Review of the Jacquard-type NATO straps - Monstraps vs. Crown & Buckle

I've been enamored with Tudor's woven straps since I read and watched content about them a few years ago. I have a couple of Tudors but none on the strap, and I can't bring myself to drop $200+ on the genuine article. So I was thrilled when Crown & Buckle launched their jacquard models last fall. I also read that Monstraps offered something similar, so I bought and compared the duo -- both in camo. Here are my two cents.

TL;DR - I prefer the C&B for its slightly nicer feel, slightly nicer hardware, and slightly lower cost.

Monstraps Blackbay Adjustable III in arctic camo (gray/black) - "woven with the aid of a sophisticated computer aided loom" and costs $52.00.

The nylon length is 10.75" out of the box and is adjustable with another 0.5" length available. It's very premium, very soft, and could almost pass for cotton, but it still has that nylon slickness. The camo pattern is nice, with the blobs larger than the C&B, if that matters. There is a solid color edge on either side, and the reverse side is the opposite color of the top side.

Hardware is stainless steel, brushed on the top and polished on the sides and bottom. The underside is engraved with "Monstraps," but that area is oddly unfinished and dull. And, while the dual keepers are nicely machined and angled at the corners, the buckle is jangly and loose. The buckle looks almost identical to that of C&B's "Chevron" adjustable model. Still, Monstraps' buckle is ever so slightly thinner (the Monstraps is adjustable like the Chevron, but the Chevron buckle feels higher-end).

There is a single line of color-matched stitching at the top end where the strap connects to the underside of the second keeper. The adjustment holes are "ultrasound sealed," as is the curved end of the strap, but it's all nicely done.

Crown & Buckle Woven Jacquard in forest camo (olive/brown) - "made on a genuine jacquard loom" and costs $42.00 for the non-adjustable, $49.00 for the adjustable.

The nylon length is 9.5" on the non-adjustable. It's very premium, very slick/smooth, and has a luxury feel that's slightly more premium than the Monstraps. The camo pattern is slightly nicer and smaller than the Monstraps, and has a "that's what camo looks like" appearance, unlike the Monstraps' ghosts and pac-man pattern. The strap also has a solid color edge, but the reverse side has diagonal microstrips instead of camo.

The C&B brushed stainless steel buckle feels high-end, solid, and tight, with no logo or words. It's "flared." Granted, this is the non-adjustable buckle instead of the adjustable on the Monstraps, but the C&B adjustable feels better than the Monstraps.

The single wide keeper is a piece of the same strap that appears glued or welded on the underside. The end of the strap at the buckle is also glued or welded and has a line of color-matched stitching. The curved tail end of the strap has a nicely stitched finish, much like the velcro/nylon strap on the Tudor FXD. The adjustment holes are also "sealed" and resemble the Monstraps'.