Alright, I’m not going to waste time telling you why it is important for your belt to be quality. I think that alongside wallets, belts are probably one of the biggest rip-offs that brand name companies sell. If you are going to spend a bit of money and get a nice belt, make sure it is going to last. It’s hard to definitively say which is the best leather belt, because it will depend some on personal preference, but we’ll look at a lot
Top rated belt on Amazon. Looks good at first, but is really sketchy. If price is a concern, pay $10 extra and get Gray Eagle and support small artisans
Pros: This is my personal top pick for the title of “best leather belt”. It meets the requirements for solid construction while also being at a fairly reasonable price point. When it comes to daily use leather goods, it’s also important to factor in warranty and true to their name, these belts come with a lifetime warranty. In addition to all that, they have personalization options, which is rare to come by in commercial belts.
Cons: Only one style with four colors gives you a fairly limited selection of options. These belts are made for function and durability, not a bunch of flashy different styles.
Overall Rating: 5. A 5-star rating makes this the best leather belt in my book. You end up paying a little bit more than some of the other options, but for that price you get a lot of quality, a lot of customer service, and a good lifetime guarantee.
Pros: This is the kind of belt I’ve made my entire life. A simple, sturdy strip of leather with simple, sturdy hardware. The real benefit here is price and variety. Gray Eagle has a lot of different types of belt and they come at just about the lowest price you will find a quality belt. If budget is a concern, this is where you should go.
Cons: This is a smaller, independent craftsman which means you don’t get the lifetime warranty that you get from some of the larger companies. You only have a 30-day return window.
Company Integrity: This isn’t really a company, it is just one guy. He started out repairing leather goods 10 years ago to help pay for the multiple rescue horses he was tending. He has great reviews though and is quite responsive to messages.
Overall Rating: 4.5. You’re only really lacking in warranty here. You just don’t get the level of guarantee that you get from bigger companies, but you can get a very personalized level of service.
Pros: You may have heard me say it in my other reviews, but I absolutely love the Saddleback Leather website. They say their belts are strong enough to tow a train, and I believe them. They have a 100 year warranty, which means that if you want to, this could be the last belt you ever have to buy. They come in several colors, and are custom ordered to fit your size. And they will repair them free of charge, and even pay for the shipping!
Cons: Not a whole lot of variety. The belts are beautiful, but only have a few styles and 3-4 colors per style.
Company Integrity: Solid as a rock. The 100 year warranty might have tipped you off, but these guys are serious about quality, doing replacements, and repairs all for free. There have been some mixed feelings about their direction over the last couple of years, but for the moment I still feel pretty good about them.
Overall Rating: 4.5. Price is really the main factor here. You have to ask, is the quality that much better than the other belts on this list that it should cost $10-$30 more, and I don’t think it is. Saddleback’s belts are great, but I don’t know if they are better than the other options. They are about the same as some of the other options, but they cost more.
Pros: They are made with full-grain leather, and are very reasonably priced. You get to choose which buckle you want, which is a nice little bonus, and they pay for your shipping.
Cons: They don’t have a very wide selection. They seem to specialize more in the biker clothing, so they only have a few basic belts. They have a 30 day return policy, which is fine in its own right, but pales next to the 100 year warranty of SaddleBack.
Company Integrity: My first thought would be backwoods, but they have made some technological improvements in the last few years. It is a family run business, and that brings with it a feeling of trust and integrity. You don’t have to call an 800 number to ask someone in India about your problems, you just contact Paul or his employees in their little shop in Virginia and deal with it directly.
Overall Rating: 4. At least for belts. They excel more in other areas, but their belts are fairly basic. I would recommend them, but I wouldn’t try and give you a hard sell on them. They’re fine. I understand what it is like to live on a budget. I know that some of our budgets may be more restrictive than others. FoxCreek makes it so that we don’t have to have some garbage bonded leather belt, even with low funds. They are a local American “Mom and Pop” type business that fits nicely in the “quality items on a budget” category.
Amazon Belts
A lot of people like shopping on Amazon. You often get free fast shipping, and you can lump your purchase in with other items you want to get anyway. When it comes to leather goods, you have to be extremely careful on Amazon. While they are working on the issue, counterfeiters are everywhere and it is incredibly hard to tell the real item from a fake one. For example, one of the top rated belts on Amazon, The “Timberland” Belt, is actually a cheap knock off. However, the Bootlegger Belt is a decent belt (though not my favorite out there).
I prefer to support smaller businesses with my dollars, but if you are dead set on buying a belt, or any leather good on Amazon, do a lot of research first. If you need extra help, you can use our website chat to connect with one of our leather experts directly and they can help verify the legitimacy of the product.
