Garmin now sells two official nylon bands for watches like the Fenix and the Enduro, the UltraFit and the newer ComfortFit, and one of them costs almost twice as much as the other. So is the new one actually worth it?
I’ve been using the UltraFit for almost 3 years, first on my Fenix 7 and then on my Enduro 3, and when I bought the Enduro 4 it came with a ComfortFit right out of the box. Over the years I’ve also tested a plethora of other bands. After 3 weeks with the ComfortFit I’ll be honest right away, I’m already leaning pretty heavily towards one of them.
How the two bands attach
The UltraFit is the simple one. It’s a single loop of woven nylon that threads around the pins of the watch and closes with Velcro, and it is for the user who wants a light, soft band in one size and doesn’t swap bands every day.
The ComfortFit, as far as I can tell, is Garmin’s answer to the one thing people have been missing with the UltraFit, which is a quick release. It clicks on and off with QuickFit just like a silicone band, and it closes with Velcro after you pull the end through a metal ring. I think that metal hardware explains most of what follows, both the good and the bad.
Material, drying time and cold weather
Both bands are soft nylon with Velcro, both are more comfortable than the silicone bands, and as far as I can tell the material is more or less the same. That also means they behave the same when they get wet, and they both dry slower than silicone. If that bothers you, you can rotate between two bands.
The one difference here is the metal ring on the ComfortFit, which you can feel cold against your skin when it’s wet or when you’re out in cold weather. It’s not a big deal for many, but it is something to note if you live in one of the colder places in the world, like here in Norway.
Comfort, sleep and washing
So, to the differences that actually decide it, and the biggest one for me is comfort. This is where the UltraFit really wins in my opinion, both for sleeping and during the day, and it is the one that makes the watch more or less disappear on your wrist.
For running and cycling I also go with the UltraFit. And since the whole band is fabric, you can just throw it in the washing machine, where the ComfortFit has parts that are more likely to get damaged. With its QuickFit connectors and metal ring, the ComfortFit is not the band I want to train in.
Weight
On my kitchen scale the UltraFit is a bit lighter than the ComfortFit, 6 g against 10 g. I don’t think this is noticeable, and I don’t think a few grams will decide this for most people. Compared to the much heavier TPU band I got on Amazon, which weighs 31 g, the difference between the ComfortFit and the UltraFit is marginal.
Swapping bands and looks
The biggest advantage of the ComfortFit is the quick release, and for some it is the looks as well. Swapping it is definitely faster. The UltraFit has to be wiggled around the pins and secured with the Velcro, and that takes a bit longer, but once you get the hang of it the difference is marginal. So I think the quick release matters less than you’d expect, unless you’re someone who swaps bands frequently.
The olive colored ComfortFit that comes with the Enduro 4 does complement the silver colored bezel, and it looks a bit better than my simpler black UltraFit. I’m considering getting an UltraFit in a color that suits the Enduro 4 far better than the black one does.
Durability and Velcro wear
When I first put the UltraFit on my Enduro 3 the Velcro felt a little bit loose, but after 2 years of use I haven’t had any problem with it at all. I was also a bit worried that the plastic piece at the end would get stuck on everything, but that hasn’t been the case.
Right out of the box, the Velcro on the ComfortFit seems to show a bit of wear where the strap sits, and it looks like the metal ring has worn the Velcro down a little. This is not a big problem, but it is something to keep an eye on.
Price and cheaper alternatives
Another trade off with the ComfortFit is its price. The UltraFit is around $40, while the 26 mm ComfortFit is listed at around $70, and in my opinion that’s simply not worth it. There are tons of cheap bands on Amazon, and the ones I’ve been testing previously are in the list at the bottom of this article. I think you might enjoy several of them for less than half of what Garmin is asking.
Which one should you buy?
Get the UltraFit if you want the most comfortable official band, something you can wear day and night, train in and throw in the washing machine, and you don’t mind taking a little bit longer to swap it out or to put the watch on a bike mount like I do.
The ComfortFit is fine if it came in the box with your watch like mine did, but I wouldn’t pay $70 for it. I’m giving it a couple more weeks before I make up my mind, but right now it seems like I’m going back to the UltraFit, and the only real question is whether it’ll be black or gray this time, or maybe even the green one.
That’s also the thing about these watches. You can get all kinds of looks and feels just by changing the band, and right now I have an orange TPU band alongside the UltraFit and the ComfortFit. So what do you think about these two bands, and are there any others I should check out?
Where to Buy
- Garmin UltraFit 26 mm nylon strap: Get it here
- Garmin ComfortFit 26 mm band (black, long): Get it here
- Lightweight nylon Velcro strap, similar to the UltraFit: Get it here
- QuickFit nylon band from another brand: Get it here
- QuickFit TPU and silicone straps, 26 mm: Get it here
- Titanium watch band: Get it here
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