Reviews
A good try but could be refined
Have you ever thought about buying a Peak Design Cuff but didn't want to get into their ecosystem because of the price? This is a very similar alternative and works just as well as a self-locking camera strap. Hell, it also has the same strap width of 19mm, so the comfort is willy-nilly the same. But just as I'm not a huge fan of the PD Cuff, there are a few things I'm not a fan of, although this product does have two small flaws when it comes to build and build quality. First, let me address my dislike of these auto cinch designs: the length. It's good that it contracts and won't slip out of your hands if you drop your camera, but the distance traveled can still be great enough to hit a surface. It's better than falling to the ground, but given that depending on the size of your wrist, your camera will still fall from a hand-raised position by about 30cm, plus the width of your camera and part of your lens. That's still pretty significant. And to make the strap fit most hands it can't be made much shorter... other than this seems to be slightly larger/longer than the PD cuff so more reach but better for people with very large hands or over gloves suitable is. Very comfortable to dangle from your wrist. Now, aside from the general design constraint, let's talk about the materials and their safety. 1. The STRAPS are similar but I would say slightly thicker than PD's cuff despite being the same width. The nylon webbing is definitely strong enough and also feels nice and smooth. [Excellent.] 2. The leather strap overlay looks and feels great. Because it is sewn into the nylon webbing in a curved manner, the band stays in an open position. [Excellent.] 3. The BUCKLE is a three-point buckle and is quite sturdy. It's a little big, but that adds to the durability and strength. The fact that it's 3 points instead of two makes it very safe. [Great!] 4. The FIBER CORD is very strong, holds a lot of weight and is also thick enough to protect against even light abrasion. [Excellent.] 5. The plastic ends of the soft goods (nylon tapes and fiber cords) are also thick and sturdy. Slightly thicker than PD's Hypalon, but the edge finish isn't quite rounded. Because it's thicker and stiffer, the edges that touch your skin can feel scratchy. At least it's super hard. [Good.] 6. The STITCHING isn't the neatest of jobs everywhere, but it looks great on most people. It won't be undone, nor does it look like it will be the weak link. [Great!] 7. On the ALUMINUM BUCKLE, I find the whole otherwise pretty awesome experience falls apart. The buckle is well finished at the top and bottom, but the sides could honestly use more work. Despite the smoothed surface, the outside still clearly shows many manufacturing/form errors, as does the inside (where the strap belongs). While the edges aren't generally sharp and the outsides don't cause any discomfort, just visual flaws, the insides are a different story. They're hard to spot, but after doing a few drop tests where the strap pulls itself down, I can always see the nylon strap/strap fraying at the edges...imagine using that long term . Unfortunately, this means that while it will work, it will significantly reduce the life of the belt and therefore the safety of your gear. [Bad.] Honestly, for the discounted price over the Peak Design Cuff (by about $10-$20 with coupon) I would have given it a 4 as I would have given the PD Cuff a rating, although it isn't as sophisticated and it isn't which has magnets to wear as a bracelet when the camera is off. But because of the poor processing of the aluminum hardware, which will inevitably affect the performance of the belt and the safety of the equipment, I will reduce it to 3. Otherwise I'm pretty impressed with it, only made worse by disappointment with this one piece of hardware. As it stands, if this type of wrist strap is still what you're looking for, I'd still recommend saving up for the PD Cuff instead. Think of the extra $10 as your lifetime guarantee, which K&F doesn't offer.
17/03/2023