Columbia Men's 1 1/2 in.Leather Belt with Overlay

I loved this belt... until the buckle broke three months after I bought it. The prong simply fell out of the buckle. It looks like a faulty weld. Judging by this belt's favorable reviews, my experience was probably a fluke. Still, it's disappointing. The buckle is stitched onto the belt, so there's no practical way of replacing the buckle.Columbia has a warranty program, so I submitted a request for a replacement. I was impressed with how easy it was. I received the replacement belt two weeks after submitting my request.However, I don't like the replacemanet belt they sent me. It's not the same style. The belt I bought was 100% leather, but the replacement is only 42% leather, it's thinner and narrower, and it has exterior stitching, which I did not want.To be fair to Columbia, the belt they sent me has a retail price $7 higher than the belt I bought, so it's possible they were trying to do me a favor. However, it's not a belt I'd buy or that I want. I'm still going to have to buy a belt.If Columbia had sent me the same style belt I bought, I'd have restored my five star review, but I just do not like the replacement they sent me, so I'm giving it three stars because I'm still going to have to buy a belt.My first update to my original review:I've owned the belt two months this week and am raising my star rating from 4 to 5. It's a good looking and well-made belt, especially for the $19.99 price I paid. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. My only reservation when I received it was that it's a bit thinner than I hoped for. However after wearing it for two months, I'm satisfied with it. It's thick enough, it seems well made, and it looks great. That's all I need.My original review:The quality seems good. I was reluctant to buy a belt without seeing it in person first, but this one looks like it will hold up. It's slightly thinner than it looks in the photo, but is acceptable. It's a good looking belt.

I purchased this belt for the first time in January 2015. I've been very happy with the original belt and it has lasted longer than I expected, but finally it is starting to fray a little so I decided to order a new one now, October 2017, over 2 & 1/2 years later. I ordered the exact same size, style and color, however I was a little disappointed with what arrived. Although the belt initially looked the same, I soon realized some differences, the main one being the length of the belt. It is easily 1 & 1/2 inches shorter, maybe 2 inches, even though it's supposed to be the same size. Secondly I noticed the printing on the inside now just says "leather" instead of "genuine leather", although it does appear to be real leather, so I'm not sure why the change there. Thirdly, I noticed the rivets near the buckle are smaller, which would make the belt inherently weaker. The last difference I noticed is that there are 7 pre-punched holes to adjust belt size on the new belt, previously there were 5, so perhaps that would be a good thing, except that the 'furtherest' hole on the new belt is almost at the same distance as the 'third furtherest' hole on the old belt, effectively making this new belt's maximum setting at 3 sizes smaller than the old belt, even though they are supposed to be the same size. I am guessing this is all part of 'cost engineering' the product, which invariably makes the product worse for the consumer. I strongly recommend ordering a belt size 2" bigger than what you'd normally buy if you are ordering this item, if not 4" more. Time will tell if durability has also taken a hit. I would have given a 5 star rating had the new belt been the same as the original. I've now purchased a size 44" to make damn sure there's plenty of room - I expect it will be sized around 40" in reality.update - replacement arrived, and I was correct about the sizing - strongly recommend buyers order 2 sizes above your actual waist size. Unfortunately the replacement had some serious flaws - I am adding a photo. I am returning this one and trying once more - third time lucky?

I've only had the belt a week, so I can't speak to it's durability yet. Based on other reviews about the sizing running small, I ordered a 34 despite normally wearing a 32. I can wear this belt but it is buckled in the 2nd of five holes (with the first hole being the tightest it can go). I would probably have been ok with a size 32. It's more likely for me to get larger, so the extra length is ok. The belt is wider than I thought from the picture, but it fits nicely in my Dockers pants belt loops, so I think it's ok. I just need to keep up with the newer styles! The leather feels solid but is also flexible enough to feel softer than other belts I've had. The quality seems good. I'm happy with the purchase.

UPDATE:After giving it an extensive road test, I don't recommend this belt at all. I'm subtracting one star, giving it 2/5.The belt is terribly deformed and the most frequently used holes are stretched and ripped. Not 100% leather, it's cardboard or something inside.-----It's a nice looking belt. The quality is questionable. It almost seems like some kind of card-stock backing and then leather glued to the face. I really hope that's not the case, but I guess time will tell. It's a very stiff belt, almost folds rather than curls. I haven't had a new belt in quite a long time so I hope I'm just too accustomed to my well broken in leather belt. This one says 100% genuine leather... We'll see.As for sizing, people should be using common sense. It's a belt, not a pair of shoes. If you're a 38 waist, order at least a 40+ belt. The size of the belt is the last (largest) hole. If you don't want to have to wear it on the largest hole, order something a little larger. (This seems obvious to me... I'm not sure why so many people have problems; on every belt here on Amazon there are sizing complaints, it's a mystery.)