The Groove Life belt is simple, yet highly functional.
The old saying "reinvent the wheel" has a lot of merit in most cases. For the most part, humanity has already come up with perfect designs for most of the things we use every single day. If you are like me, you probably thought peak technology for a simple belt had already been achieved.
It turns out, we were wrong. Because the Groove Life Belt seeks to change the game as far as style, materials, and functionality goes. We recently got to test out a Groove Belt in gun metal and black and came away impressed by the design that solves issues we did not even realize we had.
Read on in our Groove Belt review for more information on how and why this belt impressed us so much.
What is the Groove Belt?
If you have never heard of it, the Groove belt may sound a bit like a gimmick. The first thing of note is the a380 aluminum alloy buckle. Instead of a bunch of notches and a tongue to keep your pants on, the Groove Life uses neodymium magnets that securely fasten together with a satisfying click thanks to their "snap-tech" technology system. There really is no other belt buckle like it that I have encountered. The Groove Belt gun metal also just has a nice, modern look to it that goes with just about anything in your wardrobe.
Aside from the cool magnetic buckle, the other key difference between a Groove Life Groove belt and other offerings on the market is the proprietary webbing. It has just a tiny bit of stretch in it. Not much, and not too little. Just right. The main body of the belt has what Groove Life calls "stiff-tech" in the build. I will talk more about that a little. The thing to know is that while this belt looks rather flimsy, it is anything but.
The whole belt operates off a unique adjustment system that allows you to size it perfectly for your waist size without wearing out a bunch of holes in the belt and creating weak points with prolonged use. It really is a very clever design. They include an anti-flap band to secure the tag end after adjusting.
Wearing the Groove Belt Black
First off, this belt goes with everything I own, so no worries about mixing and matching. It is a complete non-factor. It took me a few minutes to get this thing setup. I had to adjust it back and forth a few times before I got it the perfect length for my waist. Groove Life says you only need to adjust it once, but I will likely have to do it again soon. Only because I've lost a few pounds since I started using it. Eliminating the notches of a traditional belt is a stroke of genius though. Not only do you not feel forced to suck in your gut if you feel you are between notches, but this belt eliminates some of the traditional wear and tear of my leather belts by not having those points. Another huge plus is that the buckle will fit through your belt loops, making it a breeze to put on.
I will admit, when I first saw this belt, I figured it would be a specialty one. Something I would only wear in certain situations. Mostly because I did not think the belt would be stiff enough for carrying tools or other heavy objects. Once the belt arrived, I realized I was wrong. The Groove Life is incredibly stiff thanks to the webbing and wide design. This belt never sags even under weight. Consider me impressed by that. In fact, the Groove Life works better than my old belt. It just seems to distribute weight better than the traditional work/carry belts you will find on the market because Groove Life really hit a fine sweet spot between stiffness and comfort on the design. I likely will not go back to using my old belts anytime soon.
The bottom line
The Groove Life is a great belt and is perfect if you're like me and want to use one belt for everything. The gun metal/black goes with almost everything, but the company also makes the Groove Belt walnut/brown, gun metal/anchor, black/deep stone, and even Mossy Oak Breakup for the hunters.
We also appreciate the fact they included XL and XXL sizes for those of us who are packing a little more of a spare tire and have a hard time finding belts that are comfortable and fit.
After my testing, it is easy to see why the Groove Belt has become so popular and why it took off on Kickstarter so quickly. They found a way to build a better belt, maybe even the best belt we have ever tried out. The fact that they cover them with a lifetime warranty is just the icing on the cake with the Groove Life. We can heartily recommend the Groove Life. See their website for more details on the Groove Life and their line of silicone rings.
Products featured on Wide Open Spaces are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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