To buy the Surge or Blaze?

[Mahorneyhk]

I am currently looking to upgrade from my charge HR. I love it, but it is time for a change. I was wondering which one you guys like and what are the pros and cons of both? 

[matt9013]

Blaze doesn't have GPS built in so you will need your phone to see GPS while the Surge has GPS built in. Other than that Blaze is color, has Fitstar intergrated into it for free.

The biggest pro for Blaze over anything is that the bands are removable. So if you break the band you just need a new one. If the Surge breaks you need a whole new Surge through warrenty, refund etc.

I'd say go for the Blaze, I am.

[jszatala]

If you're a runner, the standalone GPS is huge. If not and you don't mind lugging your phone around when you workout outside then the Blaze looks like the right choice.

[chris2121]

If either then unless you really need GPS then the Blaze.

I'd be wary of buying a Surge - too many people have suffered too many problems, just look through these forum pages.  

I'd hold on to the ChargeHR and see how well the Blaze performs once people have a decent amount of experience.  Then make a decision

[Nolander]

I think the feature I like best about the Surge is the time display is always on- no flicking the wrist, etc. to see the time. Of course, the other features are great too. The Surge may not be the prettiest, but it is very functional.

[shaunkilpatrick]

So with the Blaze does the time not stay on the screen. That would be a real pain.

[bobflynn]

the surge is rubbish either that or i am the fittest human being alive because this morning i was able to run at 7 miles per hour with a heart rate of 52.  i was pleased though because the heart rate did actually work which is unusal ---  normally it registers nothing

[shaunkilpatrick]

Unfortunately I've not long bought the Surge which I have to say I've never had any troubles with. Reading the forum it sounds like I'm one of the lucky ones. I think I will treat myselft to the blaze for Christmas. Thanks for your quiick reply.

Shaun.

[Tubbyrunner]

That' must be really frustrating for you. I've been using my new surge (replacement for flex) for a few days now and took it on it''s first decent run today. Heart rate average was about 10 bpm less than my TomTom Multisport watch with chest band normally shows me (I can live with that for what I need), but GPS and Speed/Pace were accurate. The Fitbit advice of wearing it 3 fingers above your wrist bone for more accuracy may be worth trying, but even with the large wristband I'm gonna need more strap, and even then doubt it will stay there when I really start pumping my arms etc. Think I'll stick with my TomTom for serious runs (intervals are too useful to not have) and keep the surge for general exercise, weights, hikes etc and keeping an eye on calorie intakie v burn. Still like the Surge though and think i may just be lucky in getting one that seems to be working OK so far.....well, until the strap breaks. 

[fitzge43]

I do not recommend the Surge. I have had 3 that lasted around 6 months each. Now it is out of warranty and Fitbit will not replace even though the last one is only 6 months old.$250 for a watch that does not last is not a good investment  in my opinion. I have heard story after story of this happening to others. I would recomment looking at Garmin. I have heard good things about their watches.

[RobertoME]

Hi there everyone and welcome aboard to @shaunkilpatrick and @fitzge43. I have had the chance to test both trackers and So far I stick with the Surge due to the fact it has GPS built in as is not require to carrying the phone around. In your case @Tubbyrunner and @bobflynn if is not showing the correct BPM, what I do sometimes is to clean the sweat as it might interfere with the signal, it might work for you if the issue still is happening.

However the Blaze give more options of personalization as is the feature to exchange wristbands or in the case of any damage as was mentioned here. Something that I like with the Blaze is that integrates the feature of some free exercise with Fitstar built in with the tracker. I recommend the following link in our website that will help you to find your tracker if some of you have the same question: https://www.fitbit.com/compare

@fitzge43 I understand your feedback and I think the warranty policies can narrow many options, however I understand why they exist. In your last tracker with 6 months the warranty was not longer an option as it only counts with the original purchase until the 365 days have expired. For more information please approach to our Support Team.

See you around and I wish you the best.

[fitzge43]

I talked with Customer support. It was pretty disappointing. I was offered 25% off. There is no way I would spend another dime on a Fitbit watch that last 6 months at a time. $250 is a lot of money for me. I really enjoyed the watch when it was working. It helped me challenge myself each time I exercised. I took extra care of the watch, always taking it off when I was around water. The Surge just isn't built to last. Overall very frustrated not having a watch anymore. Reviewing comments on several different threads I am not the only one having this problem. I wish Fitbit would stand by their products better.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@fitzge43 Thanks for getting back! I appreciate your feedback regarding the experience you had with your Fitbit Surge. I'll pass forward your feedback since it helps us to keep improving our products and services.

Since your Surge had gotten broken; it did not meet these warranty conditions. Therefore we offered a courtesy discount of 25% good towards the purchase of any tracker. 

We strive for excellent customer service and in the past often replaced trackers that were not covered under warranty. Though customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we now enforce our warranty consistently.

Let me know if more questions arise my friend!