I found the finishing on Hanks belt not satisfactory. The squire is so light duty and feels a downgrade after using saddleback leather belts. the stitch was also disappointing. I am interested in getting the Montana bison but the finishing of the edges seem ugh, its just black paint that wears off as per some videos.
I had a four stitch belt from Saddleback and a bunch of tow belts but they had this absolutely retarded way of suggesting sizes back in the day(they have fixed sizing guide now) and I didnt know better when I bought them, had to give them all away to baby brother once waist grew a few inches. It really left a bad taste in my mouth. The guy "talks" so much and while he has a great smile thats not gonna get me back the few hundred dollars i lost. And they dont sell the four-stitch anymore either. Really hesitating to give my business to them again. Is the quality still the same for the tow belt as 7-8 years ago? old bull should be the same, since its really one fat hunk of leather. tow belt gets scratched too easily though.
Why are other belt makers, who make heavy duty, full grain, but beautifully finished, dress-belts? 1.5" 5-6mm thick full grain with classic styling, exceptional finishing and stitching.
I am looking for belts that last decades. I see lots of talk about horween etc etc, but I understand they are much softer, and if they are, i am not interested. classic cowhide or steer/old-bull leather only please.
update: after going for the 1.5" thicker belts, im very happy with hanks. all recent deliveries have had excellent stitch quality and i ended up buying almost 6 new belts. not very pleased with the buckles. but Hank makes excellent belts. the tuscan is my fav.