Life Duration of a Tool Belt (Types, Comfort)

Before buying any tool belt, everyone has some kind of questions in their mind regarding tool belts, whether it is worth buying, how long do tool belts lasts, which tool belt to buy, etc. Tool belts come in various types of materials, shapes, and sizes. It depends on the user’s job profile which one should they go for. 

Tool belts come in various materials such as nylon, leather, polyester, canvas, and fabric. And the lifespan of all the materials is different. 

Leather tool belts can last a lifetime with proper take care, while the other tool belts such as Polyester and Nylon last around 3-5 years, and the canvas tool belts last at least around 2-3 years only, the fabric tool belts last only about a year and a half.

It all depends on the usage and work that the user does, if you are in the inside job like carpentry then your tool belts last more than the construction work because it has to take a lot of damage from the weather as well moisture. 

Read along to find out more about how you can also determine the life of a tool belt according to your usage and job profile.

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Types of Tool Belt Material

Tool belts come in various sizes and shapes and are made up of different materials, and all of these different textures, and materials help the user to pick which one is best for their needs.

If you are a professional job site worker, then I am sure you will not buy a cheap tool belt that has very few pockets, or if you are a carpenter you will not gonna buy the tool belts that comes with lots of pockets and suspenders to hold all the heavy power tools, you will get a smaller one.

There are different kinds of materials that are used to make tool belts, and we are going to list all of them here one by one. 

Leather Tool Belts

The first type and the most famous type of material that is used to make tool belts is Leather, but there are different kinds of leather available in the market according to the prices, the cheap ones are fake leather or Synthetic Faux Leather, these are not as strong and durable as the real leather one.

And the best part of having a leather tool belt is that, if you take care of the belt and do timely maintenance it can last you a lifetime. Yes, you read it right, it can last you a lifelong. 

But for that, you have to do proper take care of the belt and the pouches, to prevent any kind of damage. There is a company Occidental Leather that manufactures tool belts made out of real leather, and you can check out those if you want a real leather tool belt. (You can check out their best selling products from Amazon)

I’ll advise you not to go after cheap so-called leather tool belts, those belts are not made out of real leather which is why they are selling so cheap. And the rivets and hooks that come with these belts are also made out of low-quality metal which corrodes very fast.

There is a new type of leather on the market for vegan lovers, called vegan leather, it is as durable as real leather, it is made from a polymer called polyurethane or from sustainable materials such as fruit wastes, and recycled plastic.

Vegan leather is much more durable compared to synthetic faux leather, vegan leather also comes in the category of faux leather. Vegan leather is a lot thinner and more lightweight compared to real leather. 

Nylon Tool Belts

Nylon is another material that is used to make tool belts, it is more affordable compared to the leather tool belt, yet strong enough to hold all the weight of your tools. Nylon is a synthetic material that is lighter and more flexible, than leather tool belts.

But it is not as durable as the leather and doesn’t last very long. The weight of the nylon is light compared to the leather, and it can be washable, if you are going to use it mostly outdoors then a nylon belt can be a great pick as it is lightweight and resistant to water and sun strokes, but it fades over time if used regularly under direct sun.

— Also read: Best Tool Belts for Big Guys (Tried & Tested)

You can also use leather belts for outdoor jobs, but leather belts tend to react to water and heat, which makes it heavier, and flimsy, so it is preferred to use a nylon tool belt for outdoors. 

And if you forgot to take it back inside and leave it under the rain or sun for long, then it can get damaged easily and all of your investment will become zero. 

Nylon belts come in various sizes and shapes, which makes it perfect to pick the one which suits you the best, as there are so many options to choose from. 

Polyester Tool Belt

Polyester is another material that is used to make tool belts, both nylon, and polyester look kind of similar, but there are some minor differences between these two.

Nylon is much stronger compared to polyester and is much lighter and softer. But polyester materials don’t absorb water at all, while nylon does but in a very small amount. 

There is another problem with polyester tool belts, as polyester can absorbs body oils and can smell very bad if not washed for a long time. 

Polyester tool belts can be used in direct sunlight, as it doesn’t fade like nylon from the sunlight. Polyester and nylon both resist flames, it gets melted down but don’t catch flames. 

Both the nylon and polyester can be washed and are easy to take care of, but polyester is more affordable compared to nylon. If you want to read more about the differences between nylon and polyester, you can read this detailed article.

Canvas or Fabric Tool Belt

This is the material that is mostly used to make pouches or small tool belts as it doesn’t take a lot of weight and is not as durable as nylon or leather tool belts. But this kind of tool belt is the perfect choice for homeowners or DIYers who need to hold only small tools.

Canvas tool belts are more strong compared to fabric tool belts as it is much more stronger and durable, and you can even machine wash them. 

Canvas is made from blending cotton with other synthetic fibers which makes it water-resistant and more durable, sturdy, and heavy-duty than the fabric.

There are many options for tool belts canvas tool belts come in various sizes, and shapes, you can easily find the best one according to your needs and job profile. 

What is more Important, Tool Belt Material or Comfort

If you are confused between different materials of tool belts, which one to buy and which one to avoid. If you are planning to buy a tool belt for your professional use, and you are going to use it regularly, then I recommend you to invest in a good quality belt, that can last you long.

And if you are going to use the tool belt once in a while then the affordable Nylon and Polyester options can be best for you, these are lightweight and affordable and is waterproof and heat resistant as well.

Canvas is the best suited for the DIYers and people who need to carry fewer tools around the job site, these are affordable as well as lightweight. 

But if you ask us which point is important, comfort or the quality then I suggest you go with the comfort, tool belts can be heavy, especially with all the tools that you are going to carry with you all around.

Tool belt comfort can be increased by using suspenders, there are different kind of suspenders that comes with tool belts, or you can purchase them separately if you want.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is, to check for the Fastener type, some tool belts use metal buckles, velcro, or plastic buckles. Velcro and plastic buckles don’t have a great life span, go for the metal once, these are more durable and last longer compared to others.