This belt came as a pleasant surprise to me. Traditional belts have holes that are about 1 inch apart, and braided belts can often stretch a little but will soon fray where the tongue of the buckle pierces the skin. This belt offers the best of both worlds. The belt buckle is made of traditional leather. pre-drilled belt Most of the belt is woven leather with a degree of stretch for added comfort when seated or leaning over. Looks great. No, not cheap, but worth the money. Planning to order two more colors in this belt. I now have brown and brown straps. in addition to my original black. They all look great and feel great. I am even happier with this later date.