Seconded. I was quite unsure should I buy silicone strap, because of most of them are real dust magnets and have tendency to stick to the skin, but this is not the case - Barton Elite straps are very comfortable.
Just a short note to say how Barton has elevated their Elite Silicone rubber straps and put more expensive ones to shame.
For £16 you get a very comfy soft silicone, pre-formed into a bend at the watch end to help it curve over the wrist.
It can be two colour (about 16 combos I think)
It comes with 2 slips, a short and a long
All with quick change springbars
It has 2 keepers, and the end of the 2nd keeper has a tag that mates with the slip end to make sure it sits in the perfect place and does not move.
The buckles are available in whatever finish you like (PVD, brushed etc etc), and are very nice looking, not at all "generic"
The back of the strap is concave to assist breathing and avoid sweat build-up.
It is truly an excellent strap for the money.
But be warned, you will get done for import tax.
Here is a black/orange one on my Certina
Dave
Seconded. I was quite unsure should I buy silicone strap, because of most of them are real dust magnets and have tendency to stick to the skin, but this is not the case - Barton Elite straps are very comfortable.
They are excellent and also available through amazon for £20 or so with next day delivery
I didn't know you could get them through Amazon, that's worth knowing! They are excellent straps.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
I did look there, but it seemed that the options (especially the choice of steel, gold, bronze or black buckles) were more limited there than on the US site, where the choice is total.
I hope that has changed as Amazon is a much easier order, with no customs risk (I am fine with the tax, but the set fee for administering the charge ia annoying)
I bought 2 Barton Jetson NATO straps direct from them a few weeks ago via their website. Took about a fortnight to get here and no charges. Lovely quality straps.
You were luckier than me, I ordered in late April and my straps only turned up mid-June, plus I got the (expected) VAT and Royal Mail charges. Barton have still never bothered to reply to the e-mail I sent to their customer services address querying the whereabouts of my order when the tracking ground to a halt for a couple of weeks. I suspect I'll go via Amazon next time for peace of mind, it'll also be a bit cheaper I think, mainly due to the RM charge. Fabulous straps, though.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
I'm looking at getting the Elite Silicone in black with yellow belly for my new Damasko. Tempted to order via Amazon but I can't find an option to select the gunmetal buckle that will suit my DS30 case?
I bought two straps at the same time, total was £35.64, plus VAT of £5.69 and £8.00 to Royal Mail. So £49.33 all in. It's the RM fee that pushes it over the edge, really. The choice on Amazon looks more limited, but two straps there is going to be £39.00, so I'll likely go there another time, though I'm only looking for a standard brushed buckle, which looks easily available from them. If you were only buying one strap, the RM fee looks even worse.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Many thanks for the reply Dave! I got a bit carried away last night and ordered a Black/yellow Elite plus a grey sailcloth from them directly but have since cancelled the order. Unfortunately the Elite combo I want isn't available from Amazon. The black/yellow Elite is available from Amazon but without the gunmetal buckle that I want plus it will be shipped from the US with what looks like a two week lead time at a total cost of £23.69. The strap WITH the buckle I want is available direct at £17.58. Adding VAT @ 20% gives us £21.10. Am I correct in thinking the RM handling fee is a flat £8.00? If so that takes us to £29.10. I'm pretty sure I can source a gunmetal buckle for much less than the difference!
Yep, the RM fee is £8.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
After reading this thread I have two incoming. One Elite, one normal. 1st Barton straps for me.
Amazon order with free delivery !!
Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
I've had the Elite strap ages but a significant incoming completely overshadowed it. I'm impressed with the strap and it looks good on the DS30. I'll get some pics up soon. It comes with two different sizes of 6 o'clock side straps. I have 7 inch wrists and the smaller size is perfect for me. I also got a grey sailcloth strap from Barton too but they are so bland looking on the DS30 I'll never wear it. Well made though.
Appreciate the feedback, sounds promising. A few pictures would be very welcome.
Has anyone put one of these on a Garmin? How do they compare to the Garmin strap? The original Garmin strap seems tough and hard wearing.