Hello Fitbit-ers and fitbit staff!
I adore my fitbit, and wear one 24/7. I am a firefighter, and my charge 2 has been my best friend. When I am wearing all my gear, my phone is in my pocket inside of my jeans, hidden under several layers of gear. Being able to see texts and calls has been a blessing, and the heart rate monitor has helped me keep track of my stress and keep myself calm and functional.
Unfortunately, my fitbits have a habit of breaking. I've had bands melt before (I've swapped to leather), I've had fitbits fail from getting soaked in sweat, and yesterday my charge 2 (bless it's soul) got whacked against the metal wall of the fire truck while I was sitting in a jump seat. Since then the screen has stopped working. It is still tracking everything, and it still syncs to my phone, but I can't see anything when I look at my wrist.
My idea is for a rugged fitbit that can take heavy hits and high temperatures. There are other companies that make heavy duty fitness trackers, but I want one that will work together with the fitbit app and all the other fitbit products I use.
I also happen to be an engineering student, so me and some of my fellow firefighter friends came up with a list of specific issues with the existing fitbits, when used by firefighters.
First off are the issues with the heat resistance of the materials. Watches are generally covered by our gloves and/or the sleeves of our jackets, but since it sits right at the connection, it occasionally gets exposed to direct flame. And when it does:
- The plastic bands have a habit of melting. The plastic bands don't last very long at all in high heat, so I like using leather bands instead of the plastic ones it comes with.
- The aluminum (I am pretty sure the metal parts of the main unit are aluminum) gets very hot very fast. Thankfully the metal doesn't touch the skin directly very much.
- I've had a fitbit come loose and drop off my wrist directly into fire for a few seconds. The heartrate sensor fried almost instantly.
I wouldn't expect anyone to make the normal fitbits heat resistant. It's not really an issue for consumers in general, and I understand that I'm using fitbits well outside of the suggested usage parameters. But I would totally buy a single $400 military/firefighter grade fitbit rather than buying and busting dozens (hyperbole, I've only actually gone through 4-5) of the regular ones.
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