My downside with the Apple Watch, and with virtually all watches basically, is the band. Like many individuals, I spend most of my time sitting at a desk typing on a pc, and I’ve by no means been in a position to get used to the manner my watch strap, and even simply the small metallic clasp, clacks round on my desk or on the palm remainder of my laptop computer. It’s scratchy, it’s loud, and it’s uncomfortable. Inevitably, I get right into a watch-wearing behavior solely to take it off to work after which finally simply by no means put it again on once more.
But I purchased a Watch Series 8 this weekend with the stretchy Braided Solo Loop, and it modified issues for this watch wearer. The Braided Solo Loop (I name it the BSL, as in, “hold on bros, let me throw on the BSL earlier than we hit these gnarly waves”) got here out in 2020 with the Watch Series 6, however since I haven’t had an Apple Watch for just a few years, it was new to me. Rather than the traditional two-part watch strap, the BSL is a single piece of stretchy woven yarn. It’s skinny sufficient that I don’t really feel it whacking the desk as a substitute of my wrist and smooth sufficient that it doesn’t scratch or catch as I transfer my fingers round.
The BSL isn’t adjustable aside from the stretch, so that you do have to get sized for the band both by going to an Apple Store or printing the firm’s house sizing band. I measured at a 9, however the worker serving to me at the retailer stated she really helpful sizing down. So now I’ve a black — excuse me, midnight — size 8 BSL on my left wrist, the place it left a tiny woven marking for a day however now appears to have settled properly.
For the first time, I can now comfortably use my Apple Watch all day as a substitute of regularly taking it off once I sit down and placing it on once I stand up. It’s been an enormous win, each for my means to truly put on this very costly gadget I purchased and for the performance of the watch since a few of its best well being options are supposed to be amassing information 24 hours a day. So far, I’ve solely taken my Series 8 off to cost it. Which nonetheless occurs too typically, by the manner, however sadly, no band can repair that a part of the downside.
The BSL does have a less expensive sibling, referred to as the Solo Loop, which is a equally stretchy piece however is manufactured from Apple’s traditional liquid silicone. It’s half the worth of the BSL — which prices a whopping $99 — however I’ve simply by no means preferred the manner the silicone seems. A observe of warning in each instances: some patrons say the bands stretch over time to the level of being too free, which might be a bummer for such an costly accent. I’ve been instructed the BSL is fairly absorbent, too, so it seems I’m going to have so as to add “hand wash my watch strap” to the weekly laundry record. Still, even with all these worries, this is the most comfy the Apple Watch has ever been on my wrist.
You can even discover loads of third-party stretchy bands: numerous individuals like the ones from Palmetto, which price as little as $15, and there’s a preferred Etsy retailer referred to as SDVL that sells the spitting picture of the BSL for $27. I think I’ll find yourself shopping for all of them at one level or one other. Because I’ve gone stretchy watch band, and I’m not going again.