tl;dr: The Sport Band is the best band in all situations in my opinion.
I purchased the Stainless Steel WATCH with black Sport Band and have had it since April 29th. On May 20th, I received my Black Leather Loop and on May 21st I received my Milanese Loop. I ordered these other bands so I could try them out and see what I liked best. I wore the Leather & Milanese Loops for one full work day each from morning till bed. After wearing the band for one day each, I feel like my opinion was solidified.
I will detail my thoughts as an easy Pros and Cons list for each band. These are my opinions based on the experiences I had with the bands along with some feedback from others I asked.
Leather Loop (Black)
Pros
- Comfortable
- Very Adjustable
- Doesn’t pull arm hair at all
- It is comfortable when resting my wrist on a surface. I tested this while using a mouse with a wrist pad at work throughout the day.
- It looks very nice.
Cons
- Sits above the wrist and moves back and forth slightly with my arm movement
- The slight movement can feel like a tap from the Taptic Engine™.
- The vast adjustability made me constantly fidget with it throughout the day; I could see this becoming an issue for me.
- I wear my watches tight. Because the band was so adjustable, I was able to make it fit so perfectly that I made it too tight and it left a mark on my wrist.
- The position of the watch seemed to make the heart rate sensor not work sometimes, though I am unsure if this had to do with the issues people are having in OS version 1.0.1 (see article).
Milanese Loop
Pros
- Many people think it looks nice
- It is comfortable when wearing it (mostly).
- It doesn’t come apart in two pieces like most bands, therefore you are not likely to drop the watch while trying to put it on.
- It is the most adjustable of the bands available.
- The heart rate sensor seems to work fine with this band on.
Cons
- Some people who thought it looked great from photos on Apple’s website, thought it didn’t look quite as nice or fancy in person.
- It would look nicer if it were a bit wider. This is the case especially with the 38mm version.
- It is not very comfortable when resting your wrist on a surface (using a mouse).
- When I bend my wrist I can feel the metal dig into my skin a little, and it is not very pleasant.
- Like the leather loop, it sat above my wrist in a somewhat odd position at times.
- It seems to rock back and forth slightly on top of my wrist, but I didn’t feel that movement like I did with the Leather Loop.
Sport Band (Black)
Pros
- Very good looking. My girlfriend has the white version, and it is very nice looking as well.
- Extremely comfortable in all positions.
- Wraps around my wrist best, and the watch stays in one place and doesn’t rock.
- Can look both casual and fancy.
- Very smooth and light
- Can put it on the same setting every time I wear it.
- Not as much messing with the size, which is helpful if you have a little OCD.
Cons
- It can pull your arm hair a little (sometimes).
- Not as adjustable as other options.
I hope this article helps you decide which band you would like if you are purchasing an WATCH, or have already purchased one and are thinking about getting a second band. I will be returning the Leather Loop and Milanese Loop to the Apple Store, but I think that many people will find them quite nice. All in all, I’m very happy Apple focused so much on making such great watch bands. That was always the biggest problem with watches for me.