Get Nomad's Apple Watch Bands for Up to 30% Off in Black Friday Sale

Nomad should be doing a 99% off Black Friday Sale…and even then, their junk bands would be overpriced!

No, they aren't the same. I'm sure you think a knockoff Rolex is the same too.

The FKM material is the same thing Apple uses. It's not what the cheap bands use. They use plain silicon. You can tell the difference in how the band feels and the quality of it. They also don't age as well and can get sticky.

Nomad has addressed this as well. When they were finalizing the design with their manufacturing partner, the CAD files got stolen and a bunch of knockoff manufacturers in China began flooding the market with copycats. Some reviewers on YouTube have compared the knockoffs to the actual Stratos and the Stratos uses a higher grade of titanium and a stronger magnet for the clasp, among other discrepancies.

If you believe "a higher grade of titanium and a stronger magnet" justify a $143 price difference, you may purchase the Nomad original. I'm sure it's an excellent band.

I'm also sure imola will be perfectly well served by the cheaper one and that it will last for the lifetime of his Apple Watch without concern.

For sure. People are free to do what they want. I’m just speaking to the misconception that Nomad is upselling generic Chinese merch. They spent a lot of effort designing the Stratos. It’s a shame the market is already flooded with knockoffs based on the stolen CAD files.

I own both a Nomad band bought from their website for ~$60 and several imported versions I bought in a set for under $7 each. Under close inspection they are exactly identical, wear identically, and have had the same durability. Can I prove that they are one in the same? Of course not. However, for all intents and purposes they functionally are.

If people like the Nomad bands (as I did), they should buy one and enjoy it (also, as I did). But they should do so knowing that they're paying mightily for a logo and fancy box.

You can find the original bands they source on AliExpress pretty easily. $3-7 each. Identical in every way except the Nomad logo.

The Nomad ones come much better packaged (versus the usual ziplock from an importer), but, I dunno that a fancy box is worth a 10x markup. To each their own, I guess.