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The Great "Third Party Band/Strap" Thread
- Thread starter appleboyy
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I got my braided knockoffs from Amazon. Yes, they do have plastic ends, but I haven’t found them to be wiggly at all around the connectors. I wear one almost every day. The solo and braided loops are my favorites, but I cannot get a good fit with Apple’s. My Amazon ones have saved the day.
Not at all. i bought this particular one at
APPLE WATCH BAND Store
There are dozens of watch band stores on AliExpress though, and most of them sell the same bands manufactured by the same factory/company.
It seems the producer goes by the name Lerxiuer, as that is printed on the product photos in a lot of the stores.
There is also Crested, they have their own product photos with their name, but the bands come in exactly the same package with identical product codes.
The black and orange woven nylon band from iStrap goes really well with the Ultra.
those straps look pretty nice, but what’s the catch, they seem to be just about 10$ less per band than the OEM apple versions? Is it just the variety that is the appeal?
Received this strap today via Amazon UK
It's stiff and tight with it being brand new and my wrists aren't exactly small. But it's a great strap and very robust feeling.
Fitted a Ringke case too (already have a Spigen screen protector fitted)
Impressed so far 👍🏼
It's stiff and tight with it being brand new and my wrists aren't exactly small. But it's a great strap and very robust feeling.
Fitted a Ringke case too (already have a Spigen screen protector fitted)
Impressed so far 👍🏼
I found this third party sport band by Donegani on Amazon the other day. I’d wanted the nomad for awhile, but didn’t care for the scallops in the band.
This color is exactly what I wanted, but the end is a bit short. The packaging indicated it’s a small/medium, but there was no medium/large option on Amazon.
Overall, I’m very satisfied but would prefer a m/l end. They also make a “Christmas” red color that I’ll be ordering too.
This color is exactly what I wanted, but the end is a bit short. The packaging indicated it’s a small/medium, but there was no medium/large option on Amazon.
Overall, I’m very satisfied but would prefer a m/l end. They also make a “Christmas” red color that I’ll be ordering too.
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I have some Braided Solo Loop bands from URVOI (via AliExpress) that look nice and have worn well for the month I have had them so far. I wear a Size 12 so I went 42-49mm L and it fits snugly, but comfortably. Each one ran about $15.
I just got a couple from here and they seem to be pretty decent quality, although the connector seems to be maybe a little smaller than normal. I usually search for "1:1 braided solo loop" because pretty much every time I want to get a backup or try out a new color, the last seller I bought from no longer sells them anymore. and then look at reviews with pictures to see what the connectors look look vs genuine
The URVOI ones are nice but I didn't love the material as much as others I've gotten on aliexpress, it felt a bit tougher. maybe I just need to wear it more to break it in a bit, but I just have like 5 different braided solo loops that I cycle through so I'm too lazy for that
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Those do look like pretty decent quality, and for the money ~ $5, a HUGE difference to Apple Original braided bands. It’s unfortunate that they only make 5 sizes, that have to cover 2 different Apple sizes, I guess if one is sort of in between, that works, but if one is clearly one and not the other, then one gets either too tight or too large. And i guess there is no return or exchange option due to it being in China from a shipping start/endpoint.
I feel lucky, so far I have ordered a Large size band (for 40mm) every time and they've all fit reasonably well. I hope others are as fortunate. But like you said for $5 a piece I kinda like the slow burn "thrill" of ordering 2-3 at a time and having them show up weeks later, and there's no way I'd pay $100 for just one of these
What makes the China loops kind of a lottery game is that the size can vary by a couple of mm. I ordered from the same store three braided solo loops in size L, and each one had a noticeable different length. One was actually so tight that I could not wear the band. When it comes to quality control the copycat bands are not even remotely comparable to Apple's products.
As for quality, I found the Urvoi bands too uncomfortable to wear, they don't possess the same softness as Apple Loops or even some of the cheaper Aliexpress bands.
I bought some from Amazon that I love. They aren’t sized exactly like Apple’s, but I’ve been very pleased with the fit. I also washed/dried one recently (in my washer/dryer) to see how it would launder, and it is like new.
Update - looks like they discontinued the Proworthy braided ones, which were the ones I loved. I just ordered a different brand to try. It seems they still sell the Proworthy brand solo loops (which I also really like), but no braided.
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Make sure the seller sends the correct order. I had this occur they sent me an Apple watch band instead of an air tag cover.
I’ve had some decent shipping times recently when ordering from Urvoi store taking only 2-3 weeks.
Sometimes you'll see an option for shipping from China or USA ... if in the USA, pick that one.