Oura Ring Gen 3 In-Depth Review - Worth the Hype? (Compared to Whoop / Garmin)
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- Опубліковано 19 тра 2024
- Oura Ring Gen 3
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Whoop Band 4.0
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Chapters
00:00 - Intro / Overview
01:27 - Purchasing Process / Sizing Kit
03:52 - Colors and Pricing
04:58 - What comes in the box?
05:30 - Setup Process
06:01 - Hardware Overview / Size and Weight
08:16 - Battery Life / Recharge Time
08:50 - Oura Ring App / Health Metrics
09:34 - Activity Tracking Metrics
10:53 - Heart Rate Metrics
11:15 - Readiness Score / Illness Detection
13:04 - Sleep Metrics
14:25 - Explore Tab / Tutorial Videos
15:16 - Accuracy / All Day HR Data
16:25 - Firmware Updates / Upcoming Features
17:25 - Pro's and Con's
19:37 - Oura Ring vs Whoop Band
20:35 - Oura Ring vs Garmin Body Battery
21:55 - Final Thoughts / Worth the hype? - Спорт
The subscription business model is really annoying and that makes me not even considering this company. I will keep wearing my Garmin for now.
I like that it’s not crazy expensive like Whoop but I also wish it didn’t exist at all lol.
Same here, and subscription is expensive for what it does. I have a garmin and wanted something only for sleep.
I would get this but the subscription is a deal breaker. They should provide the analytics free of charge and just keep on improving and coming out with new versions where all you pay is for the ring.
@@RadThings well they gotta pay for dev and support and a 3 or 4 hundred dollar one time purchase will never sustain that.
If they do not evolve the product, then there will be videos about how stale the product is getting.
@@digitalperson108 how fitbit is paying its employees?, they could made 2 years built in the price then no need to pay. That's a better business model maybe
I almost got it but changed my mind due to the monthly subscription. Fitbit is also doing the same thing with their readiness score - first 6 months is free then you have to pay a monthly fee. I like to wear mechanical wrist watches - this would be ideal for people like me so we don’t have to wear another watch/band on the other wrist. 👍🏼
Subscriptions seem to be the way of the future... And I don't like it lol.
@@ChaseTheSummit 100%!
There are some nice hybrid smartwatches, I prefer to use those. They generally have all the necessary features of smartwatches, and has good battery life in addition to being mechanical and looking like normal watches. Unfortunately for some reason the market for them is not that big so the selection isn't that huge. I really don't get the use-case of full-on smartwatches, the battery life is garbage and you already have a phone to do more complicated tasks...
I started with a Fossil HR a few years ago and was pretty happy with it, but using the side buttons to navigate was a bit clunky and their app wasn't that good. I just recently got a Garmin Vivomove 3 and I think it looks better, has more functionality and the app is a lot better, so I'm very happy with that one.
Was considering this, but after watching this - I only learned about the monthly subs. Thanks but no thanks.
If only ppl were willing to sacrifice that 1 day of Starbucks for a tech subscription....seems negligible
Oura has some great features and I agree the app is very intuitive- the features advertised are good but the BIGGEST complaints: cost is way too much, and customer service is horrible. I went through 3 rings in 5 months due to material failure. First failed rig was due to the ring stopped communicating with the app this was due to the ring sensors failing. Second material failure was when the ring would not charge. Third failure occurred when the charging station stopped working. Customer service was very slow to respond (took a week to respond to any email). There was significant delay with replacement units and there Is never anyone to answer any questions for trouble shooting options. For cost and very poor customer service it’s not worth it.
Whoop straps costs more and Apple watch is only for people with iPhone and still costs a lot. It's just the reality these days. If you don't want a good health tracker, just gotta go old school.
(Mentioning here what I mentioned in another video.) I have the same terrible experience. I've been on email threads with them for a month now. Response is either slow, lacking attention to detail (which tells me they don't understand the problem), or provide circuitous communication on troubleshooting instructions. It's big a disappointment. I've only had the ring for 6 months and already have problems. Problems they aren't able to solve. They sent me another ring (probably refurbished) but that one didn't work either. They shouldn't spend so much on marketing at the moment if they cannot take care of their current customers.
I hope that Oura reads this!! Thank you sir I will save my money😂
Thank you for this clear description of this ring. I was on the fence about getting one and your information helped me to forge ahead and get it. 👍
Very thorough review. The Oura Ring is an interesting product but, as others mentioned, the ongoing subscription-based business model would make it a no go for me. I'll stick with my Garmin 945.
Thanks for sharing!
5 dollars is a carton of eggs. A loaf of bread.
I've used Garmin for almost two decades. I used Oura for only a few years, was bullied into upgrading or I'd have to pay the subscription fee...so I shelled out $300 for a ring I didn't need as my previous one worked just fine, and NOW they're charging me for the subscription!! And it doesn't do half of the things they promised (even after a YEAR) that the new ring was capable of. Viva Garmin!
@@RichnessReimaginedChris most people would rather just pay an extra 50 or 100$ instead of being stuck with a monthly bill each month. what if the ring breaks? what if you dont use it for a month? what if you stop using and want to use it again? being stuck in some annoying cost each month regardless of use is god damn annoying.
@@newp0rt annoying monthly costs are the wave of most of these devices as we begin to lose more and more money as a country. I don't see getting out of that. I say pick one though. Right now I've got a Fitbit and I pay monthly.
Thanks for actually providing a real in depth review of the app and functions. It actually took quite a few videos where it was pretty surface level before I found this one. I already placed my order yesterday, I've had this on my radar for awhile (I don't like sleeping or wearing a watch much, it's kind of annoying with how much typing I do for work). I finally decided to pull the trigger to track my health and to help track my autoimmune flare ups and symptoms and when to pull back on training. The subscription was negligible if I can go more than a few months without triggering my illness. Thanks for the great video! 😊
Yes thank you, your video was very helpful.
After scrolling through other videos, I found yours to be of most benefit!
A day away from Christmas, and now I’m feeling more ensured that it’s a good gift for my wife, so thanks for helping with that decision!!
Probably the best review of the oura ring on UA-cam! You gave me all the info I needed to buy it! You have an additional subscriber :)
I’m glad it was helpful!
What a great video. Full of info and so well done. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
I was considering one of these rings because I have worn the same Garmin Vivosmart since 2019, but I don't think the Oura would be an upgrade. The subscription is a deal breaker for me.
Plus, my Garmin is still going strong aside from some minor wear and tear on the straps.
Yes thank you 😊 I am thinking about getting one this Christmas birthday 🥳
Interesting video and review, Dave! Again, correlating the data with your cold is super interesting. Looking forward to your supplement video soon on the accuracy of its metrics. Thanks!!!
Thanks!
I was wondering what your other devices said about the cold, especially the Whoop 4.0 and whether it also gave you a low recovery score.
It's great for people who love watches. Previously I could not wear my nice collection of watches, because I looked stupid with 2 watches, and I needed to track my vitals with an activity monitor watch. Now I can wear my preferred watch and keep monitoring my vitals with Oura.
Solid overview and review. My sizing kit is on its way. Im getting the oura ring for its ability to measure body temp, which can be exported via the API for birth contol/fertility tracking. Apparently oura is looking at integrating this in to a software upgrade. Hope its sooner ratger than later! Cool tech.
Thanks! For sure, the body temp sensor is really interesting I just wish they utilized it more in the app. Hopefully thats coming!
What happens or what does the app show for low body temp?
Awesome full summary of all of it start to finish. Excellent work
Thanks!
Stellar review! Love seeing the different perspectives of the gear I use regularly
Thanks!
Great, objective review. Exactly what I was looking for. Nice work.
I think the sleep is pretty cool and I loved that it also told you to take a nap. That would help me. I am primarily super focused when working and lose track of time and end up sleeping less than needed. I had a boss once that used to say his doc kept telling him to sleep more, but he still couldn't get any sleep. I like that it would adjust to my sleep schedule and I wouldn't feel so alone in thinking I could sleep a little bit less. 4-5 hours tops are good for me.
I love a good watch and the one you have is a beauty! They won't let us wear watches at work though and I'm there fifty hours a week. Doesn't make much of a purchase as a minimalist.
Thank you for the review. Are you still wearing the ring? Have the features been added?
I enjoyed the watch, pun intended. You've got a new subscriber. ttys.
Thank you for this well-rounded review! I just ordered my sizing kit. The sizing kit IS free...however you have to pay the cost of the Oura Ring when you order the sizing kit, just as a heads up to anyone considering ordering the sizing kit you do have to cough up the whole cost for the ring itself. Payment plans are also available through Affirm, which is the option I chose.
I'm interested in this ring for 2 primary reasons.
- I'm very interested in the sleep data and I do not like wearing my apple watch when I sleep + I would have to charge my watch when I'm at my desk job which isn't a big deal but still...charge doesn't last multiple days even if the watch were comfortable to wear while sleeping. The readiness score is also fascinating to me so looking forward to that data, as well.
- I've been an apple watch user for YEARS! I've had one since they were first released and absolutely love it for tracking workouts and pinging my phone when I lose it. The frustrating thing is that I started developing a rash from it about a year ago. First it was from the band so I stopped wearing for a while and got a cloth band. Didn't get the rash in the same spot again with the new band, but I got a rash from the watch itself! Again...took a break and cleaned the watch and my skin before wearing again. No luck. I can't wear the thing for even an hour without getting a rash. I've missed the data...but not the notifications, and I have some coworkers who have an Oura and love it so I'm excited to get health data on a regular basis (hopefully) without a rash.
I like your channel and like your reviews, it’s always to the point
I’ve been interested in the oura ring for a while now, but the price point and subscription model have been hard for me to justify when I already have my garmin. I do think some of the more intuitive data would be great to have, especially when giving more clarity around sickness or related things!! I appreciate this video, more to think about!
Dave, great video! I’ve had the Oura ring Gen 3 since Feb 25, 2022. I think it’s a great device! It’s given me wonderful information on a daily basis, and it has been extremely useful for me as I monitor my health and fitness level. By the way, I’m a 70-year-old geezer.
One drawback: it doesn’t allow me to record manually, and it doesn’t record automatically any workouts that I do between 12 AM and 4 AM. I really do enjoy working out during that time frame, and this is a bummer. This is my only criticism of the device. Overall, I am extremely satisfied.
Oh interesting that it doesnt record activities at night! I wonder why they did that!
If you are so old….
Follow the Oura advice.
Go to bed before 10 pm
@@dennerik36911 Old habits die hard… but I am trying… By the way, 70 but feel like 40…
@@Zane_Zaminsky "70 feel like 40." I think you're awesome🎉😊
@@AvoidsPikes- Thank you, Avoids Pikes! 👍😊
Thank you for the in-depth review - I'm still watching but I immediately caught the recommendation to wear on your index finger. There is no way I would do that personally, so just how much of a reduction in accuracy are we talking about if worn on the regular ring finger? Also, if I understand correctly, the Oura does not actually track steps by itself? So if you go for a run for example but you do not use an Apple watch or any other device, that exercise will not be reflected in the Oura app? So this isn't really an effective step tracker at all? Cheers!
I returned my Oura ring but I actually think Whoop and the Oura ring do a better job than Garmin's body battery. I think it's fine but I would love to see Garmin copy some of Oura/Whoops readiness details. Great review and really glad to hear your opinion on this one.
Thanks for sharing Matt! It's certainly not for everyone and I don't love the subscription nonsense but it's an interesting option for those who hate wearing wrist wearable or those who like mechanical watches but want some sort of wellness data.
@@ChaseTheSummit - I’ve heard from a lot of people who don’t like to sleep with a watch and want something like this as an option. 🤷🏻♂️
Great review! Thank you!
I am reviewing different sport accessories and sport related tech pieces myself in a local internet magazine (runpanel, bikepanel and outpanel). I usually don't buy the reviewed item, but rather get it for a couple of weeks from the importer for the review. I have been following your channel for a several month now and enjoy the thoroughness of your reviews. Really good job there!
As of getting the ring to myself - I would rather not. I prefer my Fenix 7 to be a one-stop-shop for my activities monitoring device though. On the positive side for this ring - it is a good proof for what can be achieved technology-wise and will probably open the door to lot more tiny tech stuff that will inevitably become part of our lives.
For sure, the Oura ring is probably just the beginning for wearables in this segment! Thanks for sharing!
Great review.. even all these months later.. yes, subscription gives me pause.. I would be much more inclined to buy one if they embedded a small but readable digital display of the time... just the time.. obviously is a big design consideration... and people would want more! As they always do!
The second gen Oura was the feedback loop I needed to kickstart a significant shift in lifestyle (eventually leading to ultra running). I loved it and when offered a gen three for $250 including “lifetime” membership, it was a no brainer. I’m looking forward to the updates this summer.
I’m married but hadn’t worn my wedding ring for 16 years before the Oura. My wife didn’t believe I would be able to stand it but I just found the feedback loop too valuable not to wear it. I still can’t stand sleeping with a watch on. I got the Coros Pace 2 because it was a good balance of features I wanted but also super lightweight and trim compared to the monster watches I see fellow ultra runners wear.
Anyway, great review. I understand completely most concern about the business model and the throw away nature of the product. For reference my gen 2 needed to be charged every 4th day after 2-years; down from 7 or 8.
For sure! The Oura Ring and a mechanical or simple GPS watch would make a great combo! I like the idea of the Pace 2 + Oura. You're lucky you got that lifetime subscription! I didn't realize they offered that to existing users. Thanks for sharing!
Is there still a lifetime membership? Can you upgrade rings and still benefit?
@@AlejandroTaylorEscribano I don’t think so. They made it sound like a very limited deal. I even tried to add a second ring for my wife but couldn’t get the membership.
@@copilot1976 that’s unfortunate to hear. I thought about purchasing 1-2 years ago but held off. Started considering purchasing again (gen 3) and the subscription model is really putting me off to the idea.
Except when they take your lifetime membership away and start charging you! That's what they've done to me. And the new ring doesn't do what it was promised to. Beware!
I have so many thoughts on this! It feels as though whichever health tracking ecosystem that you buy into there’s downsides and it’s about picking which you can live with. At the moment I’m in the Garmin camp with a Fenix 6 but right now it’s missing all of my workouts (if I don’t record them as an activity). Yesterday I was doing a big effort on Fulgaz with a 170 HR and my Garmin daily graph never went above 110. This has been happening for around 6 weeks now. Their support people have been useless so I am looking to switch. I find Oura interesting, $6 per month doesn’t scare me but the non-replaceable battery does given it must be tiny and is likely to be junk inside 2 years. Secondly I’d still need a GPS device for when I go running. So there’s Whoop but $30 per month is too much and while the latest gen looks to have improved, it’s still got accuracy issues. Finally there’s the Apple Watch which is tempting but to the best of my knowledge it lacks any of the feedback of Oura/Whoop/Garmin body battery and there’s daily charging. Maybe I should invest in a notepad and pencil because in summary my Garmin is inaccurate and I have issues with all of the alternatives! Thanks for the video
Nice, I'm having the opposite issue with fitbit. It won't record heart rate if I record the activity. But If I do it tends to merge stuff like walking to a treadmill and using the treadmill, invalidating heart rate averages. I'd like something that integrates with other apps ideally; I think Garmin works with runkeeper for example.
They are the WORST company. I've used Garmin and Apple and would highly recommend those two. I have had an ongoing issue and there is no customer support with this company. Go with someone, anyone else!! If you ever have a problem with your Oura product, you're up sh*t creek. I never had this awful of an experience with another company, and I have also used Apple and Garmin. Nobody's perfect, but please stay AWAY from Oura.
I love my oura - the biggest benefit is loading my daily temp into natural cycles. I do love the option to NOT wear a watch some days and still get health metrics. However, when I'm training I DO still want my watch because I like to track rest times, and generally throughout the day I am just *used* to having a watch for basic notifications and the time - so I find myself usually wearing both most days during the day. I also wear my watch for sleep most nights because I use the haptic alarm so I don't wake my partner. If Oura had a haptic alarm, I'd be set. But I'll keep using it so I can get the cycle based data more than anything.
Thanks for the thorough review. I would like the Oura to track sleep because I find even the smallest Garmin to be uncomfortable for sleeping. From your review, it sounds like I would also need a fitness tracker to collect workout data and was hoping the Oura would be able to take the place of a fitness tracker. I would be fine with the monthly fee if I could track my workouts at the same time. So this probably is not for me.
Great review . I was debating whether to have an Oura or whoop as I am training more and and the recovery features looks awesome . however , When you compare the amount of products on the market such as Garmin battery , polar recovery plus which are getting better and better , it's difficult to justify spending the added money on a subscription for a product that does much less that a Garmin .
I agree. The allure to the Oura is really just being a ring instead of a wrist device for folks who wear mechanical watches or just don't like wearables.
What did you get? Having the same debate now.
@@teammfmjamie I have a Garmin Venu sq that does the job.
Thanks for this! I recently switched from Fitbit to Garmin Venu s2. I love the Garmin but for one missing feature: an easy to read HRV. You can get an HRV score by doing a health snapshot but I find this extra step annoying and I often just forget. So I'm interested in getting an Oura ring (in addition to the Garmin) simply due to that feature which feels a bit excessive, especially with the subscription on top of that. The other thing is the SPO2 feature. The Garmin offers this but it really cuts down on the battery. I'm wondering if the Oura ring still has a 7 day charge even with SPO2 tracking on. That feature wasn't available at the time of this video.
Great video - have an Oura Ring 3 and different sports watches. Prefer Oura above all for sleep an recovery. Whats really great with the Oura 3 is the "automatic" workout tracking wich really works great for me and is on par with the manual workouts I track with my Garmin or Suunto
Thanks for sharing! Garmin also has automatic activity tracking with something called "Move IQ" on newer devices!
Are you wearing a watch with your ring for the workout tracking or just the ring?
No I just wear the ring, but you have to have your phone with you if you want GPS tracking
I just recently discovered this ring and your video was perfect timing. Considering getting this for myself for my birthday. I’m going to do summer sales, might help me to monitor sleep and stay productive. I keep hoping for a discount or something though.
A discount would be nice. I haven't seen these on sale yet but if you know someone with Oura you can get a link from them for $50 off. Every Oura user gets 5 coupon codes to share.
@@ChaseTheSummit yeah, I found a referral link online, comes in handy cause of the tax and shipping fees.
So I just got mine. The gold one is a 399 and my FSA paid for it so me paying the monthly membership is not a big deal and they only offer one month free app membership now versus the six months. Thank you so much for this video it was very informational and looking forward to using my Oura ring .
I've had the Oura Gen 3 since launch and have been wearing it for nearly 6 months. Exactly as you said I wear it as I wear a mechanical watch and didn't want to wear two devices on my wrist. Interestingly Circular will be launching next month and I'd like to see how it stacks up against the Oura ring - they have said there will be no subscription model. I joined their kickstarter campaign over a year ago but got fed up of waiting so got the Oura ring instead. So when I finally get the Circular ring looking forward to comparing the two.
Interesting! I'll have to look into Circular.
Only unfortunate aspect of circular is only 2 days really of battery.
@@johnyunger8353 - actually I'm, skeptical whether it is going to ever be released. Still none delivered yet
I wear a Garmin 945, and have just ordered the Oura Gen 3. I like the ring idea. I tried other rings and the rubber irritated my skin. I like the metal design of the Oura similar to my wedding ring. I like that it will give me Pulse Ox data during the day and while sleeping. This is a feature that a lot of activity trackers do not provide, and if they do, the accuracy is not great. I have mild sleep apnea and currently started using a CPAP machine to get better sleep. The Oura seems like it will help me track my sleep better. I will have Garmin data and Oura data to compare. Thank you for this great review of the Oura ring
How has it helped since you started wearing it? Asking since your comment is 1-2 months old at this point lol
Had a Garmin forever (which I'll still use for workouts) but want something more discreet and something I will feel comfortable wearing when I sleep. Looking forward to getting my Oura ring--wearing the sizer now
Nice! Hope this works for you.
Great review! I'll stick with my Fenix because I am not a ring person or a subscription-model person. I am also not a math person but it would be interesting to learn how you go about downloading and comparing data for the devices you review, even though as you mentioned, it is not possible with the Oura at present.
No single gadget on the wrist won’t be able to provide you with accurate data and information like individual gold standards, and to be honest; Whoop isn’t perfect either.
Garmin uses stress level, which uses HRV and other data to give you an overall daytime body battery or readiness. But note that its sleep accuracy is terrible and won’t be able to provide you with the body battery accuracy from sleep data. And also, it’s known that its wrist-based heart rate isn’t reasonable for either Apple or Mi, and Whoop wins on that one.
Garmin, in the end, is pretty good if you already have it.
I have tried Fitbit Charger 5 with a subscription and Garmin Epix 2. Both of them were insightful but not independently functional. I had to make any judgment based on what I felt too. But I use them both as I sleep with Fitbit and not with Epix 2. But I am going to replace Fitbit with Whoop as it has a better heart rate sensors and knows what to do with the data than anyone in the market.
@@awesomebrotherhood7698 I'm really curious what device I should choose for sleep data, any suggestions
@@hitchens1959 Depends. Personally I would go with this one. I can't sleep with a wristwatch on at all, just not going to happen. I've heard that the whoop is also so light that you can forget that it is on.
For sleep tracking that is my number one thing I look at. If it's a watch with any weight, I ain't sleeping with it on.
So probably this or whoop.
Great video as always. I have been looking forward to your review of this device as I had considered buying it for the sleep data. Instead, I purchased the SleepOn device. Wondering if you have ever heard of it and, if so, what your thoughts were of it. Thanks.
I haven't tried SleepOn but I've heard of it. Let us know what you think!
Just ordered horizon gen 3 - excited to try it. I cant wear a watch to sleep so i hope this does the trick. Viewer from singapore 😅
Yeah, that's why I got an Oura too. Less effort than smart watches, no need to change band colors or anything. Plus it's more comfortable to wear in your sleep than the smart watches/bands. Might be good to protect it with an OSleeve too!
I got one early this year. I love the data it provides and find it easy to live with. I just replaced my wedding ring, so don’t wear mine on the index. My index finger enlarges when I grip or make a fist, so I couldn’t make any one ring size work. I hate subscriptions but I guess I’ll live with this one.
Thanks for sharing!
I see this is an older comment, but I am considering ordering the size for my middle finger instead of the index finger. I have the same comfort issues as you do. Did you find the accuracy to match up to expectations? Comfort is super important, but for the price, I want to make sure it works.
Thanks
@@ashleywilford1100 I guess I mostly trust what it tells me. I get different results for the different aspects of my sleep that I do from my COROS Alex Pro that I also wear all the time. But I expect Oura to be more accurate than that. I have had some nights where I know I have had a bad night’s sleep and wakened a couple of times, but Oura has not picked it up, but feel that’s rare.
I have had my Oura Gen 3 for about 3 weeks. I also have a Garmin FR 945 but I don't wear it to bed so I was mainly looking for the Oura for sleep tracking. I would say I'm slightly underwhelmed by the ring. In terms of sleep tracking and HRV, I do really like it and the data seems accurate and useful. I certainly don't need or use it for activity tracking or even just daily movement, the Garmin shines there. To me the data from the Oura doesn't seem to be dynamic enough, meaning I haven't found that it changes throughout the day. For example, Garmin's body battery constantly adjusts throughout the day - I go on a 10 mile run, it drops. I sit on the couch for 2 hours, it goes up. With Oura it just seems to give me a readiness score at the start of the day and that's it. For the sleep metrics, is it enough for me to keep it and pay the $6 monthly fee once the time comes? I'm not sure yet, maybe or maybe I will just learn as much as I can about sleep tracking, quality and how to improve my sleep, using the data from the ring, over the next few months and then implement those changes without needing to rely on the ring going forward.
Thanks for sharing your experience. You're right in that the readiness score doesn't seem to move during the day. It seems more like a tool to get an idea of your day in the morning?
@@ChaseTheSummit I agree. It is an interesting metric, both to see what affects it and to see how it fluctuates from day to day. I am probably not the user group that Oura is going for though because I tend to stick to a training plan regardless of how I slept, etc (except for injury). My readiness score doesn't dictate how far I run each day
Thanks for identifying this key point. I think that the beauty of the body battery is the dynamic movement throughout the day. I know that I should get work done and go straight to bed if my battery is less than 15-20.
I also want to point out that although the body battery can overshoot I the morning, it will drop faster within a few hours to a reasonably accurate metric (in comparison to whoop as a baseline).
So I was fortunate enough that the organization that I work for gave us an Oura Ring to wear for a couple years in order to collect human performance and recovery data (we signed a consent to monitor agreement if we wanted in on the program). We were issued Gen 2's and then when the Gen 3's went live I was able to send mine in for a free upgrade and along with that came a lifetime subscription. This was kinda like the early days with Whoop were you could get a lifetime subscription. When I left that organization I turned the ring back in but still have the lifetime membership account. I normally wear a Garmin Tactix 7 as my daily and have used a variety of Garmin watches for many years, but also have a number of nice analog watches that I love but don't wear that much because I love the health data from the Garmin. I recently ordered a Gen 3 ring to fill that gap that will allow me to wear the more traditional watches and still get health data when not wearing my Garmin. I think the ring fits nicely in that niche.
Videos like these are good because they confirm that my Garmin 55 is good enough
I use Oura ring the 2nd generation for 2 years. The battery is still working good and really enjoy the feta that I get to optimaiz my sleep recovery drinking and eating and so on. Guy from Israel
Cool! thanks for sharing!
nice video. I'm debating between the oura horizon (truly round model) and the standard fitbit. Fitbit can do almost everything the oura can do for 1/3 the price. things pushing me toward oura: more accurate sleep related items, the sleek look, and for me...less likely to get damaged.
Gen2 could track your heart rate only while sleeping. The rest of the tracking such as calories was with the gyroscope. Gen2 was an activity tracker but NOT for workouts. Gen2 couldn't track you as you move during the day. The Gen3 maybe has a better battery and new set of sensors (the old had infared heart rate monitor, the new is using green/red leds). Gen3 ring is OURA's effort to tap into the workout market.
I remember myself not seeing any gains, stamina or strength. Most of the times I was in a catabolic state, despite the fact that I felt okay. OURA helped me develop good sleep habits and improved my relationship with working out.
I would suggest to see this ring not as a workout tracker, rather as a recovery tool. I remember myself when I was down with COVID that the ring was able to warn me before I could even test positive. I think also that the accuracy of the ring was used in a COVID study. I used to have a garmin watch but I discovered that the sleep tracking was not as accurate as the Gen2 (at the time). For this reason I bought the Gen3 and I track workouts with a proper HR band.
Thanks for sharing! Yes, this is absolutely more about recovery than tracking your workouts but there seems to be more workout features coming in firmware releases down the road.
Thank you for the review! Decided to dump my remaining FSA funds into an Oura ring before they expired. Hope to love it!
My friend & I just discussed this on Friday and she said basically the subscription model was the thing combined with the expensive buy-in that repelled her off this. And we are Finnish, so even biased towards Finnish tech 😅 But then again, we have also Polar & Suunto to choose from 😁
Tough choice! Polar and Suunto are great as well.
Great review. Like many, I can't do the subscription. Wished I had bought when I first heard of it years ago. Hopefully Apple adds HRV metrics/readiness to the Watch (it measures basic HRV already).
Was absolutely about to buy the ring. Thanks for the video. This info surely helped me make my decision because I am not buying a ring with a subscription. That subscription can and will change at any time. Also I wanted it as a wedding band and it isn't even recommended for use on that finger.
This was helpful, thanks! I'm considering the Oura ring because I dont think I'll be able to sleep with a watch on, but I would like to have a workout tracker too. Probably a Garmin. Maybe I'll have to get both. Hmm, it's getting expensive!
Great review. Really hard to recommend this until the new features come out, which are already with competitor products. Poor form of Oura to force existing customers to upgrade then delay new features.
Email I got from Oura says only the exercise tracking comes June. The O2 and updated sleep score comes later in year.
I'm looking forward to seeing what firmware brings down the road. Fingers crossed!
Thank you for the information on the ring I don't think I will be getting 1 I have an apple watch currently and it works just fine for me thanks again
I've worn Oura 2 for almost two years and was a cheerleader for them until they released the 3 & added a subscription. I get a lifetime free subscription 'as an early adopter' (but only because I agreed to buy a 3 which was kind of blackmail really). I haven't used my 3 yet because my 2 works fine still. The battery has gone from 7 days use down to 3-4 so you can expect 3-4 years of use , I guess, but I suspect tracking exercise and blood oxygen will hit the battery harder, when they're available. I have to commend you on your review because you pretty much picked out what I love and hate about it. It's a great sleep/recovery tracker - better than my Fenix 6 - but it was never meant to compete against Garmin for exercise and I think they're making a mistake at corporate level by attempting to do so. I could never recommend this with a subscription; just buy a Garmin. Body battery is good enough and better than $6/month. Oura should be a one off payment and I won't recommend it anymore unless it returns to that model.
I tend to agree with your thoughts. Though, I've been really enjoying wearing the Oura the price of entry + a subscription is hard to swallow. I think both Oura and Whoop are going to be in trouble if Garmin ever releases a "wellness band" at an affordable price with no subscription. That might push the whole industry. Then again, it seems everything is a subscription these days 😞
the best thing about the ring is that you can put air plane mode on :) its not constantly transmiting and causing discomfort. i had a fit bit before and it got really unfomfortable. my skin got raw and swollen, my wrist bones feelt like it hurt after a while x.X even when taking breaks. not sure how thats possible but its what i experienced
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
EMF is a concern for me too. Oura website states it is low-EMF. I hope so bc I ordered one.
Great review! Very in-depth as expected. Thanks :). Though regarding the 6 month free trial membership, how does it activate? Do they give you a special code or something?
Activation starts as soon as you create an account and pair the ring.
I love my Garmin but I actually bought a gen 3 for the temperature tracking. It pairs with my period app to predict my fertile days and also tell me what stage of my cycle I’m in. For female athletes who want to train to their cycles or just for women who are trying to get pregnant, this might be a game changer.
For sure! Some of the new Garmin watches like the Venu 3 and Epix Pro have gotten a skin temperature sensor but I don't think it's being used for cycle tracking yet. I can assume that will come eventually though.
That’s good to know thank you
Very thorough review. What I'd be interested to know is what happens if you don't take a subscription after those 6 months? Will the ring be worthless without it or will you just miss out on some of the features but still have access to the general data? I really love the product and would totally buy it but like many others, subscriptions are a huge nono for me..
The ring still works without a subscription. However, you're limited to the basic "summary" page within the app which displays high level scores and doesn't allow you to deep dive into anything.
They lost me at subscription
I have a history of sleep apnea. I can see this ring helping me track my sleep throughout the night.
It should detect how often you're waking, or losing deep/REM sleep. Your HRV might also be effected by it.
Any idea how much the accuracy would be affected by wearing the ring on the middle finger instead of index? I'm currently wearing the sizers and don't hate it on my index, but I much prefer it on the middle. I wear a different size on each finger and need to choose before I can order.
Also, as a recreational runner and working mom of 4, I think the $6 subscription will be worthwhile. I cannot stand anything on my wrist and currently don't track anything. Hopefully the simplicity of a ring will allow me to finally wear a tracker.
Thanks for your review.
Great video, really considering my options here
I hate wearing watches so I think this is a good alternative
How is the ring when lifting weights? Do you notice it much?
As someone who has an oura ring and a Garmin Instinct solar 2 I find the Oura ring readiness score to be much better than Garmin. Garmin sleep tracking is honestly kinda crap in comparison to Oura. Accurate Sleep tracking is really important for your readiness. Oura lined up a lot more with my sleep. In my experience, Oura is much better for tracking sleep and overall how you are feeling. Don't expect it to be a fitness tracker though.
Thanks for sharing!
The Oura ring is also great for those who like wearing traditional wristwatches as well. Also, If you need to dress up and don't like the way big huge fitness trackers look, the Oura is an excellent option for tracking your overall activity and readiness. Just think big picture data vs. digging into the details of a workout
You have to take it off when doing ANY sport that requires grip - this makes it absolutely useless for the gym, mountain biking, road biking, bike packing, climbing etc. The temp monitoring is also garbage, and if you don't believe me go and pop over to the sub-reddit where it's giving "optimal" scores to people with Covid who have a fever. The general consensus from the community is that it's a borderline scam with false advertising and non-existent customer support. Their HRV monitoring is a joke.
A thorough review, well done.
Jay,
I have the Gen. 3 Ōura ring, I like it a lot. I was lucky and got grandfathered in on the subscription plan. I almost exclusively use the ring for sleep tracking. I use my Apple Watch for all the rest of my activities. I’ll throw the ring on at bed time take it off after I check my Ōura app for the previous day’s metrics. Like the way the ring software works seamlessly with the health app to fill in all of sleep data on the watch , since I don’t like were my watch to bed. The app for Ōura is really detailed and has helped me look at my health habits (sleep,exercise and eating) and making some adjustments,even though I get scolded more than I get praised sometimes . When I had Covid the body temperature metric was spot on. I also like the rest mode feature wish they had that for the apple fitness app. The only gripe I have is in the readiness section “The Previous Day Activity” is not recorded from my Apple Watch to the Ōura ring app. I wrote the company a letter they said they fixed the problem but it still doesn’t work. I thought maybe it only works with the ring sensor but I often put the ring on a couple of hours before bed you would think I would record some activity especially if I take the dog for a walk.
I am currently using the whoop 4.0, I have been with whoop for about 2 years. I just ordered the oura ring to see if I like the minimalism of it more than the whoop.
Hope you like it!
Great review and really nice device. Thanks you.
I just bought one with my flexible spending account, it covered the cost of the ring, and it also covers the $5.99 monthly subscription. Health is my number one priority, so I would still pay the $6 a month regardless, because the information it provides is so expansive.
I am purchasing to monitor sleep and general health and exercise. What interests me is that I can wear it while working as a health therapist and to bed which I currently need to remove my watch for hands-on work. Sleep is important and my main motivation is to monitor along with heart rate and blood oxygen.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for the review.
I almost bought it, but i changed my mind because of subscription model. :(
I’ve been waiting for this one from you. This device had me so excited until I started watching all the reviews…
I really like the design and I think the ring looks nice (though my wife would never let me replace my wedding band, this would have to go on another finger). I have a Garmin Epix gen 2, so like you said, the additional information from Oura is harder to justify other than for pure geekdom and stats tracking comparison. Maybe one day.
For sure. It’s sort of redundant to have a Garmin and OURA but it does paint a pretty solid picture of your general wellness on a daily basis!
@@ChaseTheSummit Thanks for your honest review of the device.
How is the sleep tracking on epix 2 . Mine is very bad and due to which body battery has become useless.
@@hk6926 My forerunner 945 has better sleep tracking than my epix2, in my humble opinion.
@@eriktred exactly I don't understand this . I had a 250 USD venu 2plus that was very accurate and my 1000 USD watch is not . I am dumfounded 😑
It would be great if Garmin made an ANT+ ring sensor for sleep purposes. I am still on an old Garmin 620 watch without sleep info, but I have my doubts if I would wear a watch each night just to get sleep data. I've been eyeballing the 945 though....
That would be super interesting. I'm still waiting for Garmin to enter the "wellness only" game with a more whoop-band-like design that only does sleep / body battery metrics at a cheap price.
I’m really looking forward to getting my ōura ring. It is sleep focused and I really need help with that.
I have them both. Oura Ring 3 and Fenix 7X. I never ever look at the Oura app. Whenever I open it, it starts syncing and I lose interest until it got all the data. With the Fenix I see everything I need (my readiness score) in the watch itself. My 6 'free' months are coming to an end and I don't plan to renew my oura subscription.
Love your channel, thanks for the great work.
Question: how was your body battery affected after the baby? Haha my wife will give birth in September, worried about my sleep hahaha
Congrats! You’ll certainly take a hit in the sleep department. Fortunately it’s temporary… kinda lol. Good luck!
Been on the fence with this. Circular and several other challengers coming to market.
I'll keep an eye on those!
Many people deal with Bradycardia during sleep which is very dangerous. They should have a setting where your phone will wage you up if your RHR droops below a certain BPM. I think anything below 48 is dangerous unless you are a runner or a trained athlete. I sure hope they look in to this. It seems like an easy offering. Your thoughts ?
And thank you so much for your review 🙏
That would be interesting but I think they'd need to classify this as a medical device for that sort of feature which is hard to get approved.
great review! same as some of the other commenters, I'll stick to my Fenix, can't be bothered to add another subscription to my monthly list :).
It doesn't add anything extra, it's just a bit diferent, and maybe a bit nicer, who knows?
Thanks for sharing! Using Garmin Body Battery / Sleep is pretty similar... and best of all it's free! (kinda)
I am definitely interested in the Oura ring, since I can't sleep with anything on my wrist, but a ring is no problem. The only thing putting me off is the monthly subscription and the current price range.
I think a lot of people fall into that category. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, first of all thanks for the review. Does it record heart rate variability during the day? even when you're moving? I know the apple watch only records when not moving. Thanks!
Good review. 9 months later, how's the battery? Dead yet? Does it slow down at all or glitch or when the time comes do you think it just dies?
3 months ago, I would have never actually bought one of these. The old purchasing process seemed like it took forever and was a huge annoyance. I mean having to order their sizing kit and wait for it to arrive and then use the sizing kit for a few days and then order the actual ring and wait some more for that to arrive. It sounded like a big hassle and it completely made me lose interest in the product for a while.
But I just heard recently that they partnered up with Best Buy to make it possible to size and purchase the ring in stores. So, now I am considering actually getting it.
10/23/22
Contemplating but on the fence. Love the detailed information, analysis, finish, unobtrusiveness of the ring format vs. a watch. Don't like the subscription. Not only do I not want companies having my personal data, I also don't want to have to place my trust in companies not abusing/selling it, anonymized or not. Think about it: they can't violate your trust if they create a platform where you don't need to ever give it *to* them in the first place.
I'm torn about buying one. I would like to see the metrics and see what effects me and what to do to improve. However, due to work commitments I have to train my hard days (running mainly) on specific days, so if it says I'm not great that day then I can't move it to another day so in terms of would it change my fitness routine..... Probably not. Would it POSSIBLY change a few things that might improve my overall HRV? Maybe. I'm not sure. What do you think?
That's tough. If you can't change your schedule then I'm not sure how much value it would add. Honestly, I'd keep doing what you're doing. Working out is always better than not doing it at all!
That subscription model is a never-ending milking scheme I am not comfortable with. I am stucked with Adobe because of my work. Now in August 2023 Oura only give 1-month free!
@ChaseTheSummit are you still using it? I am so on the fence I have my Epix 2 Pro on my wrist all the time. I can get a ring 1/2 price not liking the month supscription but when it comes the the Wellnes side does it still offer more than Garmin does?
How things change - Recently looked into this as a gift for my wife, but they only offer the first month free now.
What happens when you wear the Oura ring with the Apple Watch. Will the two biometric data add up and create confusion (ex. Double the steps, distance or hartbeat)? if not, what data will be kept or counted.
Dave what do you think about purchasing the Oura ring purely for tracking sleep, is that an option? Or do you have to wear it all day
You could certainly do that but if you're not wearing it all day the "readiness score" and "activity" data will be useless since the ring won't know what you've done all day.
Thank you for making this. I was thinking of getting it and was doing some research lol....and found your video. Will not be getting it, I'll stay with my Garmin.
Awesome Video, how long does it take to get the sizing kit? I think I want to purchase one
Mine came pretty quick. I want to say 2-3 days?
Important thing to add... You can completely turn off all radiation from the ring while it keeps measuring. Important at night. Such function normally only exists with devices that have buttons to turn on in-flight mode (watches). You need the charger to "wake up" the ring again.
HAHAHA how is this important a tall? You are saying radiation as if it will cause damage in some sort of way
@@thespexks2565 it can. look it up.
@@carter8679 Ummm, do you realize the difference between ionizing and non ionizing radiation? On top of that its impossible to "Turn off all radiation" as any electronic device will emit some kind of radiation while it has power. Bluetooth would be the highest frequency it can emit and even that is a lower frequency than light. Id highly suggest you view articles and papers with actual peer reviewed studies and citations instead of believing the first link that google pops up
I've had the Oura ring 3 for about a month and a half now. The way the heart rate tracking on the Oura ring works is that it takes your heart rate every 5 minutes (if you pay attention you'll sometimes notice the green lights during the day, too), and graphs it using a range of heart rates per each half hour-that's why you might notice bars on the heart rate graph-and graphs based on the average.
I have to say, I really disagree with you about the app. I find the UI unintuitive, though not terrible, and I don't like the way the data is presented in many cases, including the heart rate graph I just mentioned. I don't mind that it's not continuous, but I wish I could see individual measurements instead of just the range over half an hour. You also can't change the x axis: it will always show your heart rate range for a day, from 12 AM to 12 AM. As a night owl, it's annoying because it would be nice to be able to see my heart rate during the period of time that I'm awake.
I also really don't like the way it does the "activity goal." The display measures the goal progress in "active calorie burn," and it sets the goal for you. I have mild anorexia, so I would really prefer not to see anything with calories displayed in such a prominent way, or have an app tell me how many calories I should be burning. I don't know how it calculates my "daily activity goal" for how many calories I should be burning, since it doesn't have any way of knowing how much (or little) I'm eating. I can put it in "recovery mode" so it won't show that, but then it won't track my activity at all, which is also not what I want.
It also annoys me that the menstrual tracking is available on iOS and not Android, as I don't see why this feature should be platform specific, though I will say that looking at the body temperature trends is a pretty good proxy for the feature.
The main reason I got the Oura ring 3 was for the sleep tracking feature, as I have multiple sleep disorders, and I have been pretty satisfied with that. Its measurements of sleep quality and sleep stages do seem to reflect my experience, and it's given me some insights that have helped, for instance, seeing that I was moving a lot during sleep gave me information to help adjust my medication. I'm really looking forward to the SpO2 tracking as I want to make sure my CPAP therapy is effective, so I'm glad to hear it'll be available soon
Thanks for sharing! I suppose it's a matter of opinion when it comes to the app. I liked that it's simple and they spell out things in plain english rather than giving you a bunch of cryptic numbers to try and decipher.
What microphone and Preamp are you using? You’ve got a really good sound there.
Ha! Thanks. I obsess over the details and tend to go overboard with my setup. I'm using an Earthworks Ethos microphone (in the shot) running into a Universal Audio Apollo interface with some processing (EQ, Expander, Compression/Limiting).
It's tough for us Gen2 purchasers to go to Whoop or Garmin because we don't have a monthly fee when we upgraded - for $50 off - to Gen3 (if we did so last year during the rollout.)
Whoop - I've been tempted for a while. As an athlete and not a step counter I feel the Whoop band is more targeted to me. The Oura I have scratches easily so no strength training with it (it gets that from Apple Health though so no real downside.) Oura does detect my rides and runs and walks but has trouble distinguishing start and stop times. I really like what I've heard about the Whoop activity tracking and, if their HRM broadcast capability is dependable, the broadcast to Wahoo head units. I do not like wearing chest straps and have had trouble with - every - single - HRM I've ever purchased (Garmins, Polar, Scotsche, Wahoo, chest and arm bands, dozens of them, over the past 15 years or so. The only dependable HRM I have ever owned is the iWatch and it is so locked down in its hardware cage it's not funny (thanks Apple!) If the Whoop band is a dependable alternative it - might - be worth the subscription price - but then I'd be doubling up with Oura which I don't think I'll ever leave for it's unobtrusive sleep monitoring.
-- A couple points to add on HRM. Optical sensors are sensitive to shaking so a bumpy ride or run will affect accuracy vs ECG chest straps.
- Also a really great feature of Oura is its sleep breakdown. I find this very helpful. It tells me what type of sleep I experienced at night: light, deep, REM and gives the time in each. Deep sleep is associated with physical recover/rebuilding while REM is associated with mental/brain rest and metabolite elimination.
Thanks for sharing! Garmin and Whoop do both provide the sleep breakdown similar to Oura.
I am new to this game and keen on upgrading from my Garmin Venu SQ (no music because I can sing myself), so I am currently looking at all available options. I will never get the Oura though as I like to be able to get relevant data without having my phone along with me, and because I just don't like the idea of monthly subscriptions. Those paid subscription deals, and brands, are a bit like saying that you have purchased something that you will need to pay to also actually use, or render your purchase an investment completely worthless. I understand that there are horses for courses, and some people are probably very happy with the inconspicuous ring, and the subscription, but it will be a wrist watch for me and no monthly fees every single time.
Thanks for sharing!
Got no problem with the price but I'll be damned if I am going to pay for a subscription.
I’m definitely interested but not sure. Unlike others, the subscription doesn’t bother me so much. I think it makes for a healthier company and more support and longevity. The upfront cost is what gets me. It’s a lot for a device with a limited life due to the battery and I also hope to lose a substantial amount of weight so it may not fit for long if I do. The nerd in me really wants it though because it’s a pretty amazing piece of tech.
I agree. I think the company needs to choose. Subscription, or expensive devices. Having both a subscription AND a $400 ring is a lot to ask. Thanks for sharing!
If you do pull-ups or use dumbbells how does it feel, considering it is not so thin?
Is it possible to affect accuracy while doing these activities because it causes pressure variance maybe or tiny movements on the surface of the skin?
Similar to any other wedding band that's on the thicker side.