I was going to say... I've had an elastic belt that basically disintegrated when I pulled it out of the closet after not having worn it in 15 years (wore it for 5 years before that).

"For life"? No. Pretty long time? Probably.

I’ve had that kind of belt and even high quality leather belts not able to handle me. I switched to these and they still look brand new:

Natural materials are always better and worth any costs comparative to the crap you're praising OP.

Fuck polymers altogether.

I concur. Bought one about 6 years ago and it is still like new. It was a little pricey IMO but the only option they had at the time. I like it a lot

Have you tried Belt Bros instead?

These trap every bit of dirt, Cheeto dust, or shit particle you ever came in contact with

They are also machine-washable.

Source: I have had one of these for approx. 10 years, it's done probably 100 wash cycles.

Buy good quality leather and it lasts decades.

Where can I find these? Every time a belt wears out I buy a more expensive leather one looking for one that will last. I have not yet found one that stays in good enough shape to wear to work after a year of use. I'm buying new belts every year and moving last years belts to my home/rough jeans use.

A flea market. Find a local leather worker and they can make one super fast with good quality leather. "Genuine Leather" is one of the lowest quality leathers out there.

You'll probably need to take care of it if you want it for work. Cleaning and conditioning it.

Personally, I avoid belts that are narrow, like 1" wide, as I think they like to twist more if they have to do a lot of lifting.

Leather belts tend to wear out at the holes and you're always playing with too tight too loose.

Work dress/work belt I went with a Ratcheting one for pretty cheap on Amazon. Its like new 3y later. Def fake/cheap leather though.

For everyday, I got a nylon (?) Belt with a plastic latch clasp. It's been 6y, like new. And it doesn't set off metal detectors.

I bought mine at artisan fairs, from leatherworkers. Been wearing it for more than five years now every day. It shows a bit of wear, but I think it will last at least another five

I just started making my own belts.
Most leather belts are made of thin veneer of leather. It might even be marketed as 'top grain leather" to make it seem special. Get whole grain leather.

I bought parts from one of the last Tandy Leather retail locations. Brought them home and used my hole punches I picked up at Harbor Freight for a different project and some grommets I got for a different project and made a belt. Out of pocket cost was maybe $16. That belt will last me decades.

In theory I could knit some belts with any number of sturdy materials like leftover metal cables but I have never felt the need.

I'm still wearing the fabric belt I thrifted when I went vegan in college over twenty years ago. Elastic isn't necessary, get a durable cotton or wool belt.

That turtles belt is radical.

It’s turned into my every day wear belt lol

Who wants to wear one belt their whole life? Are we cartoon characters?

Work pants with aramid stitching.

Look up the name of the community

Best advice is to learn how to identify real leather vs laminated shit. Once you can tell by sight, smell, feel you can thrift great items. Also going to markets and craft fairs, you can stumble across artisan leather makers (but even then you gotta make sure they are using quality products)

I found my belt at a secondhand store. It did take some hunting before one turned up, but I can change the buckle on it if I want. I got it for extra cheap because it had snaps holding the buckle on originally, but one of the snaps was broken. It was an easy enough fix to remove the snaps and replace them with chicago screws, and it's honestly a bit more durable with screws anyways.

They're still a bit pricey compared to the disposable pants you'd buy at a large chain store, but N&F has a brand (unbranded brand) that is notably cheaper and lacks the N&F branding.

three years is nothing though. the leather belt I am wearing is close to 10 years old. I do keep on the lookout for good belts though as sure this thing will wear out eventually since I wear use it every day.

Interesting. I have a nylon belt that has vertical groves and a spring cam lock for adjusting inward, and release lever to open it back up. Like a ziptie with a release. The belt will never wear out, but the cam spring already snapped. Lol

I've heard good things about NAB Leather, but have no personal experience.

What you want is single-piece full-grain leather about 10-12 oz weight. (This is a leather thickness measurement, not the weight of the belt.)

I find that trade shows (e.g, home/garden shows) often have a few vendors who make top quality belts.

Foolish.

You're supposed to dial in the middle hole to fit you "right" by shaving the buckle end, that way you're always within the middle or next up/down range unless you suddenly gain or lose a shitton.

I've had it done with suit belts and with normal ones, it's something they'll even do right in the shop, all it takes is a cutter and a hole-punch, both of which you can buy yourself, and any leatherworker has on hand.

Admittedly the suit belts take more than just that but that's beside the point.

I am aware but going from winter layers and materials to summer there's 1/8" variation at minimum and it's enough that it almost causes a tick to readjust. And yeah the dress belt also has its own situations.

Honestly I expected the ratcheting/clamping both to fail somehow and for me to go "oh I get why people don't get these"... That did not happen. At this point for me it's not "find an argument for why this over traditional" its "what does traditional offer that's better than this".

Oh damn, that's a lot of layers.