stoic 4-inch powerlifting belt review

Stoic 4-inch Powerlifting Belt Review

Posted on by Andrei

We're an affiliate

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Thank you if you use our links, we really appreciate it!

Stoic is a brand created by Lift Unlimited, which brings to the market all kinds of quality lifting accessories such as knee sleeves, wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, singlets and last but not least, lifting belts. Actually, we should say lifting belt. This is because Stoic basically put all the effort and time into a single belt, which comes in different styles.  This belt was already mentioned here and there, but we decided it would be a shame not to do an in-depth review of such a cool product. Stay with us, because we are about to analyze everything about the Stoic 4-inch Powerlifting Belt in the next few minutes.

The Brand

Lift Unlimited has done an excellent job in building the Stoic brand. What is very cool and unique is the way the whole brand is built around the idea of strength. It gives the impression of a raw and vibrant masculine attitude. This concept has also been applied in the construction of the belt, but we’ll get into that later.

Even the meaning of the name is unusual and precise, more exactly a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining. With such a cool story behind the brand and the simple yet quality products, it is no wonder that Stoic has built an amazing team of sponsored athletes.

How The Belt Was Made

As mentioned earlier, the concept of raw strength and masculinity has also been applied in the construction of the belt. We say this because it’s a 4-inch wide heavy and large belt, made of vegetable-tanned leather. Unlike most belts, this model has suede only on the outside. This shows that the brand has focused on increased support and longevity to the detriment of comfort. The decision not to use suede on the interior made room for another layer of nearly 2mm of leather. The non-tapered Stoic belt is equipped with a 2mm thick single prong buckle, made of stainless steel. Again, nothing fancy. For the stitching, the chosen material was nylon, which was appreciated by customers for holding up really well over time.

Design

As expected, the belt has a really simple, yet cool design. The combination of the two colors, beige and black, is not too flashy and looks clean. A small disadvantage of the beige interior is how quickly it gets dirty, but cleaning your belt from time to time is not such a big deal.

On the front side, we can see the medium-sized logo. An unusual decision the brand made was to let the edges un-dyed so that the leather can be more visible.

If you’re not sure about the size you need, be sure to check out our guide on this, but don’t be afraid to choose a size if you are at the lower limit, because there is room to add another hole if necessary.

Price

The most you can pay for this belt is $67.99. That’s about all you have to take out of the pocket for size XL, with a thickness of 10mm. It is important to mention that the belt also comes in a 6mm version, which is almost $20 cheaper. Given that the Stoic belt is comparable to top-notch products, the price seems more than fair.

Substitute

First of all, the 4-inch Stoic Belt offers great quality for a reasonable price, so you can consider it a good investment although it is not the cheapest belt. Moreover, quality belts last a long time, so in the long run, you might even save some money. Alright, but is there a cheaper alternative to this belt? For the 6mm version, one of the best substitutes is probably the 4-inch ProFitness Leather Belt, although it’s only 5mm thick. There aren’t many substitutes for the 10mm version, but you can check out the Single Prong Steel Sweat Powerlifting Belt.

Who Is The Belt For?

The Stoic Belt is quite versatile. It can be used for day-to-day training in the gym, especially for compound movements that require a lot of stability, but also by athletes who participate in powerlifting competitions.  Its uniform width is great for increasing intra-abdominal pressure for exercises such as squats and deadlifts.

Being a fairly large and stiff belt, it is not exactly suitable for females athletes. In fact, its size can be an inconvenience for people with short trunks, especially when trying to get into the starting position for a deadlift. If you have a small torso, consider trying a 3-inch wide belt instead.

Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Well-priced
  • Versatile
  • Uniform width
  • Stoic is on the list of IPF-approved brands
  • Clean and simple look
  • Good stitching
  • Made of vegetable-tanned leather
  • Inner suede replaced with an extra layer of leather

Cons

  • The belt is quite large (an inconvenience for individuals with short trunks)
  • Rigid at first
  • The beige color gets dirty quickly

Summary

One of the most special belts we have reviewed, the Powerlifting Stoic Belt is a great example of a well-made product. Due to its unique features, the belt is not very comfortable at first, but, like most belts, it will loosen a bit over time. 

The stiffness of the belt is a consequence of the missing suede, which has been replaced with another layer of leather, but the thickness plays a role as well. Overall, the belt is well-priced and does its job very well.

See on Amazon