UPDATE: This company emailed me a new strap for free and told me to keep the one I ordered. With them do it right with me. I updated the stars and rating. Not what I expected for 36.00. My son needed a new belt because he is allergic to nickel and was tired of wearing 2 shirts all the time. Here I find them and order them. He got it yesterday and wore it to school today and hasn't had a rash but he tells me he has scratches all over the buckle and thinks it has protective plastic that may need to be removed. So it has some scratches even after careful inspection, but it's not protective plastic. It's just something that coats the metal and I'm guessing that's the only reason it's nickel free. I could save a lot of money and paint the buckle on his old belt myself. He'll keep wearing it, but I honestly don't think the clear coat will last too long.