Crane Activity Tracker Watch

Last Updated on July 9, 2023

Special thanks to Cathy for help with this review.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Aldi continues to occasionally sell this activity tracker watch for the same low price of $4.99. Aldi last sold it in January of 2023. 

Crane is the Aldi house brand for fitness products. We see Crane products most often around the beginning of the year, when people are trying to make New Year’s resolutions, but Crane products are known to pop up during other times of the year, too, such as during the summer, the fall, and the early winter.

So here we are in the spring, and Aldi has yet another run of Crane products out in its Special Buy (ALDI Finds) section.

Crane Activity Tracker Watch

The Crane Activity Tracker Watch is actually one of a couple of fitness watches Aldi sells. One of the others, the Crane Wireless Activity Tracker, is a full-fledged wireless activity tracker (although, unfortunately, one with a really terrible app). The differences between this Tracker Watch and the Activity Tracker are probably obvious enough just in the price: this product is only $4.99, while the Wireless Activity Tracker is $39.99.

So what does this product do? Well, first off, understand that this isn’t a Fitbit or a Garmin. It’s not going to track your sleep or give you detailed statistics or sync with your smartphone. Instead, this product is more along the lines of an old-school pedometer with a couple of other extra features thrown in, including:

  • A digital quartz accurate watch
  • Customizable stride and weight for accurate calorie tracking
  • Measurement options in metric and imperial
  • Time option in standard or military
  • An adjustable silicone band to go on your wrist
  • A guaranteed 1-year battery life

So, in short, this device will 1) keep time, 2) keep steps, and 3) keep calorie counts. No more, no less. It’s a simple device for walking or running. (Note that it is not waterproof or even water resistant, so don’t try swimming with it.)

Crane Activity Tracker Watch

The manual. (Click to enlarge.)

Our tester’s initial impressions with the watch are positive. She told us that, so far, it’s doing everything it’s supposed to, including accurate step count. She also pointed out that it’s very light, so light that she can hardly feel it, so if you’re looking for something to work out with that won’t bog you down, this has potential. Our tester has small wrists and said it adjusts to fit her wrist well, but it also felt like it could adjust well to large wrists.

The Verdict:

It’s not a true fitness tracker, but if you’re looking for something that counts steps, tracks calories, and keeps time, this is worth a look. The $4.99 price tag and 1-year guaranteed battery life aren’t bad, either.

About Joshua

Joshua is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. He is also a writer and novelist. You can learn more about him at joshuaajohnston.com.

58 Comments

  1. I bought this at aldi and I litterly hate it. It does not record steps accurately and is clumsy. I had a crane pulse watch and loved it till my husband changed the battery and the heart rate stopped working. You could get your heart beat anytime and you didn’t have to use a computer or phone which I don’t have access to 3 months out of the year. No annoying phone calls while exercising either. I would love to find something like that again.

  2. How do you set it

    • Read the directions and they work… do hold down the mode button for 10 seconds to get it into US measurements from the metric it comes in. To set time hold down the set button till you see 12hr then hit set and the hour will blink.. use mode to set hour.. then hit set again and set minutes it will go thru time to see am on countdown..
      for steps go to time using mode… then press mode once it will show 0 press set and you start at zero steps
      Next step distance or stride length…go to time again with the mode button then press mode 2 times and press the set button for 2 seconds which will give you 24” you can press mode then and it will increase your length by 2” each time you press mode…. Till you reach your desired pace
      length then press set
      Weight…. Go to time with mode and press mode 3 times then you will see 0 kcal… hold set for 2 seconds you will see the default weight of 130lbs press mode to increase 5lbs per press then press set to confirm weight
      You are ready to use it.. how well it will work I need to use it to see… hope this helps some with the questions.
      For your weight go to mode back to time hit the mode button 3 times

  3. wanted this so badly but can not set it to count seps

  4. I just bought one today (3/15/19)at Aldi. I set my step distance correctly, and time and zero miles, etc. but it only records a step if I hold it in my hand and sling my arm out and back. It does not count steps when I walk or maybe it counts 1 step after I have walked maybe 100 or more steps. When I went for a walk this afternoon, I walked a course where i know the distance. At 1.5 miles, it gave the mileage as 0.4 miles. So, it’s undercounting by more than 3 times. I’m really disappointed. I walk frequently, and I would like to count my steps.

    • I just bought one today. It counts based on arm swings. So, it will work when I walk if I swing my arm with each step, but will not keep an accurate count of daily steps. I thought mine was defective but maybe it is designed to count arm swings????

  5. I tied it to my boot and walked around the house. First lap seemed to count accurately. Second lap was way under. Might just be a “get what you pay for” situation.

    • I put it around my ankle and will give that a try. I hope my neighbors don’t think I am under house arrest . 🙂 At least I have a watch for $5.00 I went into it knowing that you generally get what you pay for.

  6. I just bought one, but I can’t figure out how to set my weight. The instructions come just short of saying how to actually set the pounds. I am going to return it.

    • Did you ever figure out how to set the weight? The instructions make absolutely NO sense!. I’ve even searched for a video to no avail. I’ve wasted so much time that I’ll never be able to get back! 🤦🏼‍♀️

  7. Mine is not counting steps, well 2 to my 100 actual steps. Disappointed but you get what you pay for I guess. Although I have had pedometers same price that worked better.

  8. Can’t even set it,,pushing buttons as directed,, nothing ! Says time will display 12:00,,nothing,, but like one person said” you get what you pay for”

  9. Same as everyone else. I was so excited to get a cheap tracker to just count steps. But it doesn’t do that. The clock is okay, but that’s about it.

  10. I thought it was just me,,but I didn’t even get the time on it..can’t take it back to the store and too much bother to mail it back,,

  11. Took a total gamble when eyed this out at Aldi.

    Sigh, there goes 5 bucks. It “kind of” works, very confusing, no smart phone connection that I had in mind, really old school small LCD screen…

    Surprised on this one, never been let down from an Aldi purchase.

    If you see this, pass it by.

  12. Seems to be a good watch, good to compare activity from on day to the next, not an expensive activity tracker.

  13. Setup is difficult. I can’t seem to get the pedometer to work. I may have to return the one I bought and the one I bought for a friend

  14. Christine Eilers

    I just bought the Crane Activity Tracker today, just wanted a simple pedometer. It will not do anything , I can not set the time, holding the button does nothing, how do I wake this thing up ?

  15. I just bought one today and can’t even get the time set on it. Will return it if life ever goes back to normal.

  16. Only can get time to work. Cannot set stride to count steps, record steps or set weight. Everything is in European measurements. Cannot set to pounds or inches.

  17. I can not set the weight or the stride to start counting steps. The step counter also does not work as steps. I also noticed the steps only count with arm swings, not actual steps.

  18. i buy one and it doesn’t keep track of steps. even when i swing my arms . this thing is no good

  19. Don’t wash dishes with it on…one splash of water and it is done!

  20. Theresa Bonkoski

    the one I brought worked great for about 3 weeks and then it stopped working on the step counting. good luck with the guarantee, to ship back and mail a $12 money order. So disappointed.

  21. Wore it with my present tracker. Only seemed to count about 25% of my total steps. Did not have a manual in the box. Only thing that it is good for is the time. Will be taking them back. Was worth a shot for the price.

  22. My cousin got us both one about 8 months or so ago and they are both still working fine. They were very easy to set(like I was doing it wrong so easy)! We luv wear them all the time in fact I wish I had different color bands for it.

  23. Anyone know how to set KM to miles?

  24. I bought one last week and successfully lost the instructions. Please post the instructions if you have them. Thanks.

  25. When a product is panned this much, the company should know. But they continue to sell it, knowing the price will grab a lot of people who may not be able to afford a much more quality tracker. Aldi should be ashamed to sell this. I haven’t opened mine and will take it back, I don’t need the aggravation setting it up to only have a half ass product.

  26. I can’t figure out how to reset the distance. The instructions don’t say. I’ve tried everything.

  27. I generally trust Aldi for good value so I was surprised how badly this little gadget was misrepresented. So far all I’ve been able to set it for is as a military-time watch. Not even a pedometer. Shame on you, Aldi. I plan to return it if that’s possible.

  28. I need directions. How do I set the steps? Thanks.

  29. Purchased the Crane Activity Tracker on January 5, 2022, from Aldi. Yes, it’s only $4.99 but if a legit store sells a customer something, the reasonable expectation is that it operates as stated. One shouldn’t have to pay more than what was paid for the item to receive repairs. That said, I haven’t walked far with it on because I didn’t wear it the first day. While inputting the time though, I kept hearing a rattle. I thought it was the buckle on the strap. Nope! It is coming from inside the watch. Any-whoooo! If it works, I’ll keep wearing it. It would be cheaper to get a new one, if anything goes wrong than to send it somewhere and possibly be told that I now owe for repairs on a $5 watch, of sorts. IF this goes sideways, I’ll look elsewhere. Hope everyone gets what they need in terms of activity trackers

  30. Robyne R Williams

    This product is worthless the instructions don’t tell you how to set the time I keep holding the buttons to no avail. I will be returning this product.

  31. $4.99 … a cheap extra, useless watch. There were no instructions in the box. I found some online, but this looks pretty worthless, except as an extra watch. Maybe I’ll return it next time I go to Aldi’s. It’s sort of what I expected for this low price

  32. LimitLess Reviews

    I was just having trouble but finally got it to SIb units by pressing and holding Mode for 10 seconds. The screen briefly showed all the digital text on screen and then voila I was in lbs, inches, etc. The rest of the instructions worked for me but my watch/tracker was already on a random time when I got it, not on 12:00.
    Mode to go from time to step count to distance/stride length to calories burned/weight.
    For each mode hold down mode for the alternate related mode (i.e. distance and stride length.)
    It won’t make sense though if you’re not in the correct units.

  33. LimitLess Reviews

    CRANE ACTIVITY TRACKER INSTRUCTIONS
    FEATURES
    LCD display with five-digit numbers, two keys:
    mode/adjust and set/ reset
    CHANGE BETWEEN METRIC AND US
    Press and hold down the mode button for about 10 seconds (you will see the screen change).
    SETTING TIME
    LCD default displays 12:00. To SET/ADJUST time, press and hold SET for 2 seconds, and the hour should flash. Press MODE to adjust the hour. Press
    SET again to adjust the minutes.
    COUNTING STEPS
    From the time display press MODE once. The LCD display should show “O” and will start to count steps.
    Press SET to reset LCD display to zero.
    SETTING STEP DISTANCE
    From the time display, press MODE twice to display 0 miles. Press and hold SET for 2 seconds to display 24 in. The step distance ranges from 10 to 80 inches by pressing the MODE key. Two inches will be added every time the SET button is pressed until the default value of 24 inches (Metric step distance ranges from 30 to 200cm, and will add 5cm each time you press the SET button until the default value of 60cm). For best accuracy, measure actual stride. Press SET to confirm step distance.

    SETTING WEIGHT
    From the time display, press MODE three times.
    The LCD will display 0 cal. Press and hold the SET key for 2 seconds for the metric system. Weight ranges from 70 to 250 lb, adjust by pressing MODE key. The display will add 5 lb every time the SET button is pressed until the default value of 130 lb (Metric weight ranges from 30 to 120 kg, and will add 2kg each time SET button is pressed until default value of 60kg). Press SET to confirm weight.
    NOTE: Activity trackers are intended to be tools to provide you with information to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle. They rely on sensors that track your movement. The data and information provided by these devices is intended to be a close estimation of your activity, but may not be completely accurate, including step, distance and calorie data. The trackers are not medical devices, and the data provided by them is not intended to be utilized for medical purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We recommend that you consult your doctor before engaging in any exercise routine.
    NOT WATERPROOF OR WATER RESISTANT.
    TO AVOID DAMAGE TO YOUR TRACKER MODULE, IT IS RECOMMENDED THE BATTERY BE PROFESSIONALLY REPLACED.

    • LimitLess Review, I just ran across these at Aldi’s. I really really really want to use this as the “prize” for a fitness challenge at my Jazzercise locations during February. All I really care about are the steps! The thought is to create a March Madness team point challenge in March. I desperately want these to WORK! Your specific directions are such a help:) I feel like I am taking a huge risk in using these but the price point is right on!!!

      • I got mine as a prize at work. Does not count steps, I think the sensitivity is way off. Was able to set it, but it just wont count unless you shake the daylights out of it. and if you put it on your ankle, be prepared to “stomp” not walk 😂😂😂

  34. I only wants something to count my steps, nothing more. I agree with other reviewers where it does not at all count correctly. You will have to swing my arm hard to get it counted. I wasted $5.

  35. Well, now I get it! From reading all the comments, I realize I am not alone. I managed somehow to read the miniscule directions and make it work, but this really should be called an arm swing counter, not a step counter! Maybe that will be something someone needs, but I find it aggravating. I’ll try to return it.

  36. It was okay for the purpose I wanted which was mainly just to use as a watch for when I am out walking. My only complaint is that the mechanism can pop out of the rubber wrist band. That happened to me a number of times. Twice I had to retrace steps and luckily found it. For the price I would consider it a watch.

  37. Finally, a cheap watch without the need to sync up to a smart phone. It is for daylight use only, no led or backlighting so hopefully the battery will last at least a year, if not you get another for $7.95 + postage or you can try to replace the battery yourself. Wish I could order a replacement band. Any one know of a source?

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