There’s no shortage of Asian companies looking to make replica Apple Watch bands and this week I’ve got my hands on a Replica Milanese Loop. I was super excited to see how good or bad this band would be. After all, many of the replica luxury watches that exist today are incredibly close to the real deal. I’ve held Rolexes that are nearly identical in weight, engravings and even movement. In fact, sometimes replicas are so good that the only way to tell is by opening the back of the watch. So how good is this Replica Milanese Loop? Read on to find out.

I was super excited when my package arrived from China. I thought to myself “Man, this is going to be great! I’m going to have a near identical Milanese Loop for 1/5th the price.” As I opened the package and took out the band, I realized something I had known but ignored: You get what you pay for.

While I don’t own the actual Milanese Loop sold by Apple, I have tried it on a couple of times and the first obvious difference between Apple’s and this replica is the actual mesh itself. It’s way less silky than Apple’s. It’s much stiffer and has way less flex to it. It’s hard to explain, but it didn’t feel luxurious.

In fact, the band itself was actually somewhat crooked if that makes any sense. Lay it flat on a table and the band doesn’t stay flat. It flexes in in all sorts of weird directions. I was able to bend it to make it a little better, but it’s still nowhere near perfect. Unfortunately this also effects how it looks when you wear it.

Here’s another picture of it laying flat on my table.

When you wear it, you can tell almost instantly that this is not a piece of luxury. Look closely at how the band is somewhat deformed around the connector. That’s because it’s not a flat band to begin with. Not a good look.

Speaking of connectors, they are not great either. They do not perfectly match the grooves of the Apple Watch. Sure, some may not care, but I prefer my bands to fit as perfectly as possible.

From a distance the mesh looks nice, but it doesn’t feel as nice. Apple’s is really way more comfortable.

Here’s another look at the watch band. Looks can be deceiving. Trust me.

Replica bands right now seem very rushed. They’re not nearly as good as Apple’s and to be honest, I don’t expect them to be. Is this band worth the $30 + $15 in shipping. I wouldn’t say so. If anything, this replica Milanese Loop has convinced me to buy Apple’s. Sure, it’s 5x more (about 3x if you include shipping costs), but I’d argue is 5x better. From looks to comfort, $150 seems decent given what I have in front of me right now.