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watch band recommendations?

Levon
over 4 years ago

Hi

Can anyone recommend some comfortable watch band alternatives? I like the current band on the 945, very soft (silicone based?) and comfortable, but I think it would be fun to change it up every once in a while, perhaps some nice bright colors (red, orange, etc), just like changing the watch face makes it feel like a new watch Slight smile

The 945 doesn't have quick release bands (or whatever the correct term is), I see some bands are set up for that, how difficult is it to change this for the 945? Also, for those who have used the quick release bands, how secure are they? I always assumed they would be, but then I recently read someone saying their watch had fallen off with one of those (I think it may have been an amazon review).

Thanks - hope everyone is staying safe.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I bought 4 different colored quick release bands for my 935 just to change things up every once in a while. They're the same size as the 945 and I still use them now. No problems whatsoever, but I stuck with the Garmin brand and not an off brand which I don't trust. 

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I have a bunch of off-brand bands that I bought from Amazon, all quick release style.  I like to change colors up regularly and this allows me to do so.  No issues with security, though admittedly I wouldn't be concerned about that unless I did open water swimming.  Anywhere else that my watch my just fall off my wrist I'll know it quickly and can retrieve it.  They feel very secure though and I frankly couldn't see how they might malfunction.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I bought a couple of quick fit bands on Ali. They're great, maybe a little less soft then the original straps but never in my life will I pay €50 for two straps of plastic 

    Also it's annoying that the tri bundle I bought didn't come with quick fit straps, as if one would manually use screwdrivers changing the strap during a workout.

    These are the ones I've got and they're really robust:
    a.aliexpress.com/_dZLC1VH

    They were just €3,50 and the blue color is exactly like my watch 

  • 0 over 4 years ago
    Levon said:
    The 945 doesn't have quick release bands

    Yes it does..

    https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/621922#accessories

    I had one very poor experience with a 3rd party band for my 935 that put me off using anything other than Garmin. I sea swim a lot and nearly lost the watch. That’s only my experience though. Other users will attest otherwise.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to philipshambrook

    Ok, so perhaps my phrasing wasn't quite right, it doesn't come ready for use with quick release bands or quick release bands out of the box, and it looks like I need to use a screwdriver to remove the original bands minimally. That was my point :)

    Not sure if I just replace the hardware, or if I have to use different pins as I see that some of the bands come with pins.


    I don't swim, so I may go with a budget option, from the posts it seems that 935/945 use the same bands. Sorry to hear about your bad experience, but glad you were able to save the watch, lost at sea could be very tricky to retrieve (impossible probably in most cases)

    Seems like the "cheapest" Garmin option is about $30,





    this one here cracks me up

    but even this isn't the most expensive offering, that would be this




    Who would spend $200 or $300 for a sports watch band ...

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to Levon
    Levon said:
    Not sure if I just replace the hardware, or if I have to use different pins

    You use the existing pin. My Garmin straps came with a screwdriver. I tried a 3rd party band and the spring in the quick release mechanism was very flimsy and the quick release didn't cover as much of the pin as the Garmin brand.  I decided to pay more for the "official" Garmin bands for the quality and piece of mind. 

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to Levon
    Levon said:
    Not sure if I just replace the hardware, or if I have to use different pins as I see that some of the bands come with pins.

    The tools are provided to remove the non-quick-release bands. Once removed it's a simple process to swap out quick-release bands as required.

    Levon said:
    Who would spend $200 or $300 for a sports watch band ...

    These bands also fit the F6, F5, and Marq as well as the 935 and 945. People who spend more money on premium priced watches are more likely to invest more on quality bands..

    Levon said:
    I may go with a budget option,

    If you are not in situations where the strap failing is a problem then there's no reason not to do just that.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    i've bought non qr bands from this store, as i don't trust the the chinese qr mech that much:

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33056887668.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dzyZOqO

    honestly, you can't tell the difference from the garmin ones:-). with each band there are 2 screwdrivers supplied so swapping bands is a no brainer.  

    and there are also some screen protectors you might find useful:

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000200937143.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1c494c4d6UlMcf

    or a charging dock:

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000390483704.html (even dc rainmaker mentioned this in one of his reviews if i remember correctly)

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to tsofron

    I would not advice not original replacements, especially quick fit ones. I lost my fenix 5x because using such (not cheapest one) when jumping to ocean.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to v0id

    me neither :-). have a look at the link. it's a standard watchband - and this one definitely can't fall off.