What to look for in a belt

On my belt below, you can see creasing or even discoloration of the belt where the buckle laid up against the leather. It looks like a blackish line. Would using say Bick4 conditioner on it help? One time, years ago, I tried to polish a belt and despite aggressive buffing, the wax would come off on a shirt or even the pants I was wearing.

So, is it the quality of the belt and/or leather that causes this cracking/discloration? Would I be better off to order a belt from Equus? I do have one leather belt I got at a country and western store, and it is pure leather and does not crack, but it does discolor some. I have a couple of Jos. A Bank belts and the one is cracking.

If you suggest a new belt, then how can I distinguish something that wont crack or disolor? I have a Hilfiger belt that wears like a workhorse, gotten at all places TJ Maxx.

Also:

1) how to get on equus list to get notice of sales?
2) what about stateside belt makers, like Narragansett’s belts, or http://leathergoodsconnection.com/ or thriteen50? Bridle leather seems preferrable but then, like on the thirteen50 website, it has veg tan leather. I like Orion leather too
3) Why would you get a two prong roller?
4) What width is good for jeans and khakis?
5) Bick 4 good to use?

Sorry to dither but I am tired of going to macys or TJ maxx or even the Columbia store, and buying a belt and in 6 months, it looks like crap. I have the banana republic belt and the western store belts that are solid leather and other than the small discoloration where the belt buckle was fastened over a hole, they hold up well and the scratches look great, like a briefcase.

The belt below is the Banana Republic belt in 1.5" and is a tannish color. Id want to get a dark brown and a chesnut color made to round out my browns. I guess some sort of silver buckle since my watch bands and wedding ring are silver

I imagine most of the mall brands like Hilfinger, etc, will be pretty ordinary.

There a plenty of hand crafted robust belts available through Etsy.

I am not greatly interested in belts but I wear one every day. I have three and they are full of creasing and discoloring and character like all leather should be after 25 years or more.

I bought my one piece steerhide belts from leather crafts markets. My most expensive one was $20 and I got it in the 1980's. I am fortunate that my weight hasn't changed since I was 18, more than three decades ago. I never match my belt hardware with anything. And in fact do not like things to match in general as I find the look prissy. But this is personal taste.

I have a special, pristine belt for wearing with a suit or when I have a 'dress up' event, which is rare.

A waist.

Not sure belt-shopping is hard, fella. Does it look cool? Get it. People don't really care about the hide quality, when it comes to belts. Jackets and shoes are a different story.

Check out Outerwear there's a thread on belts that shows how much some care about belt leather and design.

Several years ago I went into a belt frenzy for some reason, and after looking around for some time came across Leathergoodsconnection.com (if you check out the threads Seb mentioned you'll see my comments). They're very no-nonsense, but the leather is all top-notch and you can pretty much design any belt you want at a reasonable cost. I went overboard and wound up with about eight or nine belts, but I still wear them and they just get better-looking with age. Highly recommended.

Friend of mine obsesses over belt detail.
He’d happily email chat about leather, thread, hardware nuances.
Apologies if a plug is out of order.

https://currierandbeamhouse.com/

I've pretty much settled on the Beltman for belts these days, after 30 years or so of making my own belts. The double-layer horsehide belt in whatever width you need is tough to beat. The only real improvement I see as possible is to eliminate the stitching and just have the two layers bonded together with glue--if a glue that could be found that will last as long as the leather. https://www.thebeltman.net/

The belt in your picture is a single layer of leather. Stretching has caused it to deform around the points where the buckle rests when worn. The discoloration is due to the metal of the buckle rubbing on the leather.

I generally wear a 1 1/4" belt with khakis, 1 1/2" with jeans. Most of my jeans will accept a 1 3/4" belt, but that is too heavy unless I'm loading it down with tools--and in that case, may as well wear a toolbelt over the pants belt.

One must look for quality and durability while buying a belt. Also, check for the lock if it is firm as it will help you to keep your jeans and trousers in proper position.

I ended up getting two belts at www.thirteen50leather.com, one a tan oiled latigo belt and the other their natural undyed leather belt so that a patina could develop. I had a Saddleback front pocket card holder and it went from a chestnut color to dark brown and looks great and so this natural color will do that. Great harness or bridlle leather, thick with solid buckles. Sale on today for $39.04 for one belt. Also added a leather mousepad and will check out their leather bag if they do anyomore.