Wore them many years. Often they were hammer heavy on the right side. Ended up damaging the nerve in my right hip - permanently. Bit of advise. Wear suspenders if the belt is more than 5 lbs. You will save yourself a lot of pain.
I gave up the belt about 15 years ago in favor of a vest. I do little to no construction staking, which makes it a lot easier to get by with only a vest, but back in the day when I did wear a belt, even with suspenders it left a semi-permanent mark on my hip from the constant pressure and rubbing. No nerve damage, thankfully, but I don't miss having all that hardware hanging off of me.
Ditto- I have several dedicated tool belts for work and home (survey, electrical, general construction..) I put suspenders on all of them. I don't know if I have permanent damage, but the front of both of my thighs have no feeling at times. Fortunately it's not diabetes, unfortunately I'm betting I'll have to live with the sleepy leg feeling the rest of my life.
It started with a strange combination of skin numbness but the muscle in the outer thigh would hurt. I described the sensation to the doctor and he immediately asked me if I wore a work belt. There is a medical term for it which I won't bore you with, but to say the least it isn't worth it. Now, I wear suspenders and no belt at all. This has helped a great deal. But the damage is done.
So I wanted to warn anyone who is 'required' to wear a belt to put those suspenders on and get the load transferred.
