Ab out a year ago, I found a belt exactly like the one pictured here ($16) for a buck at a local “fell off the back of the truck store (closeouts, returns, salvage, etc.). I liked the fact that it was extremely adjustable, and since I needed a belt at the time (intentional weight loss, pants falling down, broken buckle on old black belt I had used for years–had LOTS of additional holes punched in the leather, anyway), I purchased it.
After a few months, the part indicated with the arrow broke. Unlike the rest of the belt buckle, it was just cheap pot metal. #gagamaggot
Today, I finally decided to either fix the thing or toss it. So, I used a twist tie to emulate the functionality of the part that broke–a part which worked together with a spring-operated tongue on the buckle to grip notches in the belt.
It works, but that’s about all I can say for it. Still, “it works” is enough for me to once again wear the thing with a pair of pants I bought “too small” which now fall down if I do not wear either a belt of suspenders (or both *heh*)
So, Tightwaddery2, ;cos cheap buy of an item I needed and cheap fix of same item, broken.
Belts are poorly (not just cheaply) made these days. I keep going back to a belt I’ve had for two decades because new ones split or break in odd places. Whatever happened to solid strips of tanned leather and sturdy buckles anyway?
My biggest problem with belts recently (apart from this one buckle issue) has been shortening them enough for continued use. The black belts I had before this one were two:
One was decades old and worn, not really suitable for “dress” wear.
Another was far too long, and merely punching another hole (I had already “shortened” it enough that more than six inches of extra belt was wrapped around me) was out. It was also sewn onto the buckle and was thick enough leather that a.) our sewing machine wasn’t up to the task and b.) my leather-crafting skills were not either.
Hence the purchase of a one dollar belt. Nice leather. Seemingly durable ratcheting element sewn into the leather. Cheap retention device on buckle. *sigh* I could have bought another ratcheting buckle for somewhere between $8-$10, but I just could not bring myself to do so. Nice belt, now (and the black twist tie I used for the “redneck repair” is almost invisible against the black belt itself. *heh*)
But yeh, many belts nowadays use “cheapoor” leathers (often even fake “bonded” leather!), are poorly constructed, and all-in-all just not worth wasting any $$ on. The one light brown belt I was able to shorten on the buckle end is serving me well. The leather itself is quite good, even if I am not really well-pleased with the quality of the buckle. I might be willing to pop for a better buckle for that one.
BTW, Perri, if “dress belts” aren’t needed, a “farm and tractor supply” store like Orschelin is likely to have REAL leather belts with real brass or steel buckles that promise to be relatively durable, and quite good enough in appearance for casual wear. Some larger regular old feed stores also carry leather goods, though one is more likely to find tack for horses than “tack” for people.