Groove Life Ring Review
May 01, 2018
About six months ago, I decided I needed a new wedding band. Over time, I had somehow outgrown my gold wedding band and needed to replace it. As a hard living outdoor person, I have learned that every piece of my outdoor gear and equipment get hard used. This means everything is constantly getting knocked about, dropped, scraped, banged, and suffers all manner of abuse. Only the toughest equipment survives my care, or lack thereof.
I had originally settled on a wolframite (tungsten) black ring, which I loved very much, but would often catch it on things. This was especially true when working on my Jeep having to shove my hands into various small places in and around engine components. I also once touched the ring to a belt sander while making something and took a portion of the finish off it.
Searching online for some alternatives I wanted to keep the “tacticool black” look of the wolframite but needed something else. I learned of black silicone rings which basically resemble a piece of a bicycle inner tube. They are flexible, relatively inexpensive and supposedly long lasting.
I originally ordered one from eBay for a couple of dollars. When it finally arrived, I wore it for a few days and noticed that the skin under the band would go white, and eventually flake off. It was like wearing a piece of electrical tape on my finger. There was no breathability. Eventually it started to itch and become uncomfortable. I looked on YouTube for silicone ring reviews, only to find this was a common complaint. There was one exception: The groove ring.
Apparently the Groove ring had special grooves in it that allowed air to move and moisture to leave, which supposedly alleviated the white muck under the less expensive rings. However the rings were quite expensive. Almost $40.00 Canadian compared to $1.00 off eBay. Almost all online reviews stated that the expense was worth it.
As the chart above shows, there were all kinds of promises that the Groove ring makes based on new technologies. This included recessed grooves, air ports, eased edges, and other such claims that may be utter nonsense and industry jargon. There was only one way to find out, and that was to purchase one of their products. Apparently they have an incredible warranty that if your ring gets wrecked, damaged, discolours, eaten by your dog, or whatever – it’s covered. If you don’t like the ring, they promise a full refund and / or exchange. I figured I could spend better money in worse ways.
Only a few days after ordering, my new groove ring arrived in a very cool tin box, with a little bag, and I was good to go. My biggest concern is that although many reviews and claims on the internet stated this was “the best silicone ring” I would have wasted my money.
Putting the ring on, the sizing was good. It fit well, and I went about my day as before. At the end of the day, I flipped the ring over on my finger (they’re flexible so they roll over without removing them) only to be impressed that there was no mucky white skin under the ring!
I went about my life for quite some time with the ring, flipping it over and wiping any dirt out from under the ring once a day, usually after my shower.
As the months went by it was nice to be able to reach into an engine compartment, around a transmission, or other strange places to put your hands and not worry about catching the ring on things. Helping friends move, wearing backpacks, hiking, camping, teaching wilderness skills, all made the ring go unnoticed. It was fantastic to literally forget that it was there under all circumstances.
The best part about this style of ring is that in the likely event I get injured falling, or get my hand trapped in something, the ring can be ripped off with ease, and if my fingers swell from either injury or being in hot environments, the ring will adjust a little bit, or can be removed easily without damaging the ring or your hands.
The above photograph was taken after several months of wearing the ring daily under all life and adventure circumstances. As you can see, with the ring moved slightly forward there is almost no discolouration of my finger under the ring, no gooey white slimy stuff. The condition of my finger is the same as wearing any metal band.
The reason I chose Groove over their competitors is that many online reviews stated that the ring was head and shoulders above all of their competition in terms of warranty, usefulness, and design. This includes never fading, cracking or wearing out with the exception of damage from catching it on things. I was not let down.
My Groove ring has experienced -40C cold weather, gotten grease, and all kinds of automotive fluids on it, been caught a couple of times slightly on things, and of course smashed and bashed through daily use. It looks amazing, kept its gentle lustre and has been holding up fine.
I would recommend these rings to anyone. They are great for anyone who worries about jewelry getting caught on things. That would include the following list of people and activities:
- rock climbers
- scuba divers
- paramedics
- police
- firefighters
- factory workers
- outdoors people
As many other people have shown, these rings are everything they are claimed to be, and more. Spend the extra few dollars on this ring, it’s well worth the money. Groove also promises that if you outgrow your ring, or order the wrong size, they will replace it for you! Basically in purchasing this ring, you can’t lose. They make sure of it.
If you want to buy one of these amazing rings, please visit: https://groovelife.com/collections/mens-silicone-rings
They are worth every penny!