AJ
This is an update of my July 2013 review. Based on my experience, Ive downgraded this belt from 5 Stars to 1! What happened between 2013 & 2013? Read on for an update my experiences with invisible belts. This is a Combined Review of 3 Competing Products: the IsaBelt, InvisiBelt, & Beltaway Flat Buckle Elastic Womens Belt. Ive also included a review for the Childs Designer IsaBelt for those of you with Children. Ive had more than 10 years experience with these types of belts. Specifically: * For about 10 years, Ive owned 3 of the IsaBelt Womens Belts isABelt Womens Flexible Clear Plastic Adjustable Invisible Belt ; & 3 versions of the IsaBelt Childs Belt, including the Isabelt Original invisible Peace Love Isabelt Jr the Original invisible belt Peace Love * For about 8 years Ive owned the Wide InvisiBelt Clear Invisible No Buckle Clear Belt and the Wide InvisiBelt Black Womens Belt: No-Show Adjustable Belt Lays Flat Under Fitted Tops By Invisibelt * For about 2 years Ive owned Beltaway Flat Buckle Elastic Womens Belt Beltaway Flat Buckle Elastic Womens Belt My experiences with the belts & the companies are widely varied. Heres a breakdown of my findings and recommendations... As stated, Ive used `invisible belts for around 10 yrs. Im not crystal on the amount of time, but its long enough that when I bought my first belt, the IsaBelt just released & had zero competition. O yes, Im a perfect Apple Shape Body (The type whereby my stomach is bigger than my... you get the picture). All that being said, for fashion reasons, I do not wear my tops tucked in & my pants fall down repeat. I needed a belt which would `hide under my tops - thus began my quest for the perfect `invisible belt. Note I wear any invisible belt about 1/week (52 times a year). Keep that in mind while reading... I bought the Belt-away Flat Buckle Elastic Womens Belt Beltaway Flat Buckle Elastic Womens Belt in 2013. After being snubbed by IsaBelt & Disappointed by Invisibelt. At first this Belt-away Belt it was a `Hit, now, its a `Miss, heres why: PRO: * its comfy elastic * 1" wide and does THE BEST JOB of holding up my pants CON: * In 2013 I noted "the buckle is tough to close," in 2015 this is a non-issue as I CAN NO LONGER CLOSE THE BUCKLE! This is a deal breaker; Buckle Inoperable. Over the past 2 years, the Belt-away Flat Buckle has become impossible to close. I thought it was my arthritis; however, Ive had several strong young men try (dont ask) and they too struggled with the Buckle. My husband has refused to try again. Still need a belt? I do; read on to assess the competition: The IsaBelt; Ive owned the IsaBelt since it was produced. Upon receipt, I loved the IsaBelt so much I ended up buying 4 additional belts from the company, including 3 of the IsaBelt Jr., Designer Belts for my Daughter. Moreover, I gave untold numbers of these belts for presents. Did IsaBelt care when their belt malfunctions (once in less than 3 months?) NO. Specifically, as to the Adult IsaBelt isABelt Womens Flexible Clear Plastic Adjustable Invisible Belt it felt yummy to wear but was flawed: PRO: * a nice flexible plastic, with generous give thats easy to wear CON: * Flawed belt buckle. With EVERY IsaBelt I purchased (a total of 5) the buckle broke on BOTH SIDES of the buckle! This happened within 12 months of purchase! In sum, every belt was rendered useless. * Their Customer Service is NO Service: o I called the company regarding the broken buckles; o During that call the operator acknowledged there had been issues with their buckle and a new buckle had been developed, but too bad for me because the new buckle was not yet being used ( I suspect they wanted to `use up their old inventory); o IsaBelt was kind enough to send 1 replacement. Recall, I BOUGHT 5 BELTS, ALL BROKE, BUT THE COMPANY WOULD ONLY REPLACE 1, as a `courtesy; * So I get my `courtesy 1 replacement and less than 3 months later the buckle on the `replacement belt broke exactly the same way as the prior 5 IsaBelts! All told 6 IsaBelts, 6 Broken Buckles; o Yes I called again, and, you guessed it, IsaBelt refused to send me another `replacement - I dont recall how much I paid, however I do recall that the belts were expensive and I spent well more than $100 with the company, given the above, their customer service is a joke. * Also, note, the `standard IsaBelt is 0.5" wide which is not wide enough to be comfortable. You might want to know that the Childs Designer IsaBelt Jr. Isabelt Jr the Original invisible belt Peace Love is a little different, to wit: PRO: * Um, its kind of cute... CON: * See my information above regarding the IsaBelt Buckle, as stated, I purchased 3 of these for my child and every buckle broke within the year. * Customer Service Stinks (see detail above): o IsaBelt was would NOT replace the Childs belt! * The plastic on the Childs `designer belt is thicker, akin to the InvisiBelt (below), thus the Childs Designer IsaBelt is uncomfortable to boot. * Moreover, this "designer IsaBelt" is .5" wide which is not wide enough to be comfortable. So what happened after I was snubbed by IsaBelt? In 2008 I bought the The Wide Invisibelt Invisible No Buckle Clear Belt Invisible No Buckle Clear Belt and the Wide InvisiBelt Black Womens Belt: No-Show Adjustable Belt Lays Flat Under Fitted Tops By Invisibelt . Here are the highlights: PRO: * the buckle is sturdy, it actually outlasted the plastic belt; * the belt has an enormous amount of adjustment ability; & * The belt is nice & wide, a bit wider than 1". Ive found that the thinner belts just dont have as much `stay. CON: * The plastic used to construct this belt is so hard and inflexible that its uncomfortable; * The plastic is so hard & edges so sharp that it can cut into your skin; & * After about 7 years of wear, the plastic actually tore away from the buckle. o I dont think 7 years of wear is unreasonable; however, please note that I really havent worn it that much, see comfort issue. Given my experience, Id have to go with the Winner of the Losers as Invisibelt. Yes, it hurt; yes, it broke; beats the others. I once again start my search for the perfect `invisible belt. Thinking of making my own; Ill keep you updated. If you like me review, please click `yes to indicate my review was helpful to you... My New Year Resolution is to become a Top 100 Reviewer on Amazon & your vote can make that happen! As a homebound individual, I am dependent on Amazon to satisfy my shopping needs. Im blessed to live in the 21st century and have most anything I desire delivered to my door. Given my situation, I receive at least 1 Amazon delivery each week. Im determined to use my experiences to help others decide on their purchases, just as I always review comments before buying. Again, if you like what I have to say, please indicate that you have read my review & found it helpful by clicking `this review was helpful. Ill update my profile throughout the year to let you know when I reach my goal of becoming a Top 100 Reviewer. Thank you so very much for your help!
