I'm giving this a 5 but probably should be a 4. There is nothing serious or that cannot be fixed. The extra star is due to the belt being fitted with a hole punch to correct length issues. There are stains on the inside. I assume it comes from a tannery but it probably should have been cleaned before packing. The outer skin looks good and has no defects. The length was very long but I will use the tool to fix it. I love this product and will probably buy another one. The great thing about this belt is that it comes as a set so I can customize it exactly how I want.