Marino Avenue Ratchet Belt for Men. Adjustable Leather Dress Belt with 38 Easy to Click Into Place Ratchet Closures.

The company has a range of styles and colors of belt/buckle combinations to choose from (They actually sell a bunch of men’s and women’s accessories and gifts, but I’m only reviewing the belt I bought). For the money, it seemed like a reasonable purchase, but I was unsure about the ratchet mechanism for the belt. This item arrived quickly after I ordered it and I had no issues at all with the shipping or delivery. The packaging of this item promised high quality. The company could easily have just wrapped the belt up in a rubber band or a cheap twisty tie, thrown the buckle in a plastic bag then dumped the whole thing in a nondescript box filled with packing peanuts and sent it on its way. Instead, the packaging was, well, kind of elegant. The cardboard box was decorated inside and out with a tasteful nautical theme. The belt, buckle, and even the bonus key chain were all secured in hard, smooth styrofoam organizer fittings inside the box that kept them secure in transit but also gave a presentation that was simple but also made me feel like I had been given a to-go box from the haberdashery in the Kingsman movie. I’m kind of old-fashioned and I like a company that goes the extra mile for things like this. To me, it speaks to the company’s commitment to excellence, not just for the product, but for every aspect of the consumer experience. So, from ordering to opening, high marks all around. Delving inside the box I was impressed with the quality of the items. The buckle was made from sturdy metal and the pattern on the face of it demonstrated quality craftsmanship. The belt itself was real leather too with subdued but hearty stitching around the edges and also anchoring the belt’s half of the LiNXX™ ratcheting mechanism. Both looked just as good as the pictures online. The buckle and belt need to be assembled before being worn, so it could be adjusted to the waist size of the wearer. The company tries to make this process as painless as possible by putting size reference markers on the inside of the belt, clearly showing where someone should cut (The belt I bought had markers from 30 inches up to 44 inches). I had to get a heavy duty set of cutting shears for this job because, as I said, this material is tough. That being said, I appreciated that the belt did not flake or crumble during the cutting process, which would indicate a poor material. Some other belts I’ve purchased in the past that also said they were made with “genuine leather” were poorly made leather/plastic hybrids that just cracked and peel from normal use after as little as a few weeks. This material stood up to being cut directly into it and either side of the cut looked just as out of the box perfect as before I cut it. All that being said, it made the next step a little tricky. Once the belt had been cut to the appropriate length, it had to be inserted into the buckle and attached via a spiked pedal that had to be pressed firmly to push the spikes into the leather of the belt. The pedal has to become flush with the rear side of the buckle in order for the spikes to completely penetrate the leather, for the belt to be worn comfortably, and so the belt will be completely secured to the buckle. Like most men, I fall squarely between the extremes of “manly man” and “wimp”, and pushing the pedal’s spikes through the leather belt is hard to do, especially without scratching up the front part of the buckle. I found it helpful to wear some workman’s gloves to add some extra purchasing leverage for my hands. Once I got the spikes fully seated, I was convinced the belt wouldn’t fall apart while holding up my pants. The LiNXX™ mechanism for the buckle that ratchets the desired tightness of the belt onto the wearer seems to work as promised. Inside the belt, there is a plastic strip sewn into the leather that’s approximately 6 inches long and 1/3 of an inch wide. The strip has a series of wedges on it that friction lock against a clip on the buckle which creates the ratcheting mechanism that enables the belt to not need holes in it. Upon first trying it, I was a little apprehensive. I have a concealed weapon permit and sometimes I carry a firearm with me. I was concerned that LiNXX™ wouldn’t be robust enough to support the weight of a firearm, but it locks in very securely and I have no issues carrying the extra weight on my hip. My only concern so far is that the buckler can be a little sensitive to unlocking. So far, I have had two occasions where I was adjusting the waistband of my pants and the mechanism unlocked, loosening my waistband for a moment. It locked into place on the next notch and my pants were never at risk of falling down, it was just surprising. This has only happened when I was adjusting my waistband near the buckle, and never when just casually moving around or bumping into things. So, it seems that as long as I only put my hand on the buckle when I intend to loosen my pants, there isn’t an issue. This isn’t necessarily a knock against the belt, it just makes me concerned about long term wear on this mechanism. I’ve got an old school belt, the kind with holes notched into it, that I’ve had for almost 20 years now and it still works great. The only reason why I needed to replace it was that the buckle has become (out)dated, or so it has been explained to me. I just wonder if the mechanism on the Mio Marino belt will endure as well as my former belt. After I’ve worn the belt for a while, I’ll provide an updated review in regard to its endurance. The belt also came with a leather key chain set that appears to be made with the same high-quality materials and workmanship as the belt and buckle. It’s essentially a 2-inch leather strap with 3 small snap clip hooks on one end for keys and a larger snap clip hook on the other to attach to a belt loop. While I didn’t need this item, it was a nice bonus and I can include reviews of this item later if anything noteworthy is observed. I can’t speak directly to the company’s customer service yet. They reached out to me by email to see if I had any questions, problems, suggestions, or concerns with my purchase and encouraged me to write a review for the product. It seemed like a form letter but it’s still encouraging to see a business actively seeking feedback. Overall, the product seems to be a well-built item sold for a fair price by a company that takes itself and its prospective customers seriously. Before, I was skeptical but curious. But since I had such a positive buying experience, now I think I’ll be going back for another belt in a different color.

I work in HVAC and wear this belt everyday. I originally purchased it in mid 2022. Now at the end of 2025 I am replacing it. It is still functional but finally starting to split and fray. I have hung tool pouches and power tools from it without issue. It has been a great and durable product and I will gladly buy it again.

The best belt I've ever owned. From the moment I put this belt on, I knew I made the right choice. Never spend a dime on any regular style belt again, the system used in this belts design is a game changer! The ease of putting it on, tightening the belt, and then taking it off is amazing. I often struggle putting on my belt because finding the tiny holes can be difficult for me with my shaky hands, but with this belt, that's not an issue because it's like putting on a zip tie. Taking it off is even easier as you simply have to lift the handle slightly and it simply slides out and off. Without doubt, I'll be buying myself another few in different colors, but will be purchasing one or two for my father, and if they make women's belts, I'll buy my mom one as well. The ease of use is just that good, and the style was perfect. Better yet, unlike most belts, when you've found yourself in the situation where you've lost weight, you would normally have to either buy a new belt because there would be too much wrapping around you or you'd have to pierce the belt over and over to allow for the new sizes, this belt features a second amazing feature. The buckle itself can be taken off the leather portion with ease and from that point, you can trim the leather shorter to your new size, then simply place the leather back into the buckle and tighten down a plate that has several pins that stab into and grip the leather belt securely. It may sound strange, but once you see it, you'll understand it easily. The plate requires no tools open, a simple coin can do it, and once you rotate it open, the belt simply slides off the buckle, its the teeth that grip the leather that are rotated up and out of the way so you can trim the leather, and once you have, you rotate them back down to bite into the leather and your done. It's quick and easy!

The test of a belt is how well it wears, and how good it looks and functions with wear. So I will revisit this review when I've had more experience with the belt. Pros: Reasonably priced ratchet belt made of genuine leather with choices of attractive buckles. Nice finish and appearance. Comfortable and easy to adjust. Manufacturer sent me a follow up email to see whether I was happy with the product: that's a good sign. Con: Took about a week for delivery, but I was in no rush. I bought two of these belts. One for a present and one for myself. On receipt, the belt was nicely packaged and well-presented. The description claimed genuine leather, the lowest of the three grades of "real" leather with full grain and top grain being the higher grades. Pieces and parts leather may say real leather but are not the same quality. Nonetheless, the leather looked quite good and had a nice feel. The sewing also appeared to be very good, and the ratchets of good quality. I also like the weight and feel of the product. I decided not to cut the 44' belt to my waist size because reviews I've read for similar products indicate that the weak point of genuine leather in a ratchet belt is the end where the buckle clamps to it. Anticipating that I might have to cut off pieces of the belt if it gave way to the teeth in the buckle, I decided to wait until I had more experience with the belt before shortening it. I really like the ease with which the belt slides into the buckle and the ratchet catches. Releasing the ratchet is also easy and makes minor adjustments simple. Amazon was short of stock and so my choice for buckles was restricted, but I'm pleased with the design of the buckles I bought.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the ratchet belt! If you just need a good belt, stop reading the review and buy this one. If you want to learn more about ratchet belts and the LINXX buckle, read on! Well, the first thing to know about ratchet belts is that many companies sell them. You should be calling your belt a ratchet belt, not a LINXX belt. There are a LOT of belts to choose from, so you probably now have two big questions: "Who makes the genuine original ratchet belt?" "Who makes the best quality ratchet belt?" Well, I've done some research, and the answer to both questions is.... it doesn't matter! Many companies claim to be the originator of this belt design, including Comfort Click (and as seen on TV product) and Mission belt. The oldest ratchet belt company I could find is called Nexbelt, and they claim to have "found the design in asia". In essence, nobody owns the ratchet belt design, and everyone has equal claim to making a "genuine, high quality" ratchet belt. This wild west of authenticity has many benefits. A ratchet belt buckle from Mio Marino will be compatible with a belt loop from any other company. I had to replace my belt loop due to an unfortunate incident, but instead of purchasing a new $20 belt, I simply purchased a new $10 belt loop from Chaoren. The only thing to look out for is that there are two standardized loop widths: 1 1/8 inch and 1 3/8 inch. My belt works only with 1 and 1/8 inch replacement loops. So, now that you know you can buy a ratchet belt from just about anywhere, why buy one from Mio Marino? Well, first of all, there are two different kinds of buckle mechanisms. Traditionally, ratchet belt buckles have a small lever that you rotate to release the belt loop. LINXX belt buckles are special in that the entire face of the buckle lifts up to release the loop. This removes the need for an unsightly extra lever and makes the whole thing easier to use. Mio Marino did not invent the LINXX buckle design, but they unfortunately did patent the name. There is no standardized naming system for ratchet belt buckle shapes. LINXX buckles are completely compatible with "traditional" ratchet belt loops, so just find the design you like the most. A side note on the keychain: Mio Marino belts used to come with a leather keychain. Some models of the belt still do come with it; this model does not any more. In my experience, the marketing photographs provided by the company best depict what comes in the box; you should refer to that. A side note on environmental impact: Are you in need of a stylish way to store your belt when not wearing it? Consider flipping the lid of the gift box upside down and coiling the belt inside! Sadly, there were large foam blocks glued to the bottom half of the "gift box", making it difficult to reuse or recycle. This may have been improved in the years since I bought my belt, though.

Ordered this belt because most of my belts have the wallowed out hole from being worn slightly too tight because I am in between belt loop sizes and have a gut. This belt is genuine leather (not the fake leather most belts are made of. The ratcheting system works great and has way more adjustability, especially for those of us who are between belt loop sizes or whose weight fluctuates. If its too loose give it one click more and its snug, not too tight. A little tight after lunch, let it out one click. I chose this also based on the ratchet type system which is nice and robust and doesn't move. I have also tried the "golf" belts that use fabric and teeth, but always found those slipped and then my pants would start to fall down. Have already recommended to several other people.

I have now used my belt daily for almost 5 months, and am updating my review (see original review below). I've really tested the durability, even took a nasty spill into a creek traipsing in the Boston Mountains (NW Arkansas). There are no visible signs of wear in the leather, the stitching, the insert, or the ratchet hooks - none anywhere that I can see. I do notice a very slight "give" where the buckle bites into the belt, but the teeth are still holding. And the ratchet always works flawlessly. Every "traditional" belt I've owned was worn out by now, so I'm absolutely thrilled with the way this one has held up. I wish I could add a couple more stars for durability, but my review was already maxed out at 5. The key clip did fall apart after using for just a couple days. But I didn't buy the belt for the key clip!! So after almost half a year of daily use, I still love my Marino ratchet belt. In fact, I just ordered a brown one.. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** I'm an older guy with a pretty decent sized "gut" (my waist size is 44"). For the last few years, I've had problems with the traditional belts. They would tear and stretch at the holes, so I couldn't get them tight enough to do the job. In my attempts to keep my slacks up, I had to choose whether to constantly hold my britches at the waist or wear suspenders, and I didn't like either option. So I decided to give one of the ratchet belts a try. I did a little research on the "Comfort Click" belt (the one advertised on TV), but reviews seemed to indicate an overall poor quality. I also looked at the Mission belt, but it was out of my price range. Then I noticed the Marino. It got generally better customer reviews than the Mission belt, but is less expensive. I purchased the larger size, since I'm toward the upper range of the regular size. I just got my belt yesterday, but so far, have a definite 5 star opinion. It looks very stylish, and was easy to put together. I decided to cut mine a few inches longer than necessary. A few of the reviews said that there can be a problem of the belt tearing out at the cut end. If this does happen, I've got enough belt to cut and re-attach a few times. And in the meantime, I don't mind having a little extra "leader". With the ratchet, I can tighten the belt sufficiently so there is no risk of my pants sliding down. I also like the included key clip. It doesn't look to be the same quality as the belt itself, but is hardly even noticed. I don't let the keys dangle loose though. I put them on the key clip, but tuck them into my pocket. That way, they are out of sight, but I don't need to fish them out of the bottom of my pocket, especially convenient if I'm wearing tight jeans. I know that there can be a "honeymoon period" with any product, and I'm still in it with this belt. If I start to see any issues with this product, I will revise this review accordingly.

I bought this as a Christmas present for my husband and my dad. My dad has used ratchet belts before but needed a new one. He love this one. My husband had never used one, but I was tired of hearing him complain about how his standard belts don't fit right. He is pleased with this one. For sizing, since a belt is usually sized a bit larger than your pants size, I purchased the belt size that included several sizes above their pants size so they had more room to customize it however they wanted to. So for a size 40 pant, I bought the 38"-54" belt. Perfect choose. This is a nice smooth leather. The belt buckle seems sturdy and attaches securely.