Fitbit Surge and sweat... will it last?

[SunsetRunner]

Hello everyone!
This is my first post in the community forum so I apologize for any mistakes I might do, regarding the place I should post this message.

So, I am looking at the community today, after receiving my surge.
My question is, since I am a sweaty guy will my Fitbit Surge band last? I see people on the forum complaining a lot about the band. I was thinking that if I go on the treadmill or track and start running (let's say 4km) and after that stop and do my workout for another hour and a half, I won't have the time (and I don't want to lose my momentum also) to stop and clean my band since I am going to get even more messy and full of sweat. And once I am done, I usually go to the sauna. Is that safe for the device?
I ordered my surge after using a tracker (from another company, not fitbit) for quite a while now and I was pretty happy until it gave up on me.

I got sad, I almost cried when it my old tracker stopped tracking my activity and sleep, but I found this (old) fitbit product at a decent price and replaced it.
(trust me when I am done with my workout you do not want to touch me, be near me or even talk to me because of the amounts of sweat I have on me )

To conclude... The fitbit Surge band:

• Sweat: Will it kill it (in large amounts)? (The surge was originally announced as a waterproof product but then they chnaged the announcement?)
• Workouts: Will the device keep up with knocks and accidental hits to bars, barbells, wrtist stretches etc?
• Sauna: Will it affect the device in any way?
• Will the band get stiffer if I leave it to dry after a sweaty workout (and in result, maybe break apart? )

Thank you!

Glad to hear your replies.

[dogenzenji]

For ten months I have used the Surge 24/7. Cycling running and trail hiking. Sweat will not kill it. After my workout I run it under a tap and dry it on a towel and it is good to go. A sauna might be overkill so if it were me I would remove it prior. My watch has just begun to crack at the screws and the guys in support supplied a no quibble replacement. However a bit of gorilla glue although a bit unsightly has fixed the crack. A lot of people seem to mention the band issue how prevalent it really is only fitbit can say. Anyhow it works for me I think the Surge is a great bit of kit. I have a friend who swims in his though of course fitbit won't support that... Have fun with it. I sweated 120lbs off using it so I don't think you will have too many problems.

[SunsetRunner]

So wait, you're telling me that the Surge can handle water? Because after some digging, I found out that Fitbit said that their device is not capable of handling showers, only sweat and some minor splashes.

After a year? That  kinda upsets me since I was hoping to keep my Fitbit for at least three years (to justify the cost of my purchase)!

I hope I don't run into any problems. My last activity tracker got me from 264 to 165 so I am hoping that the surge will get me to 176 (80kg) with some muscle

[dogenzenji]

I do not shower in it or swim in it and a sauna may be too much. I have a Flex2 for the water...Google dcrainmaker and surge, he got it down to 5atm and swam in it without issue. Fitbit say not to though so will not be covered if it breaks. Sweat or rain OK. Like I said I run it under a tap and dry after a workout and it is still working.
My split in the band was fixable with a bit of glue and they replaced it under warranty without issue.
I do not think you have to worry. Hey congrats on the weight loss, the Surge app is great for counting calories against burn. Have fun!

[SunsetRunner]

ok thanks for the info.

I don't think I will use glue (fixable or not, storng glue could cause a rash to your skin) if I see that my Fitbit starts to tear up, I would get mad and ask for a replacement unit ASAP. I am curious to know why they took back the claim of the surge being waterproof after a while..

Thanks for the encouragement, but Fitbit had nothing to do with it. I believe in hard dedication and determenation.My old tracker (not a Fitbit) might have been the reason I was pushing myself a bit harder but it was not the reason why I started working out and lifting weights. 🙂

[YojanaFitbit]

It's great to have you in the Forums @SunsetRunner! Congratulations on your new Surge. 

I can tell that you're a very careful person, you don't have to worry a lot about your Fitbit Surge. Fitbit product are designed to do all the activities that we advertise; as treadmill, runs, walks etc. Your Surge can take sweat, even if you sweat a lot just make sure of following the tips in here to take care of the band and your skin. 

Surge is not waterproof, it is water resistance (take splash and sweat); I don't recommend wearing it in the Sauna area, as the steam might get into the watch on the back part. You can see it has an open area where you place the charger. The only waterproof tracker that we have at this moment is the Fitbit Flex 2. So feel free to start using it and reply back for any other question.

BTW, thank you all guys for your participation on this thread!

I'll be around if you need anything else. 

[SunsetRunner]

Hey Yojana thanks for the reply.

I hope that I bought the right tracker for the price that I paid since the surge is on the pricy side...

As far as I understood, you must be the representative of the Fitbit company on the forum.

Could you please tell me why the claim that the surge is waterproof was later changed to the surge being splash proof?

Also, no. I am also a really really clumsy person. Meaning, I hope that the surge will handle bumps agaisnt barbells, bars, dumbbells, chains etc.

[YojanaFitbit]

It's great to see you again here @SunsetRunner! I understand your concern about being as you said "clumsy". I found really helpful to use a protector on the screen of my Surge for extra protection, since I do a lot of activities including weight lifting and taking care of 5 year old baby (my niece). 

In regards of the information that you heard about Fitbit Surge being waterproof, as far as I know, it's being water resistance only. Do you remember where did you see this information? 

I'll be waiting for your reply! 

[SunsetRunner]

For the waterproof information you can find it here:

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gadgets/fitbit-surge-1270574/review/4

https://translate.google.gr/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.fnac.com/Fitbit-Surge-une-version-de-... (I don't know much french so I had to translate the page)

also if I am not mistaken, you can also find some more claims that the surge is waterproof here (one of my favorite places to look for videos regarding fitness trackers BTW - JimReviewRoom):

https://youtu.be/so1Pyn8L2oM?t=146

I know that this information is kinda outdated, but it is still there

[YojanaFitbit]

It's great to see you here again @SunsetRunner! Thank you for sending the links, I took a look. 

This is odd, but I think it can be a little tricky because some times online reviews are based on their own experience and interaction, but it's always better to rely on the manufacturer's indications. As you can notice in the specs section, it is sweat, rain and splash proof. However, it is not swim proof. It's also recommended to be taken off  before showering because, as with any wearable device, it’s best for your skin if the band stays dry and clean. 

For more information on operational conditions take a look of the user's manual on the page 34.

 Hope this helps, I'll be around in case you have another question!