Fitness watches. Advice please

[Swinglowandslow]

I use a garmin s60 on the golf course, it is good.
However, I am looking for a fitness watch for my wife and I to use when walking etc.
I see there are some around 40 quid which do quite a lot of things, including heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels .
I would like one which does blood pressure particularly.
I see that the blurb says that they do some functions which need connection to I phone 8 and above.
My phone is a IPhone 6, so that part wouldn't work.

Apart from which are good and which aren't, can I ask is it necessary to be able to connect to the phone to see your blood pressure, heart rate etc?

Excuse if it's a daft basic question, but these techs things aren't my strong point

TIA

 

[Leftie]

I have to ask .... Why???

To my mind, unless you are training to a high level, it's just another gimmick. Imho of course.

 

[rudebhoy]

I have to ask .... Why???

To my mind, unless you are training to a high level, it's just another gimmick. Imho of course.

I've had one for 2 months now. It's a good motivational tool. You get a bit obsessed with meeting the goals you set for yourself. I'm walking further, have taken up running 3 days a week, and do a HIIT session at home every other day.

It been great for me. I was a bit sceptical at first, and only got one to replace my Garmin S2, but am hooked now.

 

[Rooter]

for 40 quid you are not going to get much in terms of the health measurements, I have a 400 quid garmin and I don't trust the accuracy of the wrist based heart rate. For running and cycling I wear a chest HR strap, which proves how far out wrist based HR is.

A cheap step counter, great! Will motivate you to move and get 10,000 steps a day in!!

No smart watch I know does blood pressure, the new apple iwatch does do some cool stuff and has an ECG function, but you are talking 400quid plus again.

You get what you pay for in life.

Plus as you say, iPhone 6 I think is stuck at around iOS11 ish, wont be long and you may as well bin it as it wont support many apps.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Well, thanks for the replies, but you may be answering questions that aren't there?
Wife and I are walkers not runners, being OAPs. Maybe I should have been clearer and spelt it out but I thought I had said enough. Probably that "etc" didn't help.
Anyway, wife walks the dog and likes to know how far. She's fed up re Covid restrictions and a gimmick or two to help relieve this is what I can afford at my time of life. No, Leftie, it's not something we need, but I was thinking it helps to partly solve Xmas pressie dilemma too?

I thought these things were expensive, but , looking on Amazon there are several makes offering the functions I listed , around £40.
I was surprised, I must say.
My main query is whether the functions mentioned needed the phone connection requirement. Some functions do, but it doesn't spell out which.
Someone may have used one of these,Fitbit, Aikela,etc so I'll see if anyone can advise in next few days.
As for phone being obsolete, blimey, I can still use most apps and phone and text?
Upgrading to latest high tech apps , and the phone to use them, isn't my scene. Nor suiting my pocket

 

[HampshireHog]

As family we have had a few fitbits over the years.

I have an Alta HR for about 4 years, Wife has an Inspire HR both decent and reliable I might treat myself to an Inspire 2 on black Friday if there is a deal. In my opinion the step count is reliable and the Heart Rate is no less reliable than anything you find on gym equipment so good enough for us.

Only problem one has been the Charge 3 we got for my Dad we chose it entirely because of the watch face being bigger. But 2 broke in 18 months with battery issues.

Only reservations I have about staying with fitbit are its acquisition by Google. Their move to trying to charge you for accessing some parts of your data, the focus on pushing premium services through the app.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

A fitbit will probably be the best option. We got a couple of cheaper ones for the kids and they are a bit rubbish. The step count seems OK. But the heart rate monitor was miles off, the battery life was terrible the app/syncing was crap. It didn't take long for them to be put in a drawer and forgotten about.

If all she wants to know is how far she's been and how many steps she'd done walking the dog. Her phone should already be able to provide that information without a watch.

 

[Neilds]

If your wife is looking to try something different and relieve the lockdown boredom, have a look at sites like action Challenge or ultra challenge. They have virtual walking challenges which last from a month to 6 months, loads of different distances so you can find loads that suit. You connect to your account via Strava and it automatically updates your distances. You can also manually add distances if you forget to start Strava- as I do often ?

 

[need_my_wedge]

....... I have a 400 quid garmin and I don't trust the accuracy of the wrist based heart rate. For running and cycling I wear a chest HR strap, which proves how far out wrist based HR is.......

I've got the Garmin Vivoactive, and the above is so true. I can be going hard on the rowing machine, blowing hard, but the heart rate says a comfortable 50 -60, resting rate. The other day I was out walking, heart rate was averaging 120 for about 20 mins, then just dropped straight to 60.

As has been said above, it's mostly a motivational accessory, easy to keep track of stuff, so whilst the active heart rate may not be the best function on it, I still find it a useful tool for recording rowing sessions, walks, rounds of golf, sleep etc.

 

[Leftie]

No, Leftie, it's not something we need, but I was thinking it helps to partly solve Xmas pressie dilemma too?

 

[chellie]

I use a garmin s60 on the golf course, it is good.
However, I am looking for a fitness watch for my wife and I to use when walking etc.
I see there are some around 40 quid which do quite a lot of things, including heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels .
I would like one which does blood pressure particularly.
I see that the blurb says that they do some functions which need connection to I phone 8 and above.
My phone is a IPhone 6, so that part wouldn't work.

Apart from which are good and which aren't, can I ask is it necessary to be able to connect to the phone to see your blood pressure, heart rate etc?

Excuse if it's a daft basic question, but these techs things aren't my strong point

TIA

I have this. Cheap enough to see if it's something she will use. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xiaomi-Bra...t=&hvlocphy=1007098&hvtargid=pla-920364910028

 

[Robster59]

Just put "best budget fitness tracker uk 2020" into your search engine. There are loads of sites offering advice.

 

[Old Skier]

Watch not required, just a decent footwear , oh and a hoodie . Seriously, decent kit before watch.