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OEM sport vs knock off

yanki01

yanki01

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 28, 2009
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Has anyone found a very close match to the OEM sports band in terms of feel and durability? I see MoKo seems to be the popular 3rd party for the sports band on amazon with tons of great reviews, though they're all silicone and i know they're lint magnets. Does anyone have a MoKo or something like the sports band to compare to the OEM sport band?
 
Is Sport band that expensive?! Come on...i can understand looking for alternatives with Nylon bc there is a half-life on nylon bands. But Sport bands last pretty much forever! So, just spend $50 and get the real thing...there is NOTHING like it aftermarket...probably the BEST damn rubber-ish band from ANY manufacturer. Even the Rolex rubber band in their new watch does not feel as supple.
 
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Thai said:
Is Sport band that expensive?! Come on...i can understand looking for alternatives with Nylon bc there is a half-life on nylon bands. But Sport bands last pretty much forever! So, just spend $50 and get the real thing...there is NOTHING like it aftermarket...probably the BEST damn rubber-ish band from ANY manufacturer. Even the Rolex rubber band in their new watch does not feel as supple.
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You want to buy me the sports band? thanks for your insight. there's PLENTY reasons to look into aftermarket bands.
 
If you can get by with only the S/M band and not the large, I have a bunch by LNKOO and they are amazing. Much nicer than the Moko bands IMHO.

https://amzn.com/B016RKPG5A

Normally $9.99, but right now they are $6.98!
 
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Thai said:
Plenty of reasons? Like?
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there's plenty of 3rd party bands that are up to par with OEM's (i'm wearing one now). no reason to pay for the overpriced ones from apple.
 
yanki01 said:
reason why i made this thread.
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Sorry if i sounded harsh before, but those silicone bands from Amazon are not worth it IMHO. I am sure that you have already, but check out the 1 and 2 star reviews. They don't last. They tear. They crack. Yes, they are cheap to replace...but you probably end up spending the same amount as Apple Sport band cost in 1 year.
 
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Thai said:
Sorry if i sounded harsh before, but those silicone bands from Amazon are not worth it IMHO. I am sure that you have already, but check out the 1 and 2 star reviews. They don't last. They tear. They crack. Yes, they are cheap to replace...but you probably end up spending the same amount as Apple Sport band cost in 1 year.
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I have been using the LNKOO ones I posted above for 6 months and it is very difficult to see the difference between my Apple Band and the LNKOO Band. The only easy way to tell the difference is the Apple one has the band size markings and the LNKOO does not. They even have the same feel as the official ones. I think for less than 1/5th of the price they are worth checking out. Amazon will always refund if they are defective.
 
Thai said:
Sorry if i sounded harsh before, but those silicone bands from Amazon are not worth it IMHO. I am sure that you have already, but check out the 1 and 2 star reviews. They don't last. They tear. They crack. Yes, they are cheap to replace...but you probably end up spending the same amount as Apple Sport band cost in 1 year.
Click to expand...

i have one now but it's going to be returned and it came with the watch and i have a brand new 42mm SS with a black leather loop coming to me today. it's a decent band for when i wear some shorts & t-shirt or active wear for a quick trip to the store since the other bands i have are more for the office (2 leather loops, 1 milanese and an SS bracelet). there are some 1 star reviews on the MoKo but plenty of good reviews.
 
Thai said:
Plenty of reasons? Like?
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Like not being a sucker. I'm not spending $200 on 4 bands that cost Apple $2 to make. Whether I can afford it or not. That's just me though.

I have 3 Moko sport bands, I use one of them about 95% of the time and I've had no issues. Not even with lint. Mine are all light/bright colors though, might show more on darker colors.
 
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I bought some of the moko bands on amazon thinking they would be ok. The problem with them, in my opinion, is that they just don't feel the same. From the texture to the thickness to just the feel on the wrist. Also the moko bands pick up lint and dust like crazy. I have since replaced them with oem bands from Apple. Just my 2 cents.
 
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Macaddict16 said:
If you can get by with only the S/M band and not the large, I have a bunch by LNKOO and they are amazing. Much nicer than the Moko bands IMHO.

https://amzn.com/B016RKPG5A

Normally $9.99, but right now they are $6.98!
Click to expand...
I agree. The LNKOO bands are really nice and the colours are spot on the same as Apples.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
kilcher said:
Like not being a sucker. I'm not spending $200 on 4 bands that cost Apple $2 to make. Whether I can afford it or not. That's just me though.

I have 3 Moko sport bands, I use one of them about 95% of the time and I've had no issues. Not even with lint. Mine are all light/bright colors though, might show more on darker colors.
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Sucker? That's a matter of opinion i guess. A guy who keeps on buying cheap stuff and end up spending as much as buying the real thing is a sucker too i guess.

You sound like an Android guy...that is a common argument Android fanboys make. :D
 
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Thai said:
Sucker? That's a matter of opinion i guess. A guy who keeps on buying cheap stuff and end up spending as much as buying the real thing is a sucker too i guess.

You sound like an Android guy...that is a common argument Android fanboys make. :D
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I've only ever owned iPhones so you're wrong about me being an "Android guy." If Google made a $1 band and sold it for $50 I'd feel the same way.

Don't get me wrong, if Apple (or whoever) can get people to pay it, good for them. I'm just not paying it. If you want to that's fine but that's not what this thread is supposed to be about.

I've had no problems with my Moko band and I wear it every day so to say that I "keep buying cheap stuff" is not at all accurate.
 
kilcher said:
I've only ever owned iPhones so you're wrong about me being an "Android guy." If Google made a $1 band and sold it for $50 I'd feel the same way.

Don't get me wrong, if Apple (or whoever) can get people to pay it, good for them. I'm just not paying it. If you want to that's fine but that's not what this thread is supposed to be about.

I've had no problems with my Moko band and I wear it every day so to say that I "keep buying cheap stuff" is not at all accurate.
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Which is great...but don't call people who buys Apple Sport band suckers. Fair??

Moko etc. bands are silicone based. Apple bands are not. This makes Apple bands better by virtue of materials used. And if that makes it a $50 band, then great because some here (me included) don't mind paying $50 for a band that will likely outlast the watch AND feel good on the skin at the same time without attracting lint/dirt and sweaty feeling.
 
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Thai said:
Which is great...but don't call people who buys Apple Sport band suckers. Fair??

Moko etc. bands are silicone based. Apple bands are not. This makes Apple bands better by virtue of materials used. And if that makes it a $50 band, then great because some here (me included) don't mind paying $50 for a band that will likely outlast the watch AND feel good on the skin at the same time without attracting lint/dirt and sweaty feeling.
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Yup my Moko is a dust magnet.
 
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i ended up getting my wife a MoKo sports band for $5.99 via Amazon Prime. The color, she likes. what irked me was the cheap connection and make in general. the band was sliding in and out freely from the connection until you let it connect, you had to slide it in slowly. she got it dirty the first day (it was a peach/light pink color). i ended up getting myself an OEM sports band on ebay for CHEAP and decided to get her one too. got it for roughly 65% off a brand new one. came in the original box and almost looked unused. happy to stick with OEM on this one. will be sending the other back on amazon.
 
yanki01 said:
i ended up getting my wife a MoKo sports band for $5.99 via Amazon Prime. The color, she likes. what irked me was the cheap connection and make in general. the band was sliding in and out freely from the connection until you let it connect, you had to slide it in slowly. she got it dirty the first day (it was a peach/light pink color). i ended up getting myself an OEM sports band on ebay for CHEAP and decided to get her one too. got it for roughly 65% off a brand new one. came in the original box and almost looked unused. happy to stick with OEM on this one. will be sending the other back on amazon.
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Good...there really isn't a comparable rubber band like Sport band on the market right now. You will enjoy it for a long time.
 
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