Thanks to all that replied to my inquiry. Yesterday I used the HF belt that I bought on Monday and it worked fine. So until I learn otherwise, I'll accept that the breakage was just an old belt problem as many suggested. Maybe some of the new belts that broke in the past were really old belts.
Next time I get a snapped belt, I'll just reglue the joint. Anybody have an idea of what the best glue for that purpose would be?