Tac Belt Buckles Suck-Rant

[johnnyyukon]

I is got like 6 tac belts, 1.5", and the buckles-me no likey and here's why...

loaded up with say, Hatchet, Ka Bar, Machete, Leatherman, or combo or more, it's the CINCHING the buckles after all that weight is on there that makes most buckles, watching my language, not....good.

yeah,could and usually do put on gear AFTER tightening belt, but say gotta go to little boys room, or just adjust after.

5.11 standard Acadamy Sports buckle, total garbage, but good webbing.

Uncle Mike's D-Ring, ok, but still get bit of slack right after tightening.

Cobra (my favorite) still has that effect of "pull to tighten but gives an 1/4th inch after." but at least with the cobra I can unclip tighten and clip back.


SOOOOO, I just ordered 2 1.5" Cam buckles from NRS. I couldn't find anyone online that had made a belt with a this kind of "buckle." You tighten and the design of it is ZERO slip back cuz of the teeth.

I'll either have one end of the tactical webbing sewn on or use one of those triglide thingies.

Sorry, had to rant.

 

[0men]

Have you looked into the Wilderness instructor belts? The metal buckles they offer work well and velcro takes care of the free end. Or... carry less on your belt.

 

[johnnyyukon]

Have you looked into the Wilderness instructor belts? The metal buckles they offer work well and velcro takes care of the free end. Or... carry less on your belt.

just checked 'em out and they seem very decent. The "buckle" was a d-ring looked almost identical to my Uncle Mike's: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A4QVVW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

btw, is it me or, from that picture, isn't the d ring hook supposed to be on the outside? how I wear it anyway (just noticed that).

Ha, yeah, many times I am simply wearing too much, and I have a molle "battle belt" for those times, with optional suspenders.

But when I DO get it tight enough, it's comfortable wearing a Estwing Sportsman Hatchet, Leatherman Wave, and Ka-Bar (last one a bit overkill but just got it). Some times even add a machete.

We'll see, I have high hopes for my Cam Buckle Belt (Still can't believe I can't find a DIY on that online, though the NRS lady on the phone says some dudes that work there have made cam buckle belts).

 

[Hickory n steel]

How about a good sturdy traditional belt that's made from a cow ? Traditional buckle's stay In place and with grommets in the holes they last a lot longer.

 

[A.L.]

How about a good sturdy traditional belt that's made from a cow ? Traditional buckle's stay In place and with grommets in the holes they last a lot longer.

Thought about the same thing. If something doesn't work, why not try something else entirely? Why do you need tactical belt?

 

[Hickory n steel]

Thought about the same thing. If something doesn't work, why not try something else entirely? Why do you need tactical belt?

Yeah, I don't get the need for a " tactical belt " to carry gear either. for a belt that holds gear you can get an 80's-90's USGI pistol belt which are practically indestructible and available at any army surplus store for under 10$. Plus they have bins full of Alice clips for stupid cheap that you can attach stuff to them with.
I only bring this up because you can have a separate " woodcraft tool belt " of sorts allowing you to remove everything at once as needed.
Large knife, hatchet, machete, folding saw, canteen ...ect , all taken off at once with the quick and easy release of one buckle.

 

[johnnyyukon]

How about a good sturdy traditional belt that's made from a cow ? Traditional buckle's stay In place and with grommets in the holes they last a lot longer.

Yeah, cows make 'em gud.

You're 100% right that they can work damn well, and maybe I will get out the 'ol leather again, but what I originally liked (and like) is the precision adjustment. Yeah, I've made extra grommet holes, and they work well for that.

 

[gadgetgeek]

If you are looking for info on rigging an NRS buckle (I'm assuming you mean from the watersports company) Look for info regarding setting up PFD tow-belts and throw-bags. those should give you an idea. If its just the buckle itself, they don't hold a huge amount, but if it also has the steel buckle to thread through, those hold heaps.

 

[Converge]

Galco instructor belts are great. Pretty sure uncle mikes is low end stuff. You need a velcro + buckle combo. The Galco instructors belt comes with either the D ring buckle or the Cobra buckle. There is no slack that bleeds off after you tighten. The side of the belt weaves through the buckle and you velcro it down to exactly where you need it then you can use the Cobra buckle through the day if you needed to untighten belt. This is also why these types of belts are much better then traditional belts. You can virtually adjust it to any size within the size belt you have (Like small, medium, large, or 30-36 waist, whatever). With the traditional buckle and belt holes you're stuck with either a tad too tight or a tad too loose! Hah at least that's what it always seems like. Still need a nice traditional belt for dress though.

 

[0men]

btw, is it me or, from that picture, isn't the d ring hook supposed to be on the outside? how I wear it anyway (just noticed that).

Yeah, that pic on Amazon looks wrong. The Wilderness D buckles are serious business and rated for load on helo ops. They also tend to "bite" well into the webbing which keeps it snug even without taking the velcro into account.

As for other belts as suggested, if you carry a gun I would be wary of anything not engineered to that purpose. Many people think "good, thick belts" are just fine for heavy loads / guns and mags right up until they try an actual gun belt.

 

[johnnyyukon]

If you are looking for info on rigging an NRS buckle (I'm assuming you mean from the watersports company) Look for info regarding setting up PFD tow-belts and throw-bags. those should give you an idea. If its just the buckle itself, they don't hold a huge amount, but if it also has the steel buckle to thread through, those hold heaps.

Well, a few of those belts (minus all the swift water rescue gear) do have horizontal webbing possibly molle dimensions, and that's another thing that would be sweet but I digress.

To digress some more, looking at those pics reminded me of how backcountry Big backpacks cinch on the waist/hips--using a kind of almost pulley style webbing on both sides, if that makes sense. Overkill, but neat thought.

Yeah, I have a ton of NRS cam straps, used to use just 2 long ones to cinch down an oar frame.

But the 1.5 inch buckles I ordered are most definitely heavy duty steel, each 2,500 pounds. I actually cut off an old steel buckle on a crusty strap and used some climbing webbing to make a prototype, ha. It was only an inch and def not thick enough to clip on much but cinched up like a charm.

Yeah, that pic on Amazon looks wrong. The Wilderness D buckles are serious business and rated for load on helo ops. They also tend to "bite" well into the webbing which keeps it snug even without taking the velcro into account.

As for other belts as suggested, if you carry a gun I would be wary of anything not engineered to that purpose. Many people think "good, thick belts" are just fine for heavy loads / guns and mags right up until they try an actual gun belt.

Well, I'm not an everyday carry guy, but my uncle mike belt was MORE than strong/thick enough to IWB/OWB plus 2 mag carry. Used that setup like twice a week, hours a day out at my buddy's farm/homemade shooting range.

Helo op certified may also be overkill, but maybe not, as my gear has changed up, hatchets, machetes, tomahawks (I have this dorky little knife/hatchet/tomahawk throwing hobby).

I bought like a dozen hardened steel holster clips that I modded for most of the above mentioned weaponry sheaths (btw, drilling an extra hole through hardened HC steel is a B****!) But also have a couple Tek Loks and these really cool kydex sheath clips.


and @Converge pretty much nailed it with being able to cinch juuuuuuust right. I will admit though, that I actually took off/cut off the velcro on the uncle mike belt. Worked fine with just a Glock 19, but regretting it now. I still maintain it's a great belt system, un-modded, ha.

 

[skyhorse]

I've had many high dollar gun belts and they always fail. I finally got a belt By SOE with the Cobra buckle and it rocks . I can hang a 1911 plus all my gear no problem. I recently lost some weight so I'll be sending it back for a smaller size . They do this for free with only an $8 return postage fee. Check them out.

 

[Danke42]

Buckles I like. HSGI, Bianchi, Mean Gene.

 

[johnnyyukon]

I've had many high dollar gun belts and they always fail. I finally got a belt By SOE with the Cobra buckle and it rocks . I can hang a 1911 plus all my gear no problem. I recently lost some weight so I'll be sending it back for a smaller size . They do this for free with only an $8 return postage fee. Check them out.

Buckles I like. HSGI, Bianchi, Mean Gene.

Yeah, there is something about a cobra buckle with that 18 kilonewton rating and that beautiful "click" sound. So easy to take off/On when nature calls or whatever. the cobra buckle I have actually bought by itself can be adjusted both sides (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01181DXXA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). While it is super cool and if you're using trislides, you can trade out webbing/belt material easily without stitching.

However I did end up stitching one and and while I still love it if I had to do it again I think you only need one adjustable side like a D ring cobra.

My cam buckles arrived today, may be on the porch right now! So if that doesn't end up working A. I will be sad and B. I will probably order, based on a lot of the good advice here, either a full system cobra WITH Velcro.

Because what I found was that using the specific kind of cobra buckle I have, the double locking bar is to thin to thread with Velcro.

Speaking of Velcro the reason I cut it off the uncle Mike belt was because I got fatter, ha ha. And when I called and asked how much a larger webbing piece (no buckle) they said I would just have to buy the whole thing again. So I call that crap customer service.

 

[johnnyyukon]

Oh boy! the results are in! Kinda!

So I definitely don't normally carry all this crap. I have a lot of crap, but usually about half this weight, but in the name of science and all. But the Glock 19 is fully loaded, as are the 2 mags.


pics (forgive the dorky appearance):

not really related but showing these clips off Amazon that I LOVE. Tek Loks are great and all, more secure, but I have yet to have one of these come off and they're just so much more low profile and easier to put on, anway:

Short video tightening. I'm holding the phone so it was tricky to tighten with one hand, but still got it. I'll eventually take off the trislide and have it stitched on, but there's ZERO slip. The webbing is 5.11 cheapo from Academy Sports, but works great, and not so sure anything thicker would cinch through very smooth.

 

[skyhorse]

Delete

 

[skyhorse]

Yeah, there is something about a cobra buckle with that 18 kilonewton rating and that beautiful "click" sound. So easy to take off/On when nature calls or whatever. the cobra buckle I have actually bought by itself can be adjusted both sides (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01181DXXA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). While it is super cool and if you're using trislides, you can trade out webbing/belt material easily without stitching.

However I did end up stitching one and and while I still love it if I had to do it again I think you only need one adjustable side like a D ring cobra.

My cam buckles arrived today, may be on the porch right now! So if that doesn't end up working A. I will be sad and B. I will probably order, based on a lot of the good advice here, either a full system cobra WITH Velcro.

Because what I found was that using the specific kind of cobra buckle I have, the double locking bar is to thin to thread with Velcro.

Speaking of Velcro the reason I cut it off the uncle Mike belt was because I got fatter, ha ha. And when I called and asked how much a larger webbing piece (no buckle) they said I would just have to buy the whole thing again. So I call that crap customer service.

The great thing about the SOE belt is that it has ridged inner core that never sags, flip, twist or lose it shape by stretching . You can hang some serious weight on it with no problems. Easy on and off also. Lol, one time I was washing my hands in the PD restroom and from inside a stall all hell breaks loose. A detective while useing the can had an carry system malfunction and his pistol went ker plunk and into the dark abyss of the toilet.

 

[johnnyyukon]

The great thing about the SOE belt is that it has ridged inner core that never sags, flip, twist or lose it shape by stretching . You can hang some serious weight on it with no problems. Easy on and off also. Lol, one time I was washing my hands in the PD restroom and from inside a stall all hell breaks loose. A detective while useing the can had an carry system malfunction and his pistol went ker plunk and into the dark abyss of the toilet.

LMFAO.

Man, I've dropped a phone or 2 in the toilet, and that was bad enough, but a gun?? hahaha, first time I've heard that, but prob happens more than I think. I take it homeboy wasn't using an SOE?

Neat vid, watched whole thing. My uncle mike is not that stiff, BUT I did those tests, heh, and it wasn't far off.

But point being, while you recomendation seems solid, it's more a money thing, ESPECIALLY since I just invested in that other cobra, a couple XL 5.11s (so I could cut/singe) and custom stitching, and the 2 cam buckles blah blah.

I have been wearing the cam buckle belt since I attached it, and it has worked almost exactly as I expected (very well), which is a damn rarity, I might add for anything really, heh.

But maybe in the future. I also don't really conceal carry much these days. In a knife phase (I actually may need to join impulsive knife buyers anonymous).

Who knows, you drive a legit sales pitch for that belt, so maybe down the line....

I'm guessing they make them with a D-Ring. I think they make 1.5 inches but even then, I think with any cobra, you have to take off the male part to thread. which isn't really a big deal.

The rest of the internet and even Amazon reviews seem to agree with you, even one LEO had an Elite Survival Systems rig very similar to what you showed me, but he said although he wore it every day on/off duty and loved it, said he'd be getting an SOE next.

 

[skyhorse]

johnny I know I've spent upwards of a grand on tac belts in my lifetime and they all failed in time. This is the last one I'll ever need. After a recent dust up with cancer I lost over 40 pounds and for a $8 return shipping fee they will sew on a brand new belt in a smaller size. Quality is cheaper in the long run, you only fork over the money once.

 

[johnnyyukon]

johnny I know I've spent upwards of a grand on tac belts in my lifetime and they all failed in time. This is the last one I'll ever need. After a recent dust up with cancer I lost over 40 pounds and for a $8 return shipping fee they will sew on a brand new belt in a smaller size. Quality is cheaper in the long run, you only fork over the money once.

I hear you bro, why my camelback's are mil-spec, head lamps are Petzl, balisong is benchmade, as is my auto. hammer, Estwing, Dremel, etc etc. All those companies (and more) have crazy good products and more importantly, well almost, customer service. just Today I got my FREE Quick Link Exit Port and Quick Link HydroLock Bite Valve Adapter, 40 bucks on amazon. And this was the second time (use it every day, and one part broke, another cracked).

TWO free Dremel Micro Minis (awesome btw) cuz I called and said I wanted to return their big mama cordless, cuz ovver kill for fine detail carving, and they were like, "oh just keep it, and we'll send you a 90 dollar micro mini." uh ok. it had a slight rattle on the lock out and they sent a second one.

and on and on, companies that have unparalleled quality control and if something fails, usually replace for free (man I've got so much free s*** but not exploiting).

SOE sound like one of these companies.

To quote the great warrior poet Ice Cube, I TRY to buy products in the vein of "'I'm the type of n**** that's built to last!"

I'm going to Sherlock Holmes you and guess you're LEO, and carry every day long days. Off or on duty. With a hunk of gear (could be wrong!)

Although, you've convinced me of the SOE (along with research confirming your claims), maybe one day but probably not today