Fitbit claims that only about 2% of the people who purchased its best-selling Force wearable fitness tracker experienced skin reactions, some of them extremely painful, itchy, or unpleasant. We don’t know yet what proportion of buyers of the company’s new Charge wristbands have complained of skin irritation, but we now know that it’s more than zero: including a reviewer for Yahoo Tech who otherwise liked the device.
The Force, as you may remember, was officially recalled in March of 2014, and taken off the market and recalled by the company before that. Unfortunately, keeping anything close to your skin, from a piece of jewelry to an iPad, can cause rashes if your body is sensitive to it. Sensitivities or allergies can develop even if you’ve been using an item for some time, but a few users reported immediate problems.
This includes Yahoo’s Alyssa Bereznak, who reported that the tracker was always a bit itchy, and she developed a noticeable rash that went away if she simply took the device off. If it weren’t for the rash, she liked the tracker, which did everything that it was supposed to. It’s just not very attractive: “It resembles an ankle monitor given to a criminal on probation,” she wrote. Except more visible. She finds the Jawbone Up to be a more attractive wrist-based tracker, and it doesn’t give her a rash. Double bonus.
Bereznak isn’t alone: other customers have reported minor rashes to the Fitbit user forums and on social media.
The Charge replaces the recalled Force, and is supposed to be made of better, less rash-inducing materials. As with the earlier product, the company will accept returns from customers who suffer rashes, and they also offer wearing and cleaning tips to help keep customers from itching.
Have you been suffering an itchy wrist since buying one of Fitbit’s new-generation trackers? If so, you know where to find us.
Reviewed: The Fitbit Charge Is Effective but Irritated My Skin [Yahoo]
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist