My god, 3rd party sport loop bands suck.

[HappyDude20]

So, just got my AW and it came with a white sports loop and the quality feels fantastic.

I also purchased 2 3rd party AW sport loop bands in purple and red and the quality feels so much cheaper and I don't know how to describe it, but I'd say they feel more 'light' and less substantial.

I wish the Apple stores were open in my area so I could check out some sport loop bands cause I don't think I would mind paying the regular price for a real sport loop band now that I have a real one and a fake one to compare them to.

 

[rKunda]

The only difference I noticed what the Velcro was flatter for threading.

 

[HappyDude20]

Whoops sorry I guess I meant the sport band. Made of fluoroelastomer.

The real one feels great. The fake one feels cheap.

 

[bhodinut]

Might not even be fluoroelastomer. It's hard to copy the texture and feel of the real thing.

 

[HappyDude20]

Might not even be fluoroelastomer. It's hard to copy the texture and feel of the real thing.

I guess this leads me to ask where I can buy the real thing at a discount? Surely there must be sales from time to time?

 

[rambo47]

I guess this leads me to ask where I can buy the real thing at a discount? Surely there must be sales from time to time?

Seems most folks find OEM bands at sale prices on Mercari and eBay. Caveat Emptor are the watchwords.

 

[MacDevil7334]

Best Buy also has been having 20% off sales roughly once per month for the past 3-4 months. You just missed one that ended last week. But, if you can afford to wait a bit, another sale will probably come along.

You can routinely find common sport bands (black, white, midnight blue, pink sand) at around 50% off on eBay/mercari. Outside of that, you just have to check routinely. There is an OEM Band Discounts thread on this forum that can help you find deals.

 

[klooney]

Also check facebook marketplace...you can sometimes find some great deals there

 

[rambo47]

I bought a couple of knockoffs and one was perfect, the other not at all. Leaned my lesson!

 

[minimo3]

The knockoffs are generally made of silicone instead of fluroelastomer. These Silicone ones tend to be thinner, more flexible, and are not as smooth as the oem bands. I have several and I don’t mind especially since they cost $5

 

[MJ22]

Silicone also tends to collect dirt or particles in my experience. I’ll only buy the Apple sport bands because I like the quality. I treat myself to usually one per color launch.

 

[WildRun]

Need a non-velcro attachment and good edges. Real gap in the market. I'm looking around.

 

[twanj]

I guess this leads me to ask where I can buy the real thing at a discount? Surely there must be sales from time to time?

Discounts / Sales on OEM bands

I thought I'd create a thread just for sales on Apple bands/loops/etc because I was always on the lookout for them and they seemed to get lost in other threads. There's a 20% off sale at Best Buy for bands, leather, loops, & Milanese...

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