I just picked up a Blade-Tech Ultimate Carry ratcheting gun belt as an everyday companion to their Velocity Competition Speed Belt.
It comes in a nice plastic box that can be used for storage
The belt (with the allen key for the set screws)
While the Ultimate Carry is branded Blade-Tech, it is actually made by Nexbelt as part of their expansive EDC line (including a James Bond-like one with a hidden handcuff key in the buckle!). Designed for holster carry, the belt’s thick leather is reinforced with a polymer core.
The ratcheting system itself is a polyamide nylon that is said to be as strong as steel. Each click of the ratchet provides a quarter inch of adjustment and allows for a total of 6” of adjustment without removing the belt.
The belt is 50” long (Nexbelt also offers an XL at 67”) and the inside has markings at every inch to help you cut it to size (keeping in mind you need to leave extra inches for inside or outside waist carry). It is worth noting that the leather side of the belt has a beautiful finish but I am also impressed by the bold print quality of the all the markings on the inside.
After you cut it to size, you re-insert the belt into the buckle and close the retention clamp that holds it in place with 9 teeth. Once the two retention screws are tightened, it yields a 1000+ lbs. pull test
The release trigger (shown at the top of the buckle) can be accessed with either hand
Blade-Tech’s Velocity Competition Speed Belt is quite different from the Ultimate Carry. Like most competition style belts, it is a two-piece system with an inner belt covered in industrial grade VELCRO and a more rigid outer belt to which you mount your holster and mag pouches. Both the inner and outer belts are HDPE reinforced with nylon webbing that has a 4,000-pound tensile strength.
The two pieces are secured in place with Blade-Tech’s wrap around belt keeper.
The two-piece system allows for easy on/off and for quickly swapping out setups for different stages of competition (assuming you have multiple outer belts with different setups).
While the specs are impressive, I actually chose the Velocity Competition Speed Belt after doing a lot of research and discovering that John. Wick carried his Taran Tactical Combat Master Glock 34 in a Blade-Tech Revolution holster mounted to one and I wanted mine to be true to the film. The Revolution series has since been discontinued and replaced with the Signature, which I got with a matching double mag pouch (Wick’s preferred setup).
In addition to the belts described above, Blade-Tech also offers an EDC belt with traditional buckle and an Instructor belt, which is more of an “Operator” style with Cobra buckle.
So far I am pleased with Blade-Tech products. I should also point out that they have great customer service and were very helpful in confirming my research about the John Wick setup.
RL
rlauferblog 