Strap Habit Elastic and Canvas Strap Impressions

I love watch straps. Sometimes I get the feeling I am more of a strap collector than a watch collector:) Shortly after joining this site, I stumbled on a brand I hadn't heard of - Strap Habit (@StrapHabit ) - and thought I'd check out a few of their straps and thought I'd share my impressions. This is in no way an advertisement and I paid for these with my own money. 

Elastic Watch Strap: This is different than every other elastic strap I've tried. One of the appeals of other Elastic Straps (Mankey, Watch Steward, Islander, CNS) is that they aren't as bulky as a regular NATO by virtue of not having a tail to tuck. The Strap Habit elastic is different in that it is worn exactly like a traditional NATO, tail and all. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but definitely different, and makes it easier to put on and off as you don't need to remove the spring bars to thread it on. An awesome choice for those with fixed spring bars. 

Pros: Soft and supple nylon (I assume it's nylon) making it very comfortable on wrist. The hardware is brushed and unsigned but solid and well done. The second keeper is floating which allows for optimal tail tucking. Fair price at $18. Nice variety of colors.  

Cons: It's a traditional nato style so this adds 2 layers of fabric between your wrist and the case back (or one if you use a non-traditional way of wearing your NATO). The softness of the material means that it loses some structure, so for a bulkier watch, I could see this potentially being a problem. Only comes in 20 and 22 mm lug widths; it would be nice to see a few more options, especially 19 mm and 21 mm. No choice for different hardware finishes. 

Hook and Loop Strap: This is a style that I am not too familiar with, but I enjoy tool watches and this strap seemed like a natural choice to check out.

 Pros: sturdy feeling canvas strap. The stitching color is green which accents the khaki canvas nicely. The stitching is uniform and tight. The hardware is a solid feeling brushed ring. Comes with quick release spring bars. There is no material between my wrist and the case back. 

Cons: The look isn't for everyone. Depending on wrist size, you'll have varying amounts of black velcro showing which may not be your jam. The strap out of hte box was a bit stiff but after a few minutes of flexing it, softened up nicely. The velcro itself doesn't feel particularly sticky and the very end of the strap sticks up a bit so could get caught on things like sleeves. Only a handful of colors. Only 20 and 22 mm size.

Overall: I really like the look of both of these straps. The quality is good and appropriate for the price. I think I prefer the overall design of other elastic straps (e.g. G series by The Watch Steward, but that is just a personal preference. I forsee me using both of these and buying from Strap Habit again.