NATO strap source in the US

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by threemonkeys

Good info regarding Gnomon. I ordered four straps and if they turn out nice I think I'll get a bunch more from them. They've got a lot of the brighter colors which I prefer. I would love it, though, if there were a company with similar colors I could buy from in the States.

Craig, I totally understand the lack of color options with Maratac. However, do yourself a favor and order 1 Black Maratac and then a strap or two from Gnomon just so that you can see the quality differences. I am not saying that the Gnomon straps are "bad" (I have several of them), but they are just not the same quality of the Maratacs. I am getting to the place that I only wear Maratac straps when I dive, and some of the other brand NATOs when I am just doing other things when it is not that critical to have the best security.

The biggest differences between the Maratacs and other brands:

Maratac straps are stitched at the buckles where all other brands that I have found are just heat-welded. -- THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGER +++ For MARATACS
Maratac straps have more robust hardware than "some" other brands. There are several other brands that have very good hardware.
Maratac straps are a little thicker than several of the other brands. Some see this as an advantage, some.....a disadvantage.
Maratac straps have better heat-welded holes than anything else that I have found. Gnomon, Ebay straps, and Corvus holes fray very easily and after a couple weeks of wear the holes will be stretched and unsightly (my personal experience, not necessarily everyone's). -- THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGER +++ For MARATACS

I really cannot comment on the Timefactors straps because I haven't personally tried one. I would like to get one of the black ones with PVD hardware, but just haven't yet because they are similarly priced to the Maratacs, and I have been so happy with the Maratacs after trying so many different brands.

NATO straps are cheap, and can help to satisfy the urge to flip watches. Try out some different brands and different colors. It is a ton of fun.