08-29-2017 07:14
08-29-2017 07:14
Hi!
Super interested in the Ionic -- thanks for continuing to innovate on your products, etc.
I was curious -- most things that I am reading online in regards to watch water proofing are telling me that 50M resistance is not adequate enough for swimming -- the recommendation is still to remove a watch with that rating before jumping in water.
Just a a few examples:
http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/what-does-water-resistance-in-diving-watches-mean
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f17/water-resistance-myth-vs-reality-159142.html
https://www.thrillist.com/gear/what-your-watch-water-resistance-numbers-mean
So -- suppose I purchased the Ionic and went for a swim -- due to the 50M rating the watch ends up getting water damaged -- would it be covered under warranty? Are you undercutting actual resistance? It doesn't sound like I should be swimming with this thing based on current stats, even though you are advertising swim tracking. Little bit concerned about this and would love some clarification! Thanks!
Answered! Go to the Best Answer.
08-30-2017 22:02
08-30-2017 22:02
Hinted by DC Rainmaker in the write-up here: Fitbit Iconic smartwatch
08-31-2017 05:16
08-31-2017 05:16
Thanks @steveting99. I watched DCrainmaker's video and he mentioned the water resistance, as well as showed a shot of him standing in the pool -- but that still doesn't answer the concern that I'm having nor speak to the warranty.
08-31-2017 07:50 - edited 08-31-2017 19:02
08-31-2017 07:50 - edited 08-31-2017 19:02
While I can't answer your question about this specific product; I can tell you that I have a watch with the same rating that I swim with 4 times a week. I've been swimming with this watch for the past year with no problems. I will upgrade to the Ionic on Black Friday as I'm anticipating a sale price. I think you would be good to go warranty wise, and Fitbit is really good about returns; in my experience anyway.
08-31-2017 14:56
10-31-2017 12:24
10-31-2017 12:24
Coming from a scuba diver:
You cannot possibly exceed 5atm of pressure by "swimming laps", unless you have a heart attach mid-swim and sink to the bottom of the ocean (after-which, the Ionic is the least of your concerns). Most diver tables don't even go beyond 40M (130 ft).
The claim that "swim cadence" or "pool jets" will exceed that pressure is complete BS. 5atm of pressure (non-absolute, near surface) would equate to 73.5psi of water pressure. Typical hot tub jets operate around 12-15psi. I doubt there is a pool jet / pump in existence that can produce 73.5psi.
11-04-2017 06:46
11-04-2017 06:46
I know this is a couple of months after your initial question, but wanted to state my past experience with Fitbit IP Rating questions and sales information/documentation for others that may run across your post. I could not find an IP Rating for the Ionic either on the “sales” info for the watch. I called Fitbit customer service and they told me that it was water resistant to 50 meters, but that was all. I specifically asked what the IP rating of the watch was and after being put on hold for a couple of minutes the nice lady said that it was water resistant to 50 meters and that swimming would be fine. That is extremely vague and unaccountable for a company that size. I would not go swimming with it based on previous “sales” info from another tracker they sale….the Charge HR. I bought mine shortly after they came out because I liked the HR feature and read, at the time of my purchase, I could shower with it (that has since been removed). I only figured out that you could not shower with it “as advertised” after going through 3 trackers. It got to the point that I was taking my Charge HR off to wash my hand…seriously. That’s not me being sarcastic; I didn’t want anything other than a light rain shower to touch my Charge HR. I ultimately got rid of my final replacement to a friend and went to a Samsung Gear 2 which clearly states an IP68 rating, which mirrors my S7 and its IP68 rated. I have had both at water parks and my above ground pool (~4 feet deep) for hours…..no worries or issues.
I say all that because Moderator ErickFitbit also gave a very vague “sales” answer. He’s probably a great guy to have a beer with, but did not help answer your specific question. He stated “We have tested Ionic in accordance with industry standards and it is water resistant up to 50 meters (5ATM/150 feet)”. He did not mention a time limit, but a quick search will show IPX7 has zero object ingression protection and a max time of up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter, as you already know and per IEC 60529, Table 8. So did Fitbit test the Ionic in a pressurized tank or did they actually take one down close to 50 meters? Don’t know, but based on Moderator ErickFitbit I could take the Ionic down to 60 feet/~ 18 meters, which is the max approved depth for a certified Open Water Diver, as long as I was back above the water within 30 minutes…..good luck with that. I would not even attempt to try that because I’ve followed previous Fitbit sales info and spent a lot of time dealing with Fitbit on replacements. At this time, I would strongly praise Fitbit’s Customer Service. Every time I have called they were super nice and helpful. I have not purchased the Ionic yet, but really want too because the battery life is longer than my Gear S2 and offers all that I need in a watch/tracker. To me personally it is more important to not worry about showering, playing in the pool, or even washing my hands really good. So ultimately runwithnewmedia I don’t know if you already purchased the Ionic or not, but I don’t feel comfortable spending $300 until I can see/print Fitbit lawyer approved language stating an IP Rating. I expect accountability from every company, especially if I’m giving you money. Final note…my understanding is that the IP ratings are for fresh water only. Special seals/designing/engineering would have to be incorporated for non-freshwater.
11-30-2017 19:13
11-30-2017 19:13
Great post @Just-Enough. Thanks for chiming in here. 🙂
12-01-2017 17:43
12-01-2017 17:43
I have a friend that has the watch and we work out on a swim team together and he wears it every time. We also did an open water lake swim recently and the watch is working perfectly.
01-13-2018 10:59
01-13-2018 10:59
Thank you, Just Enough, for your thorough post. I received the Ionic yesterday and took it to my Aquatic Exercise class today (low impact, 4.5 ft of water) and it went dead. From what I have learned reading these posts perhaps the pressure exerted during the water aerobics was too much for its current rating. I'm trying to charge it now to see if I can bring it back to life. If I can't then I will return it (bought it from Amazon) and stick with my Fitbit Alta HR until they work out the water resistance issues.
01-13-2018 12:08
01-13-2018 12:08
I’m sorry lls_in_ca for the issue you ran into with your Ionic. That must be some wicked workout class to break a 50 meters (5ATM/150 feet) rated watch/tracker at 4.5’. "Low Impact" huh, it sounds like the grunge/mosh pit of Aquatic Exercises. I can only imagine you burn about a 60,000 calories. I bet the meal after that class is awesome....lots of everything. just kidding, but WOW that does suck. I was a lifeguard in college and saw many aquatic exercise classes and none of them would even remotely come close to damaging anything rated for 50M. I hope the charging revives the Ionic, but if it was me I would return it before it happens again and you’re stuck with a stylish wrist weight. Amazon is super awesome at customer service and you shouldn’t have any issues returning it if you choose.
By the way, I don’t normally forum anything but did what I did with Fitbit because of the frustration I confronted with my Charge HR and the “sales” language Fitbit uses. My hope for the post was to help people like you. Honestly, I would pay an additional $20-$30 for the Ionic if they built and rated it to IP67+ standards. I've been married long enough to know that I'm an idiot, but have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and think that an adhesive seal and wireless charging would do wonders for their lineup.
I just wanted to reply to you and say thanks for the feedback on you experiences. This offers more insight to me that Fitbit appears to be struggling/working issues out with water proofing/resisting their wrist jewelry. So I hope things work out for you on the Ionic if you decide to keep it. Have a great 2018.
01-13-2018 14:42
01-13-2018 14:42
Actually, there was no way it was due to the intensity. I got in the pool to warm up for the start of class and noticed that after I dunked my watch the display was working. I checked my Ionic five minutes after the class started (before we even began using any water barbells) and the display was dead.
After the class I used one of the dryers in the locker room to blow dry it (but not too close, so it wouldn't overheat) and still nothing. I read these boards so decided to charge it a bit before trying to re-set. Charged for an hour, still nothing. Now it is some rice. After that I will return it to Amazon.com. Perhaps I will try a replacement, but if the replacement also goes dead in water, then I will return it permanently until they fix this issue.
Thanks, again, for explaining what really goes into that 50M rating. I thought it was just depth, not an equivalent to pressure.
Take care!
-lls
01-26-2018 02:20
01-26-2018 02:20
Just had my 1 week ionic replaced due to moisture forming between the seal and sensors - causing device not to function properly. This occurred after a swim in my home pool (2m deep). Fitbit is good at replacing products under warranty. The concern is whether the ionic is waterproof. I will continue swimming with the replacement ionic
02-07-2018 09:30
02-07-2018 09:30
I bought my Fit Bit Ionic yesterday. I swam this am with it, 1 mi in 27 min freestyle. So nothing outrageous. By the time I took it off the charger this morning, the screen was frozen. I took back to Best Buy and they said, looks like a water breach. Salesman then asks, did you get it wet? I told him what I did this am and they replaced with new Ionic. The better Q is, how long will this Ionic last and the warranty with it?
02-07-2018 10:49
02-07-2018 10:49
02-07-2018 11:34
02-07-2018 11:34
As mentioned by an earlier responder to this thread, I'm also a keen scuba diver and the facts he set out are correct. There is no way ordinary swimming will come anywhere near the pressure exerted by 5atm.
If an Ionic fails due to water ingress that will be a manufacturing fault and as Fitbit have repeatedly warranted the device as suitable for swimming then it will be their issue to resolve.
I bought my Ionic at the start of January and have used it in the pool two or three times a week since with no issues.
Just to mention though I have had a new dive computer costing over £500 fail within the first two hours underwater (2nd dive) due to flooding. Water ingress is totally unforgiving and there will always be a failure rate with a mass manufactured product, it's how the retailer and manufacturer deal with those issues that really matters.
02-07-2018 12:01
02-07-2018 12:01
02-07-2018 13:09
02-07-2018 13:09
This comment may seem iRonic after my prior post defending the 50M water resistance rating! My Ionic actually failed as well, as stated above..a device's water resistance rating is only as good as the quality of Fitbit's mass production operation (and the durability of the device as a whole).
My Ionic actually had a button fall off while I was swimming on vacation (obvious cause of water ingress). So the Ionic may be resistant to water in ideal conditions, but as parts wear or break, the water resistance may be compromised. In the future I will likely research and purchase more durable devices, such as those from Garmin.
I will however say that the Fitbit warranty process was super painless! I was able to use the chat window on their website from my phone while I was sitting on the beach of my hotel. I texted them photos of the damaged Ionic along with my receipt from BestBuy (which I conveniently had saved on my dropbox cloud) and received immediate warranty approval and a new device came in the mail within a few days (over Christmas week). Props to the warranty dept...but I would still expect an "Activity Tracker" to be sufficiently durable for people with active lifestyles. This is my primary disappointment with Fitbit in general.
Happy tracking!
03-20-2018 08:01
03-20-2018 08:01
Where does it state the information on where you can and can't swim?
03-20-2018 08:04
03-20-2018 08:04
@Sarahhourani it's in this help file: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1598/
03-20-2018 08:14
03-20-2018 08:14
I purchased Ionic loving the fact you can swim with it! In the pool no problems first time it went for a swim in open water it died! Maybe mine was a dudd! I love fitbit.