MagLock® Belt

Distil Union has built a catalog around magnets and minimalism, with earlier products including the MagLock Sunglasses, the modular Ferris System key organizer and the Wally Bifold Wallet. The MagLock® Belt, the maker says, draws on more than 10 years of work combining leather and magnets, and applies that thinking to one of the most ordinary items in a wardrobe.

No buckle, magnets instead

Rather than organizing the design around a metal buckle, the belt embeds neodymium magnets inside the strap. According to the maker, the magnets sit aligned in precisely machined sockets, and a patent-pending structure is meant to prevent them from weakening or shifting. The company says a light tug will not pull the belt open, while a small movement of the fingertips releases it.

The absence of a buckle is also pitched as a comfort feature. The maker says the flat profile sits evenly against the waist, avoiding the outline a buckle can create under a shirt and the pressure point that can build up during long periods of sitting. The strap is designed to end within a belt loop, so there is no loose tail to tuck away.

Adjustment and everyday details

• Stepless adjustment via the magnet placement, rather than fixed holes, according to the maker
• Width designed to pass through common belt loops, including wider ones such as on Dickies trousers
• Magnets allow the belt to be stuck to a metal closet rail or locker for storage
• Internal reinforcement to protect the magnets and a core to limit stretching

Two materials

The belt is offered in full-grain leather, which the maker says develops character with use and resists everyday abrasion and moisture, and in VentureTek™ nylon, described as durable, breathable, lightweight and quick-drying for outdoor and sports use. Distil Union states that durability was checked through field testing in the mountains around Denver, Colorado, and extended wear with EDC gear clipped to the belt.