Is Milwaukee's Tool Belt Worth Buying? Here's What The Reviews Say
If there's anything a skilled day laborer could use to make their lives a bit easier, it's a sturdy work belt. It doesn't need to be a full-on Batman-style utility belt loaded with an array of ridiculously specific gadgets; it just needs to be thick, resilient, and have lots of hooks and pockets for hanging tools and stashing components.
As it happens, major hardware brand Milwaukee actually offers such a product, the Adjustable Electricians Work Belt. While it's billed as a belt for electricians, and would certainly be a great Milwaukee product to have for that purpose, anyone in need of waist-mounted tool hauling and storage could probably make good use of it. The vital questions, however, are what exactly this belt is bringing to the table, and whether or not what it brings is worth dropping money on. Luckily, there is feedback available from regular end users, both on Milwaukee's own website and associated storefronts that sell the belt, like Home Depot.
The belt is designed to be sturdy and resilient
First, let's briefly cover what this belt has going for it. Obviously, it is a belt — you hook it around your waist, secure the buckle, and you've got easy hands-free storage and hauling. Theoretically, you could achieve the same thing by just hooking a few holsters onto your regular pants belt.
The main thing the Electricians Belt has going for it over your rank-and-file pants-securer is that it's built to be exceptionally tough. The belt is composed of work-strength 1680 Denier Nylon, secured with riveted seams, and assembled with all metal hardware. By Milwaukee's estimate, all of these materials make the Electricians Belt roughly five times more durable than similar belts from other manufacturers. The belt's construction is so solid, you can even prop it up on the ground, where it will remain completely upright on its own, though it's also designed to be soft and breathable enough that you can wear it all day.
Besides its construction, the Electricians Belt boasts 29 different integrated pockets for storing and organizing tools and components. The individual storage bags have integrated handles, allowing you to remove them from the belt and reattach them as necessary. There's also a dedicated metal clip for hanging a tape measure, as well as a plastic-lined puncture-resistant pocket for storing any sharp stuff.
Reviews are mostly positive, but with some room for improvement
The Electricians Work Belt isn't an exceptionally popular Milwaukee product, with only 436 user ratings on Home Depot, 15 of which came from Milwaukee's own website. That said, most of the feedback from customers has been generally positive.
Multiple buyers report the belt being very sturdy and long-lasting, enduring unscathed through multiple manual labor jobs. Several owners add that, since the belt can firmly stand on its own when placed on the ground, they can take it off and place it next to them while working to use it as an improvised toolbox. Those of larger constitutions have noted that the belt is wide enough to fit over their waist firmly and comfortably.
On the other hand, several buyers, particularly those posting to Milwaukee's website, report that some of the belt's storage options are suboptimal. A recurring complaint is that the compact storage pouch is too small to comfortably fit small tools like pliers. Additionally, multiple reviews complain that the dedicated tape measure hook fell off the belt without notice. Generally, though, these are small problems in the face of what is considered overall to be a quality product by its customer base.