While there’s nothing sexy about a belt review, a good belt really is the foundation of your carry setup. Duty, competition, and everyday concealed carry may have different belt requirements, but for all these uses and more, Klik Belts has you covered.
As it turns out, Klik Belts’ HQ is only a few miles from my house. I shot over there and visited with the owner, learning all about their product offerings and how and where they’re made.
Turns out these belts are made by hand (well, with the help of some burly sewing machines) here in the Austin, Texas area with the best materials Klik Belts can source. Including Austrian-made 7075 aluminum Cobra buckles available in four finish colors and mil-spec nylon webbing in at least five colors.
I’ve been wearing this 1.5″ gray/gray 2-ply Tactical Belt every day for over months now. Whether it’s nothing but my SIG P365 in its Kydex IWB holster or a range day setup with a larger gun carried OWB plus four extra magazines, it does the job and does it well.
This is actually the first belt I’ve owned with a Cobra buckle. I’ve played with them before but didn’t get the appeal so never purchased one. It seemed like a PITA to thread the loose end of the belt through the male buckle every time you put the belt on, as the buckle is too wide to fit through most belt loops.
Turns out it’s really a non-issue. It takes like five seconds and it’s easy. An infinitely-adjustable belt is pretty nice, too, to accommodate different pants, different guns, large meals, going commando, etc.
Besides, I’m not exactly a fashionista, so it isn’t entirely abnormal for me to wear the same pants or shorts for a couple (okay, fine, a few) of days in a row, which means the buckle gets un-Kliked but the belt stays on the pants.
Same, too, for really quick things like going to the little editors’ room or fulfilling my marital duties. The Cobra buckle is faster than just about anything else, releasing with a pinch of the brass release levers and instantly clicking back together by simply pushing the halves together. It does all this while maintaining the same belt tension you had before.
Clicking the buckle together is oddly satisfying. The manufacturer has done a really good job — whether incidentally or intentionally — creating a pleasing sensory experience. Like a fine double action trigger, there’s a smooth rolling resistance ahead of a clean and sudden click, which is both audible and tactile.
I realize this is nerdy, but the satisfaction of clicking a Cobra buckle together is one of the reasons people like them.
I’ve found the 2-ply Klik belt to be perfect for EDC needs and most range use. It’s still plenty pliable enough in the ‘wrap’ direction to be comfortable and conform to my shape, yet it’s very stiff and strong in the vertical direction to support the weight of any reasonable carry gun. The outer layer is your typical high-strength, yet soft-feeling nylon webbing, while the inner layer is “a proprietary rigid webbing.”
These belts take about 4,000 lbs. of pull force to break.
If a 1.5″ 2-ply belt isn’t enough for your duty, competition, or excessive EDC purposes, Klik Belts also offers a 1.75″-width Duty Belt with up to 3-ply thickness. Both 1.5″ and 1.75″ belts are also available with a D-Ring for rescue, dog walking, or other use.
Additionally, Klik Belts makes dog collars and some other accessories, too, such as the keychains seen in a photo up top.
Overall I’ve been extremely happy with my Klik Belt and it has become my new EDC belt of choice. It hits the nail on the head with that perfect balance of stiffness and flexibility. Plus I think it looks good and I’ve definitely become a fan of the Cobra Buckle. Pricing is fair — $74 for the 2-ply Tactical.
Klik Belts also makes ordering easy — simply select the waist size of your favorite pants. Nothing weird like measuring waist size and adding eight inches or some other unique system. Wear size 34 pants? Get a size 34 belt. This makes sense.
I asked to borrow a sampling of belts just for photos, but Klik Belts suggested we keep them for use as prizes in our weekend photo caption contest and other giveaways. So, watch this space for a chance to snag one of the belts seen above. [ED: this review was originally published in 2018 and the belts are long-since gone. The rest of the review still stands, though!]
Or, head on over to Klik Belts and use the coupon code they’ve provided for TTAG’s readership: TTAG10 (10% off plus free shipping)
Specifications: Klik Belts 1.5″ 2-ply Tactical Belt
Width: 1.5″
Build: Outer layer mil-spec nylon webbing, inner layer rigid webbing
Buckle: 7075 aluminum and brass Cobra Buckle (“world’s strongest buckle”)
Length: Order your pants waist size
Adjustment: About 12″ of adjustable webbing “tail,” within which it’s infinitely adjustable.
Colors: Four+ buckle colors/finishes, five+ webbing colors
Warranty: Lifetime
MSRP: $59 and up, depending on size and ply.
Ratings (out of five stars):
Quality: * * * * *
Made in the U.S. with top-quality materials and fine attention to detail. These are well-made, high-quality belts indeed.
Comfort * * * * *
Infinitely adjustable and plenty bendy in the wrap-around direction, the 2-ply Tactical Klik Belt is comfortable for all-day-every-day wear. It’s stiff enough in the vertical direction to support the weight of most any EDC firearm without having to be cinched down more snugly than you’d like.
Customize This * * * * *
Choose 1- or 2-ply webbing in a 1.5″ belt or 1- or 3-ply in a 1.75″ belt. D-Ring or no D-Ring. Then combine the four or more buckle finishes and five or more webbing colors to come up with the look you like. End result: a ton of options.
Overall * * * * *
I’d like to complain about something, but I really can’t come up with anything. These are awesome EDC belts and I’ve been extremely happy using mine every day for over two months now, with no end in sight. It’s holding up great, holds my gun and pants up great, looks good, fits comfortably, clicks together with Salad Fingers-like weird satisfaction…what more could a guy want?
thanks for salad fingers. must investigate.
nice belt.
Aluminum buckle? The strapping may take 4,000Lbs but an aluminum buckle? I doubt that. My dog would probably snap it within a month.
I’ll keep my Tac-shield with it’s low-tech velcro and bite grip. Worked well for training and two deployments, forged steel buckle, 7,000lb nylon, half the price of a fancy dancy clickable buckle. No moving parts, so I can’t get dirt in it. Can’t accidentally open it either.
To each their own.
“…but an aluminum buckle? I doubt that. My dog would probably snap it within a month.”
Highly doubtful. There are alloys of aluminum available with strength several times that of the aluminum in a soda can, for example…
This is the buckle rating straight from AustriAlpin-
https://austrialpin.net/product/cobra-original-adjustable/
Aluminum not strong enuff? Pshaw!
I’ve heard that aluminum is popular in handguns as well.
For less stressed parts like the upper/lower, buffer tube, and rails. The BCG, barrel, hammer, etc, everything to do with handling the stresses of small explosions is made out of steel. If you can make all of these out of aluminum and make them as durable as steel parts, you should start a gun manufacturing company and put everyone else out of business.
The buckle’s breaking load is 18 kiloNewtons, which is more than 4,000 lb. Calm down.
As a grown man, don’t you just love it when another grown man tells you to ‘calm down’?
How precious! Like widdle ‘chewie’ here would even know what a grown man even looks like!
Do everyone a solid here and go eat your own gun, willya?
(That is, if you even own one… 😉 )
Ah, Geoff the Goof. The ‘man’ who’s never had a woman. You’re not really worth my time.
Trump/Pence 2020
“Ah, Geoff the Goof. ”
You know what they say about folks obsessed with other’s love life.
The guilty dog always barks, boy… 😉
Arc:
Smith & Wesson has been making revolvers with aluminum frames for a very long time. They seem to hold up very well.
“Same, too, for really quick things like going to the little editors’ room or fulfilling my marital duties.”
About the second thing, poor Mrs. Jeremy S…. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipCBK4TTnO0
I’m pretty sure I heard a *klik* at the end of the first verse.
Jeremy, do you have any thoughts as to how this compares to the core esentials style of gun belt?
I’ve gone over to webbbing in every day work with a wilderness instructor belt after a different brand wore out too quickly.
I’ll check these guys out.
Shoot me an email, I can talk webbing all day!
As far as belts go the Kore belts have been great. I’m not a huge fan of the Klik belts just because of how they look. I’ve had a leather kore belt for over a year and a half and it’s been great. I went from a Nexbelt to the Klik belt to the Kore. Klik works great if you dont care about how it looks.
I’ve had two KORE belts snap. Recently tried to order a new one and they are unavailable. Not worth it IMHO. They honored their warranty once but the second time I just decided they were junk.
I’ve been a big fan of the Wilderness Instructor Belts for more than a decade. I bought 3 x 1.5″ tan reinforced versions with titanium buckles. I don’t wear my holstered gun on my dress or other through-the-loops belt, but on a WIB a few inches above my waist/belt. I do nothing but thread the tongue of the belt through and close it with the velcro (full length of each in contact, the tongue and belt main body. It has never failed me, makes the rig a bit more discreet, the draw technique is unchanged, and I don’t have to undue the belt for anything… If I’m in a hyper-tactical group’s environment I rig it up in the standard way, of course, but that’s rare. With a suit the system works very well. In a 45 minute car drive it’s very simple to loosen or rotate around a bit for comfort.
I have two of their two-ply (1.5 inches) both have seen EDC type use for three years with zero issues. I only wear OWB holsters and there is no sag at all.
https://www.klikbelts.com/collections/1-5-2-ply-tactical-belts/products/1-5-matte-black-2-ply
I’ve tried belts with the roller buckle befor.
Constant issues with the roller not holding.
So velcro and roller, does it slip and does the velcro get ‘fuzzy’ and wont hold?
Thanks
Same questions I have Dave.
These belts are incredibly stupid.
Why even have the cobra buckle if you have to thread the loose end through it to put your pants on.
Why not just have a belt where you thread it through and you are done?
Hmm. Just like Wilderness Tactical does on their belts. The first non leather gun belts ever designed.
Their instructor belts and their frequent flyer belts are both exceptionally made, less money than this ridiculous belt and are 100% made in America.
Other than a milt sparks dress leather gun belt, every gun belt I own is made by Wilderness. If I’m wearing an untucked shirt, I’m wearing a Wilderness belt.
Great question! The answer is, the buckles aren’t designed to go through your belt loops so when you go poo poo with a fully loaded belt, all your gear doesn’t end up on the bathroom floor. How cool is that for a feature? Just thread the tail and leave buckle buckled until you change your pants.
Ah. I see you answered the very same question I had below.
Having worn a standard D style garrison belt under a duty belt (plus belt keepers), I never had the problem you were mentioning. However, perhaps if one loads up a normal belt alone it could be an issue.
They always show some guy that looks 5’6 and 130 lbs
Waste of money and tacticool as fuck.
Get a thick inner duty belt and be done. You don’t need reinforcement. Even carrying a full size duty gun.
I wish TTAG was still doing those What I’m Carrying Now articles. My EDC is dialed in, but I’d love to see your folks set ups or updated EDCs look like and why. I bet some recent new gun owners lurking can learn a thing or two.
I like 1.75 inch. I just got my second 5.11 Tactical web gun belt in that width. I (ahem) outgrew the first one after using it for EDC for more than two years. The webbing is a little furry in a couple spots, but it’s still totally serviceable. I chose green for the new one instead of black. I carry OWB with an S&W steel J-frame and sometimes a 2 1/2″ K-frame and the belt doesn’t budge.
The Klik looks interesting, though. I might check one out in 1.5″ for “dress” wear.
May not be anything sexy about a belt review, but a belt is the foundation of your self defense house. Buy a good one.
The cobra style clasp is something I just haven’t warmed to in most circumstances. If I’m going to have to thread anyway why not just use a thick D ring type belt without the additional weight and complication of a double-sided clasp? For the ease of unbuckling or buckling? It’s not much time savings and seems negated by the time needed when taking it off or on the pants.
Wearing a belt like this just screams to the world that I’m carrying.
All these fancy belts are nothing but fancy belts.
I have a sturdy thick leather belt that takes normal buckles and works just fine carrying a full-size 45 semi. Never sags.
I most days i wear a Blue Alpha Hybrid 1.5″ cobra belt that is usually covered with a t-shirt, flannel, or a no-tuck dress shirt. Ain’t fancy if folks can’t see it. What’s fancy is my Daltech Force belt; I love dark brown leather. The fact you can conceal carry a full sized 1911 in a tuck holster and not print is impressive.
But how does it preform when doubled as a whip?
Nope.
Hard pass.
I bought one of these time wasters. Wore it a couple of times, and threw it in the bucket of trading stuff.
If I have to disassemble everything every time I change pants….
I’ll stick to a nice looking heavy duty leather belt. Like the one I’m wearing now.
SOE if you want a cobra belt. Theirs will literally tow trucks, and a lifetime warranty you’ll never use.
Most of the Cobra reviews I have read over the last two years read like infomercials. And the negatives are always brushed off. Not being able to thread the buckle thru the loops is an issue, and more so, the difficult adjustment for length is ignored. There’s a reason that the military uses a friction clamp on web belts to adjust, it’s fast and easy. Thread it thru, pull, clamp down, done. You fit to suit before or after lunch, downing a quart of water, whatever. You cannot do that with the Cobra, you are forced into clicking it a fixed length despite any hydration, food, or backed up bowels making it problematic. I don’t tolerate a sling on a field rifle that does that – summer was ok, but over a winter coat? Near instant adjustment is the standard, not tedious complication.
The Cobra buckle originated for patient tie down in air ambulance transport, and it’s the latest replay of the Rigger’s or “adventure instructor’s” belt that’s been around for 30 years. Those were made up by parachute repair techs as a badge of what they could do with their resource materials, not as a gun belt per se. The webbing isn’t the issue, it’s all the cargo buckles which are predominantly chosen for their overbuilt weight rating and highly macho looks.
I’ve tried the Cobra and that satisfactory clicking together doesn’t work as easily as it’s written. My experience is that it’s a PITA, which isn’t unexpected. Like much of the current gear for range use, adding features that detract from utility but add profit to the bottom line are all the rage. And having internet recommendations lined up to promote gear is more than just a thing – it’s a paying industry.
All of us who have adorned our weapons and ourselves with all sorts of gizmo’s and tacticool gear keep relearning the lesson: The industry makes things to sell, not because you need them.
I moved on, or more truthfully, back to simple web belts with polymer friction buckles. Nothing to go wrong, proven, simple, and they work. The less complicated and plain, the better. Why non metal buckles? Because they don’t scratch up surfaces as much when in contact and don’t contribute their fragmentation which complicates injuries. The first is standard for automotive work, the second a goal if you are combat arms. Just get enough tail on the belt to handle the worst case situation you don’t think will happen, and behold! you will find it’s big enough when you really need it. IWB tends to do that, which would mean readjusting a Cobra buckle once again and lashing down the excess just because you changed up what you carry. Vs thread, adjust, clamp down, and go. You decide.
Good gear doesn’t make you jump thru hoops.
Comments are closed.