Do you only buy official Apple Watch straps?

[ssledoux]

I did do Apple only for a while, but I am so funny about how things fit and feel that I’ve gotten to where I just can’t.

The sport bands are just too much on my arm - I like to have one for the beach, but as much as I love having lots of fun colors, I just cannot wear them. I hate the bulk and the way the strap goes back in. In addition to that, it’s hot here so much of the time I can’t handle bands that don’t breathe.

I love the solo loops, but I am between sizes with Apple and still in the same boat with the lack of breathing. I do appreciate that they don’t have bulk.

I really love the braided solo loops, but again I’m in between sizes with Apple’s loops. I had found a knockoff that was awesome, and I bought several, but can no longer find them. As of right now, those are the bands I wear most. I wish I could find more.

I have a knockoff stainless band that is really nice, and I wear that one pretty regularly because it goes with everything.

I do love my Apple leather buckles. Those are my favorite Apple bands. I also love my nylon buckle. I had several of those, but really only wear my pearly gray one so I sold the rest.

 

[beach bum]

I buy third-party straps frequently although I do love and have several of the Apple Leather Loop and Milanese Loop bands. My favorite is a band (shown below) that I bought from Etsy to use with my 45mm SS AW9. The seller does have the band for all of the AW sizes. The good thing though is that I've been able to use the bands with every watch since the AW3. It's nice to switch the bands for different occasions.

Photo from Etsy
apple-watch-stainless-steel-strap-metal

 

[ninecows]

I prefer quality and therefore I buy genuine Apple bands. I tried quite some knockoffs and they absolutely suck in comparison.
I guess Nomad also is worth the money but that‘s about it for me - I prefer Apple though.

Plus, it’s kind of strange, wearing an 800$ watch and then cheap out on the accessories, for me that’s watering down the whole experience.

This is such a strange argument. Firstly I don’t buy an AW because it looks good. It certainly doesn’t look 800$ or even half that to me. But that’s a matter of taste. I buy it for the features and smooth integration with the eco system.
Second I think this is the trap Apple wants you to fall into. You buy an expensive watch and they give you a very cheap solution for the band itself. And then somehow they manage to convince people that this expensive watch deserves that YOU put down another 100$ for a band that is just somewhat decent looking and is not uncomfortable. I mean: you can buy regular dumb watches with excellent bands for less than what Apple is charging for a decent band.

 

[SunMac]

I bought one of Amazon back when I had my first one which was the series 3. It was super low quality and I returned it. I recently bought my first one from Apple a few months ago but I do still have all the original ones that came with my original Apple Watches since I only ever traded in the actually watch to Apple. So I have 4 Apple branded bands now. There might be higher quality bands now but they usually cost as much or more than Apples so I'll just stick with Apple.

 

[lanceuppercut47]

Which band did you go with? I just got a U2 with a trail loop and I’m not a fan of the band.

Blue Alpine loop, I was really unsure of it, but after using one for 10 minutes, taking the hook off is second nature. I got the large one and it hooks into the 3 loop, meaning the hook doesn't scratch my computer.

 

[lanceuppercut47]

That’s amazing! I wish I lived close to a store, but it wouldn’t have even mattered because this happened in 2020 and no one was going to the store then. But I still think  should’ve just replaced the band. Why exchange the entire watch? It makes no sense.

Exactly, I was ready to plead my case that I'm happy with the watch but the band was what I wasn't happy with, luckily I never needed to.

 

[Howard2k]

When I sell my watches I sell them with a knock off strap and keep the Apple ones. So I have a few Apple ones but don't purchase them standalone.

I do have a few knock off bands too. Some mixes in quality - I love the titanium one I got. Generally I've had decent experience with third party bands but I do check reviews before purchase.

 

[bricktop_at]

This is such a strange argument. Firstly I don’t buy an AW because it looks good. It certainly doesn’t look 800$ or even half that to me. But that’s a matter of taste. I buy it for the features and smooth integration with the eco system.
Second I think this is the trap Apple wants you to fall into. You buy an expensive watch and they give you a very cheap solution for the band itself. And then somehow they manage to convince people that this expensive watch deserves that YOU put down another 100$ for a band that is just somewhat decent looking and is not uncomfortable. I mean: you can buy regular dumb watches with excellent bands for less than what Apple is charging for a decent band.

I couldn't care less if the watch "looks" like $800.... what i care about is the quality and how it feels, that's something very different. I don't buy expensive stuff to show off.

Take the Apple link bracelet for example... compared to high end watch manufacturers, it's a bargain but in terms of quality and haptics it tops many of the "high end" bracelets I have handled (and I've handled/owned a number of them over the years). Sure there are knock-off link bracelets but the cheaper ones of them for example don't feature the excellent mechanism for removing/adding links and that alone makes them inferior and just cheap copies that aren't worth it.

Same goes for the bands, it matters to me if it clicks into place and doesn't wiggle like crazy for example. It may not be important for many people, for me though it is.

 

[ninecows]

I couldn't care less if the watch "looks" like $800.... what i care about is the quality and how it feels, that's something very different. I don't buy expensive stuff to show off.

Take the Apple link bracelet for example... compared to high end watch manufacturers, it's a bargain but in terms of quality and haptics it tops many of the "high end" bracelets I have handled (and I've handled/owned a number of them over the years). Sure there are knock-off link bracelets but the cheaper ones of them for example don't feature the excellent mechanism for removing/adding links and that alone makes them inferior and just cheap copies that aren't worth it.

Same goes for the bands, it matters to me if it clicks into place and doesn't wiggle like crazy for example. It may not be important for many people, for me though it is.

But the statement in your original argument “kind of strange, wearing an 800$ watch and then cheap out on the accessories” … is still strange.

Why would Apple then cheap out on the band for a 400 or even 800$ watch? Kind of strange.

 

[bricktop_at]

But the statement in your original argument “kind of strange, wearing an 800$ watch and then cheap out on the accessories” … is still strange.

Why would Apple then cheap out on the band for a 400 or even 800$ watch? Kind of strange.

What do you fail to understand exactly?

People buy a watch for some hundred bucks only to then go and buy $2 bands for it because it‘s too expensive to spend money for a genuine band?

Where did I say that Apple cheaps out on the bands?

 

[cateye]

You're making broad-brush-stroke assumptions that the cheaper band must therefore be worse.

I can put every third party band I've bought into my watch and it clicks with the exact same security, and no wiggle, as the Sport Loop I got with my just purchased AW9. The lugs are flush with the sides of the watch, just like the Apple lugs. The sport loop I just got is identical in every way to a recent set of third party sport loops I bought off eBay. the feel is the same, the thickness the same, the stitching the same, the color (midnight) also the same. Every single detail I can observe is completely the same. Except one is $49, and the rest were $3.

People should buy what they want. There's a certain security to buying from Apple knowing you could walk into an Apple Store and for almost any reason get it exchanged or get your money back. I get that. No shame in that. I just personally don't see that as worth the premium. I respect that others might.

I'll be especially curious to evaluate the Nomad look-alikes I have coming since Nomad is a tiny company. They don't actually make anything, they're buying off-the-shelf OEM products and committing to quantities that likely get them minor customizations, like most accessory makers.

 

[SuperCachetes]

My AW6 came with the sport loop originally, and out of all the available band types, that one seems to serve my needs the best when it comes to balancing appearance, function, and durability. I quite like it.

I can't comment on the performance or value of any other bands other than the Apple sport loop, because I've only bought one replacement in 3 years. Even that replacement was after 2 years, and was mostly because I looked down one day and thought "Hmmmm, has this thing faded from 'black' to 'graphite?'" For a watch that is worn 22+ hours a day, including to the gym and on outdoor runs etc, I feel like the equivalent of $25/year on "band maintenance" is acceptable. So much so that it really isn't worth my time to go hunting for an equivalent that might be equal, or might not be.

 

[MisterSavage]

Hell no. It's just some metal/fabric/etc. Why would I not shop around for the best bang for my buck? I've bought an official sport loop for $50 because I liked the colors but I'm also currently wearing a third party version that was drastically less. I can barely tell the difference.

Bad bands do exist but there are good knock offs you just have to buy from the good stores. Read the reviews. Don’t buy the ones that only cost a $1. I also have bands that were made for me. They are a single strap like the solo loops but made from elastic with meta lugs that I got from Etsy. I got these prior to the existence of the solo loops. These were still a better investment than $50.

Exactly! There are good and bad phone cases also. It's an accessory.

 

[JBaby]

Exactly! There are good and bad phone cases also. It's an accessory.

Yes! And I’d argue that  makes some of the worst phone cases. We see people buying cases at all price points and yet we don’t really see people going this hard because people bought 3rd party cases but didn’t buy official . But I digress.

 

[JonMPLS]

I have a couple Nomad straps and a few leather that I use with adapters as well as several Apple. What I really notice is how much better the Apple straps slide into the receptacles on the watch.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I only buy official straps.

I'm sure there are many nice, 3rd party straps, but I don't buy them.

How about you, and what is your favourite one, if you do buy other straps?

Why do you pluralize Apple Watch straps? The watch comes with a strap; done.

 

[circatee]

circatee​

"Over the years, I have purchased a few bands via Amazon, Clockwork Synergy, Nomad, and a few other websites. However, after a few of them had the connection part to the watch (AWU1) starting to slip (coating on connection seemed to come off), I decided to only use Apple official watch bands."

I was going to order a band from https://bandwerk.com/ this week to have a different band. Do you feel the connection would not function well over time? Just curious after I noticed your post on this issue. This will be my first strap purchase other than the original. Would anyone have purchased a Bandwerk strap?

Thank you for any replies regarding this issue as I am a new Ultra II owner. Facing difficulties later after spending this much would be a detriment. Purchased one for my wife a few years ago and she has enjoyed her watch tremendously.

For me personally, the band was okay for the first few months. Then, I noticed the coating over the middle of the three locking mechanisms coming off. Once it did, from time to time the band would slip off.

Alas, one could argue it was just that particular band. But, for an $800 watch, I would rather not lose it, from it falling off my wrist and me not noticing or being able to get the watch...

 

[ninecows]

What do you fail to understand exactly?

People buy a watch for some hundred bucks only to then go and buy $2 bands for it because it‘s too expensive to spend money for a genuine band?

Where did I say that Apple cheaps out on the bands?

You didn’t. But you wrote that you found it strange that people cheap out on a none-apple band when they bought a 800$ watch. Nowhere did I suggest they should buy a 2$ band.

I just think that’s a strange reasoning. Like: Buy something expensive and therefore you should also be happily suck up 10-50% extra expenses just because you bought something expensive. Only for people where money is never an issue will that reasoning make sense.

Apple is them self cheapening out by including the uncomfortable, cheap looking silicone sports band. Nothing apart from greed is stopping them from including something better so people don’t have to buy accessories to not make their new expensive watch look cheap.

 

[zubikov]

Apple uses fluoroelastomer sports straps, while virtually all 3rd party bands are silicon & plastic. That alone is enough reason enough to stick to the official straps. All 3rd party silicon straps get nasty with time, and don’t feel anywhere as smooth on your wrist. It’s night and day.

But Apple could definitely use some better color options. They’re all kinda…boring.

 

[MisterSavage]

Apple uses fluoroelastomer sports straps, while virtually all 3rd party bands are silicon & plastic. That alone is enough reason enough to stick to the official straps. All 3rd party silicon straps get nasty with time, and don’t feel anywhere as smooth on your wrist. It’s night and day.

I had an allergic reaction to the sports band that came with my Apple Watch. I can't wear them. Everything isn't always always that simple.

 

[wlossw]

I buy Apple Watch bands and third party watch bands that are as or more expensive than the apple ones. I tried buying cheap ones on amazon and they were all hot garbage. The premium third party bands can be very nice.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I just have one band which I picked with the watch. I don’t buy additional straps from Apple or others.

 

[CMoore515]

Mostly.

I have several Nomad bands that I love as well, though.

 

[swiftapplefan]

I finally bought a Midnight Sport Loop yesterday for my Series 8 after the Midnight Sport Band that came with it broke three months ago. I’ve been using a knock off black Milanese Loop for those three months and while it has been surprisingly great, I just cannot keep using it for sleep and especially now that I’m starting to exercise again.

 

[anthony13]

I did for the longest time, but then nomad enticed me with the orange sports band.