ViperGuy21
New member
I was lucky enough to be chosen to test The Belt by Nick in the(somewhat)recent giveaway. Sorry it took so long to get my review out, I had to delay receiving the belt as I was moving into college at the time, and then it rained a ton once I got it.
Thankfully I got the chance to test it out this weekend in my dad`s truck.
Before I get into my review, here is the product description as taken from the AG store:
It’s the next best thing to having Mike Phillips as your assistant!
The Belt makes detailing easier, plain and simple. I worked with a good friend and long-time customer of Autogeek to aid in the development of The Belt, making sure that it was absolutely perfect. Perfect is a strong word, a definitive to some…but to me the word perfect means the best, and that’s what The Belt stands for in this industry. It is arguably the best detailing accessory you’ll ever purchase – bar none. Use it once and you’ll wonder how you ever detailed your vehicle without it.
First and foremost, The Belt is a time saver. Thanks to its abundance of pockets that hold bottles ranging from 8 oz. to 32 oz., you’ll always have your polish, microfiber towel, roll of tape, or extra buffing pad right by your side – literally! The Belt is stylish(I have to disagree with this, sorry), functional and it screams “professional,” which is especially important for detailers trying to make a lasting impression on their customers.
Work smart, not hard. That was the mindset during the development of The Belt. Because after all, how many times do you have to stop what you’re doing, put down the polisher, and try and find the towel you need to wipe off the polish, or the bottle of polish that you need to reload your pad! This is a frustration that we ALL experience, one that is solved by The Belt.
The features that make The Belt everything that it is:
[TABLE="class: cms_table, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 51%"]• Cord Wrangler Loop: To keep your buffer cord in place behind your back. Can also be used as a towel loop.
[/TD]
[TD="width: 49%, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: cms_table, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 51%"]• Adjustable Belt : For waists up to 43", no plastic or metal buckles that can scratch paint.
[/TD]
[TD="width: 49%, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: cms_table, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 51%"]• Car-Paint-Friendly Soft Cotton Fabric : The Belt was specifically designed to be paint-friendly, no metal, plastic, or harsh fabric has been used, so you can keep your paint scratch-free!
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
• Mix-and-Match: Each bag goes on individually, so you can mix and match to your perfect setup for that day’s job. Whether it’s one bag or all four, Detailer’s Helper will help you get the job done better and faster!
• Machine Washable: The Belt is made of a pure cotton blend, making it perfectly safe to machine wash. Slung around and stuck on product doesn`t have to hinder The Belt`s appearance!
• Light Weight: Unlike a large construction or leather belt, The Belt is light weight, you actually forget you’re wearing it! It weighs less than a pound!
Sorry that I don`t have any pics, but I will say that I arranged my pockets in the same way that Mike Phillips did in his review on The Belt when it was first announced.
In total, I gave the truck a much needed wash(it`s been at least a month and a half and several hundred miles in LOTS of rain and roads under construction). After the bath I applied a coat of MEGS #7 glaze to fill in minor imperfections and enhance gloss(really does well at gloss enhancement on dark colors. The truck is a dark metallic blue)and topped with Chemical Guys M-Sealer for some durable protection until I can get around to correcting and coating it this winter.
I used The Belt primarily after the wash. I applied both the glaze, and the sealant by machine to give me a chance to put the cord loop to the test.
I`ll start my opinions with that, the cord loop. It is a really great idea.
The problem I ran into was that it is actually kinda impractical unless you have somewhere to set the buffer down right next to you. Otherwise to have enough room to move around without dragging your buffer all over the garage you have to put a pretty decent length of cord through the loop. The problem I ran into with this is, it can turn into a tripping hazard if you are applying a coat of something to the whole car.
I`m sure it`s more geared towards paint correction where you are in pretty much one spot at a time, and believe that it would work better for this application, but I still feel like one would be fighting with the cord in some way. This is a new concept, having the cord hooked to your back, and I`m sure it would be possible to get used to it, but about halfway through applying the sealant I got fed up with it and had to take it off.
Next I will talk about the strap itself. I felt that it was very durable, and am confident that it would last for quite a long time.
However, since this is something you wear around your wait when detailing a car with scratch-sensitive paint, it made me nervous with how rough and hard the material was even though I am careful when working on a car. That said, I didn`t experience any issues with it rubbing up against the paint and scratching it.
The pockets:
Again, they feel very durable, and well-constructed. They are significantly softer than the velcro strap that goes around your waist, but still not anywhere near as soft as microfiber. Truth be told, I never read the product description before opening my box, and was expecting the pockets to be made out of either microfiber, or something quite similar. However, they really aren`t that soft.
The Belt as a whole:
To be honest, I felt it as if The Belt got in the way and frustrated me more than adding convenience. There`s nowhere to put your buffer on The Belt when you`re not using it(i.e. wiping off product), the material seems way too harsh for working around paint, and it really wasn`t that comfortable to wear if I`m being totally honest.
I was quite disappointed with this product. I really wanted to like it, and truly thought I would, but for me it did not meet my expectations at all. Also, looking at the price-point of $60(definitely get a kit, but even then, some of the kits don`t seem quite worth it), it seems way overpriced, especially on it`s own.
I personally would not purchase this item after testing it, nor would I recommend it to my fellow `geeks unfortunately.
I hope this review helps some people out, and if you have any questions, please let me know! I`d be more than happy to answer anything I missed in my write-up.
Thanks again to Nick for the opportunity to test this out, and for being so accommodating with me having to delay shipment!!
Thankfully I got the chance to test it out this weekend in my dad`s truck.
Before I get into my review, here is the product description as taken from the AG store:
It’s the next best thing to having Mike Phillips as your assistant!
The Belt makes detailing easier, plain and simple. I worked with a good friend and long-time customer of Autogeek to aid in the development of The Belt, making sure that it was absolutely perfect. Perfect is a strong word, a definitive to some…but to me the word perfect means the best, and that’s what The Belt stands for in this industry. It is arguably the best detailing accessory you’ll ever purchase – bar none. Use it once and you’ll wonder how you ever detailed your vehicle without it.
First and foremost, The Belt is a time saver. Thanks to its abundance of pockets that hold bottles ranging from 8 oz. to 32 oz., you’ll always have your polish, microfiber towel, roll of tape, or extra buffing pad right by your side – literally! The Belt is stylish(I have to disagree with this, sorry), functional and it screams “professional,” which is especially important for detailers trying to make a lasting impression on their customers.
Work smart, not hard. That was the mindset during the development of The Belt. Because after all, how many times do you have to stop what you’re doing, put down the polisher, and try and find the towel you need to wipe off the polish, or the bottle of polish that you need to reload your pad! This is a frustration that we ALL experience, one that is solved by The Belt.
The features that make The Belt everything that it is:
[TABLE="class: cms_table, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 51%"]• Cord Wrangler Loop: To keep your buffer cord in place behind your back. Can also be used as a towel loop.
[/TD]
[TD="width: 49%, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: cms_table, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 51%"]• Adjustable Belt : For waists up to 43", no plastic or metal buckles that can scratch paint.
[/TD]
[TD="width: 49%, align: right"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: cms_table, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 51%"]• Car-Paint-Friendly Soft Cotton Fabric : The Belt was specifically designed to be paint-friendly, no metal, plastic, or harsh fabric has been used, so you can keep your paint scratch-free!
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
• Mix-and-Match: Each bag goes on individually, so you can mix and match to your perfect setup for that day’s job. Whether it’s one bag or all four, Detailer’s Helper will help you get the job done better and faster!
• Machine Washable: The Belt is made of a pure cotton blend, making it perfectly safe to machine wash. Slung around and stuck on product doesn`t have to hinder The Belt`s appearance!
• Light Weight: Unlike a large construction or leather belt, The Belt is light weight, you actually forget you’re wearing it! It weighs less than a pound!
Sorry that I don`t have any pics, but I will say that I arranged my pockets in the same way that Mike Phillips did in his review on The Belt when it was first announced.
In total, I gave the truck a much needed wash(it`s been at least a month and a half and several hundred miles in LOTS of rain and roads under construction). After the bath I applied a coat of MEGS #7 glaze to fill in minor imperfections and enhance gloss(really does well at gloss enhancement on dark colors. The truck is a dark metallic blue)and topped with Chemical Guys M-Sealer for some durable protection until I can get around to correcting and coating it this winter.
I used The Belt primarily after the wash. I applied both the glaze, and the sealant by machine to give me a chance to put the cord loop to the test.
I`ll start my opinions with that, the cord loop. It is a really great idea.
The problem I ran into was that it is actually kinda impractical unless you have somewhere to set the buffer down right next to you. Otherwise to have enough room to move around without dragging your buffer all over the garage you have to put a pretty decent length of cord through the loop. The problem I ran into with this is, it can turn into a tripping hazard if you are applying a coat of something to the whole car.
I`m sure it`s more geared towards paint correction where you are in pretty much one spot at a time, and believe that it would work better for this application, but I still feel like one would be fighting with the cord in some way. This is a new concept, having the cord hooked to your back, and I`m sure it would be possible to get used to it, but about halfway through applying the sealant I got fed up with it and had to take it off.
Next I will talk about the strap itself. I felt that it was very durable, and am confident that it would last for quite a long time.
However, since this is something you wear around your wait when detailing a car with scratch-sensitive paint, it made me nervous with how rough and hard the material was even though I am careful when working on a car. That said, I didn`t experience any issues with it rubbing up against the paint and scratching it.
The pockets:
Again, they feel very durable, and well-constructed. They are significantly softer than the velcro strap that goes around your waist, but still not anywhere near as soft as microfiber. Truth be told, I never read the product description before opening my box, and was expecting the pockets to be made out of either microfiber, or something quite similar. However, they really aren`t that soft.
The Belt as a whole:
To be honest, I felt it as if The Belt got in the way and frustrated me more than adding convenience. There`s nowhere to put your buffer on The Belt when you`re not using it(i.e. wiping off product), the material seems way too harsh for working around paint, and it really wasn`t that comfortable to wear if I`m being totally honest.
I was quite disappointed with this product. I really wanted to like it, and truly thought I would, but for me it did not meet my expectations at all. Also, looking at the price-point of $60(definitely get a kit, but even then, some of the kits don`t seem quite worth it), it seems way overpriced, especially on it`s own.
I personally would not purchase this item after testing it, nor would I recommend it to my fellow `geeks unfortunately.
I hope this review helps some people out, and if you have any questions, please let me know! I`d be more than happy to answer anything I missed in my write-up.
Thanks again to Nick for the opportunity to test this out, and for being so accommodating with me having to delay shipment!!
