Powerlifting Belt Review: How Your Belt is Manufactured and Produced

General Leathercraft Manufacturing is the manufacturer of Pioneer Fitness Products that has been producing top of the line quality leather weightlifting belts in America since 1974. One of its team members, Matt Hadden, put together an in-depth review on YouTube breaking down the best belts on the market demonstrating how they are manufactured and produced.

elitefts approved, you’ll want to watch this.

Inzer Advanced Designs:

The Inzer Advanced Design belts are well put together, well made and are going to last forever as the manufacturer promises. However, Inzer advertises that all their belts are made with one solid piece of the thickest and finest leather available, which does not turn out to be the case. Although they advertise that they do not glue the layers together to make thickness, as Matt points out, the layers are in fact glued together. Aside from the bad advertising of non-glued layers, Inzer produces decent belts that will remain intact throughout an entire career. However, they will not break in and form to your body overtime. They range in price from 90 to 100 dollars.

Crain

The Crain belt is built very similar, if not identical, to the Inzer because of the cut out and cheap robust leather that is used. If you want a stiff belt, the Crain will satisfy you but if you want your belt to break in and form to your body, this is not an ideal selection. The Crain is guaranteed to last for life and the price comes out to be right around 100 dollars.

Bob’s Belt

Bob’s Belts have robust leather just like the Inzer and Crain ensuring it will never break in or form to your body. However, Bob’s Belts are preferred over the Inzer and Crain due to their flawless construction. The rivets and burbs are better than the two-part rivets because these actually flower within themselves. It is almost like a washer in the inside so it will never come apart. It is priced at 155 dollars.

Sling Shot

Although the Sling Shot belt is advertised to be pre-broken in, that is not the case. These belts make a really weird noise because the rubber pieces are constantly rubbing against one another. This belt will not last very long and is very susceptible to tears. The materials used for this belt are not ideal for the application; there are too many layers and leather is not durable. This belt could however be used short-term to get you through a powerlifting meet or various training routines but it is not ideal for long-term use. It is priced between 120-135 dollars.

Rogue

The Rogue Fitness belt is going to be very pliable, comfortable out of the box and will provide adequate benefits initially but this is not a belt that will last forever. These belts are geared more towards comfort than support and do not fit the application that most powerlifters want when using a belt. These belts are more commonly used in a crossfit setting due to the comfort they provide. They sell for around 108 dollars.

Cardillo

The Cardillo belt is very pliable out of the box, built to last and is overall extremely well put together. However, the pricing is way too high as stocked belts are sold for around 170 dollars while custom ones can range anywhere from 200 to 300 dollars. In addition, the belt is 102-103 millimeters making it too wide for competition.

SBD

The SBD stocked belt sells for around 227 dollars with no option for customizing. You can tell a machine produces this belt as it is almost laser straight and the holes are perfectly formed. The lever on this belt is what most people are interested in when it comes to the SBD. The lever is adjustable meaning you don't need to use a screwdriver anymore, which really separates this belt from the others. If money is not an issue, this is a great belt to purchase because of the adjustable lever.

Titan

The Titan belt’s manufacturing process and raw materials are very similar to the Pioneer. It uses two pieces of sole leather and two pieces of suede. They are glued throughout and sown with triple stitching. The quality of the belt is great, it contains no cheap materials and it will break in gradually over time. The only issues are that the belt loop is super thick and it does not meet any federation specs. It retails for around 129 dollars.

Best Belts

The Best Belts have been frequently referred by many as one of the best lifting belts available for purchase. It uses one solid piece of sole leather, two pieces of suede and four oversized male and female rivets. This belt is going to last, it is going to form to your body and provide the support you would expect a belt to perform. Other than Pioneer, this is the best belt on the market and is well worth the 110 dollars.

Pioneer

Similar to the Best Belts, Pioneer (the select brand of elitefts) belts are made with one solid piece of sole leather, two pieces of suede glued and sewed together and is riveted together in six different spots as well as the belt loop. It is guaranteed to last a lifetime and starts retailing at 75 dollars with an endless amount of customization options. Depending on how much customization you choose, the price can jump quickly and wait times can be very long depending on the season.

Take a look at elitefts's full line of belts.

References

1. Fitness TV, Campbell. “Powerlifting Belt Review - SBD, Inzer, Sling Shot, Titan, Rogue and More!” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjDu2bPJUu0&feature=youtu.be.