Men's Clothing Forums banner

Worn out belt holes

1 reading
20K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  drlivingston  
#1 ·
Next upgrade item - belts

Despite of right sizing, here is my issue with belts... this picture found on internet, puts it together nicely. I have the same issue.



Worn belt holes, marks from buckle, destroyed leather.

I am not that size... anymore but still somewhat heavy at 200lbs+. In my experience, belts holes always take a lot of damage from pressure against the gut (or maybe it was my $30-40 belts that were too cheap). Either ways, my weight fluctuates a decent bit. in last year and half, it went from 42" to 34" and somewhere middle now. With using the same belt from last hole to first... it doesn't last too long. I have a Perry Ellis belt purchased this summer and right now it looks pretty beat-up and embarrassing.

Any suggestions here?
 

Attachments

#2 · (Edited)
I take exception to you dragging up pictures of my waistline without so much as a by-your-leave!

Edit: Oh yes, suggestions. My cobbler makes belts, so I have him make mine. My waistline fluctuates more than (what I think is) usual too, so I specify extra holes. Also, I find the usual 1" gap between holes too great to afford proper fine tuning, so in that regard I specify 1.5cm. Finally, a belt in first class bridle leather will take infinitely more and heavier punishment than the usual fare, constructed of thin, cheap leather with some filling material between the inner and outer.

If your local cobbler won't make belts, there are many, many options on-line. Just google custom belt.
 
#3 ·
Johnston & Murphy made (make?) some nice belts with seven holes instead of five, so you might consider those and/or braided belts to get more size options out of a single belt. That said, JAB and the Men's Wearhouse house brand aren't bad - with the holiday sales coming, I'd just buy a couple and rotate them.
 
#4 ·
While the damage pictured may be in some measure a function of the belts quality, I have had belts that originally cost $125 to $160 (an Orvis English Bridle leather ranger belt and a custom engraved belt, purchased from a leather smith), show the same type of wear in the single hole I always seemed to use. I'm inclined to conclude that the sad reality is that everything eventually wears out...even the good stuff, if it gets used regularly! ;)
 
#5 ·
Too new to know how long they will last, but I recently got some bridle and harness leather belts from Leather Goods Connection. Great price, similar to what one might pay for cheap fall-apart belts, but each is made of a single thick piece of what appears to be good quality leather. I choose the roller buckle, which seems to be much easier on the belt than some buckles with sharp corners. Also got fast attentive service. Will go back to them once I see how well the belts hold up. So far, great.




One minor issue: LGC uses a non-standard way of specifying belt size. To play it safe I got them a bit too long. My cobbler does not make belts, but charged me $0.50 each to add an extra hole to buckle up tighter. He was surprised at the thickness and toughness of the leather, which I take as a promising sign.
 
#7 ·
Go to ebay find seller:clemdesign. Hands down some of the highest quality belts you will find at any price.I make my own belts but this guy produces one impressive product,well south of 100 bucks.Dont be afraid of seconds There are a lot of small operations putting out really nice stuff right now.Check out the thread "what belt do you wear with your jeans "on this site.