I bought my dad one of the chocolate drover belts. I bought it from Allignton (when they were allowed to sell RM stuff).
Anyway, my dad wore it for a few weeks (max 2 months) and stopped because the leather started to crack around the belt holes and it changed shape/folded around his hip bone (ASIS). I was wondering if these things are normal or did I happen to purchase a fake?
Also, how should he take care of his belt? Should he buy a leather conditioner, polish and cleaner?
I'd take it into the store and see what they say.
Their plaited belts are much higher quality than the standard belts I've found. I use the RM leather conditioning on mine yearly to keep it supple.
That’s a shame, I was just waiting for next rm sale to get a burnished drover belt. Maybe I’ll just stick with my hard yakka ones.
$139 for a belt? That is not the way of the OzBargainer.
Ask for a refund, then get almost the same thing from DD Leather for 1/3 of the price.
What the heck is DD leather? Their website seems like one of those Chinese websites that sell fake soccer jerseys. Their Facebook is straight up not been updated since 2018, except in 2020 when they literally slammed their hands on the keyboard and wrote "akdbfhjabahdafdjsb afdjhkbsdf dfasdf sdF".
Are they legit? and are they good quality?
Its some old man, definitely legit and definitely high quality.
How’s the canvas stuff?
@Cheaplikethebird: I bought a few storage bags for tent pegs and tools and they are very heavy duty.
Thanks for this. Will check them out.
I think mines ok still but i lost the stupid loose part the belt tucks into: not sure what it’s called and I assume I can get a replacement off eBay…
They’re overpriced. Moulding to his hip sounds normal if he wears it tight enough, not sure about the cracks. Got any pics of them?
A belt really shouldn’t need that much care, it’s a belt. Occasional conditioning, maybe.
Got one for my husband from Allingtons no problems. He wears it regularly and no conditioning etc.
however I did notice a lot of leather shoes went bad during the peak of the rains/humidity.
Family been using them for years. Never an issue. We're even lazy and dont condition them. That being said, they are always hung and you have to ensure the right size and fit. The fact that it's folding on the hip tells me something isnt right fit wise.
How can a belt not fit right? If the thing goes in the hole that means it fits right?! If they didn't want you to use the extreme holes then they wouldn't be there.
If the person is wearing it over the hip, not waist. If they purchased a belt too small, if the belt isnt thick enough.
Theres a range of issues. Otherwise buy a cheap one from Kmart.
Been using mine for 3+ years and no issue like that at all. Maybe a bit of flex at the back
Ok I am involved in the industry…leather tanning once the hide is made is generally coated with a filler / base coat to cover surface imperfections, a colour coat to and then (generally) a urethane top coat to give the final texture / gloss. Sometimes the urethane may be replaced by an oil to give a different effect, but usually thats not for belt leather. Usually the top coat is matched to the use, e.g. a product that requires flexibility will have a softer finish than say a rigid leather for a handbag. Depending the finish that has been specified its easy to cause the surface to crack, its not a defect as such, its a function of the top coat. in terms of conforming to a shape, yep, that will happen, genuine leather will stretch and deform to the applied force, as previously stated a thinner leather will deform easier than a thicker. RM Williams in general import a lot of the leather, the industry here is limited in terms of tanneries, most here make "wet blue" that is then exported for finishing, the amount of finishing tanneries is very limited
Cool story, what does this have to do with belts?
LMGTFY