I had several different "ratchet" belts. I like them better than regular belts, with one big exception. They always break. This is usually the mechanism that locks the belt in place. I've had an expensive "shark tank" brand and several brands in between. My last one broke so I decided to try this 2 for the price of 1. First the good: the mechanism of this belt is actually different from others I've had. To unlock the strap, you actually lift the entire buckle, which brings the small locking part back. It seems like a good design. I prefer it for unbuckling the belt and time will tell if it's less likely to break. Normal. The belt comes in a nice box. This is a typical process where you cut the belt and then attach the buckle to the belt. It has a slightly smaller overlapping section where you insert the strap into the buckle to secure it. I don't think it will make a big difference, but maybe? The kit included a small screwdriver, which is very nice. It is used to raise the flap where the buckle attaches to the belt. Poorly. The belt feels very, very plastic. I know they tend to use cheap leather for these ratchet straps but this is by far the lowest quality. Actually I was looking for a leather stamp and couldn't find it anywhere on the belt. It also smelled awful when I first opened it. I had to air the day. I thought about replacing the buckle with a different belt. But I think it might be a problem. I haven't checked yet but it seems the belt is smaller than others I've had. Another thing I don't like is the belt style, which mimics an open front with a little fake notch. I love this look. But the back of the buckle is open. Inserting the strap may cause it to go through the hole and not insert properly. From a design perspective, this would be an easy fix, but make the back smaller than the waistband. So if you are concerned about the quality of the leather I would say no. It would be nice to have something more premium BUT at this price it's about what I expected. I've been wearing the belt for a few days now, no problems. If for some reason it doesn't work out in the next few months, I'll update the review.