Thought I'd write this review for the Blackhawk CQC concealed carry belt.
I believe I paid something like $38 for my belt, less than 5 years ago. I just renewed my CCW and I know I didn't have this belt the entire 5 years. This belt can be had in specific sizes and configurations on Amazon (30") for as little as $5.99, and other sites on discount for under $30 (here), but I believe the MSRP is around $47.99. Considering that a regular belt from any department store costs at least $20, and is not nearly up to the task of every day carry, I'd still feel comfortable purchasing this belt again.
I've worn this belt probably an average of 6.5 days a week, always carrying. After a while, I switched the plastic clips on my holster to the velcro that goes over the pants, and secures behind the belt. This has been the best way I've found to carry IWB with a decent holster, that I've found. Before I switched to velcro, I would have to switch the color of the clips I had to match the color of the belt I was wearing, and even went as far as painting the clips to match a belt. The paint started chipping off and I just went with velcro. The velcro is nice because you can put it on the back side of every belt you carry with and never worry about black clip over a brown belt, or vice versa. Very versatile.
Of note is that this is not the original belt buckle. The buckle just broke in half one day. At first I was pretty angry and disappointed as I figured the metal would be the most durable part of the belt. Fortunately I realized that Blackhawk put screws in the back to allow you to change buckles. This is a huge plus as I just went to the thrift shop and bought some belt with a decent looking buckle for $4 and replaced the broken one.
While the belt has remained stiff, it has warped a bit over time. There is a paint stain where I bumped a painted wall with my hip hard enough that I never could get the paint out without scuffing the belt. The edge of the belt has cracked on both the top and bottom, making the belt look a little ragged. You'll see in the pictures that the final breaking point is where the upper portion of the belt has split as I've been using the same hole, every day, for years. This caused a permanent wrinkle in the belt for at least the last year that would catch on belt loops, making it a chore to get the belt off smoothly some days. Now that it has split, I have to fight with the belt pretty much every day.
Final thoughts:
-When I read reviews or comments of "I've had this belt for YEARS and it still looks brand new!" I'm immediately suspicious. This is what a belt worn every day for years looks like.
-While the velcro can release the entire holster on an awkward, slow, draw out of a normal dress belt, I used this belt and the velcro to compete in every match for years and never had the holster come out when it counted. Consider it like limp wristing a Glock to get it to stove-pipe. With good form, you shouldn't have an issue. I think I've only had this happen once or twice with this particular belt over thousands of draws over the years; and never while wearing properly fitting clothes.
-At first I thought that for the money, I'd buy this belt again, but the fact that the buckle broke is disappointing. For the same price, I'm going to try an Aker next. Aker is made in the USA as well, and I've seen some members here recommend it.
-I've gone through several non "gun" belts and found that they are not stiff enough to start with, and get destroyed in months, instead of years. Even though this belt has reached the end of it's life, I can, and will still feel comfortable using it until I get something else. I don't care how nice, or how much a regular belt costs, if it's not made to carry a gun, it is likely garbage.
-The same week I bought this belt, ByteStryke bought a belt from www.thebeltman.net. He paid twice as much and his belt is probably still kicking. I'm going to email him and ask.
Here are the pictures.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rF...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Bg...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FX...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Mf...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y0...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2p...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/i7...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YM...=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8z...=w1698-h955-no
I haven't written many reviews before, so if there is something specific you are curious about, please ask and I'll do my best to answer.
