I tried several belts from the big box store, and they ALL ended up being junk after just a few months, usually because the belt buckle would fail. Others would fray or come unstitched causing delamination of the belt.
I then tried a Lifetime belt from a well-known company who advertise QUALITY. Paid a good amount for it, even on sale, and thought finally a lifetime belt, and it even said lifetime belt on the back. Full Grain Leather seemed nice. However, after a few uses, the stitching started coming out. Looking on the internet I found that they changed from American made to China made, and I guess they changed the thread because almost everyone was having the same problem, and the Lifetime belt was actually a one-year warranty.
Then I found the Chisos belt. I ordered two, and brown and a black one. On the back of the belt there are no marking to indicate where it is made, or the leather type, but from what I can tell it is top grain buffed and stained leather on the front, and full grain leather on the back. The stitching appears to be top notch.
The belt is a two-piece belt that has a heavy duty buckle, two brass screw post attaching the buckle to the strap. This would make it more difficult to change buckles, but if you have ever had a snap quit working you can appreciate the attention to detail.
There is a 5 ½” spread between the first hole and the last hole with 8 holes total measuring ¾” apart. This allows you to have a better fit than most belts that have a 1” between holes.
Now this belt is longer than the typical belt of the same size, so when I ordered mine, I could have gone down two inches and been fine. However, if you order one and it is too big, you can undo the buckle and cut the belt and adjust the size. Not that you would want to with a new belt, but say you lose a lot of weight, instead of having a belt that is too big, and useless, you can change, the size down (you just can’t ever make it bigger). No more putting a nice belt up because it is too big.
Overall, the quality is outstanding belt, and I may have found my lifetime belt.