I've lost about 20 pounds so far this year and found myself in need of some new clothes, including belts. Since I've got another 20 to go (at least), I'm mostly buying cheaper "in-between" clothes like Dockers and Old Navy, but I decided to splurge on some new belts. With my weight changing and fluctuating, I found myself annoyingly in-between holes CONSTANTLY. I've seen ads for ratchet belt systems, did some reading, and ordered a gift box from Anson Belts consisting of three straps and two buckles for $100 with free shipping.
If you're not familiar, these belts use a ratchet buckle. You pull the belt strap through the buckle until it clicks in place and push a release lever to loosen. The belt increments are 1/4" as opposed to the traditional 1" holes. Also, they are trim to fit, so they come with a strap for 54" waist that you cut down as needed. Once trimmed, there should be a couple inches of play on either end.
For my order, I chose three 1.5" dress belts as opposed to the traditional 1.25" size. I'm younger and the wider belts are more modern, plus the belt loops today seem much taller and my old 1.25" belts had a lot of up and down play. I chose black, brown, and tan straps along with silver and a gunmental buckles. I typically alternate between black, brown, and tan shoes so this would cover all my bases.
The leather quality is good, although not amazing. It is very uniform in color almost as if corrected rather than a natural full grain. It is flexible and relatively soft with a standard closed grain pattern. Better than synthetic leathers but not high end. The buckles seem extremely high quality, hefty solid steel (I'm assuming). All parts are thick and feel like they are built to last, including the clamp and teeth that hold the strap end in place.
The strap was easy to cut down to size. Just put on the belt, determine how much needs to be cut off, remove that amount from the non-ratcheting side, clamp it back into place, and test again. You can mix and match belts and buckles but I'm not sure if that wear and tear would eventually wear the belt strap down.
In use, the belt is very nice. Ratchets into place quickly and releases quickly. It's great to have the 1/4" increments. You'd be surprised how much your waist fluctuates throughout the day, especially after large meals. The belt really doesn't look like anything other than a halfway decent leather dress belt.
All told, I think it's a really smart system. There are competitors which are probably extremely similar. Mission Belt is a big name which is cheaper ($35-40 per belt instead of $50), but they explicitly advertise synthetic coated leather which is a show-stopper for me. Slide Belt is another one that looks like it might be higher quality, although I only found 1.25" belts on their site.
I might spring for one of the Anson casual belts with a brass buckle as well as an additional silver buckle for my extra strap. Really cool product!
If you're not familiar, these belts use a ratchet buckle. You pull the belt strap through the buckle until it clicks in place and push a release lever to loosen. The belt increments are 1/4" as opposed to the traditional 1" holes. Also, they are trim to fit, so they come with a strap for 54" waist that you cut down as needed. Once trimmed, there should be a couple inches of play on either end.
For my order, I chose three 1.5" dress belts as opposed to the traditional 1.25" size. I'm younger and the wider belts are more modern, plus the belt loops today seem much taller and my old 1.25" belts had a lot of up and down play. I chose black, brown, and tan straps along with silver and a gunmental buckles. I typically alternate between black, brown, and tan shoes so this would cover all my bases.
The leather quality is good, although not amazing. It is very uniform in color almost as if corrected rather than a natural full grain. It is flexible and relatively soft with a standard closed grain pattern. Better than synthetic leathers but not high end. The buckles seem extremely high quality, hefty solid steel (I'm assuming). All parts are thick and feel like they are built to last, including the clamp and teeth that hold the strap end in place.
The strap was easy to cut down to size. Just put on the belt, determine how much needs to be cut off, remove that amount from the non-ratcheting side, clamp it back into place, and test again. You can mix and match belts and buckles but I'm not sure if that wear and tear would eventually wear the belt strap down.
In use, the belt is very nice. Ratchets into place quickly and releases quickly. It's great to have the 1/4" increments. You'd be surprised how much your waist fluctuates throughout the day, especially after large meals. The belt really doesn't look like anything other than a halfway decent leather dress belt.
All told, I think it's a really smart system. There are competitors which are probably extremely similar. Mission Belt is a big name which is cheaper ($35-40 per belt instead of $50), but they explicitly advertise synthetic coated leather which is a show-stopper for me. Slide Belt is another one that looks like it might be higher quality, although I only found 1.25" belts on their site.
I might spring for one of the Anson casual belts with a brass buckle as well as an additional silver buckle for my extra strap. Really cool product!
