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dfine1966

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2011
425
46
Might be a lemon. I'm glad the color turns out to look close enough to OEM. I'll post a review on mine soon.
I think you are right. I just was unlucky to get a lemon. I am going to try to get an exchange and see what he will do. Hopefully yours turns out fine. Let me know. Oh, by the way, the sizing for the adapters were almost perfect, of course, when I got it to lock. I forgot to mention about that.
 

dfine1966

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2011
425
46
How's the fit/width?
The fit and the width was great. The width was the same. The fit was more like my OEM medium black leather loop than the non OEM light blue LL that I got from Freedomoclock09. It seemed shorter than my non OEM blue ll. My problem with it was the adapters were bad and a chip in the leather. I just got a lemon.
 

Jigga

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2009
471
74
Here's a side by side with the OEM and the one I bought from lnkoo888. The OEM (which I no longer have) is on the right.
As above I had issues with the locking mechanism as well, it was difficult to slide the band in. The texture still feels new and I hope it turns into a more leather like feel over time.
The short part of the band seems to be a tad too long and the metal part is crooked-it's hard to tell from the picture-has anyone else had that issue?


IMG_0390.jpeg File Aug 04, 9 52 48 PM.jpeg
 

broadbean

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2007
782
333
Here's a side by side with the OEM and the one I bought from lnkoo888. The OEM (which I no longer have) is on the right.
As above I had issues with the locking mechanism as well, it was difficult to slide the band in. The texture still feels new and I hope it turns into a more leather like feel over time.
The short part of the band seems to be a tad too long and the metal part is crooked-it's hard to tell from the picture-has anyone else had that issue?

Did you mean it's not "square", so at one end of the metal slot it's closer to the end of the band long ways? From your photo, it seems the amount of exposed leather is less on the left than the right, but I couldn't tell if the length from the metal slot back to the first "fold" near the Watch is "square". If that's the case, maybe the end wasn't cut square enough, inline with the metal slot?
 

Jigga

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2009
471
74
Did you mean it's not "square", so at one end of the metal slot it's closer to the end of the band long ways? From your photo, it seems the amount of exposed leather is less on the left than the right, but I couldn't tell if the length from the metal slot back to the first "fold" near the Watch is "square". If that's the case, maybe the end wasn't cut square enough, inline with the metal slot?
I meant that the metal slot is crooked as in it seems that they cut the hole wrong.
 

iVegas

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2013
360
171
Did you ask for an exchange?
How's yours holding up?

Never noticed it till you pointed it out. It hasn't been an issue so I wouldn't ask for an exchange for that reason. Most likely, a lot are like that.

It's been holding up great. I've been wearing it daily since Saturday. No issues to report.
 

sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
Here is the black leather loop knock off I ordered from Happycell via Amazon. I believe some of you will recognize the packaging... it looks identical to what some other sellers are shipping. I ordered it on July 20th and it shipped from China with an estimated delivery to my home in Washington State between mid to late August. It arrived on August 2nd, so not bad for the free trans-Pacific shipping. At $44.99 I guess it's about $10 USD more than the typical eBay rate. Overall I'm happy with the band, but the key to being happy with it is to avoid inspecting it too closely as you will see in some of the photos. I've received several compliments on the band in the last two days.

Pros: It looks great from a typical viewing distance, and there are no visible gaps looking from a birds-eye view. It's comfortable. The adapters clicked into place securely, and the magnet is definitely adequate. I can't shake it off onto the bed, and I have bombed down hills on rough surfaces on my bicycle at upwards of 30 mph without anything loosening up. The strap length for my 38mm Apple Watch is perfect for my 170mm wrist. The package says it's a Medium strap, but at checkout it only allowed me to say that I had a 38mm watch.

Cons: The adapters are narrower than the original Apple adapters on the Sport Watch, so there is a little extra space at both ends of the adapters. You can see this clearly on the first photo. On the underside you can see that the leather is not quite fitted to the adapter. There are a couple of spots on the band that make me question the long-term durability: A tiny spot on the edge of the adapter where the leather (or leather-like material) has worn off showing a tiny bit of aluminum (you can see this in the first photo). Another spot where there is a tiny little tag hanging off that you can see in another photo. In my opinion these are not fatal flaws because I have to really look hard to see them. I never even noticed the worn spot on the edge of the adapter until I took a macro photo of it. I still don't see it when I look at the watch throughout the day. I could paint-it out if it bugged me, but I never notice it in normal wear. It shows up well in this macro shot because of the lighting.

Is it real leather? I don't know! It feels and looks good and leather-like. It doesn't smell like leather (completely odorless as far as I can tell). I did try on the Apple leather loop in the Apple Store, but that was too long ago for me to say how well this knock off compares in terms of the finer details. I am quite happy with this band given the price... for now. I do have some concern about how well it will wear over time. If I'm seeing a tiny bare spot and a tiny hanging piece now, is that an indication that it will start to look rough around all the edges in a few months? How securely connected are the links inside the band? If the leather (or leather-like material) wears out will the integrity of the band suffer? I guess I will find out, but I won't go out of my way to test the durability of this band. I will wear my Sport band when I expect to get really sweaty or physical, and my default daily band will probably be my brown leather Clockwork Synergy band - which seems like it will only get better as it gets worn in. So I will keep this black leather loop for more occasional wear, although after a couple of days I think I can say it's the most comfortable of the three bands I now own. Not that the other two are uncomfortable. I find all three to be comfortable, but the leather loop has the advantage of being infinitely adjustable. It's also thinner than the other two, so in some ways it seems less sweaty in hot weather.

Here you go: 38mm Apple Watch Sport and a 170mm wrist size. Fantastic product features listed on the box.

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Jigga

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2009
471
74
Never noticed it till you pointed it out. It hasn't been an issue so I wouldn't ask for an exchange for that reason. Most likely, a lot are like that.

It's been holding up great. I've been wearing it daily since Saturday. No issues to report.
After wearing mine for a few hours, the lopsided metal slot causes the closed end of the strap to shift to the side.
 

dfine1966

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2011
425
46
Sent a message to lnkoo888 regarding the problem with the Stone(Beige) leather loop. He said I could return it or get a replacement. In the first note I sent him I told him I was interested in getting a replacement. I guess he missed that part of the note. I wrote him again early this morning again stating that I would like a replacement and asked how he would like to handle the return of the damaged Leather Loop. So far, no reply, even though I wrote him right back right after I received his reply. I will wait till tomorrow to see what he has to say before putting in a return through eBay, which most likely how I probably will handle it. I am waiting to see more reviews of his leather loop bands and see if anyone else got a lemon like me, or was I just unlucky one. I will keep everyone informed of what the resolution is.
 

scotti2hotti

macrumors newbie
Jun 7, 2012
6
1
Wollongong, Australia
Just got my blue LL from eBay seller internetplus15. Same packaging as everyone. Still a tiny gap on the sides of the longer (bottom) band. Certainly not a deal breaker. Shipped from China in 10 days for $45AUD.
29018dbe8d4f16c684a8485d3e497256.jpg

Been waiting for one of these since my try on appointment in the Apple Store, fell in love with the OEM but not the price tag.
 

soya

macrumors 6502
Jul 30, 2010
433
106
I received my 42mm beige(stone) leather loop from lnkoo888 and it has a few problem. Their was a chip in the leather by the adapter. It was on the side, so you could see it when the band was on the watch. Check photo below. Also, but more important, the locking mechanism on both the long and short part of the bands were unpredictable. It took multiple tries to get it to lock. Once it was locked, and seemed fine, but if I took the band off and put it in again it would go right through the mechanism. Finally after a few tries it would lock again. I have the OEM Medium Black Leather Loop and NON OEM Light Blue Leather Loop and have had no problems locking them in my watch. I sent lnkoo888 a note to see what he wants me to do. Worst case, I will have to return the band and buy elsewhere. I will upload pictures of the comparison I did on my 3 bands plus where the chip in the leather is. The color of the band was really nice though. I looks close to the oem version, but a little more beige looking, which is fine by me. You will see that the two NON OEM, the stone and light blue sizes are a little different. The long band is longer on the stone version, yet with the short band, the blue band is longer. Texture, feel and look are the same. The magnet is pretty strong. Hopefully, he will exchange for another one. The band does look nice.

I've received my Stone LL and I like the color but compared to the Utica guy version, the magnets seems way less stronger. It seems like one section of the band does not have magnet. It feels more plasticky when touching it. Not sure if it is because of the different dye used but the blue LL from utica felt softer.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438898972.836748.jpg


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ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438899040.334498.jpg
 
Last edited:

broadbean

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2007
782
333
I've received my Stone LL and I like the color but compared to the Utica guy version, the magnets seems way less stronger. It seems like one section of the band does not have magnet. It feels more plasticky when touching it. Not sure if it is because of the different dye used but the blue LL from utica felt softer.

Did you compared the width of the individual segments between the two Loops?
 

dfine1966

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2011
425
46
I've received my Stone LL and I like the color but compared to the Utica guy version, the magnets seems way less stronger. It seems like one section of the band does not have magnet. It feels more plasticky when touching it. Not sure if it is because of the different dye used but the blue LL from utica felt softer.

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That is odd, because the one I got the magnets seemed strong and the leather felt very close to the Utica version. My problem was the damage and the adapter. Sounds like we both got duds. Are you going to return it or exchange?
 

AS90

macrumors regular
Jun 8, 2014
153
38
Wirral, UK

dfine1966

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2011
425
46
Well sent the bad beige(stone) leather loop back to lnkoo888. He said he would send out another one right away. We will see. Everything is in writing in messages and used ebay to return for exchange. If the new one has problems, I will give up and return that one and find a new seller.
 

iBlazed

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2014
1,594
1,249
New Jersey, United States
I've received my Stone LL and I like the color but compared to the Utica guy version, the magnets seems way less stronger. It seems like one section of the band does not have magnet. It feels more plasticky when touching it. Not sure if it is because of the different dye used but the blue LL from utica felt softer.

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I'm 99% sure you're wearing it inside out. I made the same mistake when I first got mine. I can tell because your loop is way too wide. Try taking the band out and flipping it over.
 

iBlazed

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2014
1,594
1,249
New Jersey, United States
I meant that the metal slot is crooked as in it seems that they cut the hole wrong.

Mine is crooked, too.
I'd ask for a replacement. Mine isn't crooked. I went to the Apple Store today to compare mine to the genuine one. I clued the employee in that I was comparing because mine is fake. He says to me "not sure how you want me to respond to that". :D
 
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JerTheGeek

macrumors 68000
May 15, 2014
1,993
487
I'd ask for a replacement. Mine isn't crooked. I went to the Apple Store today to compare mine to the genuine one. I clued the employee in that I was comparing because mine is fake. He says to me "not sure how you want me to respond to that". :D
Haha that is hilarious. There was someone else back on this thread that said the employee at their store said they liked the color on the fake one and thought it was a good deal for the price.
 

dfine1966

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2011
425
46
Haha that is hilarious. There was someone else back on this thread that said the employee at their store said they liked the color on the fake one and thought it was a good deal for the price.
That was me. She did like the color and said because of the heat here, better to wear the 3rd party LL instead of the OEM. Plus for the price, she said it was worth it. By the way, I live in the South in the US, in North Carolina. They are very polite and friendly down here. A lot different then when I lived up North in Connecticut. Even if she didn't like it, she probably wouldn't of told me.
 

mlovergaard

macrumors 6502
Jan 28, 2011
457
228
New York City
I am seriously considering getting a Leather loop, but I am a little worried the 3rd party bands might be too long for my wrist, I don't want it wrapping all the way around my wrist and over the watch :) what have your experiences been? Are the 3rd party bands much longer.
 
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