Oura Ring or Garmin or Apple Watch

[hapl808]

Since my Garmin strap on the Vivosmart 4 broke, I'm thinking of upgrading. It doesn't seem to be easily fixable, although maybe I should try some super glue (I thought I had some, but couldn't find it).

I liked the Garmin, although I found it irritated the skin on my wrist a bit since I wore it 24/7 and it had to be relatively snug to get consistent readings. The Stress and Body Battery seemed to correlate well with many symptoms or treatments - like a glass of wine wouldn't make me feel worse the next day, yet it clearly dropped by Body Battery for a day, so it was doing something.

I could get the Vivosmart 5 for about $100, or for significantly more get the Oura Ring or the Garmin Instinct 2 which I believe tracks HRV.

Does anyone have experience with these newer versions? The Oura Ring sounds nice in that it hopefully wouldn't irritate my wrist as much, but I'd have HRV and not the Body Battery or Stress markers.

The Instinct 2 gives me HRV and the other Garmin metrics, but obviously adds significant expense and also looks bulky.

Or the Apple Watch which I guess would give me HRV - not sure what else the newer ones could track?

 

[wabi-sabi]

If I were thinking of getting something expensive (instead of another garmin viviosmart) I think I would get the stat earpiece. It's meant to track cerebral perfusion and I've always wanted to know that.

https://www.digitalhealth.net/2023/...es-wearable-to-tackle-orthostatic-conditions/

 

[hapl808]

If I were thinking of getting something expensive (instead of another garmin viviosmart) I think I would get the stat earpiece. It's meant to track cerebral perfusion and I've always wanted to know that.

Is that a thing yet, or just a planned device?

I think Oura is out for me - looks great, but I just won't get locked into that type of subscription.

So probably either an Apple Watch 9 or a Garmin Vivosmart 5 / Instinct 2 / Forerunner 255.

I like the Garmin Stress and Battery scores and I'm used to them, but the Apple Watch supposedly is more accurate, tracks sleep better, and obviously has other features.

Curious if anyone has compared?

 

[wabi-sabi]

Is that a thing yet, or just a planned device?

I'm not sure. I was on their mailing list for a while before I decided it was too expensive.

I haven't used any of the other gadgets. I liked the sound of the Oura, but again, too expensive. I think anything that allows you to pace by heartrate and gives heartrate variability will be helpful.

 

[Florida Guy]

Yeah, the strap is the worst part of the watch. It does not fit well and is not replaceable. Was it the thin part with holes that broke? If so, it will be hard to glue together. About the only way that will work is to overlap the two pieces so the glue gets good contact but then it might become uncomfortable. I switch arms occasionally to avoid the discomfort.

Perhaps you could work a piece of twist tie or wire into the holes and keep it together that way? The vivo 5 just has a lot of extra junk on it. I'm fed up with it and thinking of getting the arm strap. I will be offering the old watch to whoever needs it once I'm happy with the new thing.

Or use a thread or bit of string, you can make the strap work again. It won't look great maybe. Another possibility is to use a piece of clingy stretch fabric they use to wrap a sprained ankle or wrist. That will keep the watch tight against the wrist. Tape, paper clip... might be lots of ways to put it back

 

[hapl808]

Yeah, the strap is the worst part of the watch. It does not fit well and is not replaceable. Was it the thin part with holes that broke?

It broke at the part where the strap connects to the watch. I'm not sure if even superglue will hold, since it's a small surface and where most of the pressure probably goes when it's tightly clasped.

I wish the nicer Garmin were a bit less expensive. I also just found the controls (or lack thereof) on the Garmin a bit annoying, but seemed fine for how cheap it was. Much more important, I didn't like how much it irritated my skin, as the band wasn't terribly comfortable. It's been over a week since I've worn it, and the area where the band touched the skin is still very noticeably different. With connective tissue problems, I suppose that can easily cause permanent changes.

Supposedly the Apple Watch sport band is quite comfortable, so I'm leaning toward that. No Body Battery or Stress, but it has an accurate HR and HRV, and the Series 9 has a simple 1-lead ECG as well.

 

[Florida Guy]

I just pulled the charging cable from my watch and the whole watch came away from the strap. It is apparently held loosely by the rubber strap. I put it back where it was and now its fine. I have no idea why they won't sell a new strap since thats all you need. Perhaps a replacement strap from elsewhere? But the watch does not have regular places on it to attach anything. Its just held in the rubber strap but it might be hard to find a strap that works. A good rubber cement might work

I would not buy a new vivo 5, the newer model is more expensive and has a lot of useless stuff on it like steps, calories, pulse, intensity that seem like random numbers.

 

[wabi-sabi]

Supposedly the Apple Watch sport band is quite comfortable, so I'm leaning toward that.

That sounds like the right answer.

The viviosmart band doesn't give me any trouble, but it does leave a nice dent on my arm showing how swollen I am on any given day. It's a little extra feature I like!

 

[Judee]

Is it within a year of your purchase? They sent me a replacement watch when the band was puckering. I was just under a year.

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=c52d7zegEn1GudrUGUwAL8&identifier=605739&searchQuery=band replacement&tab=topics

 

[hapl808]

Is it within a year of your purchase? They sent me a replacement watch when the band was puckering. I was just under a year.

Unfortunately three years. Since the Garmin Instinct 2 has a replaceable band and long battery life, and also tracks HRV - thinking I'll get that. The Apple Watch is very tempting, but I wish they had a Body Battery and Stress metric - plus the short battery life sounds like a pain. Even though I'm annoyed that the Vivosmart isn't more easily fixable, I also didn't like the band in the first place - so maybe three years is reasonable for $100. The Instinct 2 is on sale today for around $230.

 

[Florida Guy]

You can buy a replacement strap for about $13 https://www.amazon.com/Waekethy-Viv...msclkid=00671c835f561e4f83ee7a158c8eddd1&th=1

Thats a lot cheaper than buying a new watch. Unless you are unhappy with the watch for other reasons.

 

[hapl808]

Thats a lot cheaper than buying a new watch. Unless you are unhappy with the watch for other reasons.

I have a Vivosmart 4 which does not have a replaceable strap. So the only option is to try superglue or epoxy or something. Even without my wonderful MCS and tremors, not sure that would work all that well - likely to just break again since I think it wouldn't be as strong as whatever they did.

I'd also like HRV, better sleep tracking, and a more comfortable band (Instinct 2 has a replaceable band), but if the Vivosmart hadn't broken, I wouldn't spend the money.

 

[Florida Guy]

I have a Vivosmart 4 which does not have a replaceable strap.

I'm pretty sure the strap I posted works with vivosmart. To take the watch out, just hold the strap and push on the front. It will then slip out the back. They also have other straps, they don't look exactly like vivosmart, are probably more comfortable. Are you sure you will like the new watch if you get one?

 

[Florida Guy]

I agree its not a great watch, very inaccurate, means almost nothing. My bb was 5 this morning, its still at 5. I am very tired, didn't sleep well but people say if its that low you should stay in bed all day and not push your luck. But I have to go to the store and get food so I will go out. I'm looking for a different watch also

On second look, those straps and the other straps they have are not the same type. It says vivo 5 but my watch would not fit on it. Those watches are for the expensive models with a normal type band. The ones for vivo 4 also are not for our cheaper models. I just went by what the ad said but they won't work. Glue or a new watch, those are your options

 

[hapl808]

I just went by what the ad said but they won't work. Glue or a new watch, those are your options

Yes, unfortunately the strap on the Vivosmart 4 is not supposed to be user replaceable (confirmed by Garmin). They do not recommend glue. If I had more ability, I might try it anyways - but rather not exhaust myself trying to do something that might leave a toxic smell which will be close to my head when sleeping.

The Vivosmart 5 is different and I believe has replaceable bands, but the Vivosmart 4 is not made that way.

I do find the Body Battery actually correlates decently with my health. If I wake up with a 5, I'm probably not doing great. There are exceptions, but I wouldn't say it means nothing in my experience. If I wake up with a 60 vs a 20, it probably means a bit. That said, a higher number doesn't mean I'm great, but the trends tend to pick up on health.

The Stress reading is also useful, as I will have a much better day or especially evening if it drops lower - just rarely happens for me.

 

[Florida Guy]

Yes it seems to correspond in a general way to how I feel. Yesterday with a 5 I was very tired all day. This morning its 24 and I do feel better but that is a low number. I have not had a number higher than 30 for about a couple weeks and I have felt the same as when it was 60 or more in the morning.

Neither the 4 or 5 has replacement straps. Garmin has a screwy system in which they call one whole line of watches vivosmart 4, for example but in addition to the model 4 that you have, there are other larger watches that they also call model 4 but maybe with some additional name.

I'm thinking of going to a strap system with the monthly payment. Its expensive but you may get actual data that makes a difference rather than vaguely matching how you feel.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Check out makevisible.com, as another option. It uses a Polar Verity sense armband, and the app focuses on patients with energy limiting illness. I have and intend to continue using my 5 year old VivoActive 4s (armbands are replaceable), but I also recently signed up for makevisible. It.is helping me to learn to pace and stay within my energy budget. It is a subscription service, though.

Here are some of my Visible app charts.

 

[wabi-sabi]

I love to see other people's visible data! Your resting heartrate is higher than mine. Can i ask where your limits on rest/exertion/overexertion are?

 

[hapl808]

Check out makevisible.com, as another option. It uses a Polar Verity sense armband, and the app focuses on patients with energy limiting illness. I have and intend to continue using my 5 year old VivoActive 4s (armbands are replaceable), but I also recently signed up for makevisible. It.is helping me to learn to pace and stay within my energy budget. It is a subscription service, though.

Interesting. How are you liking it overall? I just got a Garmin Instinct 2 to replace my broken Vivosmart. So far I like it - endless battery life and gives me just what I need without a color display I have to keep tapping or whatever.

I like the addition of HRV overnight (28 on my first two nights). This tracks with what I feel - my sleep is actually decent (better than when I was 'healthy' at least), but I wake up feeling exhausted. My Body Battery also drains very quickly, presumably because of my high resting HR, etc.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Can i ask where your limits on rest/exertion/overexertion are?

Sure! Right now, my heart rate zone settings are 68 and 99.

My resting heart rate of 68 bpm is high compared to 65 bpm in years 1 through 4 (based on my Garmin history). I suspect it is because I am in a prolonged crash, since February when I got covid.

How are you liking it overall?

I paid for 1 month at first, then I liked it enough to subscribe for a year. I like the energy saving-focused features, but I wish it did it all like sleep, o2, etc. It is a good complement, to my Garmin VivoActive and maybe the missing piece to give me a better overall assessment of my condition. The armband is more conspicuous than a watch or ring, but seems comfortable enough. Just like with the watches, I switch arms almost everyday, since I get rashes easily from bands of any kind. The best use if the app is when tou tag your activities throught the day and then eventually compile enough datapoints to have some insights.

Here's an example: