I debated over taking away one star on account of failure to make a buckle of the specific width of this belt. But I concluded that I would as soon have the savings since this particular belt being about 1/8" more narrow than the buckle can accommodate doesn't detract at all. The ratchet really works well. I had my doubts about going to this system. But I now see two things.

One is that it is very easy to use, and because of the ratchet, it's always the perfect size. It takes no effort at all to cinch it properly. The other thing is that there's no metal tongue to ruin the belt at that point, in case you need to let it in or out. In fact, there's no external wear to see. The ratchet action works entirely on the back side. For me, the reason I end up replacing a belt is that permanent distortion imparted by the conventional buckle. No such wear with this one. You know, at this price, I don't expect the world's best leather. But it appears the surface will wear well, and I don't think I will need to replace it as often as the conventional belts.

The belt comes generously long with convenient length markings on the back if you need to trim it.

I will buy more in the future.