Rakson Fitness Gear Leather Power Lifting Weight Lifting 4" Gym Fitness Exercise Belt Blue Rk-206Bl

The leather itself is good but the rivets Rakson used are garbage. You can see from my photos how one rivet completely popped out and the other rivet is split in half at the base. The metal at the bases is very thin. The rivet connection that holds the two halves together is very weak. You shouldn't be able to pop a belt rivet in half by bracing your abs. Fortunately, there are six rivets total so the belt didn't fall apart in the middle of deadlifting and injure me. I'm a handy guy so I removed the remaining rivets and replaced them with good rivets. There are also Chicago screws that are basically rivets that screw together and don't require a rivet tool. You could even use a short bolt with a thin head coupled with a nut and lock washer. If that is something you don't want to do, I would recommend purchasing a different powerlifting belt. It's possible this may not be an issue for you if you are lifting lighter weights. I workout with over 400lbs on deadlift.As I said, the leather is fine so after replacing the rivets (a pack of rivets or Chicago screws should be about $5, Hobby Lobby has Chicago screws in the leather working section) you wind up with a good belt at minimal cost. As with most new thick powerlifting belts, the leather is stiff when new and should be broken in before using. The easiest way to do this is to roll it up tightly one way for at least a couple hours by setting something heavy on it or putting it in between something. Then roll it up the other way tightly and repeat. Keep doing this until the belt softens up to your satisfaction. An excessively stiff belt won't conform to your body well (depending on your belly shape) and can slide during a lift. It can also dig into your skin, leaving marks or causing pain. The leather being good is why this belt gets two stars instead of one, although I'm sure many people would give it one star because of the rivets popping out.With the new rivets I installed, this belt is comparable to the belts priced two to three times more. So it's a good bargain for someone who doesn't mind replacing the rivets. I also like that the brand name label is small instead of a giant gaudy label like some brands. No problems with the stitching or the blue covering coming undone. The holes aren't stretching either. So again, everything other than the rivets is good so far after about a dozen uses.I would hope in the future Rakson will use better rivets and a few dollars to the price tag. I paid $29 for it new, but I'd totally spend $35 or even $40 if it had good rivets.For those interested in product origin, this belt is made in Pakistan. If you want a made in USA belt, expect to spend $100 plus.

Yes! I love my belt. The quality is great!