Hi all.
I know. There’s a million threads out there about belts but I’ve got a choice of 3 powerlifting belts that I can get in the uk without importing and I need some advice from people a lot more knowledgeable than me, ie, you, the good folks of t-nation.com.
Ok. So first off I’m looking for a 10cm, 13mm leather belt and I like lever belts although one of the list is a quick release (it’s a really nice belt though!). They all come in at the same price. Around £160.
The belts are:
SBD lever belt with the mad lever that you can adjust without unscrewing it!
Titan Brahma lever
Walander quick release (they don’t make a lever belt or I’d choose that one but it’s a really nice belt!)
That’s the 3 choices. Any insight into these belts would be fantastic as I’m having a really hard time deciding and £160 is a lot of money to get it wrong.
Thanks in advance
Mark
I have the sbd belt and i love it. The complaints ive heard about the belt i’ve not experienced.
Its really wel build and put together. It’s got the versatility of a prong belt, but with a lever.
At this price point though, Its honestly just personal preference and taste of looks.
Which one do you like the most?
I like the look of the sbd and Wahlander more but Titan have a great reputation for quality lever. Sbd ability to move it is nice but not sure of the build quality of belt or lever. Got their elbow/knee sleeves which are great but heard the belt is 3 ply leather instead of 2 and people not sure about quality of lever.
Ahhh so difficulty decide!
Any thoughts on pioneer? They are expensive, mine was $270usd but you can customize the hell out of them. They have plenty of examples on this fb page. I love mine but I will retire it for a more custom one once I hit something big with it.
I have heard the opposite, their levers seem to be the most likely to break. The SBD lever also appears to be no too solid, plus the red inside of the belt stains clothes. That is one belt that I would personally stay away from.
Wahlander belts look good except I hear it’s hard to get it real tight, it will depend on how you wear your belt.
Unless you feel that you can make the Wahlander belt work for you I would go with Titan. However, it seems odd that you say it is the same price as the other two, over here in North America the standard Titan belts are a little over $100 while the other two are over $200. It could have to do with import costs.
Some other options are Inzer, it’s basic and simple and does the job. The levers are guaranteed for life (but you have to pay shipping costs for a replacement) and I don’t hear many stories of them breaking. There are some other brands out there like Strengthshop, Best Belts, and so on, just find a belt from a reputable company that is in your price range.
I’m not sure why this is a reply to @joerywesselingg, feel free to ignore that.
Hi Chris. From what I’ve read so far the levers on the Titan longhorn and Brahma are different to the toro. The toro one isn’t great but apparently the lever on the other 2 is really good and apparently better than inzers. Cost would probably be down to import over here in uk. To buy a Titan here cost same as inzer, sbd etc but would have to import inzer myself as no retailer keeps them here. Had looked at iron tanks too as their goliath lever meant to be great but again I’d have to import. Not really a hassle when buying but if there were any issues with the belt it would be a pain to have to ship back to U.S. or Australia. Problem is the only high end belt I’ve even seen in the flesh is a wahlander yesterday at the gym. The guy who had it was really nice and let me try it on. Felt great, really nice belt but I did have some bother trying to get it tight. So difficult to decide cause I can’t try any of them first and £160 is a lot of money.
@steeldragonmark I’ve got a Brahma 13 mm lever. I really, really like it. It took no breaking in to be useable, and the whole belt (lever and leather) came with a lifetime warranty. When the lever snapped I emailed Titan a picture and they sent me the replacement. It took a bit of time and reminding to get, but that was it. The belt was still useable with the original lever, it just wouldn’t lock properly because the part that snapped was part of the piece that you adjust on the belt.
The other thing I like is that I stripped the thread off one of the original screws and was able to get replacements from a hardware store that fit perfectly.
Also, I have an Inzer Forever 10 mm lever belt too. I got it about a year before the Titan. It’s good, but the build quality is a shade less good than the Titan, and levers from Inzer doesn’t come with a lifetime warranty as far as I’m aware.
@steeldragonmark do you actually need the prong adjustability? i.e. do you actively use different settings on a belt or just a nice to have? If not, there are definitely very good cheaper alternatives.
Hi nero44. I currently use the same setting for squat and deadlift. (I pull sumo so that might explain it). That might change though as the weights get heavier. so the adjustable lever isn’t a deal breaker. It’s just that for high quality belts it’s only Titan, sbd or wahlander I can really get here in the uk without importing.
They do, although you have to ship the broken lever to them and then pay for the new one to be sent to you. It sounds like it would be easier (and probably no more expensive) to order a new lever.
I would only consider the SBD if you use different settings. I bought mine at the start of the year after experimenting a bit around. I found that I squat better on one notch tighter as compared to my sumo deadlift.
The belt is pretty awesome and is very well built. I do not regret the purchase at all, but I am a full time employee so the price tag was not too much of an issue. I would however mention the following points to consider.
Mine has not stained any shirts, but I never wear white t-shirts
Did not have any issues breaking it in. After the second session the belt fit well and adjusted somewhat to my shape and the position I wear it
It seems extremely solid, but I am a just recreational lifter so I do not have the ability to take it anywhere near a potential breaking point. As pointed out earlier, Ray Williams managed to snap off a piece of the buckle, but hey… can any of us squat anywhere near 485kg?
Now to the only important point in my experience. I bought an M, with a ~87cm waist. Fits all well and so on and my settings are somewhat in the middle of the available range. But the edge of the belt which goes inside and underneath the opposing side of this very solid 13mm puts great pressure on the bottom right side of my rib cage (n.b. I am not sure I have described this very well…). I’ve moved the belt so the edge sits exactly in the middle on the non-bony upper abs portion. But this also means that the buckle on the front is now non-centered and the lever presses in my upper thigh during squats, sometimes leaving a black spot. I think Brett Gibbs or JP have mentioned this in one of their vidoes. But it all depends on the individual and how you wear your belt. You may want to consider buy 1-2 sizes larger to have this overlap go all around your front.
Again, I am very happy with my purchase and it works for me.
I’m pretty sure this can be an issue with all lever belts. There have been times when I was doing higher frequency training and using my belt (Inzer) for most work sets and the part where the top corner of the belt was touching got to the point where the skin broke and it was bleeding. I had to put a washcloth under that part of the belt. This has only been an issue with more frequent belt use and higher volume per session, although when I first started using a belt it was uncomfortable and gave me bruises. There are some belts out there that have a tapered end, not sure which ones but that would eliminate that issue.
Ok. Thanks everyone for your input so far. The Wahlander is out. Too hard to get tight enough. So between the Titan and the sbd. However, just had a quote from pullums for the Titan. Seems their online prices are ex vat which makes the Titan belt £200. That’s £35 more than the sbd!
I said before that Titan belts are just over $100 over here, I was looking around for some new knee wraps and happened to see some belts as well. It looks like the Brahma lever belt you were talking about is actually around $200. I looked up the price for the SBD on a Canadian site and it is $285. It’s hard to say if price really reflects value but if it does then the SBD belt is a much better deal. Just don’t wear white shirts, you’re already in the UK so getting a replacement lever should be easy if yours happens to break.
Maybe they changed the dye they use on the inside. I was considering buying one a while back and read a bunch of reviews, that was one thing that I heard repeatedly.
Thanks everyone for all your help. I have decided on the sbd belt. Just need to let my fiancé know for my birthday. Lol. The deciding factor was the price in relation to other belts although the adjustable lever will be really cool.
Thanks again.
