Fitbit Force underwent a voluntary recalled because some people experienced a rash at the wear site (wrist). I was very upset that the Force was no longer for sale, and was very sympathetic to those who regretted their voluntary surrender and replaced the Force with a Flex or something else.
I have been wearing the Flex constantly since May 7, 2014. I love it! It has certainly improved my views on some things, incentivized me to be more active, and made me more aware of what I was already doing or not doing and how far I have come.
However, quite recently, it has been causing me trouble. Suddenly, I started getting this itchy bumps on my wrist, right where the Flex sits. I would move the Flex to relief the discomfort and more bumps would appear. Now, I figured that my Flex band had become contaminated with some sort of bacteria. Let’s face it, it gets wet and sweaty and it holds some moisture at times; it can happen.
However, I clean my Flex and its band everyday, sometimes more than once. Once a week, I also disinfect it with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol. So, when the bumps spread because I move the Flex a bit over, I took it off, cleaned it thoroughly, rubbed it and my wrist down with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol, let it dry, and put it back on, on a looser setting. That, however, did not work at all. Plan B: Replace the band altogether. Voilà! Problem fixed, temporarily. Obviously the band is not anti-microbial; even if it were, a very active user would probably have the same problem, assuming that the band lasts long enough without breaking for it to get to this point.
In any case, I replaced my Small band for the Large band, and the itching stopped. Of course, I still have the bumps, but I except those to heal and disappear in a few days. Now, I am looking for an alternative band for daily, non-active wear. Tory Burch put out the Fitbit line, but (1) one it’s ridiculously expensive (like everything else under that name) and (2) it does not offer any variety. So, I have been looking around and found some interesting and plausible choices at Etsy.com. The hardest part is finding something that is not silicone (and definitely not LATEX) which looks reasonable enough to wear to work. The black band has been alright so far, though it does look a bit out of place next to my ESQ watch.
Until I find something that I would like to wear while not exercising, or design something myself, I will probably be replacing my Flex band every couple of months to avoid this problem.