DON'T BUY THE MICROSOFT BAND 2

Ok, the Band 2 has more sensors than the other smartbands available today.  It pairs with all the smartphone OSes.  The AMOLED curved screen is elegant and beautiful; the touch controls just work.  These are many of the features that make this the best smartband you can buy.

Alright, the battery life is less than ideal, 48 hours at best between charges.  But the charge time is quick and I can get 80% new life in about an hour.  Just create a charging routine, just like we all have already with our smartphones, and this is not a deal killer.

However, the fatal flaw is the rubber strap.  That strap is a crucial component on a device that bands to your wrist.  And because the design and possibly the material are flawed, I highly suggest you avoid this product.

The Microsoft Band 2 was released on Oct. 30, 2015.  Users have reported cracks in their bands in as little as 45 days of use.

My experience was similar.  I received my Band 2 on November 28th.  By the middle of January, I started seeing two locations where my rubber was cracking.  I initially saw a crack on the rubber to the left of the display.  At the same time, the other side had a spot with deteriorating rubber near the top edge of the Band.  Over the next couple of weeks it continued into a crack across that side of the strap too.  This right side ended up exposing a metal strip and ribbon cable.

Here are some images of the cracking and exposure:

The display's edges have metal flanges that continue into the rubber straps.  It's at the edges of these flanges where the cracks are originating.  It's the same location on both sides of my Band where the rubber began to crack.  Everyone who has posted images of a strap crack show it happening at the exact same location.

I wear my band on my left wrist, with the screen on the underside of my wrist.  I also write code all day long, so my wrist rests on the desk as I type, and possibly that puts pressure on the strap.  A device that is designed to be worn on the wrist should expect a wrist to be rested while typing.

On March 6th, I decided it was time to get mine replaced by Microsoft.  It was purchased with the Complete package.  The Microsoft store employees told me that's the only way they were going to be able to replace it (and that cost me an extra $30 for the deductible).  I hope this one will last more than 3 months.  I'm doubtful.

UPDATE 3/15/2016: I am collecting images I find on the internet from other people with this problem and saving them to my OneDrive.

UPDATE 3/17/2016: The Microsoft Store manager apologized for the service I received and offered to refund my entire purchase price, or send me a couple of gift cards for a future purchase at a Microsoft Store.  He definitely did way more than I was expecting to keep me as a customer.  He also stated that he discussed other ways to deal with this situation when a customer brings in a Band 2 with a broken strap.  I hope the store employees will do a more thorough job of learning about why this keeps happening next time, instead of immediately accusing the Band 2 owner of neglect.

UPDATE 6/12/2016: The new band 2 has cracked again.  I made the drive to Milwaukee for a replacement, only to find out that Microsoft stores do not handle replacements of the Band 2 anymore.  I was told to submit my request online and send it in to Microsoft.  After nothing short of throwing a fit, the store manager did replace my Band 2 at the store.  I felt stupid and horrible which makes me more upset than ever for owning this device.

Continue following other's experiences on the forum sites out there:

Microsoft Community - Cracked Rubber on My Band

German Thread about the Cracked Rubber issue

UserVoice - Microsoft Band

Microsoft Community - How Common is the Strap Quality Cracking Issue?

Windows Central - Rubber strap splitting on Band2

Windows Central - Band 2 band cracked/split

Windows Central - Saying good bye to my band


PS - This isn't the only common flaw on the new device.  There are a number of people who have lemon bands, that won't even stay powered on:  Microsoft Community - Microsoft Band 2 powers down and won't power back up