The ActionSleeve is an armband designed to work with the Apple Watch. You place the Apple Watch in the armband, then use it to track different activities. Here’s our review.
What is the ActionSleeve?
The ActionSleeve is a health and fitness device made by a company called Twelve South, LLC. It’s an armband that features a special sleeve for your Apple Watch.
Instead of wearing your Apple Watch on your wrist at all times, you can place it in the ActionSleeve, where it sits securely on your arm while still being accessible with your opposite hand.
There are some situations where you wouldn’t want your Apple Watch on your wrist. You don’t want to wear it when you’re kickboxing, for example, or when you have to wear fitness equipment on your hands. Many physical activities can break your Apple Watch – which is why Twelve South came up with a better solution.
In promotional images, fitness enthusiasts are seen wearing the ActionSleeve while running, performing combat sports, and engaging in all other types of physical activities. Some people just prefer to have their Apple Watch on their arm instead of their wrist – especially when they’re working with heavy weights.
The ActionSleeve is priced at around $30 and is now available online or through Apple Stores and Amazon.
How Does the ActionSleeve Work?
The ActionSleeve is a straightforward product to use. Essentially, you remove your Apple Watch from your wristband, then slot it into the armband.
The ActionSleeve is available in three different sizes. You pick the size closest to your bicep (you can make smaller adjustments once it’s on your arm).
Here’s how the ActionSleeve works:
- Remove your current Apple Watch Band
- Push the Apple Watch body into the soft frame of the ActionSleeve
- Strap ActionSleeve on and go
The ActionSleeve is specially designed to let you continue using your Apple Watch unhindered. The screen, crown, and button are all fully accessible and functional.
Another neat feature of the ActionSleeve is that the Apple Watch maintains contact with your skin at all points, which means that it will continue tracking your heart rate on your bicep. Twelve South actually claims that the ActionSleeve could work better on your bicep than on your wrist for tracking your heart rate.
The tight and secure ActionSleeve holds the Apple Watch against your bicep throughout your workout, so you don’t have to worry about it coming loose or sliding down your arm during an energetic workout.
The ActionSleeve is washable, although you’ll want to remove your Apple Watch prior to washing it.
ActionSleeve Pricing
The ActionSleeve is available to order online today through the manufacturer’s official website, TwelveSouth.com. You can also find it at select retailers, including Amazon and the Apple Store.
Here’s how pricing breaks down on the product’s official website:
-1 ActionSleeve (38mm/42mm/42 Slim Sizes): $29.99 USD
Shipping is free to destinations in the United States. You get free 2-day air shipping in the United States for orders over $80.
Sleeves are available in red or black colors.
Who Makes the ActionSleeve?
The ActionSleeve is made by a company named Twelve South, LLC. That company, according to its About page, “has been designing beautiful accessories exclusively for Apple products since 2009”. Today, the company maintains a team of “around twelve employees” and continues to develop Apple accessories for each upcoming Apple product.
Other popular Twelve South products include phone cases (including their popular wallet-like “Journal” cases) as well as their Fermata headphone charging stand.
The company makes dozens of products for all types of Apple products, including iPads, iPhones, and MacBooks.
You can get in touch with Twelve South LLC using their contact form. They’re also available by phone at 1-800-858-1276. The company is based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
