Kevin Thomas
Comfortable and easy to wear even though it's thicker nylon (1.4 vs 1.2 for other substantial NATO straps). I was wary before ordering that it would be too thick, and it is thick enough that it was tricky at first to get the extra strap length to fold back over and tuck into the keepers. It is supple and very smooth high quality nylon, and does take a bend eventually. It conformed well, after a couple days regular wear, to the case/springbars of a watch. It ended up being the most comfortable NATO strap I have because it keeps enough of it's shape that it doesn't move around on your wrist, and doesn't have to be tight to stay in place (on these narrow 6.25" wrists). In general, the best fitting straps (whatever the material) can be worn securely at a couple different tightness adjustments--they don't have to be cinched down to fit, but fit fine if snug or less snug. This AlphaBlushark is slightly glossy, lacks any sense of coarseness that some look for in a NATO, and gives a high quality impression while still looking like the military/sport style strap it is. The buckle and keepers are brushed steel, substantial enough. They don't have the coarse, rugged look of rings, but don't look fiddly either, and retain the look of a basic military strap. The logo on the buckle is finely etched (rather than engraved) and hardly visible unless you look closely.UPDATE after a few months: turns out I like this Alpha strap better than the thinner more flexible AlphaPremium. This regular Alpha is only a bit thicker nylon but that and the slight extra stiffness, make it more comfortable over time because the strap holds its shape on the wrist better which supports the watch in place, never slides back/down off the wrist as happens for those of us with skinny, boney wrists. When I’m wearing the more supple AlphaPremium I do have to reposition the watch sometimes and I have to wear it more tightly to keep it in place. It’s still more comfortable than any other band (surprise to me) but everything that I like about a NATO band is better on this Alpha than on the AlphaPremium. Just ordered another. The long end does tuck back down into the rings just fine as it takes a crease. That BluShark seems to offer fewer colors on this Alpha than the AlphaPremium is a concern if it suggests the Alpha is being phased out(?). I find the espresso brown to be a highly versatile color for daily wear and wish they’d offer a honey tan brown too, and a true khaki color instead of the green band they label as khaki.
