The Ultimate Powerlifting Belt Comparison: Inzer vs. SBD

So you are searching for the best powerlifting lever belt and you've boiled it down to Inzer and SBD Apparel. Now why is the SBD Apparel belt so much more expensive and do you need to spend that much money on a belt?

I'll start off by saying that either belt, if properly cared for, will last you years if not decades. They are both made extremely well and carry an excellent lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. I've personally seen Inzer belts that are multiple decades old and still going strong. As well my personal SBD belt I got in 2016 and it's only gotten better as I've used it and broken it in perfectly for my body. 

Both belts are available in a 10mm and 13mm option and use a lever mechanism to tighten. A lever is the easiest way to get a belt very tight for heavy lifting, while some may prefer a prong belt, the lever is superior for tightness with ease. 

The SBD Apparel Lever Belt

The pros of the SBD Apparel belts is that they use a patented lever that adjusts without the need of a tool. So if you like to warm up with a looser belt then tighten it up for your top set, no problem. Likewise if you want to throw on a sweater or if your bodyweight fluctuates and you need a bit more space in the belt one day, easy peasy. As well the belt is made of very high quality leather, giving it a softer feel from the start, and allowing it to break in much more quickly. 

As I said, my personal SBD 13mm Lever Belt, I've had since 2016. When I finish training I coil it up to store with my gym stuff. After doing this for so many years, the belt coils up compactly and stores easily and is so pliable and comfortable. Oh, and this 10+ year old belt, is still on it's original lever. If you don't throw the belt around or bang it against the rack, the buckle is such high quality that it should virtually never break. 

The Inzer Lever Belt

Unlike the SBD Apparel belt, the Inzer lever needs to be adjusted with a screwdriver (or coin in a pinch). You need to remove two bolts, move the lever where you want, then attach the lever again. It can be a bit finicky until you get used to it, and mostly once you've set your belt up you don't need to be changing the lever often, as long as you are okay with one tightness for both squats and deadlifts, or for warm ups and working sets. 

The two big pros for the Inzer lever belts are going to be the price, at the time of writing the Inzer belts are well less than half the price of the SBD. As well the Inzer belt comes in a wide variety of colours that are always available, whereas the SBD is only available in black with some limited colours available from time to time. 

The Inzer belt will start out stiffer than the SBD belt, but will break in over time. You can help the break in process with some manual working of the belt as well. 

Either way you go you will certainly have a belt that will last you for as long as you need it to. They are high quality products and we have many customers that have used the Inzer belt for a decade or more, and many that have used their SBD belt for almost as long now.