Six months? Five years? Ten years? No doubt you have been among the millions to buy what you thought was a high-quality belt, only to have it wear out far sooner than expected. There are thousands of belts for sale at retail stores and online. Clearly, we can’t speak to every kind of belt available. But, there are three main factors to consider when trying to estimate the expected life of belt you are getting ready to purchase.
The three things you should consider are:1) conditions a belt is subject to
2) construction of the belt &
3) caliber of the materials.
CONDITIONS A BELT IS SUBJECT TO
First, the conditions a belt is subject to. The environmental conditions and rigors of belt use will greatly affect how long a belt will last. Heat, moisture, frequent use, rain, perspiration, or almost any other condition other than sitting in a display case will shorten the life of a belt to one degree or another.
Hot and dry conditions can cause a belt to become brittle.
Extremely hot and dry conditions can cause a belt to become dry and brittle. If the belt is.
made with solid leather, then oil may help to condition the belt to keep it pliable. However, if the belt is made from plastic material (eg. synthetic leather), there’s not much that will prevent the belt from deteriorating once the belt becomes stiff.
It should go without saying that frequent use will cause a belt to wear out faster. Of course, like we will see in a moment, the quality of materials used to make the belt will determine to what extent daily use will shorten the belt’s life. Even under optimal conditions, daily use can cause a cheaply made belt to fray, morph, fade, peel, and even rip in half. In general, a quality belt will last much longer, despite normal signs of wear.
Moisture can come in many forms: humidity, perspiration, rain, and bodies of water.
Another enemy that may significantly reduce your belt’s life is moisture. Moisture can come in many forms: humidity, perspiration, rain, lakes, etc. For belts held together with glue, moisture can make the glue lose its tack and split in two. If you store your belt in a high humidity location (like your bathroom), mold and mildew can grow on and ruin the belt. And to be sure, if you happen to accidently soak your belt in water, you can expect your leather belt to become stiff when dry. Or worse, some cheap belts may be totally destroyed.
In short, less than ideal conditions will shorten the life of your belt.
However, even more important than environmental conditions, how your belt is actually made will greatly determine how long your belt will last. We will consider this next.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE BELT
If your house was held together with super glue, how confident would you be that the walls would stay up in a storm? Not very confident, I hope. This highlights the importance of how something is constructed. In a similar way, how long you can expect your belt to last will depend on how solid its construction is. Most “leather belts’ are mass produced on an assembly line in a country like China with little thought taken to prepare a quality product. Often these belts are made to be sold as cheap as possible. Normally, the belt is held together with glue that is extremely prone to coming apart and splitting. Even if sewing is used, it is often a very thin and weak thread that will also quickly unravel even with minimal use.
We give attention to even the finest detail: something that mass-produced machines can’t provide.
On the other hand, a quality, handcrafted leather belt, such as those from I WANT A BELT, are made right here in the US with attention to even the finest detail: something that mass-produced machines can’t provide. There are several different ways a quality belt may be made: the craftsman may use a thick thread, Chicago screws, or metal rivets. Each of these provides a different level of durability and style.
We use rivets in our belts as they offer an extremely rugged way to secure the buckle. And, while many cheap belts use glue or sewing to hold many layers of material together, a better and longer lasting construction is to make a belt from a single solid strip of leather. This is what we choose to do for our belts.
CALIBER OF THE MATERIALS
Probably the single most important aspect when considering a belt’s longevity, is the quality of the materials used in the belt itself. There are numerous materials belts can be made from including canvas, plastic, nylon, leather, and so on. For this discussion, we will focus on leather belts. Like detecting a counterfeit bill, knowing the difference between a junk belt and the “real deal” isn’t always easy, but just as a banker is trained at spotting a counterfeit, so you too can train yourself to catch the subtle but important differences among belts.
A belt may give the appearance of being made of a legit leather, but look for words like
“Genuine leather”,
“Bonded leather”
or “Faux leather”
as these are red flags that indicate a low caliber of material. A belt made from these materials is likely to last only a few months with regular use. Why? In short, money. Many stores want to sell the least expensive item on the block for price conscious customers. In order to keep up with competition, they regularly sacrifice on a product’s quality to maintain profit margin. This benefits the store in two ways. First, they can sell more belts because the price is low. And secondly, when the belt quickly breaks because of inferior materials, the customer must go back and buy another one. Needless to say, you will often end up spending more in the long run.
Veg-tan leather is made using a centuries-old process to produce a leather that is very durable
The leather that will be the most durable is full-grain, vegetable tanned. Without going into too much detail here, this kind of leather is made using a centuries-old process to produce a leather that is very strong and will hold up to the repeat use of daily life. Belts made from this leather have the reputation for being long-lasting. Some can even last for decades if properly maintained.
Hopefully by now you realize that there are several factors that will determine the length of time a belt can be used. We design our belts to be durable, comfortable, and fashionable: an excellent combination for anyone seeking a high-quality belt. We offer a lifetime “break free” guarantee. If your buckle ever cracks or if the leather ever splits when used normally, simply return your belt for a free replacement. Why can we offer what most other brands can’t? Because we give attention to every single part of your belt.
We want you to know that your belt will be dependable and durable. I WANT A BELT is living up to a legacy of quality. The movement has begun. Will you join us?
Quality is back in style!
