Yes, I also make my own belts. Like you I made myself a big batch thinking I'm done for life, my first belts would last me over a year each suddenly they all started to break one after the other. I read, I think somewhere on this site, that the polyester thread strength on a roll is not uniform. This person, contrary to me, had problems at the beginning, going through belts after belts and I remember reading his frustration and wondering what was wrong since I had no problems with mine, well, I ended up understanding him. The last belt I've been using is working fine, I've had it for a good 6 month so far, but I sure ain't touching it, therefore I've abandoned playing 45's.