I have had the Misfit Flash for six months now. I'm a guy and had no intention of wearing a fitness tracker on my wrist all of the time. I didn't want to join the legion of those who do as it seemed a bit trendy to me (no offense intended for those who do; personal preference). That led me away from the FitBits and such. I didn't want an expensive smart watch, either. A co-worker told me about the Misfit Flash. After some research, I decided this was what I was looking for since I could A) inconspicuously wear it on my belt during the day with the clip B) wear it on my wrist in the evening while at home C) it doesn't require pesky charging and D) it only costs a fraction of what most fitness trackers cost.

After six months of everyday usage I am thoroughly satisfied with the Misfit Flash. I have already gotten more out of it than I've invested. That is the definition of value to me. If your goal is to be conscientious of your activity, it has accomplished that goal for me without failure. Happily, I haven't had one person ask what the little black thing on my belt was. However, I have voluntarily shared my experience with others when the topic came up in conversation.

It has proven to be accurate regarding my steps and sleep. It has made me conscious of my activity on slow days and motivated me to move more to meet my personal goal of at least 6,000 steps/day. I've always been an active person, but being able to measure my activity has appealed to my brain.

The app is free, user friendly, and bug-free from my experience. Not a bad word to say regarding it.

There are only a few reasons why I didn't rate it five stars. First, there is truth to the reviews that the clips are easily broken. I'm on my fourth clip in six months. The first three broke in those random moments when it might get caught on the seat-belt or you accidentally clip it to your belt AND pants instead of just the belt. However, it is pretty cheap to buy replacements and call it a day. Last thought on the clips --- if you are very careful attaching them and cognizant of their presence when doing things, shouldn't be a major problem. That being said, I have not once had to replace the wrist band. Not quite sure how others have broken them.

Secondly, the batteries do not last six months. This is a very minor thing. The batteries last about 3-4 months. They are dirt cheap to buy. While everyone else is charging their activity trackers consistently, Misfit owners replace the battery once every 3-4 months for about a dollar and 30 seconds of time literally. So, despite not meeting the description, I'd actually still consider this a positive.

I do not waste my time writing many reviews. Only when something really sucks or if it has really exceeded expectation do I bother. The Misfit Flash has exceeded my expectations. If you decide to purchase it, I'd recommend buying extra clips and the 5-pack of batteries. That'll set you back an extra $10.00. But you shouldn't have anything else to worry about for at least a few years.

Bottom line: I strongly recommend the Misfit Flash.

Most cost effective activity monitor available. I purchased original on sale at a local store. After a couple trips through the washer and dryer (doh!) it quit working. It put up a heck of a fight, though. It did not go down the first few times. I found a replacement and ordered it right away because I've found this device indispensable. Note: This is not the tracker for the avid exerciser that wants accuracy in tracking workouts. The Flash has no heart rate monitor or GPS. It does do a fair job of tracking my daily activity for direct comparison from day-to-day and trending. Since it doesn't monitor intensity very well it's more of a general activity tracker. If that works for you then I think this device is a perfect combination of price and functionality.

I have a tendency to not get enough sleep. By setting my goals for sleep and activity in the interface the Flash encourages me to do better. It's worked. I find myself going to bed earlier just so I can see how productive I am the next day. Healthy activity and sleep have resulted in better productivity (a self-measured outcome). The Flash is doing what I hoped it would.

FYI: After I ordered the replacement Flash my existing unit dried out and started working again. And (in a separate mishap) a 6-foot drop that caused it to quit was solved by reseating the battery. This is a tough little device.

Update 5/24
After swimming only at the surface for around 45 minutes, the Flash started giving me the wrong time and a day later it stopped working entirely. I have read somewhere that this happens and it will work again in a day or two, so I will see how it works then...definitely not waterproof to 30m like it says on the box.

This fitness tracker is quite fantastic. For only $20, you really get all the basic qualities. If you're expecting a fitbit, you should actually get a fitbit, not this. However, this tracker tracks steps, recognizes a few specific activities, is an "estimated" watch, and is waterproof. I've tested it out by not only showering with it on, but I have also jumped into the pool with it a few times for swimming and no adverse effects at all. The band fits well, although I will say the piece can be pushed out fairly easily so you will want a snug fit to avoid losing it. The app is very simple, tracks steps, activities, and even sleep. I can't really tell how accurate it is, but it seems to be accurate considering it shows more "light sleep" whenever I have dreams compared to when I don't, so I expect it is somewhat accurate. The best part of the watch is never having to charge it. I have a problem with remembering to do things (like taking multivitamins, weighing myself, etc.), but because I can just leave this on all the time, I never have to worry about forgetting it and losing tracked steps or activities.

I just received my Misfit Flash today, and so far I love it! I have a Samsung s4 phone, and with all of the reviews citing issues with the Android app, I was apprehensive enough to by the Flash to try it out, instead of immediately jumping into the Shine 2. From what I have seen so far, I think I would have been safe making the bigger purchase initially, but my 16 year old daughter is excited to inherit my Flash when I upgrade. I was also concerned about the band breaking, especially since it is winter in Iowa, and as a school bus driver, there are lots of opportunities for snagging or breaking the hard plastic frame of the band on something, or having it crack in the cold winter air. I jought myself some peace of mind, temporarily, by taping around with a piece of scotch tape, knowing that that was a very temporary fix. I brainstormed better solutions as I drove my bus this afternoon, and settled on what I think is the most brilliant solution for the weak frame on the band I have seen to date. I went to Walmart this evening, and purchased a $0.97 package of water balloons. I snipped the tip off of one, and also cut off the valve end, leaving a double ended round shape that I slid over the band and around the face. The balloon is sheer enough to let the light shine through, and I really actually like the multi colored pattern on my flash. I feel like it's going to offer quite a bit of protection against breakage and loss, as well as scuffs and scratches. And at less than a dollar for 30 of them, I can change it daily if I want... Although I doubt I will have to.
I will come back and update my review with more details of my user experience after I have had it for a little longer, but I thought that this solution was too good not to share immediately.

Misfit should be ashamed of themselves. Let me first start by saying, I'm a Sr. Systems Engineer with a ton of certs (MCSE, MCDBA, VCP, etc). So, when I see a technical product with low stars, I try to read between the lines and gauge whether the same issues would affect me. This was somewhat one of those cases at first glance. However, upon receiving the item, I realized (after reading the directions), that there's not much to it and nothing you can do to troubleshoot or tweak to deal with any issues. It either works, or it doesn't. Mine did not.

I was able to successfully connect the device via bluetooth to my laptop. However, upon running Misfit's software, I first was first presented with an error that the app can't see the device and to make sure I connected it (it's connected). Upon closing the app and trying again (without doing anything), I'm presented with a different error regarding the serial number not being valid. As far as I know, there's no where to set or tweak the serial number. Please see the attached pics.

After googling around and messing with this thing for a few hours, it immediately went back to Amazon.