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Leather Tow Belt in Kotor, Montenegro
I purchased the black Tow Belt (32 inch) and am extremely pleased with my purchase. The belt is incredibly well made and is exceptionally thick and stiff. This belt would work well for a holster or other heavy duties. I have been wearing mine now for a few days and it is beginning to soften. I may use some No. 1 Conditioner to accelerate this process. The holes, as described in the video, are tighter together than a typical belt but work very well to give a more custom fit than I am used to wearing. With the quality of this belt I would not be surprised if it outlives me (I'm in my forties). $130 may seem like an awful lot for a belt, I know, but I think it's actually worth it. I plan to buy another one in tobacco in the future.
I recently ordered the Tow Belt 1 1/2” in chestnut recently. I am a size 34” waist, so logically I figured the size 34” belt would be ideal. I was severely mistaken. The belt is actually about 43.5” long, 42” without the buckle. Not including the buckle, the holes are at: 34” (very last hole), 37” (middle hole), and 40” (first hole), respectively. That translates into me wearing the very last hole as I am a 34” waist, producing a comic effect as there is a massive length of belt sticking out to one side. Not good! In the end, I ordered the Old Bull Belt 1 1/2” in 32” and can wear it properly using the middle hole (without buckle, measures about 35”, a decent fit for my 34” waist), which will replace the tow belt that I will now have to return. Besides the size snafu (seemingly for all Saddleback Leather Co belts), I have two issues to address about the tow belt itself: it is too thick, and the stitching catches on most belt loops. To address the first issue: on the one hand, the thickness is actually pretty virile [manly] and stunning, but on the other hand, it creates two ill effects: one, it is painfully difficult to take off. In fact, I have dubbed the tow belt “The Anaconda” because of the way it constricts as one attempts to undo the belt. Two, it does not go gentle into that good [first] belt loop. In fact, it sits rather defiantly on top of it. Like my cat. On everything. The second issue is just the belt's stitching grates against the fabric of the pant's belt loops. This is especially bad when compounded with the thickness of the belt, which forces the stitching to rub against the forcefully expanded belt loops, and when wearing, for example, linen pants where the belt loops are rather fragile (compared to say, denim). In summary, it is a 5/5 star belt when it comes to construction, manliness, and durability, but I feel the design is a bit clumsy. It is probably better suited for construction workers and towing airplanes than for people who wear linen pants. And for that reason, I give it 4/5 stars. To solve both issues, I recommend getting the old bull belt as I did. Briefly: it is just as fashionable, comes in the same width, length, and colors, and seems reasonably durable without any of the obtrusive thickness and stitching. Also, remember to chat with Saddleback's awesome customer service representatives. They will absolutely help you find the right color/fit, just like they did for me in finding the correct (old bull) belt. Cheers! Brief note on color: the chestnut is just a reddish version of the dark coffee (or perhaps chocolate) brown. They are both dark, but neither are dark enough to be considered black. Pretty much verbatim from the customer service reps; just passing it on.
As many other reviews have already said, this really is the last belt you'll ever need. I doubt I'll ever need or want to replace it. The way the holes are placed on the belt, though, does not make a lot of sense. They are spaced every 3/4 inch instead of every 1 inch as with other belts, which is great. However, the first three holes are too close to the tip to be of any use. When the buckle is fastened to any of these three holes, the tip either doesn't reach or doesn't snugly remain in the loop next to the buckle. This means that the tip of the belt awkwardly sticks out and/or comes completely undone from the buckle. So, these holes serve no practical purpose. It would make a lot more sense to place these holes further from the tip, to make the sizing more flexible, rather than having them uselessly too close to the tip. Again, this belt is still indispensable in my book. But a minor design change could make it even better.
I just received my belt today and I must say that I can't stop looking at it. Just like all my other purchases from SBL this item will be fought over when I finally reside on the other side of the dirt. BTW I purchased the wrong size at first and spoke to the nicest customer service person ever.... I believe her name was Diane and she got me on the right path within 5 minutes. Thanks SBL for making products that make me believe in getting what I paid for!
I received my belt this past Friday. The first thing you'll notice is the weight and thickness of the belt. It's terrific to have a nice piece of leather. You'll enjoy strapping this thing on every time you wear it. The reason I only gave it four stars is because after just two days (I wore it on Saturday and Sunday), the back of a rivet fell off the belt (remember, this is the belt that my kids will be fighting for someday--well after two days, I was very surprised). Since it's the backside of the belt, I'm not very concerned, but was surprised none the less. The second small complaint is that the first two punched holes on the belt are too short to be secured down, so you have to use at minimum the third hole for the belt to be secured (make sure you purchase the right size--which I think is a bit tricky. I'm glad I purchased it though, and would definitely recommend it.
