I recently found a company called QALO (pronounced kay-lo), which stands for quality, athletics, love, outdoors. QALO manufactures wedding rings that are durable enough to be worn in the toughest of workouts or work situations.
I know the word “ring” may imply that this company was created by women for women, but it was actually founded by two men named Ted and Casey. Ted and Casey found that their traditional wedding rings were a bit of a nuisance for their active lifestyles. They saw this same dilemma occurring for many men in fields such as military special operations, first responders, cops, and professional athletes. Taking this into account, the QALO ring was born. I recently purchased one of these QALO rings and put it through the proverbial ringer myself.
How They Are Made
QALO makes their rings out of 100% medical grade silicone. Silicone is made from silicon dioxide, or silica, which is found in nature in quartz or beach sand. Silicone is in everything from aerospace products to household goods. Silicone is extremely durable, water-resistant, fireproof, and even mildew-resistant.
How the QALO Held Up to My Testing
The first thing I did with my QALO ring was work out in it. I used every piece of equipment I had to see how this ring would hold up during my training session, including slapping a bunch of chalk on it. To my surprise, the chalk didn’t bunch up in and around the ring, whereas with a regular wedding band when your hands begin to sweat, the chalk gets stuck in some areas.
My traditional wedding band had a tendency to pinch my ring finger whenever I would do any movement with a barbell, kettlebell, or even a pull up bar. With the QALO ring, there was no pinching at all, just comfort throughout my workout. It seemed to meld with my finger.
Doing pull ups on metal bars can also cause traditional rings to get scratched up. I tested the QALO ring through strict pull ups, traditional kipping pull ups, and butterfly pull ups. I loved that I didn’t even notice it was on my finger. In the area of durability in an intense, sweaty, heavy workout this ring gets an A+.
I also tested the QALO ring in a wet environment. Because it is made of silicone, the ring is essentially waterproof and the water beads off the ring. If you are an adventure racer or swimmer, you will love this quality in the ring. I also wanted to see if it would have an odor if I left it out and did not dry the ring, and I was pleasantly surprised that no nasty odor emanated from the ring itself. I do recommend that you take off the ring to air out your own ring finger because they can fit a little snug, but in regards to the ring, there was no odor at all.
I took a bit of a risk and also tested the ring near a heat source (yes, I used my stovetop). Now, just to be clear, I did not put my ring in a fire, but rather near a gas range that was heating my saucepan, nor did my finger go anywhere near the heat source. I used a set of chopsticks to suspend the ring above the saucepan. I wanted to see if any damage would come to the ring. To my surprise, the ring did well. I am still wearing it and there were no marks, melting, or stretching resulting from this test. (Please, do not try that test at home.)
I did this heat test mainly for firefighters or those who work in a hot environment. I can say that my ring held up to this scenario without damage. The silicone in the QALO ring is an electrical insulator, which means electricity does not travel easily through it. This would be a safer alternative to your normal wedding band if you work in a field where you are around electricity, but always be safe and wear proper clothing and equipment. And speaking of safety…
How the QALO Ring Can Save Your Fingers
One important quality of this ring is its rubber-like feel and behavior. The QALO ring is meant to move with your finger. For example, if you are swelling, the ring will still fit perfectly with comfort. If you jump out of airplanes, these rings are actually okay to wear. In extreme cases, if the QALO ring gets caught on something, the ring will stretch and break, which is, of course, better than the alternative of losing a finger.
For those of you in martial arts, if the ring gets caught on something, the rubber-like consistency will keep it from pulling on your skin, especially since the material is soft. The important thing to mention here is these are extreme cases. This ring is not meant to break, but if you are in a situation where a ring needs to break to save your finger, these rings will do it.
Other Great Features About QALO Ring
First and foremost, QALO ships extremely quickly. From the time I bought it online, it was only two days later that I had the ring.
Second, the QALO ring came with a mesh bag. When I removed my traditional rings, I put it them in that bag. It helps keep your traditional rings in one place and lowers your risk of losing them in your purse or gym bag. It also has a clip so you can clip it to just about anything.
Both male and female rings are available for purchase. Know your ring size before purchasing. Male rings are bigger in width than the female ring. The male colors include black, cobalt, dark grey, and purple. Female rings come in emerald green, light grey, and purple. Ten percent of all purple rings sold go towards the Alliance for Lupus Research. They chose the Alliance for Lupus Research because one of the creators, Ted, has a family member that suffers from lupus.
My Conclusion on QALO
For those who are married or engaged, it may or may not matter to you if you take off your ring while working out. But this QALO ring is a great way to express love and commitment to one another through the toughest of athletic or work situations. This ring also gives people who work in certain jobs the ability to wear a wedding ring when traditional rings cannot be worn, and this is the greatest benefit to the QALO ring.
QALO Rings are available for $15.99 and up at QALORing.com.
