I'm glad ratchet straps are all the rage now because they're great. I took a 44-50 as I wear a 38 waist, I wanted to make sure I had room for comfort and knew you could cut the belt to size. I ended up cutting 4 inches off the belt so it's now a 40-46 at this length it fits my 38 inch waist very comfortably and I will cut more if I need to later but I have a few inches, to "grow up". ' depending on the holiday. The belt mechanism is very smooth and easy to use. Look wise, the brown is a bit lighter than I expected and has a pretty slick, shiny look; I hope he goes away. In general I am satisfied with the belt and I wear it every day.