Because every man needs gear, and no man likes comparison shopping, we present That’ll Hunt: a series that reveals the best tools, gadgets or sundries for the job.
Chances are, within the next two months, you’re going to have an occasion to be outside without a shirt on.
In the spirit of preparation, we humbly suggest you buy a fitness tracker — i.e., those wearable bands that ostensibly help you lose weight.
But which one? We rounded up several different models to find the best. Time to get a move on.
MIO Alpha
A durable and EKG-accurate, real-time heart rate monitor that doesn’t require a chest strap, the Mio lets you program your target upper- and lower-heart rate limits to stay in your preferred training range.
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About the size of a pack of Listerine Breath Strips, the Withings can be clipped anywhere and records metrics for walking, climbing steps or running (but not biking). Bonus: of all the fitness trackers reviewed, it’s lowest in price ($100).
Misfit Shine
About the size of a quarter, the Shine marks your progress via a series of 12 miniature LED lights and doesn’t require re-charging. Downside: double-tapping the device for progress reports was spotty, especially in cold weather.
Reign works as both a detailed sleep tracker (including suggested resting periods or optimal workout times) and multidisciplinary activity monitor (it can tell when you’re swimming, walking or cycling). We got a little time with it last week, and first impression: it’s a new benchmark. You’ll just need to wait until summer to try it.
Interestingly, the clunkiest of the trackers proved to be the friendliest (maybe that’s why Intel bought it yesterday). While it’s not waterproof and looks a bit like an ’80s calculator watch, the Carbon Steel is accurate and sturdy on the wrist. During our workouts, it tracked a few unique indicators (like skin temp and perspiration). Plus, it was highly intuitive: there was only a one-minute learning curve from opening the box to getting started in full. Bonus: the “habit points” you earn to unlock more training plans should be familiar to any Call of Duty/Halo player.
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