Anybody ever buy from this belt maker on ebay before?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=400025627341

It's difficult to tell from the size of the photos what the quality of the belts are, but just giving it a cursory glance it seems comparable to many of the belt makers I've seen on both SF and SuFu; and at half the price.

I'm just looking to get a simple black belt with nickel buckle for work and think this may do the job but I thought I'd try and get some feedback from anybody who may have purchased from this seller in the past.

Also, if any of the aforementioned belt makers here on SF have any comments or insights to offer as to why one should or shouldn't buy a belt from this seller, I'd also appreciate them.

Thanks!

do it and report back, someones gotta be first

seems nice enough

His specialty is apparently holsters and gun straps so it seems like his stuff would be durable at least. The leather and construction seem solid. If he still offers the saddle tanned belts in a few months I'll pick one up.
Thanks for the thread btw OP.

Alright, as head guinea pig, I'll pull the trigger on the belt and report back. Worst that will happen is that I'll have a mediocre belt and be out $25.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

What's the verdict?

Saw this thread late last night and remembered I never followed through on this so I bought the black belt. Will update with photos when it arrives, probably Tuesday.

OK guys, the verdict is in:

I'm returning it.

Thankfully they seem very nice and they have a no hassle return policy, which is great.

There were a few things I felt were wrong with the belt and politely stated so in the form of some helpful suggestions to better improve their belts.

1. Get the size right. I'm a 35/36 waist and used the 2 inch rule per their instructions and ordered a 38. I got a 40.

2. 9 ounces vs. 11 ounces (standard Tanner weight). Two ounces apparently makes all the difference in the world. I guess if you're looking for a belt just to wear with lighter weight chino/wool/cotton type pants then a 9 oz belt would be fine, but I'm looking for something to wear with heavier 19 oz denim as well. And if you can get it a little bit thicker I say, why not.

3. Hole spacing. 1 and a quarter inch hole spacing was just too far apart for me. I like the idea of 3/4 of an inch to an inch hole spacing to allow for more fine tuned adjustments. Having 5 inches worth of belt holes seems a little absurd (yet very American given the weight issues of the populace).

4. Loose keeper. While I liked the ease of the snaps vs. Chicago screws for quick buckle changes, I found that when I undid the snaps, the keeper just fell right out. It wasn't fixed to the back face of the belf and could be rotated completely in a circle to expose the staple holding it together.

Overall, they really are close to having a good, solid product on their hands and hope they will take my suggestions to heart, but I would impose a mild caveat emptor on this until some changes are made.

Stapled keepers are lame, and they really need to be custom made for each belt so it fits right. Also, based on those photos, the belt needs to be ~3/16" wider to fit that buckle. Snaps can be problematic sometimes, unless they are quality snaps.