Does anyone have experience with original Garmin branded silicone bands for both Fenix 5 and Fenix 5 Plus? I have noticed their design is a bit different; on my Fenix 5 the texture on the band got smoothened fairly quickly and the durability wasn't bad but wasn't great either. Would it make more sense to buy a Fenix 5 Plus band instead?
My original Fenix 5 band had a dodgy buckle that was sharp and cut into my skin. When I wrote to Garmin they sent me out a new one which was actually a 5 Plus band so I’m not sure if they will still supply the originals?
I haven’t noticed much difference in quality either to be honest, the 5 Plus band is still starting to look a bit worn in places, despite it being smooth to begin with. I’ve had much more satisfactory results from 3rd party straps made by Notocity that I bought off Amazon, which look almost identical to the original Fenix 5 bands, but wear much better and cost a fraction of the price.
Thanks! The Garmin web store (at least in Australia) sells Fenix 5 and Fenix 5 Plus bands side by side for the same price. I am a bit OCD in terms of preferring to keep the Fenix 5 look "as is" unless the Plus bands are significantly better.
I am considering 3rd party bands but given they all come from no-name China vendors I am just a bit cautious about the quality of materials - not necessarily from wear and tear perspective but also from health perspective given I am wearing the watch 24x7.
Same here, I was actually a bit annoyed they sent me the Plus band. With regards to health, even the Garmin original bands carry the ‘may cause cancer’ warning on the box.
