Until a few years ago, I never gave belts much thought. Which is ironic, because they’re something you wear almost every day.
Like most other guys, I wore the standard kind of belt you’d find in any department store: with the holes and the pin—nothing really special about it.
But my view on belts changed about 2 years ago when I heard about the Anson Belt micro-adjustable, hole-less belt.
I was at the Menfluential conference, and I met David Ferree, one of the owners of Anson Belt. David gave me a belt to try out, and I immediately loved it. In fact, not too long after that, I bought another Anson Belt for myself, and then one for my dad for Father’s Day.
Since then, Anson Belts are basically the only belts I wear. (I have an old “beater” belt that I wear when I do yard work, but otherwise, it’s pretty much only Anson belts these days).
What’s so special?
In this review, I share 4 things that I love about Anson Belt…and why I think their micro-adjustable, holeless belts are better than standard belts.
Watch the video below or keep reading.
Big thanks to our sponsor Anson Belt for making this post possible! Anson Belt offers micro-adjustable, hole-less belts with a lifetime guarantee. Learn More.
1. Micro-Adjustable Technology Means a More Comfortable Fit
With a traditional belt, you select a belt closest to your waist size. Then you have 5 holes, about an inch apart, to make any further adjustments.
That would be perfect if our bodies came in standard sizes and never changed shape. But of course, we’ve all had times when we’ve put on a little more weight—or we slim down a little—and suddenly our belt doesn’t quite fit.
At that point, we have to decide whether to make that jump to the next belt hole. And, at an inch away, it is a pretty big jump. It always ends up being either way too loose or way too tight.
Rather than having holes, Anson’s Micro-Adjustable belt has a track system on the back of the strap that allows you to make adjustments in tiny, ¼” increments. And you’re not limited to just 5 choices, you get 30!
What I love about this is that you can make tiny adjustments on the fly. The truth is, our bodies expand and contract throughout the day. But sometimes it’s just nice to be able to make a little adjustment to be more comfortable—like when you want to let your belt out after a big meal, or if you’re on a long flight and you just want to feel less constricted while sitting.
You can also adjust and readjust pretty discreetly. When you adjust a regular belt, it’s not something you can really do in the middle of your office; suddenly people think you’ve lost your marbles and you’re just going to drop trou next to copy machine.
2. Without Holes, Your Belt Stays Nicer…Longer
If you look at any standard belt you’ve had for awhile, chances are, it’s showing some wear. With standard, holed belts, the stress of the pin can do a number on your belt holes over time.
Also, that wear is never equally distributed among all 5 holes. Usually, it’s concentrated on that one main hole that you use day in day out…that is, until you go up or down a size. Then, you still probably have 2 holes that look like they’ve been utterly brutalized, where the leather may even crack or split.
The other thing that can really mess up standard belts over time is when you decide to go rogue.
And I think you know what I’m talking about…
When you’re so frustrated your belt no longer fits, and you decide that no longer will you be forced to conform to this inch-by-inch system…and you, the maverick, the trailblazer….decide…to POKE YOUR OWN HOLE.
And for a week or so you’re pretty happy with your decision. Then you start to notice how janky that homemade belt hole is…and now IT’S starting to fray and crack too.
But Anson’s micro-adjustable belts don’t have any holes, so you never deal with any of that. There’s no pin stressing out the leather. There are no holes to get stretched out and nasty. And you never have to worry about going rogue and poking your own holes. Because you can make tiny little adjustments with the track system, which is only visible on the inside of the strap.
3. You Can Mix and Match Styles
Another thing I love is that Anson Belt buckles and straps are really versatile. First of all, because they all share the same micro-adjustable track, they’re one-size fits all. You don’t have to do that crazy hunt in the department store to find your size.
Even more importantly, all the belt buckles are removable. So as long as you stay with the same width (they come in 1.25” or 1.5”) you can mix and match buckles.
It’s nice because sometimes—depending on how you want to coordinate with the rest of your outfit—you may want to wear a black belt with a gunmetal buckle, while other times you might want to wear that same color belt with a gold- or a silver-colored buckle.
To do that with regular belts, you’d have to keep buying new belts for each specific combination you want. But with Anson, each new belt you buy creates even more new potential combinations.
That’s why, if you’re just starting out, I highly recommend checking out their gift box (above). For just $99, the Anson Gift Box includes 3 buckles and 2 straps (or 3 straps and 2 buckles)—which gives you 6 different combinations.
Then, as you buy more belts you can keep multiplying your possibilities. Apparently, someone at Anson did the math, and if you look at all the straps and buckles on their website, you could theoretically have 1400 different combinations. That’s way too many belts for one person, but still, impressive.
4. Anson is a Family Business…And Acts Like One
One final thing that really sets Anson Belt apart is the way they do business. They are a family company, run by a father and son team, Frank and David Ferree. I’ve met both of these guys, and they really take a lot of pride in their work and their product, and they care about their customers. You can see that in the testimonials on their site.
If you can believe it, Frank and David still handle nearly all the customer service themselves. If you call the phone number listed, you’ll reach Frank. If you email or reach out via social media, you’ll hear back from David. It’s something they could easily outsource but they’ve chosen to keep in-house because they want to stay close to their customers.
They also offer a lifetime guarantee on the functionality of all their belts, as well as 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Anson belts are great if you want to upgrade your belt collection, or they also make a great gift. The nice thing is, you don’t even have to know the person’s size since, again, they’re one-size fits all. Each belt strap comes in an extra long length of 55,” and you just trim the excess off, and put the buckle over the end you cut, so the raw end isn’t noticeable.
Conclusion
If you think about it, a belt is a pretty fundamental part of your wardrobe–it’s something that most of us guys wear every single day. Which is why it’s so ironic that we’ve been wearing the same simplistic, unforgiving belt technology for so long.
I highly recommend checking out Anson Belt. If you haven’t experienced their micro-adjustable, hole-less technology, I think you’ll be really impressed.
So, what do you think? Would you try this kind of belt? Leave me a comment below.
Despite what you may have heard, you can wear a belt with suspenders — but only if it’s a work belt. With anything less casual, it’s overkill. It looks as if you either don’t know what you’re doing, or are just that worried about your pants falling down. Soft supple leather that doesn’t crack — the best (and most expensive) belts are made from calfskin. Leather can be marked slightly with a fingernail, meaning it’s still soft and fresh. Good stitching — small, tight stitches with no loose ends. Interchangeable snap buckles.