When hype is taken a bit too far
I know that everybody is different and that diversity means that one opinion is as good as another, that everybody is a winner etcetera, but I'm a terrible person and I tend to believe that most of you are there just to try to swindle me or test how gullible I am.
Case in point: The "Melange" strap from Wrist Candy Watch Club that came bundled with the Safari Lorier. It was hyped almost as if it was a revelation of mystic proportions and yet it's so shockingly bad that it almost made me bin an otherwise excellent watch.
Make no mistakes, despite the cute name there is nothing endearing about this strap, the material is both thin and stiff, the sealed edges are itchy and the thin and tinny buckle looks like it was stamped out of a tuna can. It is truly terrible.
How on Earth someone found a way to exalt its non existent virtues is beyond my comprehension because the strap securing my Trangia field cooking set is better in any test metric you would care to apply.
In the meantime the Lorier Safari found its match with an excellent strap from Erika's Original with an optional bronze buckle and it's what I wear today. I'm just still pissed that I had to pay extra because if someone at Lorier was more attentive, chances are that the watch could have been bundled with a strap less hyped but at least fit for human consumption.
I'm a big fan of watches that are interesting because they are either unique, have interesting features, well designed or simply offer a great value for their price.
It looks better on the MN strap in my opinion. 👍
I have yet to find a perlon strap I like to wear, I always feel irritated by the keeper and hate seeing the tinny buckle.
I've come to the conclusion that after wearing Erika's Original straps all other cloth straps will disappoint in some way.
I like the ballistic nylon strap on my Navigator, but it's not as nice as the Erika's straps I wear because it's not as adjustable.
+1 on the Erika's - looks great. I like Erika's, although they are expensive for what they are - biggest plus for me is that they got the balance between elasticity and wearability just right - some elaticated staps (i.e. Zuludiver) are too elastic, and even a modest-weighted watch bounces about on them - Erika's is spot on - watch doesn't move, but just enough flex in them for comfort.
...also, that's a lovely Lorier - nice one.
+1 on the Erika's - looks great. I like Erika's, although they are expensive for what they are - biggest plus for me is that they got the balance between elasticity and wearability just right - some elaticated staps (i.e. Zuludiver) are too elastic, and even a modest-weighted watch bounces about on them - Erika's is spot on - watch doesn't move, but just enough flex in them for comfort.
...also, that's a lovely Lorier - nice one.
Thank you, the Lorier is indeed a very nice watch with the perfect (for me) blend of size and retro art-deco style.
I've come to the conclusion that after wearing Erika's Original straps all other cloth straps will disappoint in some way.
I like the ballistic nylon strap on my Navigator, but it's not as nice as the Erika's straps I wear because it's not as adjustable.
I have their straps on 4 of my watches and in all cases they are great fit.
The strap of the Trangia cook set is made of nylon and just for the sake of experimenting I did try to fit it on the Lorier instead of the original strap. It did fit as the Trangia strap is also 18mm, it was more comfortable on the wrist but impractical as it was much longer and I needed it for the cooking set.
I used to believe that the pseudo alligator strap that came with my Seiko SARB0017 Alpinist was the worst strap ever. The Wrist Candy "Melange" strap proved that this is not the case and that in the race to the bottom Seiko is just able to secure a very distant second place.
Ah, someone else who understands the inferiority of Wrist Candy Watch Club straps specifically and perlon straps generally.
They remind me too much of those braided leather belts I had as a kid with all of the drawbacks and none of the nostalgia.
Ah, someone else who understands the inferiority of Wrist Candy Watch Club straps specifically and perlon straps generally.
They remind me too much of those braided leather belts I had as a kid with all of the drawbacks and none of the nostalgia.
The WCWC strap is three strap in one: The first, the only and the last Perlon strap I'll ever have.
Blame TGV and his t-rex skin, @Catskinner. Dude's been hyping Wrist Candy Watch Club straps often in his videos. Of course he'd want one on something he designed.
Blame TGV and his t-rex skin, @Catskinner. Dude's been hyping Wrist Candy Watch Club straps often in his videos. Of course he'd want one on something he designed.
Well I'm doing my bit to "unhype" it.
I'm not blaming TGV because there's no accounting for taste. Lorier OTOH should have been a bit more responsible.
Seems like no one mentioned other brands (cough...cough Crown and Buckle cough...cough.) But seriously, other brands are doing a better job at Perlon straps that one should look into. Just because you had a bad experience with a type of strap from a brand doesn't mean that all straps of that type is bad, you just have to do your homework when buying any straps for that matter. It's like calling all Germans as Nazis. In the words of Henning von Tresckow from the ending of the movie Valkyrie: "We have to show the world that not all of us are like him."
Seems like no one mentioned other brands (cough...cough Crown and Buckle cough...cough.) But seriously, other brands are doing a better job at Perlon straps that one should look into. Just because you had a bad experience with a type of strap from a brand doesn't mean that all straps of that type is bad, you just have to do your homework when buying any straps for that matter. It's like calling all Germans as Nazis. In the words of Henning von Tresckow from the ending of the movie Valkyrie: "We have to show the world that not all of us are like him."
This is a rather unfortunate comparison that I wish you didn't went there.
This is a rather unfortunate comparison that I wish you didn't went there.
Unfortunate? I think you really don't understand my point.
The point is, a bad experience with a strap from a specific doesn't mean that all straps of that specific type is bad, and the comparison to "calling all Germans as Nazi just because you met a German who's a Nazi" is meant to mean "you cannot paints the 99 percent of people from a certain type that you didn't know by looking at the 1 percent of people you met of that type", hence why I cite Tresckow's words from Valkyrie, as the conspirators of Operation Valkyrie (aka the July 20th plot that the movie Valkyrie centers around) wanted to prove to the world that they aren't like Hitler or any Nazis and that they are willing to risk their lives to rid Germany of the tyrant that was Hitler and the Nazis, while also meant to mean "don't be ignorant and step outside of the comfort zone, because there's a lot more out there that's yet to be discovered".
On stiff and scratchy straps, put them in a tied off sock wash them in the washing machine, then dry them with dryer sheets and see if that makes a difference. Use fabric softener if you have it.
Unfortunate? I think you really don't understand my point.
The point is, a bad experience with a strap from a specific doesn't mean that all straps of that specific type is bad, and the comparison to "calling all Germans as Nazi just because you met a German who's a Nazi" is meant to mean "you cannot paints the 99 percent of people from a certain type that you didn't know by looking at the 1 percent of people you met of that type", hence why I cite Tresckow's words from Valkyrie, as the conspirators of Operation Valkyrie (aka the July 20th plot that the movie Valkyrie centers around) wanted to prove to the world that they aren't like Hitler or any Nazis and that they are willing to risk their lives to rid Germany of the tyrant that was Hitler and the Nazis, while also meant to mean "don't be ignorant and step outside of the comfort zone, because there's a lot more out there that's yet to be discovered".
Yeah I agree. Generalization can be a serious mistake. I’ve had metal bracelets that Always pulled my arm hairs out, so I tended to lean away from them for a while. Then I wore one that Never tugged on my hairs and it made me realize that not everything is as “black and white” as I had thought.