The students keep their old belts - who would want a hand-me-down that shows the soil of somebody elses hard work. I've heard that they usually end up in the bottom of closets. I designed the colored belt display system with several ideas in mind.
First, for students who have put in years of work - those old belts are something to be proud of - better on the wall then the bottom of the closet. Second - For those who are aspiring to advance - having the panels already hanging on the wall for the future belts is a bit of an inspiration, especially for kids. I must tell you, these brightly colored acrylic panels really look sharp hanging on the wall before they get covered up by a belt. Third - the Header really looks sharp all by itself - nice, high quality color graphics with the Student and the Schools name.
When I looked around the marketplace - I really wasn't thrilled with anything I saw - the wooden panel systems with the header with self-stick decals or the typical trophy style engraving didn't look all that exciting to me. I also wanted something that was more affordable. Especially for parents of kids who don't want to spend a lot of money - want something nice to show for all of their kids hard work - and need an expandable product.
For Kyle, a full rack, including all his mid-rank striped belts is 1 White, 2 Yellow, 2 Orange, 2 Blue, 2 Green, 3 Brown, and 1 Black (that's just to 1st Degree). That's 13 panels! What if my kid drops out of Karate after a year or two? So I recommend that people start by buying a basic panel set with at least one of each color (based on their schools colors). The inspiration idea is lost if you don't buy at least a basic set up through black - but I let the buyer decide.