Rogue Echo belt vs Ohio belt

This is a comparison of the Rogue Echo belt and the Ohio belt including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details

Rogue Ohio Lifting Belt

The Rogue Ohio lifting belt is the best value for money option you can obtain from Rogue at $110. If you want to know more about other Rogue belts read my article "Which belt to buy from Rogue" for an overview in which this review was originally posted.

What else to consider from Rogue

Overview of the Ohio lifting belt

The Rogue Ohio lifting belt is the workhorse of the belts available from Rogue and the longest in production from Rogue themselves. This was my personal first purchase from Rogue and they did not disappoint. The leather is from the US and worked on in the house. Rogue uses the vegetable tanning process to deliver high quality, well-finished leather. The belt is 4'' wide and 10mm thick. It comes with a single prong buckle. The colors are brown with white stitching and a silver buckle.

Pros of the Ohio lifting belt

This is the belt to get when you are serious about your training, but do not know yet in which direction it will take you. This belt will last, is safe and will last you for a lifetime. It is also not overpriced and still affordable. It is the best value for money option on Rogues roster. You will not be disappointed with this belt.

Cons of the Ohio lifting belt

The Rogue Ohio belt is not IPF approved so it can not be used in a powerlifting meet. If you want to use your belt in powerlifting and want it from Rogue you need to opt for the 13mm version or the lever belt. For small lifters or for Olympic weightlifting it might be too cumbersome to use.

Alternatives to the Ohio lifting belt

Small lifters might want to opt for the 3'' version of the Ohio belt to avoid that the belt will dig into their lower ribs. If you want to outfit a gym with belts you also might want to consider the Echo belt as you can get two of these for the price of one Rogue Ohio belt. if you can afford to spend $20 more, you can also go for the Premium Ohio belt.

Rogue Echo 10mm Lifting belt

The Rogue Echo 10mm belt can be had for $52.50. It is one of the cheapest leather belts you can get from Rogue. If you want to know more about the entire Rogue belt portfolio you can read my article "Which belt to buy from Rogue" in which this overview was originally published.

Overview of the Echo belt

The Rogue Echo belt is 4'' in width and 10mm thick. Production for this belt takes place outside of the United States. It comes with a single prong and in black color. The Rogue logo is stitched on in white. It provides 10 precision-spaced holes. The Rogue Echo belt might not a lot of breaking in based on the quality of the leather and the production process.

Pros of the Echo belt

A big pro is the price tag. You get a 10mm leather belt for 52.50$. This is nothing to be scoffed at when you are only a weekend warrior or want to get belts for the entire family for Christmas for the home gym. Same goes for equipping a commercial gym. If I was to open a gym I would get one per rack and invest the money saved compared to the Ohio belt in putting my own gym branding on them.

Cons of the Echo belt

For a leather belt, the finish is poor. This belt is mass produced in a machine in China with lower quality leather. This saves money and comes at the cost of longevity. This belt is more likely to fall apart and let moisture seep in where the finish is imperfect. If you are only using it occasionally or keep it for group use that is fine. If you want to go pro in lifting maybe wait and invest $100 to $150 bucks into something you can be proud of.

Alternatives to the Echo belt

This is the belt at the chasm between hobby and passion. If you only want to protect your back a little for occasional workouts you can also look into Nylon belts which save you even more money. These also can be worn with greater ease.