Klik Belts are high-quality, super strong nylon belts that use a special aluminum buckle design that clicks securely together.
To get us a closer look, Klik Belts sent Man Makes Fire a review unit. This is what we learned:
Klik Belts Review
The Klik Belts namesake is the sound the belt makes, but that’s not the whole story.
Klik Belts are strong because they use a patented COBRA quick-release buckle made from 7075 aluminum that was designed and manufactured in Austria by AustriAlpin. The design is particularly interesting because it’s easy to lock and unlock . . . but it’s also astoundingly strong under very heavy loads.
Official COBRA buckles can handle thousands of pounds without breaking. To make sure you’re getting the durability you expect in adverse conditions, COBRA buckles are certified by independent third-party test houses to exceed Mil Spec guidelines for dust, sand, and salt water.
What it all comes down to is this: The COBRA buckle in Klik Belts can handle over 4,000 pounds of force, and it’ll keep working even in sandy conditions. COBRA buckles are radically overbuilt for holding up your pants.
But hey, who doesn’t like like rugged gear? We like rugged gear, so here we are.
Back to Klik Belts
Klik Belts sources the COBRA buckle from Austria, and then sources high-quality 1.5″ mil spec nylon (from somewhere else) and then sews it all together in the United States.
Klik Belts was founded in 2014 and has since created a full lineup of COBRA buckle colors and matching/contrasting webbing.
You get two basic choices in webbing, a supple single-ply nylon webbing — which is what I tested — or a stiffer 2-ply that’s great for attaching heavy items. You’ll want the stiffer 2-ply belt if you’re going to be carrying first-responder gear, tools, or tactical gear like a pistol. The single-ply webbing is great for general purpose outdoor adventure or everyday usage.
But wait, there’s more: Klik Belts worked with AustriAlpin to create a TSA-compliant buckle made from a polymer instead of aluminum. This means you can get through airport security without your belt buckle setting off a metal detector.
On to the most important part of this review.
How Klik Belts Work: The Best Click
The COBRA buckle is easy to use lock and unlock. You have a male end and a female end and they quite obviously go together. There are two brass levers that both lock and release the male end.
When you connect a Klik Belt, the COBRA buckle makes a satisfying click. Seriously, when you click in, the sound goes straight to your lizard brain and it says you’re now ready to rock and roll. It’s just good.
One side effect of a having a buckle capable of holding back two tons or so is size. While the buckle isn’t particularly big, especially compared to other outdoor adventure belts, it is too big to fit through most 1.5″ belt loops. What this means is that you need to unthread the male end from the belt and feed the nylon webbing through your belt loops before reconnecting the webbing to the male end.
If you’re thinking through this, this also means that your belt won’t simply slide out of your pants when you’re ready to put them in the washing machine. You have to undo the male part of the COBRA buckle and then strip out the webbing.
Is it hard? No. Is it easy? Yes. Is it a bit different than most other belts you’ve used? Probably.
At first, I found removing half the buckle mildly annoying . . . but then, as I used the belt more and more, the satisfying click got to me.
And then I started wondering . . . are Klik Belts any slower than using other belts? As it turns out, you can thread a Klik Belt through your pants and reassemble it in about 16 seconds. For me, that’s about six seconds slower than I am with other burly nylon belts . . . but after the initial assembly, you’ll get that lost time back throughout the day.
Every time you go to the bathroom, you can very quickly unlock and lock the Klick Belt buckle . . . and you don’t have to adjust the tension or pay much attention to the belt at all, really.
In practical use, you can gain back time wasted with other belts. The guys at Klik Belts even did the math. Over the course of one year, a Klik Belt can save you 12 minutes over prong-and-hook style belts. What’s my point? Threading the belt isn’t a big deal at all. It’s just a bit different than most other belts.
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Klik Belts Fit and Finish
The Klik Belt nylon webbing quality and sew job is very good. I’ve seen zero wear over several weeks and don’t expect anything out of the ordinary.
Some heavy-duty belt users like to have velcro added to the tail of the belt to keep things as tidy as possible. If you want velcro, Klik Belts can add velcro to any belt for an extra $10.
The machined quality of the COBRA buckle is fantastic. There is a bunch of engraving over the front, which helps identify the COBRA buckle as a legit AustriAlpin. I don’t think it’s particularly good or bad from a design standpoint — just know that the buckle was originally developed for real work, not as a fashion piece.
You should, however, only buy Klik Belts from reputable sources . . . and that advice extends to buying any bet with a COBRA buckle. Go with legit sellers only. If you get a fake buckle, it’s not likely going to hold 4,000 pounds. We hate fakes and knockoffs, so our recommendation is to buy direct from Klik Belts.
If you do, use the code MMF10 at check out and get 10% off. (And if you do, Man Makes Fire will also likely get a small percentage of your sale to help pay for our work — see below this post for more detail on disclosures and how we do what we do.)
The Verdict
Klik Belts are very good can’t-go-wrong nylon belts. For me, they make a great everyday belt that will transition to most any outdoor adventure. I didn’t mention it before, but you can easily adjust the tension on the Klik Belt throughout the day if you need it tighter or looser. Either way, it holds its position very well — I haven’t been able to detect any slippage yet.
As for fit, order your normal pants waist size. If you’re a man who wears a size 36 pant, order a size 36 Klik Belt. The tail will likely be 6-8 inches long depending on whether you tuck in your shirt. I rarely tuck in my shirts, so I trimmed the end by a couple of inches. All you have to do is snip the nylon and burn the edge — just like you would with most any other cut-to-fit nylon belt. If you’re scared of scissors and fire, you can send the belt back to Klik Belts and they’ll ship you out a replacement size. So yeah, Klik Belts . . . highly recommended.
