I am a 49 year old man who is in the first week of the "Starting Strength" program and decided that even though my loads are relatively small (Today's deadlift was 225 X 5 X 1) I thought a belt would be a good idea for a cue if nothing else. As weights progress it will likely become more critical. The belt fit the bill for what I was looking for exactly. I hired a personal trainer at my local YMCA to help with form and when he saw the belt he was pretty impressed. So much so that he told me he would be ordering one for himself and possibly several to replace the worn out belts at the gym.

Some folks mentioned that the belt is quite stiff, to the point of being almost unusable. I simply rolled mine backwards tightly the night before I took it to the gym and secured it with zip ties. On my way out the door (At 4:30 AM) I cut the zip ties and tossed it in my bag. I had no problem getting it on and off. I am 5'11" with an average length torso and never felt any pinching doing both low bar back squats and deadlifts. My waist measures 42" at it's widest (Measured just above the belly button) and the XL belt fits perfectly with the buckle just about centered across the holes.

I would highly recommend this belt for anyone who is serious about training with weights. You could certainly spend more, but you won't find a better belt unless you just want to throw money around.

Now go squat. More.

My initial review was written in October and It is below. A day after my review, a person from the company contacted me and asked how they could make things right. They sent me a new belt, that I received two days later and I have been using it since for about 6 months. I am happy with the replacement belt. It has formed easily to my waist and is quite comfortable considering how strong and stable the material is. I have had zero issues with the new belt. So I have improved their score from 1 star to 4 stars. Customer service was attentive and friendly and genuinely wanted to make thinks right...so major props for that.

So in less than 6 uses, one rivit has completely busted off. The thin felt like backing is piling up and causes dimples of some sort. It just looks cheap and feels cheap. The stitching is only single layer so not sure how long that will hold up.

I bought this because Amazon sent me here. This Stoic belt was supposed to be the replacement for the great Evolutionize belt I bought a few years ago. The only reason I even need a new belt is because I went down in size and needed a smaller belt.

Long story short this Stoic belt is nowhere near the same quality as my Evolutionize belt despite being equal in price.

Maybe I'll update if I get feedback or replacement from seller.

This belt is solid. I lift regularly for general fitness but plan to start focusing on more strength training and I am optimistic that this belt will help me do so for a long time. I was concerned mostly with all the reviews that spoke of sizing issues; I found my measurement as instructed (around the belly, slightly above the belly button) which turned out to be 38 inches. I was almost going to take the various "pointers" to get one size larger which would've been an xtra large.....would've been way toooo much belt. The large size belt fits perfectly. The buckle prong is right about the middle of the belt holes provided and it will allow me to adjust up or down as needed. I don't understand how so many consumers bought this belt using their waist size since the belt doesn't sit there to begin with. The construction of the belt is solid looking and should last many years. The leather is double stitched throughout, even around the middle where the holes are at. The logo is actually stitched as well- I expected it to be some stamping that would wear off. The dye may bleed a bit but whatever. Yes, it's a stiff belt out the box, can be a bit tough removing the buckle prong at first, but I rolled the belt some at the house and put it on and took it off several times to get the belt a bit softer so to speak. In the gym, it does exactly what its needed for. I would not be discouraged by the few rogue reviews about the "poor belt quality" or numerous bad reviews due to sizing as it appears most of those were due to user error in getting the right sized belt to begin with. For the money, a solid belt brand name or not. It's certainly better than a soft padded Velcro job or a tapered belt you will get at your local fitness/ sporting goods store.

I've had this belt for several months now, and I have been very pleased with it. The belt has conformed well to my body, and it just gets better as I break it in. It's very supportive on heavy sets: I've pulled 550 lbs + on deadlifts consistently since buying this belt, squatted over 400 lbs and up to 500 lbs in this belt, and done bent-over rows into the lower 300s with this belt on. All in all, it's been a really solid addition to my gym bag. It's nothing fancy, but a belt for a lifter isn't supposed to be. A good belt is supposed to be supportive and tough as nails. Mine is stained with sweat and chalk, and it is exposed to drastic heat and cold because I keep it in the back of my car. Yet it's just as strong and supportive as the day I first tried it on. I will say that it wouldn't hurt to go a size up if you're a bigger guy. I'm 265 and an XL fits, but there's no room to grow if you go up a weight class.

VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT PUT THIS BELT STRAIGHT ON AFTER YOU UNBOX IT. IT'S NOT THE SAME AS A 10MM. IT'S THICKER AND YOU WILL GET STUCK. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED PEOPLE LOL, I LEARNED THE HARD WAY.
Background: Coming from a $50 cheap 10mm flimsy eBay lever belt. No experience with Titan, Inzer, Best Belts, or any other big name companies.

Initial Impressions straight out the box: Very solid and sturdy. It's super stiff and I can tell it's gonna be awhile to break this bad boy in lol. It looks as if they used a thinner stitching on the inside and a thicker stitching on the outside. Not a big deal or concern from me, but just an observation. Rivets and buckle seem to be very well made and it looks like they'd last a lifetime.

Now I had to get straight to the sizing. I've had a bad experience with my first belt with sizing as I'm on the last hole of my 10mm lever belt, so I was really hoping that the sizing would be correct this time around. Again I got kinda disappointed, but not as much as my 1st belt. I walk around everyday around 32-33 inches, let's just use 32.5 as reference. Looking at the sizing chart, it would be common sense that I for sure get a medium because that would put me smack dab in the middle. It's a no brainer. This wasn't the case. the 30-33 Medium size that they offer is at the end of the belt instead of the middle. This would suggest that the belt runs a tad bit small. I myself at the tightest most comfortable position is at the 31 inch hole. Once I break it in i might be able to sneak in the 30 inch mark hole. I will put pics for the sizing and the thickness is pretty on point, as it should be. The thing people need to understand is that you will tighten the belt a couple inches less than the belt itself. I'm a 32.5 inch waist but need to cinch the belt at 30-31 inches for maximum support and comfort. If the sizing is the same as the Medium, Large would be too small. I'd be on the last hole. So for a person with a 32-33 inch waist, you only got 1-2 holes left to go and 5-6 holes to lose weight. The Medium goes from 26-33 inches.

TL;DR I have a 32.5 inch waist. I personally fit into the 30-31 inch hole. The Medium size belt goes from 26-33 inches. Going to take a long time to break in being a 13mm belt as opposed to a 10mm