The belt was not new, used, had to return for refund.

I bought this as alternate color to another ratchet belt, which I wear much more often. My first impression was that this was a nice belt, and the ratchet worked pretty well - until last night. I have worn the belt maybe 2 dozen times, and the buckle fell apart. It appears that the mechanism hinges on 2 small pins, and apparently one just fell out. The internal mechanism was then wedged, making it very difficult to get out of the belt, and rendering the buckle useless. I can't recommend this belt, unless you don't plan on using it long.