CHAOREN 40mm Ratchet Belt Buckle Only for 1 3/8 Slide Belt Strap, Automatic Click Buckle Adjustable

I used to buy a lot of higher end traditional belts with the holes before, always had the same issues as everyone else. They worked fine when your size happened to match up with one of the holes, but when in between holes, the belt was either too tight or too loose. After I tried the ratcheting type of belt a few years ago, the fit was so much better that I’ve never worn a traditional belt again. Now those just collect dust and I facepalm at how much money I spent on them. My one problem with the ratcheting belt was always the buckle style. The buckles all looked the same, just a large rectangle. It’s not that I think that buckle type looks bad in general, some of them look very nice. They just all look too similar to each other and there’s not much variety. This type of buckle changes all of that. It has the appearance of a traditional belt but can now be used with the ratcheting belts. The functional design of this one in particular is ingenious. Instead of having the typical little lever underneath that you’d pull to loosen the belt, on this model you just pull up the buckle itself to loosen. It’s so smart anytime you can reduce the number of parts and still keep the same functionality like this. A couple things to note: One thing I think can definitely be improved is the little space where you attach the belt to the buckle by pushing in the teeth - that part is VERY short on this model, so the teeth don’t get very far into the length of the belt before they sink in, which I think is much less secure. I’d feel much better if the attachment point let the belt go a little deeper into the buckle for a little more security. Also - while it’s no problem with cheaper quality, thinner belts - it’s extremely hard to push these teeth into some of the thicker belts, including the ones this brand makes. Upon examination, I believe it’s because these have 5 teeth that are bigger and wider than the smaller and thinner 7 teeth found on the other typical ratcheting buckles. Simple fix, I just used a towel to cover the buckle and a pair of pliers to clamp the teeth down, and then they punched through easily. I’ve done it on 4 of these belts now with no issues with the buckle bending or breaking or anything. The first time I did it though, I did it without the towel and scratched the hell out of that buckle. So don’t make my mistake. And hopefully, with how difficult it is to push the teeth in, maybe that’ll help with the overall longevity of holding the belt at the attachment point. On the thicker belts anyway. Measurements of the buckle with my digital calipers: Outside buckle width 39.9mm Outside height at tallest part of buckle when laying flat 21.8mm Length from end to end 83.0mm The shallowest inside width of buckle keeper, about 36.3mm The shallowest inside height of buckle keeper - hard to measure, about 5.3mm Colors: I bought the polished silver buckles separately, and also got the gunmetal when it came on one of their belts I bought. Didn’t get the polished black version yet since I don’t have any watches to match and can’t think of any uses for it. The polished silver is exactly what you’d expect, brightly polished silver metal. I liked it so much I bought extras to have them on a few different dressier belts. The high polish will look best for dress, especially when you’re wearing polished silver colored watches like steel or white gold. The gunmetal has a matte brushed finish and is a very dark gray, with what looks like a slightly brown tint. It’s hard to show in pics so I included a video that makes it easier to see. But basically - I’m not a fan of that color. I was hoping it would be a lighter gunmetal shade and ok to match with some of my titanium watches, but it’s a way darker shade. Included a pic of it next to a couple of my titanium watch bracelets for reference. They need to sell a brushed silver version of this buckle separately, that would be much better and more useful than the gunmetal. Would also be more understated than the high polish silver and give variety. I don’t want to have to wear high polish all the time, after all. The rating for the buckle is still a 5 despite the shortcoming of the shallow attachment to the belt. The new style is a much needed improvement from being stuck in Rectangle Land before. The slick new loosening mechanism of simply lifting the buckle is amazing. The polished silver color is also a 5. If I was rating the gunmetal version on color alone, I’d give that a 1. Doesn’t look great as a standalone, and also won’t match most watch metal colors. Save the gunmetal for more tactical style belts. Included video and pics: Video showing the difference in color between the polished silver and gunmetal, also the different loosening mechanism of opening the buckle on this vs the little lever on the bottom of typical ratcheting buckle style. Pics comparing polished silver vs gunmetal. Pic comparing gunmetal to a couple titanium watch bracelets. Pic comparing shallowness of attachment point on this vs typical ratcheting buckle.

Great buckle very good looking

Easy install, great fit.

I bought this buckle almost a year ago and wear it daily. What I like about this buckle over the other brand I tried is that the teeth that lock into the belt seem to be more stable and doesn't tear up the belt. This could be more of an issue of the quality of the belt (which I don't remember if it is the same company as the buckle) but the other belt would need to be recut all the time because the teeth would shred through it. That is not the case with this buckle. I've only had to cut it once. My buckle did break unexpectedly however after contacting the manufacturer, they responded very quickly and sent me a new one within two days. I don't know if this one will break as well but any company that backs their products and is willing to ship out a new one that quickly will get a positive review and my repeat business. Edit: It's been a year since I bought the first buckle and the second one broke as well. I don't remember if the belt was part of it, but it's cracked though still usable and the teeth marks seem to be fine. Lowering the rating for the buckle breaking again. Hoping the company sends me another one but I think i'm going to try and better quality one now.

Great product!

First, this is an attractive buckle that looks and feels very substantial. The flip-open feature (vs. the small lever on other ratchet belts make for great ease of use. And, it is very easy to install on a belt with its simple but secure clamp mechanism. But, I ran into a couple of problems: 1. This buckle's design needs about 2" more belt length because the ratchet mechanism is at the end that attaches to the belt. All of the lever-operated buckles I've owned put the mechanism at the open end. If you are starting with a new belt that you will cut to length, this is no problem. I was replacing a lever-style buckle that failed. I had originally trimmed the belt to have a little extra length, but this buckle was still too tight at the first click. I had to buy a new belt. 2. Unlike my other ratchet belts, this buckle sets off TSA airport metal detectors. I'm always Pre, and I value not having to remove shoes, belts, jacket, etc. The first trip I went on with this buckle, it tripped the metal detector every time - two different airports. So, it probably wasn't an overly sensitive detector. This is a deal-breaker for me, as I don't want to have "travel" and "non-travel" belts. Nice buckle if those two problems don't affect your situation.

As described and much higher quality than expected; great value.

New style buckle, ratchet style, great adjustment. Good quality belts

What do you think I use a belt for?

Good quality