We often get asked to review products that have very little application to our industry, so much so that we often reply, “Why do you think we’d be a good fit for your product?” To which, most reply, “We don’t know. You’re name just came up. We’re just the marketing company.” In the instance of the Go Loop phone strap, we were a little perplexed as we’re a personal watercraft enthusiast magazine, not a tech toy blog. But their reply made perfect sense: “The Loop is meant for people ‘on the go’ who take their phones with them everywhere.” And if there’s anything we’ve learned in the last few years, it’s that people take their phones out on the water more than phone manufacturers would really like them to.
The Go Loop (or simply “Loop”) works with most cell phone cases, except for heavy duty cases like those from OtterBox or LifeProof, which are either dust or waterproof, and thereby completely sealed. The Loop, on the other hand, works with “open cases” that provide some impact resistance or shock absorption. The Go Loop provides a secure grip for your phone to “avoid unfortunate and expensive drops.” Attached by two adhesive-backed ends, the Loop makes a relaxed-but-firm strap to slide your hand through allowing for easy one-handed use (for filming or snapping selfies while out riding). The thin, woven nylon strap won’t bunch up when your phone is in your pocket, and your phone will lay flat on a table so you can watch videos.
Installation is pretty simple: Just remove your phone’s case, attach both ends to the inside of the case, looping through the camera port and either the speaker port or charging port on the other end, and that’s it. The Go Loop also has creases already folded into the strap marking where each end should bend, giving you the right amount of slack in the strap. (Don’t make it too tight or you won’t be able to slide your hand in and out easily.) The Loop is available in a myriad of colors (as well as offering custom patterns for those needing to express their individuality via a cell phone strap) and patterns as well as two styles: Petite and Ninja. For our testing, we went with a silver Ninja Loop.
While we saw this as a nice little feature, the $4.99 asking price seemed a bit much given that the strap had zero elasticity (ie. give) and looked almost no different from a strand of ribbon in our wife’s sowing kit. Additionally, given the nature of the high-speed environments PWC enthusiasts play in, we found the adhesive to be a tad weak and requiring re-gluing after one use on the water. If you’re looking to keep your phone from slipping out of your kids’ greasy hands this is a nice item to pick up, but if you’re hoping to take live streaming video of yourself while scooting across the lake at 50mph without fear of your phone slipping out of your fingers, the Go Loop isn’t going to be your silver bullet.
