Another year and more fitness bands to review, or that’s how it seems. The truth is, I did not plan on doing another fitness band review anytime soon. I bought a Misfit Flash on sale to replace my now defunct Nike FuelBand and since Julie had reviewed its older sibling the Misfit Shine, I didn’t give it a second thought, besides I figured the Flash would be a get by device until the iWatch comes out. To my surprise I actually like the Flash more than I thought I would, so here comes my review of the Misfit Flash activity tracker.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
First off let me apologize for some of the pictures right off the bat. Since I did not intend to review the Misfit Flash, I did not take the usual precautions and pictures before I opened and used the Flash. Some of you may know about Misfit, they produced a successful crowed funded project called the Shine. The Shine is the sleeker metal big brother as it were to the Flash. Made of metal, the Shine is about two to four times as expensive as the newer Flash depending on where you buy it.
The Flash comes with the following:
- Misfit Flash
- Clasp
- Sports band
- Users manual
The Flash itself has the following features as listed on the website:
- MATERIAL: TPU/Polycarbonate
- CHARGING: None
- DISPLAY: LED
- BATTERY: CR2032 coin cell
- BATTERY LIFE: Up to 6 months
- WATERPROOF: 30 m
- WATCH FUNCTION: Yes
- DIMENSIONS: 28.5 x 8.0 x 28.5 mm (WxDxH)
- WEIGHT: 6.0 g
- SENSOR: 3-axis accelerometer
- SYNC METHOD: Bluetooth 4.1 / BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)
- MEASURES: Steps, Calories Burned, Distance and Sleep Quality and Duration
The top of the Flash has the visual readout featuring 12 LEDs around the face telling you how far you have progressed towards your daily goal and also the time. To accomplish this you simply press the top of the Flash.
The side of the Flash is smooth except for the groove at the bottom.
The bottom of the Flash has the Misfit logo on it.
Like other fitness trackers today, a key component is the software package included with the product and the Flash is no exception. Tracking such things as calories, steps and distance you have traveled, the software package is very complete. The basic setup is as simple as answering a few questions, setting your goals and off you go. Two additional feature that the software has are the ability to track your sleep and the ability to synch with other fitness software such as MyFitness pal and apples on fitness app.
The sleep tracking feature not only tracks how long you sleep but how much restful sleep you have gotten. I will say I have tried this feature on myself and my other half and it is amazing how we differ in our sleep patterns and how accurate it seems to be.
Synching the Misfit app with other fitness apps was accomplished with varying degrees of difficulty. While some apps like My Fitness Pal synced quickly, the Apple health app took some fiddling with. I also noticed that using my iPhone to sync the apps worked better than my iPad.
The Flash comes with two accessories, the Clip and the Sports Band. The Clip appears to be made of fairly rigid molded plastic. The clip is just that, a clip, designed to attach to your clothing at various locations; this is great for cyclist. The Sports Bandis a rigid plastic holder with rubber straps. This is the only disappointment I have with this whole product, the plastic on the band is so brittle it cracked (as seen by the above picture) with normal use. In my opinion the design of the Sports Band and to some degree, the Clip, are a little flawed. Neither truly lock the Flash into place. The Clip’s design holds the Flash in place, but the Sports Band could allow the flash to fall out of the back when removed from your wrist.
So, why isn’t this the best fitness band on the market today? I think, and this was pointed out by Julie in her review of the Shine, the user interface is not as flashy or sexy as other devices. The fact that you need to have a second device to get the information about colories and steps make it kind of a turn off for some.
What’s my bottom line here? Well, for me, the Misfit Flash is a winner. The fact that I can wear the Flash 24/7 without having to worry about charging the battery, which is rated to last up to six months, it is a major plus. The flexibility in how you wear the Flash is another great feature. Although the Flash is made of plastic, I have not had any issue with its durability or resilience. The one issue I have with the Flash is not the Flash itself but the accessories. The fact that the Sports Band cracked and was unusable is a major flaw. All of this would not be too bad if Misfit had other more reliable bands available or even a replacement band for the Flash. Regardless of the Sports Band issue, I still like the Misfit Flash and with prices ranging between $24.99 and $49.99 I could possibly live with Sports Band’s short comings. That being said, I did return my Flash and ordered a Misfit Shine.
Source: This product was purchased by me with my own funds. Visit Misfit for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $29.99 to $49.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Misfit |
| Retailer: | Various |
| Requirements: |
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Good Review!
Umm. I’m a little concerned that the device sync’s better to APPs loaded on you iPhone than your iPad.
As an iPod owner, I am beginning to see devices that apps that are incompatible with iPods. That’s just lazy programming. But indicative that the iPOD (and iPad) are not worth the extra effort.
This is a troubling situation. I wish Apple would reaffirm it’s support for these devices. There are folks like me who prefer an iPod Touch to a smart phone. I really don’t want to be forced into the extra cost of an iPhone because APP developers do not feel compelled to make sure their products interface with iPADs and iPODs, not just iPhones.
@Jane P. The main app for the Misfit Flash works ok with the iPad, it was syncing to other outside apps that caused the issue. The misfit app is designed as an iPhone app, they do not seem to have an iPad version.
I obtained a second-hand Flash ($20 sans band and clip) after my better half got a Shine for both herself and her mother. Her mother has an older Android phone and claims that she had nothing but trouble with her Shine. Misfit sent me a band and clip for free. I recently obtained a Charge and a Charge HR in very short order. Fitbit replaced my secondhand Charge for free because I was willing to pay for the repair. At one point, I was wearing both the Flash and Charge/Charge HR on opposite wrists. The Flash is now on the clip. The Charge HR requires a less-than-weekly recharge (with a too-short cable) while the Flash’s battery is only 1/2 empty after months of wear. I can wear the Flash while washing the car, watering the plants, etc. The Charge/Charge HR can resist mild to moderate sweating. The Flash also feeds into the Apple Health app whereas I have to use Walgreen’s app for the Charge. One downside to both is the reliance upon the app to gauge remaining battery life.
I like the flash. My complaint is the same one…the band breaks so easily. I used the clip once the band broke, but the clip has now broken too. I just carry it around in my pocket now.
I have the Flash. It seem to work fine one day, but won’t synch the next. I tried resetting my iPhone and reinstalling the MisFit App and still no joy. When it synchs properly it’s great, but this temperamental behaviour is starting to annoy/disappoint.
I have owned THREE Misfit Flash units. The FIRST and THIRD units worked for less than TWO months, and then would not restart following insertion of a new battery! The second unit was a replacement for the first unit, and worked for about eight months. So actually went through 2-3 batteries before not restarting upon insertion of a new battery!!! I do like the information the unit provides, but their service level is far below that which I will continue using such units. I never swam with any of the units and I always play tennis with the unit on my left arm, thus they have never been subjected to severe conditions!
I’ve been using the device for almost one year now (bought mine in August 2015). After initial teething trouble it works rather well. The only criticism is the clip which breaks periodically. I had good support from the manufacturer and they sent me replacement clips. I have worn mine when swimming and it’s even gone in the washing machine and come out working. For the price paid it’s actually a very good product.
Misfit will send you a new clip if you tell them the other one broke?? I know they send me batteries. If that is the case, how do you go about contacting them?
I just e-mailed them with feedback and mentioned the clip as being the major weak point. I also raised the problem of not being able to buy new clips from them (they were not listed on their website). So far I’ve found their after sales service to be first rate.
Thanks. I didn’t see the clips either when I looked. I’ll give it a try.