Lobloo Thai Cup 2.0 Groin Protector Review

Lobloo Thai Cup 2.0 Groin Protector Review

Brand

Lobloo are a Swedish brand of groin guard that aim to out-perform the current market, and offer a selection of different cups. The brand is run by Usama Aziz – a two time Olympic wrestling competitor, Swedish national boxer and European MMA fighter. We’ve recently been sent two of their groin guards; the Aerofit Groin Guard we reviewed recently and the Thai Cup, to see what we thought of them.

About the Product

The Lobloo Thai Cup is the fighter specific groin protection offered by Lobloo, it’s their version of a traditional steel Thai Cup, compared to the Aerofit which is more for general sports requiring a groin guard, such as hockey or American football. Held in place with jock strap style straps, the same as the Aerofit, and with added ventilation holes to help keep it fresh. The Thai Cup is only available only in black and only comes in one size, but with adjustable straps.

Weight

The Lobloo groin guard is extremely lightweight. For example, compared to the RDX Metal Groin Guard we’ve previously reviewed it’s literally half the weight – the RDX weighs 200g, while the Lobloo is just 100g.

Visuals

I do feel that the Thai Cup looks a bit plain – it’s matte black, with black straps, and Lobloo embossed on the front. However, as I’ve said before when discussing groin guards, you never really see them, so aesthetics does take a bit of a back seat. That being said, if you prefer a simple, clean design to your fight gear then this product will be well suited for you. Fortunately, Lobloo have hinted that there may be more colours arriving in future.

Materials

The Thai Cup is made from a single moulded piece of hard plastic, similar to the Aerofit groin guard the Lobloo website doesn’t specific a type of plastic, and I’m not an expert on identifying sorts of plastic. But it is rock hard, and the website lists it as pro grade, which is a description I’d happily agree with from my experience using the groin guard.

Craftsmanship

Lobloo have done a great job casting this product. Moulded from a single piece of plastic there is no potential for weaker areas on joints, and (again similar to the Aerofit) the straps are threaded through a series of holes on the body of the groin guard, eliminating the risk of the connection between strap and groin guard being pulled apart. However I do have concerns that this alternative way to hold the guard in place could see the straps wear out quite quickly as they’ll be constantly rubbing against the plastic.

Comfort/use

The main issue is fitting this groin guard effectively, Lobloo offer video tutorials to make life easier (as found below), but it can still be difficult to get right. Once fitted properly it’s exceedingly comfortable. You can maintain full range of motion without it shifting position, and it doesn’t feel like it’s hampering your movement at all. This is probably to do with the fact it’s an exceptionally light groin guard, which is brilliant as it feels like you aren’t wearing anything when it’s fitting well.

When I first put it on I did have some doubts about it standing up to a solid connection. I could see only one way to silence this little voice in my head, so I voluntarily took a knee to the groin, and I didn’t feel a thing which really speaks for itself.

Cost

Retailing for £32 makes this a fairly expensive option when it comes to groin guards, however the quality of this product makes it, in my opinion, well worth the money. And at the end of the day, is a groin guard really where you want to save money?

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