Offering an alternative using the same high-strength materials, the 1.75” riggers belt by Lead Devil USA offers users a rigid and functional two-piece belt system that is at home on the range, as an EDC duty belt, or in competition.
Inner Belt
The Lead Devil riggers belt starts with a 1.75” wide inner EDC base belt made from the company’s proprietary Lead Devil Tactical Webbing (LDTW) nylon blend. This includes a nylon weave with a smooth inner facing side intended to pass through the belt loops of the trousers. This blend is then resin treated for greater strength and abrasion resistance. Sum total the nylon has a tensile strength upwards of 5,500 pounds per square inch.
The outward facing side of the inner belt includes Lead Devil’s low-profile unnapped (female) hook-and-loop material that, combined with the double layered Type 3 (male) hook-and-loop material of the outer belt, provides for maximum strength against sheer forces. The sizing of the inner belt is adjusted by a genuine AustriAlpin triglide EDC buckle with the excess capable of mating to the outer layer of the inner belt’s (female) hook-and-loop material for maximum comfort.
Outer Belt
The outer belt of the two-piece Lead Devil’s 1.75” riggers belt is where it differs from Lead Devil’s tactical belt. Made from the same LDTW nylon material as the inner belt, the outer belt features a number of elements that make it ideal for work, duty, competition or general training.
Sizing is done through a 2.25” genuine AustriAlpin Cobra Prostyle belt buckle with any excess again folded over and secured on the outer belt’s exterior hook-and-loop material. This enables for the perfect fit in sizing with any excess secured rather than retained by an elastic cuff.
The outer belt also includes a hook-and-loop fastener that retains the attached D-ring when not in use.
Along the interior of the outer duty belt is a length of double layer Type 3 (male) hook-and-loop that thanks to its larger “hook” mates to the corresponding material on the inner EDC base belt for maximum retention. This also enables for the inner belt to be worn when the outer belt is not necessary, and the outer belt to be easily donned when needed.
Belt Specifications:
- Small……27” – 30”
- Medium…31” – 34”
- Large…….35” – 38”
- XL………39” – 42”
- 2XL……..43” – 46”
- 3XL……..47” – 50”
Lead Devil’s 1.75” Riggers Belt comes in an outer belt that includes Coyote (featured), Black, OD Green, Gunmetal Grey, and Pink. The inner belt color can be selected separately to correspond or be another of the other colors available.
Product Evaluation Scores:
- Cost – Average (3/5): The 1.75” wide riggers belt by Lead Devil starts at $130 (color/size dependent), which given its custom rigid LDTW nylon material solid hook-and-loop, and hardware, make the cost good in that its custom materials represents a significant amount of attention to custom design, quality, and function. In comparison, other notable manufacturers with products of similar design are the 2” Duty Belt ($105) by Persec, the 2” Duty Belt ($102) by Snake Eater Tactical, or the Ronin Task Force Belt (at upwards of $180 with integrated exterior webbing) that use off-the-shelf SCUBA/4088 webbing, or have regular hook-and-loop material. This all gave the riggers belt by Lead Devil an appropriate cost for its custom nylon, duty-compliant design with included two-part belt system, and genuine AustriAlpin hardware. Fact is the rigger’s belt straddles the world of tactical belts by having many of the same construction materials as a tactical belt, but the streamline design for duty.
- Comfort – Good (4/5): Perhaps its greatest advantage in comfort, was the ability of the tactical belt to be easily adjusted for any fit needed before donning, or while worn. The inner EDC belt, with LDTW hook-and-loop, allowed for easy adjustment when donning, and with any excess secured completely to the side. The outer belt also followed similar design by allowing the cobra buckle to be tightened as necessary and the excess secured to the side as well. As the outer tactical duty belt was worn, over time weave tightness loosened up a little from its out-of-box rigidity. But even after a 30-day trial period consisting of a number of shooting iterations, the belt still held a good level of rigidity due to the tightness in nylon weave pattern. This made it good for bearing the weight of pouches or accessories.
- Durability – Excellent (5/5): Out of the box it was immediately evident to the durable qualities of Lead Devil’s riggers belt. There was extensive bartack stitching throughout the inner and outer belts, as well as multiple-line/X-pattern reinforcement in key areas that added to its overall strength. Overall the LDTW nylon to both the inner and outer belt was very resistant to abrasion. Despite repetitive adjustment and readjustment, donning and removal, at no point during evaluation did any of the material separate or become compromised. Lead Devil does offer its Exchange Program which covers the belt against wear & tear, damage, maintenance, weight loss/gain for the lifetime of the purchaser.
- Functionality – Average (3/5): Functionally the riggers belt was very straight forward, with its flush exterior belt serving as the ideal fit for most pouches and accessories. The inner EDC belt was a rigid nylon webbing that made daily wear comfortable while the hook-and-loop section allowed for easy and customized adjustment. The outer belt was likewise easily donned and mated to the inner belt easily and consistently. The cobra belt buckle provided for an easy and audible lock, and retained a solid lock throughout. As a stand-alone riggers belt it provided for an ideal minimalist platform that allowed for easy customization to most aftermarket mounting systems to include loops, clips, and locking buckles.
- Weight – Average (3/5): The size of the belt and materials used often determines the volume of overall mass for the riggers belt, as well as the amount of reinforcement. In this evaluation a Large was reviewed and held an overall weight of 15.3 ounces. This included the weight of the two-part nylon belt system, with its extensive reinforced stitching and Micro MOLLE webbing, and both AustriAlpin buckle. In comparison the Persec Delta (1.3 pounds), 2” Duty Belt by Snake Eater Tactical (14.2 ounces), and the Ronin TF Belt (1.2 pounds) all demonstrate that the choice of hardware is often the deciding factor in as little a difference in ounces. In the selection of Lead Devil’s riggers belt, the minimal addition of weight over a few of its competitors is directly related to Lead Devil’s choice of using genuine AustriAlpin hardware, the extensive bartack and reinforcement stitching throughout, and the density to the nylon weave for the LDTW material. The result is a good score in weight for a minimalist duty belt, and if Lead Devil could develop a way to shed 16 ounces from the overall design, then it would score higher amid its competitors.
Overall Rating – Above Average (18/25)
Product Link: https://www.leaddevilusa.com/tactical/operator-belt-black-cg5wp-ajng3
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