Trouble with my Surge's HR

[drastik651]

To all,

I think that I speak for everyone on the forum when I say that a 250 dollar piece of technology should have to worn a certain way to work properly. If that was the case, why even bother to have a device to measure your heart rate when it constantly drops out, has issues connecting, gives rashes...etc. I would hope that anyone who felt like they got shot in the wrist today when they saw the new Blaze tracker would ask fitbit for some retribution. I have had 3 replacements now... 3 and every single one of them have done the same thing. It has led me to beleive that the a urge was aurgextually the Blaze that got pushed out too early to the market. I just hope that fitbit will make good on my investment. I spent good money on a surge for all the updated features, but to have compromises day after day, I ask fitbit for some type of credit toward a newer improved version of fitness tracker. One that can actually be worn as stated in the videos, and not moved up the forearm to find the pulse. One that doesn't constantly drop Bluetooth connection. One where, if the band rips I don't have to shell out another 250. One where I don't have to worry about getting what looks like a second degree burn on my skin that stays long after the surge is removed... Thank You for your time

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[SunsetRunner]

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I think that I speak for everyone on the forum 

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and a lot of people reading the forum or don't ever knowing there is a forum don't have problems.

[MikeF]

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@drastik651 wrote:

I think that I speak for everyone on the forum

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Clearly you don't, since most of them don't have a Surge! 😉

[Doncog]

You definately don't speak for everyone. 😉

My Surge has been operating just fine 24/7 for over a year. The Blaze is not an upgrade but another option. No one should feel slighted by its release. A color (looks to be lift wrist to activate) screen and lack of gps would be a downgrade to me. And it look like Fitbit agrees as it's retailing $50 less than the Surge. I see the Blaze as a fashion option. The Surge is your hardcore fitness tracker.

[Nolander]

This might sound silly, but one of the main reasons I got the Surge was the always on display. I don't like having to raise my wrist to see the time for an allotted amount of seconds. I obviously like the other features of the Surge, but the good battery and clock face always on helped make my final decision. The Blaze definitely looks nicer, but it lacks features I want, so I am perfectly happy with the Surge. As said above- it's another option, not necessarily an upgrade.

[drastik651]

So you say I am the only one who when I called fitbit they told me to move it up my arm more? Highly doubt it. Or the fact there is another forum stating the same problems that I have with mine, but I don't speak for those people in the biggest responsive area of chatter.. if you are happy with the surge, great. I however am not due to the fact of I wanted a watch type item that would accurately and continuously take my heart rate. Not to be told by the company that I'm wearing it wrong, and to chnage items in a manual after release to reflect it. Maybe I do not speak for everyone, but I do speak for the majority of those that have had problems since day one. All I want is a heart rate monitor that does what it's supposed to, not like when an iPhone 4 came out and they told it's customers they were holding it wrong..

[Doncog]

Wrist based HR will never be as accurate as chest straps. Moving it up your arm will always help with accuracy with ANY wrist based HR device. That said, The last few firmwares have done wonders, and the HR is so close for me I don't bother to move it up anymore for workouts.

[chris2121]

I was also feeling just a bit annoyed when I saw the announcement of the Blaze tracker yesterday.  It seems to do pretty much what the Surge does, doesn't have the problem of the strap that can't be replaced and looks a lot better.

Of course that's not to say it will actually do all the things Fitbit claim, and do them reliably.  Only time will tell on that.  I'm now on my third (second replacement) Surge in about 7 months.  I can see that once out of warranty it's not going to last much longer, and I would also hazard a guess that the Blaze will effectively be a replacement for the Surge.

However I won't be rushing to buy one.

[Doncog]

How do you see it as a replacement for the Surge? That's like saying the Surge is the replacement for the Flex. Or the Flex for the Zip.

It's clear they needed a "fashion" focused Fitbit with interchangeable fashion parts. The color display helps it compete with "smartwatches." But without an always-on display and lack of GPS, this is cleary targeting a different userbase. As far as HR and other sensors, I imagine it would perform identically to the Surge or Charge HR.

[chris2121]

The GPS wasn't really a factor in buying the Surge for me and I suspect I'm not alone.  In fact I rarely use the GPS because it runs the battery down so quickly I can run out of power within a day if I do.  

[danottoman]

I will admit that I was a little angry when I saw the Blaze on the Fitbit website today. The timing to me is all wrong, to release a product just a couple weeks after Christmas that I would have waited for had I known it would be available in just a couple months, a product that to me seems to be a correction to the design flaw of the Surge's band not being serviceable. The band on my Surge has not failed yet, but I have only had it for about a week now.

[Julia_G]

@danottoman , if you feel that the new Blaze would be more what you wanted you may be able to return your Surge.  Fitbit offers a 45 day return policy if you bought it directly from them.  Alternatively many other store offer a similar return policy, so you could check it out.  Speaking for myself, however, I don't think I could be without my Fitbit for 6+ weeks!