I wouldn’t recommend a lever belt as a first belt, too much of a pain in the ass to change tightness and since it’s your first belt, having the ease of trying out different tightness is a plus. 13 mm is probably overkill too so I’d say go with 10. Also, if you’re a smaller guy, get a belt you can grow into. In reality, a good 10 mm buckle belt will be sturdy enough for 99% of powerlifters.
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On the question of 10mm and 13mm belts, the question is really how long do you want it to last.
With good quality leather you aren’t going to get any discernible stretch at all once its broken in, so the intra abdominal pressure you’ll get will be identical between the two.
This the difference comes down to durability, if you want a belt that will last until the heat death of the sun then go for a 13mm belt. If you’re satisfied with a belt that will only last until the next ice age then get 10mm.
Anecdotally 10mm are more comfortable for some people.
I have a 13mm because bigger is better. obviously.
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In terms of finding a balance with quality and price you can’t go wrong with strength shop.
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unpopular opinion, but I agree. Ive had my strengthshop lever belt for 2 years now and it does exactly what it needs to.
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Not saying that’s bad advice, but the only PL belt I ever owned is a lever belt (Inzer 13mm) and I never had a problem. I just played around with it at home to figure out how tight I wanted it. To me it seems like the convenience of the lever outweighs the possible inconvenience of having to unscrew and adjust the lever.
Yeah it’s definitely splitting hairs, I just know in my experience there are times it would be nice to have both a buckle and lever belt, so based on that there could be an argument for getting a larger (or smaller, depending on the direction the lifter’s bodyweight needs to go) buckle belt first with the option to down the road add a lever belt in too. But yeah I think if someone is dead set on one belt for the rest of the PL career, lever is probably the better way to go.
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I did lot want to start thread for this. Has anyone ever replaced the lever on their lever belt? I found this:
I have a 13mm belt I got from elitefts several years ago and one of the barns on the latch broke. Just seeing if anyone has purchased replacements and if they’re quality. And if any recommends a different brand or company.
I usually just order the replacement from the company of my belt. So if it’s an elitefts belt I’d go to them, pioneer to pioneer, etc.
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Yes I’m having a hard time finding an exact replacement. When I get home this afternoon I’ll have to measure mine and see if I can find a match. The reviews on the replacements are a little shocking. Seems a lot of the lm are cheap and shattering on ppl within a year of use. Some times within a month. Mines lasted me 7 years and just a small pin broke off from being dropped.
I have replaced my lever 3 times. Nothing is as nice as the Inzer, but I got one from FLEX fitnes that isn’t bad. All metal. Hinge screw is a little loose, but just means I have to make sure it is in place before I put it on.
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I believe strength shop has a lever that comes with a lifetime warranty. Might be less than ideal since you have an elitefts one
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Well I contacted customer service. They no longer carry this belt but their other lever belts have a life time warranty. They say they’ll replace the levers as well. This one has lasted me several years with 3-4x a week use so I’d really like a lnother lever of that quality again. Thank you for your input. I am looking at the flex brand as well depending what Customer service tells me.
Yes I looked at them and they seem to have a nice well reviewed lever there at a nice price. I’m contacting elitefts as their lever belt they still carry has a lifetime warranty. I’m gonna see if this one did. I honestly don’t remember. If not I’d like to at least purchase a lever from them as I jnownitll fit and the quality of this was has been great.
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Pioneer sells levers.
You can mix and match lever brands and belt brands. I own lots of EliteFTS products. Definitely pricey, but in my experience the customer service is outstanding.
Yeah they have great customer service. I haven’t had to deal with them because typically every thing is done perfectly. But I did once because I naught something that wasn’t in stock and they fixed it quickly.
For the longest time I used a 40$ amazon belt, it was 4 inches wide and 10mm thick. I just upgraded to a 13mm inzer forever lever. For some people 13mm might be too thick for the deadlift so that is why im still keeping the 10mm. I would buy a nicer belt that is going to last if i was in your position. Also about your deadlift, dont rely on your belt to fix your form. If you have a back rounding problem, adress that first. When you buy your belt learn to use it. Dont just throw it on and try a new PR. Learn to breath into your stomach to brace yourself.
I have definitely been let down by Elitefts customer service. Had go threaten to cancel an order one time to get the right size product, and was flat out ignored when one of the bolts on my prowler feet snapped after like it’s 4th use with no weight loaded. Had to stop buying from them after that.
Thats a shame. I almost exclusively deal with Rhonda or Matt if I have issues and they always take care of me.
That’s the bad thing about customer service, some people will have entirely different experiences, in my opinion the goal would be for everyone to have the same experience.
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And I’ll add that sure I’ve had shipping issues, or receiving the wrong item, but those two always get me squared away, then again I am biased and they know me so it definitely helps.
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I have the Elitefts P2 Powerlifitng Belt, got it for $115. 13mm thick, 4 inches wide, and I have about 15 holes in the belt to grow into. Needless to say, I won’t be purchasing a belt for a while, and I highly recommend the product to anybody upgrading from a 10mm belt. The difference in thickness packs a larger punch than you may realize.
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