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Comment by ChrisMarshallNY | Hacker News Reader

I have a whole boatload of straps -almost none, Apple straps.

You can buy all kinds of knockoff (and surprisingly high-quality) straps on Amazon, for $50 or less (many of mine were about $15).

Apple, on the other hand, charges eye-watering prices for fairly basic straps.

All that said, the last few years, I've just been getting the stainless steel variants of the Watch (I currently have an 8), and use a metal band that I got for about $25[0].

The Apple version of a similar band is ... slightly more expensive [1].

[0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JWLYLG5/

[1] https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MUHJ2AM/A/38mm-silver-lin...

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I would agree that third-party knockoffs of plastic or textile straps are great. The metal ones are just not worth it. Unless you like dirty wrists and peeling paint, I'd avoid them. just look at the reviews for the one you've posted [1]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1TW5ISDWA84PV/re...

Yup, but I just got the basic stainless steel one.

It can give my wrist a dark “shadow,” if I am sweating a lot, but otherwise, it’s been fine.

I have a ton of straps. Some of the non-metal ones are total garbage, and peel and crack.

If they had an “interim” variant, for around $100, I would consider that. I have a Junghans Apollo, that I got their full-fat strap for, and that was $150. That watch cost more than any of the (current) Apple Watches, and I haven’t worn it in years.

Yeah, I've meant "stainless steel" when I mentioned dirty wrists.

Would not be at all surprised, if the Apple band did the same (my Junghans one does).

Not gonna drop $350, to find out.

It’s no big deal, and only happens occasionally.

I had few Amazon SS bands, and they all were leaving dark marks. Apple's Silver Milanese Loop is stain free. Also price difference is not that bad compared to knockoffs.

I‘m usually in the camp of buying official Apple accessories, because the details matter and are better than in knockoffs. Stuff like the strength of the magnets in the stainless wristbands.

But: I have the silver Milanese that came with my Series 5 and noticed that it destroys the fabric of my long sleeve button shirts. Quite annoying that this apparently didn’t receive the same thoughtful care like other Apple products.

I'm still rocking my Series 0 Milanese (but on a Series 5 watch), and I feel really lucky to only have lost a few arm hairs to the loop after your comment, haha. I wonder if they've changed something about their design or manufacturing over the years? It'd be interesting to get to see what this band looks like with each new generation to compare.

It is mind-boggling to me that something so frivolous is a $1B industry. Watch straps to me are completely functional. Sure, I’ll pick a better-looking strap, but I would never pay extra - especially not the exorbitant amount Apple charges - for looking “pretty”.

Just goes to show that all my assumptions about what makes a product popular/profitable are wrong.

P.S. I do have the Apple watch anyway. My strap requirements are: breathable, can be removed easily, doesn’t pinch arm hair.

I was in a discussion about a decade ago on the topic of form following function. People were arguing that decorative bits were unnecessary and detract from the beautiful form of something that's functionally pure. A creative director that works with several name brands you've heard of ended the conversation there by replying that decoration serves a different kind of function, mainly communication. If engineers had their way, most products would have nothing but cubes and spheres. In this sense, decoration would be rounding the edges of a cube to communicate that the product is kid friendly, fun to play with and will not hurt if you step on it. Conversely, sharpening the overly round corners helps convey that the product is a serious tool for serious business.

I'm paraphrasing because here because this is so long ago but I hope you get the point. Apple doesn't make products that 'just look pretty', they also tend to be highly functional. (As long as you're not holding it wrong.)

I find that the people who say things like this are the same folk who will spend extra on a gaming PC battlestation that has color-coordinated neon lighting from the chassis, monitor backlighting, and on their keyboard.

People value aesthetics. Not everything in life is purely functional. Maybe you don't personally appreciate the beauty of a nice wristwatch strap, and that's fine. But I can virtually guarantee that there's some area of your life where you have spent additional dollars on a widget to gain some additional aesthetic value above and beyond what was purely functional. You simply did so on objects you personally care about. You likely have even done so without being consciously aware of this decision! Someone else with different preferences could easily look at that purchase and boggle at how anyone could spend extra on something so pointless.

And if you really, truly, have never spent extra time, effort, or money on something you'd appreciated for its beauty? To me, that's… just kind of depressing.

I think my comment was misinterpreted, judging by both comments to it.

What I meant to say, wrist straps were not even on my radar of aesthetics, and I was shocked to learn it’s a $1B business (for Apple alone?). So clearly, I missed how much they mean to people.

Obviously, I (and pretty much everyone else) do buy things at least partially influenced by aesthetics (clothing, sunglasses, furniture, to name a few). Wrist straps were a huge surprise for me, though. Another one is paying a premium for different colored phones (and I admit I was first in line to pay a premium for a jet black RAZR phone back in the day)

Related, can anyone recommend 3rd party straps they like? I used to have a wood strap and i loved it but it broke (wood and all). It was good quality, i'm just rough with them i think. Now that i'm back on the regular Apple strap.. i miss the nicer one.

Curious if anyone has recommendations.

(Sidenote, man i don't think i could buy that $25 metal strap.. i'd assume it was junk lol)

> i'd assume it was junk lol

It's not. I've been using the same band for years. I am constantly taking it off, and putting it back on, so the butterfly latch gets lots of exercise.

The Apple band is nicer, but ... I got one that is likely an exact replica of it (including the quick-release buttons on the links -which is silly, because you only take them out once, unless you plan to gain a bunch of weight), for $60.

I don't even know if you can spend more than $60 on Amazon, for one of these things.

I have a bunch of wood bands (I literally have several dozen bands).

However, the ones I like the most are "hybrid" ones: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071NV2GF4/

I got that, five years ago (I still have it, and it's fine). I don't know if they make the same one, anymore.

I've purchased a few from Nyloon I've been happy with. The canvas ones do take a little bit to break in.

I've also only recently discovered the Etsy category from somewhere in this post.

https://www.nyloon.net/

I just started wearing this one: https://mobyfox.com/products/sega-genesis-3d-smartwatch-band

Not the most comfortable, but it's fun to look at.

My wife and I both have Fulmosa metal watch straps, $23.99 at Amazon [1]. Hers is blue, mine is black. Very comfortable, easy to put on and take off. Mine is starting to show a little wear in the paint on the links at the bottom of the wrist, but my wrist doesn't get dirty. The links are a pain to get off and on, of course, but they do provide a small toolkit.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096M9BQY5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

I've had good luck with bands from Barton & Nomad.

For a while I was doing the < $15 on amazon path, but switched to some of the above and never looked back.

Hm... This looks good:

https://nomadgoods.com/products/metal-band-steel-silver-44mm

Not cheap, but it actually looks better than the Apple $350 band.

> Crafted from the same 316L stainless steel alloy as the case, the Link Bracelet has more than 100 components. The machining process is so precise, it takes nearly nine hours to cut the links for a single band. The custom butterfly closure folds neatly within the bracelet. And several links feature a simple release button, so you can add and remove links without any special tools.

Apple makes their watchband sound like the absolute pinnacle of engineering. I do agree Apple accessories are generally ridiculously expensive. Phone cases, chargers...

What kills me is that you can't rely on them, even with all that engineering and cost. I was tired of 3rd party combo chargers failing for wireless charging + charging a watch -- Apple's costs $130 but I figured at least it was one thing I wouldn't have to worry about ever again. (https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MHXF3AM/A/magsafe-duo-cha...)

The piece of shit failed after maybe 3 months, it just wouldn't charge the phone and my spouse would wake up with a completely dead battery in the morning. Forums are littered with people with similar problems.

Same thing with their shitty expensive cases -- terrible peeling with moderate use. Drives me crazy you can pay so much for such a terrible quality 'premium' product.

I guess my wife and I have been lucky, as we each have the same charger, with no issues. Before that I had a Nomad wireless charger with a watch charger, and it worked well enough. I just wanted something that have full speed Magsafe charging, and was super portable. What did you switch to?

Honestly just gave up on the wireless aspect -- still use the MagSafe one for the watch charger and then a corded phone charger.

People don’t buy a product, they buy a story, and that description you quote is definitely a story.

I own a bunch of straps too. While I think that Apple charges a premium on their straps, I'm sure that the quality and durability is not comparable on average.

For example, I got a couple of knock off silicone bands for my wife. They almost immediately started to peel and broke after a few trips to the ocean. The original ones seem to retain the same soft touch feeling.

On the other hand, Apple silicone bands are quite bad compared to Nomad sport bands.

I bought the $20 metal Amazon dupe of the stainless steel link band that runs $349 from apple. 4 years in and the knockoff is still going strong

Apple's Sport Band, i.e. its "basic strap", is $49.

And it's well worth it. The bands I got way back in 2015 are still in great condition and working fine after a lot of heavy use.

As for Apple's stainless steel link bracelet being more expensive? Again, you get what you pay for: superior quality, an ingenious system that allows you to remove each link without any tools to adjust the size, a really wonderful clasp, etc.

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