Michael's Belts

In early 2011 I had Michael, of Michael's Custom Holster's fame, made me a custom race rig for IDPA. I ended up shooting USPSA instead so the holster has been mostly relegated to occasional concealed carry use but the belt has become a daily wear item. That's not to say I haven't used and don't love my holster. I do. But that belt has been really put through it's paces and I wanted to give a long term write up on it as it nears 3 years of virtually continuous use.

I'm old fashioned. I tuck in my shirts and wear a belt with every pair of pants I own except for sweats. And jammies of course. If I thought Lu wouldn't kick me out of the marriage bed I'd wear one with them as well. When I first got that belt I figured it would stay with the rig and only get used when I competed. Then I went USPSA and, well you know the rest. The more I looked at that belt the more it struck me that it was just too fine a piece of leather accoutrement to leave it in my gear bag. So I started wearing it around.

It started out slowly. I mean the thing is an absolute work of art and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin it. See, I'm a little absent minded. Lu laughs at me for constantly finding myself hip deep in a project, having completely forgotten that I'm wearing my good clothes. Laughing may be the wrong word. Sighing is probably closer. So I was careful. Then one day I was doing another of those labor intensive and clothing destroying projects I keep getting roped into when I realized I had my good belt on. My Michael's that I swore I wouldn't screw up. I was aghast. Then I realized that the thing was taking everything I could throw it, yawning and asking me if that was the best I could do. It may have called me a sissy at one point but I was distracted from nailing my hand to a 2x4 so I can't be absolutely positive about that. Anyway.  I started wearing it every day, everywhere and doing everything. From concrete to home remodel to USPSA. Yep, it finally got to compete.

So how's it look all these years and hard miles later? Like this;

And this;

Now, that is clearly a well used belt and yet it shows only reasonable cosmetic wear. Here's where the holster rides. That's nearly 3 years of constant carry and even competition wear mind you. And remember, this is a custom basketweave finish. Still looks great.

The belt has lost none of it's thickness and structural rigidity.

Oh, it's gotten softer and more pliable from wear but I'd risk my life to it's strength any day. I'm pretty sure I could tow my truck with it. It has become so comfortable, like an old and trusted friend.

The lining and buckle holes. And remember, I'm pretty active and a diehard DIYer so this belt gets a lot of very hard use. Know how those thinner leather belts get all stretched and the holes elongated from trying to suck in your gut and over tighten your belt when the women folks are around? No? Just me? Well, not with this belt. It just says "You go ahead and eat that cow big guy. I've got this."

The buckle shows very little wear and no looseness at all. Again, I'd trust my life to this piece of equipment in a hot second. Bond like, hanging from a chopper by a rope attached to my belt, shooting Zombies one handed and uttering memorable quips to a beautiful woman. Well, maybe trading sarcastic remarks with Car Guy.

Overall the belt is stylish, well crafted and about as sturdy as anything I've ever wrapped around my waist. I'll never gird my loins (or whatever one girds) with anything lesser ever, ever again. You couldn't pry this one out of my hands with a winch. A wench maybe but not a winch. And only if it's Lu 'cause she knows where I sleep. I anticipate wearing this belt for misadventures and ill thought out projects for many years to come. And that's not something you can say about many products out there these days.

Michael is also a joy to work with. Talk about customer service. Heck, based on just the one purchase I feel as if I've made a friend for life. Though I'm pretty sure he should buy me a beer should we ever meet.

Now all this may sound like Michael saved my life back in 'Nam in '65, carrying me out through the trackless jungles on his back and I'm just trying to pay him back. Nothing could be further from the truth. I bought this belt with my very own dear coin and I will do so again. He has no idea I was going to write this and, truth to tell, will probably be just a bit embarrassed by my gushing. I just feel that great folks providing great stuff should be celebrated and the word passed. I recommend Michael and his stuff unreservedly. If it can pass the Six 3 year test it can handle pretty much anything.

If this review has whetted your appetite you can go to Michael's site linked above or visit his Best Belt site directly here. I love this belt. In case I was being a little too subtle.

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Moving Outside My Comfort Zone

I am taking the competition plunge today and I'm a little nervous about the whole thing.

I recently found current USPSA Production Champion Ben Stoeger and his writings on all things competition. Stoeger has a common sense approach to shooting that I really like, to the point that I bought one of his books, Practical Pistol. It got me to considering.

I had always been of the mind that I'd try my hand at IDPA. I even had Michael build me a rig for that specific purpose. I have since decided to go ahead and give USPSA a try, mostly because my local range and club, Southern Utah Practical Shooters, is a USPSA affiliated range. I sent an e-mail off to a club contact yesterday and got an invite to a steel shoot tonight as well as a newbie class on Friday. I have accepted their invitation and will be shooting steel this very evening.

I am of two minds about this. First, I'm a pretty experienced shooter and no neophyte when it comes to steel. Embarrassment holds no terrors for me. If I don't shoot master I will not wilt away in a cloud of fail stink. On the other hand I am naturally competitive and hold my shooting skills as dearly as anyone. I don't want to stink up the place just for personal pride if nothing else. That makes me slightly nervous. I have never shot this range, do not know any of the shooters and have absolutely no idea what to expect. The club guy has been very supportive and kind. He basically told me to bring my gun and just have fun. The club seems pretty squared away and actively recruit new shooters. That's a good sign for me.

Going into any brand new situation, especially one where there will be scoring and ranking, is very boundary challenging. I've never shot competition in any form before. Stress is an old and familiar partner so I don't anticipate collapsing under the glare of public scrutiny. But. I haven't done much shooting since I retired 3 1/2 years ago so I'm...well, rusty is probably being charitable. In reality the suckitude may be epic.

Still, I am determined to at least go and try my hand at this endeavor. I'm certainly not getting any younger so if not now perhaps never and that is unacceptable.

So wish me luck, if you would be so kind, that my suckage will be something less than catastrophic and I will at least manage to not sweep the entire firing line and be sent off to forever exist in durance vile. I will be running my G35 in my Michael's rig so at least I will be stylish. If I do moderately well I will update with a new post on my experience.

If not I will disavow this entire post and allow it to self destruct in a laptop destroying cleansing ball of nuclear annihilation.
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Some Long Term Updates

Time to report on some stuff I promised a long term update on. As always, I paid for all these items and am receiving no compensation or other consideration from any of these manufacturers.

A couple of years ago Michael made me a beautiful custom race rig consisting of belt, holster and magazine carrier. Because I've been so wrapped up in the house remodel my shooting has taken an unfortunate backseat so a holster report will have to wait but that actually gave me the chance to really put one of Michael's belts through it's paces.

Though I was initially hesitant to use this belt for everyday wear due to it's beauty and intended use I decided I really needed a new belt and hey, there's a pretty cool one right here and everything! I've been wearing it virtually every day now for about a year. During that time I did a lot of remodel and demolition/construction work. Everything from fencing, roofing, concrete and lots of landscaping. I remodeled a bathroom, added a covered porch, did entirely too much plumbing for the new laundry room plus a whole lot more. Through it all I wore this belt.

Here's a closer look. You can see the hole I use for the buckle tongue thingy (what is that called anyway?). It shows the wear from a year of everyday use but if you look closer you'll see essentially no deformation. No elongation or widening. The belt fits exactly the same today as it did after I got it broken in a year ago. That's impressive.

I put the magazine holder in that top picture so you could see pretty near negligible the difference in exterior wear between it and the belt. One worn seldom and the other constantly. It'd look even better if I cared for the leather the way I'm supposed to but like many (most?) guys I tend to ignore stuff like that. This belt will hold up to that kind of abuse. The belt doesn't exactly look brand new but it sure doesn't look like it's been daily wear for a guy who tends to be very hard on clothes and accoutrements. Like belts. I can go through a belt in no time. I hang stuff from it, rub against rough surfaces and generally put it through hellish torture. This belt looks more like it's been a casual wear item than something a laborer has beaten on for a year through numerous projects. I'd wear it to church today. It's been used as a rope anchor (don't ask) and abraded on everything from wood to granite to concrete blocks. The inside shows little appreciable wear though it has broken in nicely and is now softer and more pliant than when new. It does take a little to get the belt well broken in due to the thick and rugged construction but trust me on this, it's worth the minor effort. I love the thing. Eventually I'll retire every other belt I have and replace them with Michael's creations. I can't recommend them strongly enough. It's thick, strong, tough and beautiful. This has become my go to belt and now I hate to wear anything else.

It's been a couple of months now since I bought my Keen boots and so far they have worked out very well. They broke in nicely and surprisingly quickly and are comfortable as any ankle height boots I've ever worn. Wear is entirely acceptable. They're my work boots as well as my hiking/trail wear. Like most things clothing related I'm hard on my footwear, especially those I wear on a daily basis. The Keens are holding up nicely. One of the things I really like about them is the lacing system (for lack of a better phrase). The laces click into the eyelets at the top of the boot which allows me to set the lace tension at a comfortable level (remember I have a bad left foot) and still tie the laces tight enough not to unravel while walking. Genius and much appreciated. I like them so much I put them on my Christmas list and SantaLu was kind enough to bring me a second pair. Highly Recommended.

Remember the dishwasher addition? I talked about adding a granite top to the installation but I never posted a picture of the final product. Well, I finally got it all put in and done. This is the Before picture, just after the dishwasher installation.

And here's the After photo. Lu found a nice used black cooktop  stove for reasonable money so all her kitchen appliances are now ebony in hue.You can see how much shorter the rest of the counter is due to the non standard sized cabinets. They're on the list and such a long list it is. The granite I used over the dishwasher is probably an old vanity but it works perfectly for this application and it only cost me 50 bucks. Note please the blue light on the dishwasher, proof it's actually working and not just a cardboard cutout I stuck in there to try and fool Lu. I think it all turned out pretty nice if I do say so myself and really gives the kitchen an updated look and feel.

I'm certain there's some other stuff I swore I'd post long term updates on. I just can't remember what they are at the moment. I'm sure it'll come to me sooner or later. Probably.

Maybe. Man, it's tough getting old.

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