I have had far too many terrible belts over the years! The leather belts with holes that wear out and just look bad due to stretched out belt holes. The cheap friction-style belts not only look cheap but loosen over time. Regardless, there has to be something better.
Thankfully, there is a new crop of high-quality belts without those pesky belt holes showing up on the scene, with Groove Life being one of the foremost options. That is why I was extremely excited when the brand reached out to me to be a part of the launch of their all-new Groove Belt Ultra, and gifted me one to check out.
So with that, here is a complete review of everything great and not so great about this new belt, as well as who exactly should be buying it!
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What is the Groove Belt Ultra?
- Easy latch mechanism
- Strong belt buckle
- Doesn't have too much stretch
- Slimmer profile
- No moving parts
- Looks great
- Not TSA approved
- Trimming is a weird process
This is a no-hole minimalist belt, that has been taken up a couple notches (pun 100% intended). The belt itself is a slightly stretchy material, and the buckle utilizes a no-moving parts design. You can easily latch the belt buckle without ever touching the buckle itself – that is how easy it is. These features all combine to make a great-quality belt that is just as at home at the office, as it is on your shorts during the summer.
How do you adjust and trim the belt?
Now, I normally would include this section lower down in this article for those interested in going a bit more in-depth. However, it helps set the stage for my full review, so I’m including it right here. So you’ll have to deal with it.
Adjusting the belt is much like most other friction belts, you push the belt upwards into the belt, and then pull the other side tight again to move it up and down depending on if you need to loosen or tighten it.
Trimming the belt takes three steps.
- Cut the belt with scissors at a 90-degree angle, six inches from the belt buckled (after you adjust it to your size).
- Cut the corner of the belt off at a 45-degree angle (the pre-trimmed belt is already like this, so just copy what they have done).
- Using a match or lighter, melt excess fibers and “solder” the belt to keep it from fraying.
What do I like about the Groove Belt Ultra?
1. Easy latch mechanism
Never have I had a belt with an easier latching mechanism, and that is saying a lot, as the Arcade belt that I have been using (which was gifted to me by them as well) for quite some time is about as simple as it gets.
Regardless, this Groove Life belt offers a latching mechanism that doesn’t even require you to touch the buckle itself; instead, it latches itself with magnets. However, once it is engaged, it is held together with some incredible strength (we’ll get to that in a moment).
Unlatching the belt is just as easy as pushing the two sides of the belt inward, and it unlatches itself in one simple motion.
2. Extremely strong mechanism
While it may be incredibly easy to latch the belt, it also does a fantastic job of staying put as well. The motion it takes to unlatch the belt is not something that a belt normally does, so I have never had it mistakenly unlatched (and likely never will).
You can pull as hard as you want, and the belt itself doesn’t loosen, and the latch never lets go. This is great, as I have seen that some past iterations of this belt have suffered from loosening belts throughout the day, as these are held together with friction at the buckle.
3. The belt doesn’t have too much stretch.
Now, I prefer my belts to have some stretch to them. This not only allows you to keep the belt tighter, but it also allows you to be comfortable when sitting in the car, at the office (or after eating too much at a restaurant). It has just enough give to be forgiving of most situations.
4. Slimmer height makes it easy to insert into belt loops.
I have had quite a few issues with some belts getting caught in my belt loops when taking the belts out. The slimmer profile of this belt makes it easy to put on the belt and take it off without it catching on belt loops on its way out (something I run into a lot with the competition).
5. No moving parts to break
When spending the amount of money that this belt requires, you want to make sure that the belt is reliable. While I haven’t quite had this belt long enough to share exactly how long it lasts, the fact that the belt doesn’t have any movable parts in its latches, or mechanisms leads me to believe it should be a long lasting belt.
6. Buckle looks nice
I have the aesthetics sitting quite low on this list (as my shirt covers it 99.9% of the time), but it still stands on its own! It’s a great-looking, simple belt. The buckle may be made of plastic, but it doesn’t stand out as cheap; instead, it has a modern feel to it that I quite like.
What do I NOT like about the belt?
1. Not TSA approved
One of the big benefits of plastic buckle belts is that you can generally take them through security without having to remove the belt. It is so nice that you have one less thing to remove. However, with the magnets included in the buckle, I don’t personally believe you would be able to make it through without removing the belt. While it may be a minor inconvenience, this might be something that could sway travelers to go towards the competition.
2. Trimming is a weird process.
This belt is long, like really long. If you are like me, you likely will have to trim down the belt to a reasonable size, and the process is interesting, to say the least. If you don’t trim the belt, the excess belt tends to slip down from your waist and give you a “tail,” which isn’t fun.
Instead, having to trim your belt with scissors and then quite literally catch it on fire might be a deal breaker for some.
Who is the Groove Life Belt for?
These belts are for anyone who is looking for a high-quality belt that doesn’t have any holes. While I don’t think that the aesthetics of this belt will be for everyone (especially for those who need to really dress up), it does look great. So far, this has been the best belt in this category that I have ever tested, and I think anyone who is looking for a minimalist belt will likely enjoy this one.
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