care of themselves and I am trying to do the same.

[newrunner45]

I like the zip. It's simple and makes it easy to sync with the fitbi app on my lhone. I like that I can keep track of my activity and food.

[mikeproctor]

I love my zip and I think one of the advantages of the zip is the replaceable battery.  It lasts for months without having to mess with it at all.

[Jaime75035]

LOVE my Zip.  Rarely change the battery.  Work with my hands so don't have to worry about false steps.  

[JeffWunder]

I LOVE my Zip.  Never had any issues with it at all.

[ElGordoyFeo]

Hmm, I love my Zip too but it's battery died today - less than 3 months . . .

Still it was the one supplied with it - so who knows how old/how good that one was . .

[Gershon]

If a person isn't into computers at all, then many of the positive features of the Fitbits disappear. A cheap pedometer can work just as well and I used one for a long time.

The best features about the Zip is that it resets automatically each day, and the battery only needs changed once in awhile. 

The Zip can fall out of its rubber holder, and so it should be clipped so the Zip is inside of the pocket. This makes it inconvenient to check the number of steps, so I always use my computer. 

I started with an inexpensive Sportline pedometer I got at WalMart for less than $10. It agrees with the Fitbit within a 100 steps or so when I wear them both around the house. It is almost exactly the same when I walk away from the house with the small variations going in both directions. I've washed both pedometers and they survived, but I don't recommend it.

Of course you can't buy your aunt a cheap pedometer for her birthday, so go with the Fitbit Zip. If she is contemplating walking outside the house, then give a card with a committment to walk with her once a week or whatever you can do. The last may be the best part of the gift.

[mikeproctor]

Three months is a looong time compared to the rechargable devices which have to be charged once a week or so.  I bought 20 cr2025 batteries on Amazon for less than $10.

[Kristee]

I love my zip. I only bought it because it was affordable for me. I don't need bells and whistles. I just wanted something to help me monitor how much I was walking so that I could make sure I was getting the correct amount of miles in while training for my first 10k

[ElGordoyFeo]

Yes, you're right but they sold it to me as "6 months"

I guess it's one of those "up to" things eh?

Still love it.

I didn't have a CR 2025 so I used a CR 2032 . . .works OK . . .

[mikeproctor]

Yes apparently you can use cr2032 or 2025.  I got an email about needing a battery in my zip so I ordered the cr2025 that was mentioned in the email.  When I took the old battery out it was a 2032??  I don't recall 6 months battery life being mentioned I thought it was 3 months but I don't remember for sure.  It probably depends on how often you sync and how much you work out.

[ElGordoyFeo]

Yes - ad states "up to 6 months"

[Mary]

Is the Zip display always on or do you turn it on with a button?   If the latter, that might affect battery life.  My One seems to go much longer between charges than others' and I'm guessing it's because I don't check the display much or use the alarms.  

[LaTonya]

I have the Zip courtesy of my company. I previously had an Omniron which has more bells and whistles and I liked everything about it but the size. It was bulky and hard to wear when wearing a dress or skirt which I wear often.  The Zip is bare bones but very portable and therefore convenient. I miss some of the features of my old ped but the Zip is easy to use and I would get it for my parents who are not tech savvy (they are 70).

The Zip is wireless and it does track my core steps and that works for me. What I want most is to see a history of my activity.

[Mary]

You don't see your history on the dashboard?

[LaTonya]

Yes, I do see my history. What I meant is that what I want most, the Zip does have so not having the other features I had on my old ped is not a biggie.

[Paulette3028]

Got my Zip, August 31, 2015.  Really like it since it is simple.....does what I need, count steps and distance.  Which is all that I want to keep my progress moving forward.  What annoys me is the battery life!  The first battery that came with it lasted about 10 weeks; then the next battery that we put in lasted just a month.  I just put in a new battery, so we will see.

The other thing that disappoints me is how when you are on logged into the website having sync'd your Zip, when you go to see the battery status it has a full display of green and goes from the full size green bar to red (signaling that the battery is low and needs replacing) with NO intermediate stages of the batterly life display.

What has been the experience of other Zip users with their batteries?

[savanahrae2269]

I absolutely love my zip! I went through four fitbits in less than a week.  I had a bad reaction to both of the fitbit flex's I had and had to return them. I'm allergic to nickel.  My fitbit one stopped working after three days and I had to return that and I ended up with the zip.  It doesn't track sleep but I don't care about that.  It keeps me motivated to do 10,000 steps (or at least attempt to.. I have a sit on your butt type of job). It's small and I put it on my shirt so I don't have to worry about it falling off my wrist.