Phenomenal straps. They are rugged yet very comfortable on the wrist. I have an Isofrane on both my Doxa and my Aquadive. I wear a Tropic on my Squale.
Hahaha, nooo! Hopefully all is well. Yeah, they’re both resilient straps. Either will do. I’ve sworn to the Tropic (style) for years, but I’m a sucker for the “professional” look and feel of the ISOfrane. Can’t do wrong with either. They’re kinda what PhenomeNato is to nylon, some of the best rubber straps I’ve owned.
$ 79-$139 for a strap? I’ll stick to my Barton elite strap, it has worked great on every dive I’ve been on the past couple of years and wears very well on the topsides as well.
I do love my Barton Elites as well. I’ve heard complaints of them splitting/spring bars failing, but I’ve never had issues. Clearly they’ve held up well on your end too. 👌
Hi Patrick, I have had no issues with the spring bars. That would be a drag losing a watch while diving. That is the weakest point on any watch though.
Thanks Patrick. I have been toying with the idea of putting an Isofrane on my Sinn UX. I think it will work. I don't use the watch for diving though. I use it when I play hockey or ride the moto so the closer spacing of the tang cut outs will be useful. Hope you are well. --Michael
Great review Parick. These are by far my favorite of the aftermarket rubber strap choices, too bad they don't enhance the experience with the presentation their products deserve.
Yeah, nothing lavish at all... You’ll notice on Tropic’s site, they share pictures of the original packaging for a set of straps. Would’ve been nice to have a box detailed in the same way, perhaps with an info card on the brand history. Most folks know what they’re getting into, but it would be appreciated.
@@TakeTimewPatrickMarlett Yelp, I have a marketing background so it really caught my attention as it did your's. I'm a sucker for packaging. And when a company misses a opportunity to exploit their rich history with such little effort it's a bit puzzling. Presentation can be so important in making a lasting impression & it doesn't take much, what a shame. Thank's again & I appreciate all your efforts, much continued success!
Great video ! Quick question, I got very small wrist, 5.75''inch which strap would be best for me? I really don't like when straps are long & excess strap sticking out of loops, Cheers
That Isoframe on the Monta looks fantastic. What about length? Many great straps can’t handle my 8.25” wrist. It’s a curse I’ve learned to live with. GREAT video, Patrick.
So, regarding ISOfrane, they state it’s good to 8.5” diameter wrists... They also sell an elongated, dive extension, haha. So if push comes to shove, there’s that. Total length is 200mm’s, those perforations do extend far out... Wish I knew someone who could confirm with you on that though.
You’ll be on the last of second last hole depending upon the lug to lug of your watch . I’ve got the same wrist size and have to remove one of the rubber keepers as there isn’t enough tongue coming through for both . Great strap but no one tells you how hard it is to keep the orange porous rubber clean . It looks grubby within a month and is very hard to bring back to new . After Vanilka scent fades it can occasionally smell like WD40. If you wear a wet suit or a dry suit or even gloves you WILL need the extension. Hope this helps;)
I've tried both. I didn't like the Tropic one at all, personally. It LOOKS great no doubt, but I found the vanilla scent too aggressive, and it just wore very weirdly on my wrist. I put it on two different watches, and the sense of disappointment was huge. Comparing it directly with Uncle Seiko, the genuine Tropic is obviously softer and more colorful....but the Uncle Seiko wears better and it more comfortable....for me anyway. The ISOfrane is a better strap than the Tropic, but it's also very bulky. So in the end I sold that one too.
Nice to have strap review. Video is great as usual. If there’s one thing I would like, it’s to have the length specified on future review. Here I guess it’s 130mm / 80mm. Did you had an Oris Sixty-five on tropic strap before ? If so How do theese one compare with it ? For Tropic strap, Oris is my reference for now. Thanks.
Yeah, in regards to length that is in fact the total length. “Usable” length is something they discuss on their sales page (I think it was visible briefly in video). I’ve only ever owned the 65 on rivet bracelet. The closest in terms of it’s supple or “slinky” nature is the variant Watch Gecko sells, but this is a cut above that. The coloration is spot on too, deep black and bright yellow (better than in picture).
Thanks. Nope, I did not like the WatchGecko one. Price is not the same. I was on Tropic site. No 22mm at the movement. But I’ll check at a later time. Thanks Patrick !
Samurai on a color-matched ISOfrane would look incredible. Turtle on a Black Tropic 👌 Easily, ISOfrane would pair well with both though... I may have to buy one of those budget Seiko “6105” reissues coming out within the Prospex Series. Hopefully they kept the strap length around the 19mm-20mm mark, as I want to throw one on the ISO. Have you heard about these reissues yet? Seeing a ton of images: one black and one green variant.
Quick question sir, I had an Armida years back that came with a isofrane knock off that was annoying to wear due to the inner ridge son tops of strap. Does the isofrane rubber being softer not have that issue?
It feels like a pillow caressing your wrist (outside the watch head itself). There was no irritation or discomfort caused by the strap. As stated, you kinda forget it’s there (in a good way).
That’s just my take though, haha. I haven’t looked up or seen anyone else’s report of these, but the ISO’s are damned comfy. Be well and thanks for watching!
It depends... I have a lot going on at the moment, but I’m trying to manage at least one video a week. I have folks contacting me for reviews, but I cannot do all of them due to the amount of time they require to shoot and lack of pay. So, the short of it: I’ll post more along the lines of once every one-to-two weeks, with a goal of once a week in mind.
A world where they have to use said website to buy the product. A good product is no excuse for lazy web design. Also, we’re talking about a *luxury* product: this is inherently a first world problem.
Phenomenal straps. They are rugged yet very comfortable on the wrist. I have an Isofrane on both my Doxa and my Aquadive. I wear a Tropic on my Squale.
Since getting my Planet Ocean an Isofrane Strap, it ends up on my wrist every day, for at least part of the day! Thank you for putting it on my radar!
Love your work and this channel! Hope we keep getting vids from you! Cheer m8
This is just the review I needed, had a catastrophic strap failure on a pub crawl! Cheers
Hahaha, nooo! Hopefully all is well. Yeah, they’re both resilient straps. Either will do. I’ve sworn to the Tropic (style) for years, but I’m a sucker for the “professional” look and feel of the ISOfrane. Can’t do wrong with either. They’re kinda what PhenomeNato is to nylon, some of the best rubber straps I’ve owned.
$ 79-$139 for a strap? I’ll stick to my Barton elite strap, it has worked great on every dive I’ve been on the past couple of years and wears very well on the topsides as well.
I do love my Barton Elites as well. I’ve heard complaints of them splitting/spring bars failing, but I’ve never had issues. Clearly they’ve held up well on your end too. 👌
Hi Patrick, I have had no issues with the spring bars. That would be a drag losing a watch while diving. That is the weakest point on any watch though.
Thanks Patrick. I have been toying with the idea of putting an Isofrane on my Sinn UX. I think it will work. I don't use the watch for diving though. I use it when I play hockey or ride the moto so the closer spacing of the tang cut outs will be useful. Hope you are well.
--Michael
Great review Parick. These are by far my favorite of the aftermarket rubber strap choices, too bad they don't enhance the experience with the presentation their products deserve.
Yeah, nothing lavish at all... You’ll notice on Tropic’s site, they share pictures of the original packaging for a set of straps. Would’ve been nice to have a box detailed in the same way, perhaps with an info card on the brand history. Most folks know what they’re getting into, but it would be appreciated.
@@TakeTimewPatrickMarlett Yelp, I have a marketing background so it really caught my attention as it did your's. I'm a sucker for packaging. And when a company misses a opportunity to exploit their rich history with such little effort it's a bit puzzling. Presentation can be so important in making a lasting impression & it doesn't take much, what a shame. Thank's again & I appreciate all your efforts, much continued success!
Great video !
Quick question, I got very small wrist, 5.75''inch which strap would be best for me? I really don't like when straps are long & excess strap sticking out of loops,
Cheers
That Isoframe on the Monta looks fantastic. What about length? Many great straps can’t handle my 8.25” wrist. It’s a curse I’ve learned to live with. GREAT video, Patrick.
So, regarding ISOfrane, they state it’s good to 8.5” diameter wrists... They also sell an elongated, dive extension, haha. So if push comes to shove, there’s that. Total length is 200mm’s, those perforations do extend far out... Wish I knew someone who could confirm with you on that though.
You’ll be on the last of second last hole depending upon the lug to lug of your watch . I’ve got the same wrist size and have to remove one of the rubber keepers as there isn’t enough tongue coming through for both . Great strap but no one tells you how hard it is to keep the orange porous rubber clean . It looks grubby within a month and is very hard to bring back to new . After Vanilka scent fades it can occasionally smell like WD40. If you wear a wet suit or a dry suit or even gloves you WILL need the extension. Hope this helps;)
I've tried both. I didn't like the Tropic one at all, personally. It LOOKS great no doubt, but I found the vanilla scent too aggressive, and it just wore very weirdly on my wrist. I put it on two different watches, and the sense of disappointment was huge. Comparing it directly with Uncle Seiko, the genuine Tropic is obviously softer and more colorful....but the Uncle Seiko wears better and it more comfortable....for me anyway. The ISOfrane is a better strap than the Tropic, but it's also very bulky. So in the end I sold that one too.
It’s definitely bulky, the ISOfrane, but I figure that comes with the territory. Thing is, it’s still so supple and wearable. Really enjoying mine. 👌
I'm sold on the Tropic yellow for my Certina ph200m. Thanks mate 😃
Good choice!
Nice to have strap review. Video is great as usual. If there’s one thing I would like, it’s to have the length specified on future review. Here I guess it’s 130mm / 80mm. Did you had an Oris Sixty-five on tropic strap before ? If so How do theese one compare with it ? For Tropic strap, Oris is my reference for now. Thanks.
Yeah, in regards to length that is in fact the total length. “Usable” length is something they discuss on their sales page (I think it was visible briefly in video). I’ve only ever owned the 65 on rivet bracelet. The closest in terms of it’s supple or “slinky” nature is the variant Watch Gecko sells, but this is a cut above that. The coloration is spot on too, deep black and bright yellow (better than in picture).
Thanks. Nope, I did not like the WatchGecko one. Price is not the same. I was on Tropic site. No 22mm at the movement. But I’ll check at a later time. Thanks Patrick !
Any strap looks good when paired with the MONTA Oceanking
*Fact*
I’m sold I need one of each one for my samurai and one for my turtle
Samurai on a color-matched ISOfrane would look incredible. Turtle on a Black Tropic 👌 Easily, ISOfrane would pair well with both though... I may have to buy one of those budget Seiko “6105” reissues coming out within the Prospex Series. Hopefully they kept the strap length around the 19mm-20mm mark, as I want to throw one on the ISO. Have you heard about these reissues yet? Seeing a ton of images: one black and one green variant.
@@TakeTimewPatrickMarlett
Hi Patrick, were you able to get the 6105 reissue by Seiko ?
The prices are ridiculous! I’ll stick with my nato straps!
Quick question sir, I had an Armida years back that came with a isofrane knock off that was annoying to wear due to the inner ridge son tops of strap. Does the isofrane rubber being softer not have that issue?
It feels like a pillow caressing your wrist (outside the watch head itself). There was no irritation or discomfort caused by the strap. As stated, you kinda forget it’s there (in a good way).
Take Time, w/Patrick Marlett pillow caressing your wrist.....sounds amazing, I’m buying one
That’s just my take though, haha. I haven’t looked up or seen anyone else’s report of these, but the ISO’s are damned comfy. Be well and thanks for watching!
Hi! Is this Tropic strap worth the extra 40usd compared to Zuludivers tropic strap?
Mostly for the name... I think the quality is a notch up as well though. Tough call.
Hi Patrick. Are you not posting as frequent anymore?
It depends... I have a lot going on at the moment, but I’m trying to manage at least one video a week. I have folks contacting me for reviews, but I cannot do all of them due to the amount of time they require to shoot and lack of pay. So, the short of it: I’ll post more along the lines of once every one-to-two weeks, with a goal of once a week in mind.
Take Time, w/Patrick Marlett we all appreciate the effort you put in it, thanks
No Pat. Thank YOU for the time.
The ends of the Tropic strap look unfinished where they meet up to the case. I like the look of both, but would lean towards the isofrane.
expensive for a rubber strap... pass...... cheers
On what planet does anyone care about packaging and web design when buying a watch strap? Holy first world problem, Batman.
A world where they have to use said website to buy the product. A good product is no excuse for lazy web design. Also, we’re talking about a *luxury* product: this is inherently a first world problem.