I recently have a startling moment - one that reaffirmed WHY I do NOT use Uncle Mike's holsters anymore. I was fishing last week at a city park near home. As I headed down to the river, I knelt down to set down my rods and unshoulder my backpack which carries my tackle. The backpack caught the butt of the Sig pistol I was carrying - carrying in an Uncle Mike's 'kydex' paddle holster under an untucked polo shirt. It plopped the gun right out of the holster. At first I didn't know what happened, I heard a clatter on the ground and looked around, and there's my (*@&#%( pistol laying at my feet! I looked around quickly to see if there was anyone around, then grabbed the gun and resecured it. Took my multitool and cranked the "tension" screws down as tight as they'd go. Gun still rocked a bit front to back. I will never, ever go back to an Uncle Mike's holster again. The only reason I was carrying in that holster is because I didn't have a holster available that would fit that gun other than the UM paddle.

Now, when I started carrying I almost exclusively carried in these holsters. I thought they were fine and dandy - and honestly, the model for the Glock standard frame guns were alright. They didn't have the "speed draw" opening in front cut as deeply into the holster body as those for the Sig and Ruger pistols do. In reality though - these cheap ass holsters will only get you in trouble eventually. Their design is flawed. The belt attachment points are brittle compared to a moulded kydex piece, or one made from real kydex sheeting. The injection-molded polymer UM uses is too brittle and prone to cracking. Just like the Fobus holsters - you can have your gun ripped right off your hip with them.

They're loose - every uncle mike's holster I've had has some play in it, the gun rattles. That ain't right. It's dangerous.

The money "saved" by buying a cheap $20 holster is money wasted - because you will eventually wind up buying a better holster after you see the light. A box full of cheap holsters + a couple good ones is more expensive than just getting a good holster from the get go. Sometimes I'm a slow learner for these things.

It took me years to break down and buy a real gun-belt. Money wasted every few months buying another soft leather belt from Wal Mart or Target. Shudda bought the Wilderness belt sooner.

Took me a few years to break down and buy a good holster for CCW too. Finally upgraded to a nice Galco FLETCH and Bianchi Paddle Lok holsters after using craptapulous Uncle Mikes holsters for years. Night and day difference between those holsters and the UM stuff. So far I've had two FLETCH holsters - one for the Springfield XD, and one for standard framed Glocks (which, BTW fit more guns than just Glocks in a pinch)

Then I took to making my own, and learning about making good holsters. I still use production holsters though - especially since I broke one design, and gave away my good IWB kydex to Pepper when he traded for one of my G19's.

So right now, right this very instant, I'm wearing my G19 in a Galco Matrix side snap holster. It cost about $15 more than the Uncle Mikes rig - but damn it's lightyears ahead of the UM and Fobus holsters I've had in design. The gun stays put. Period. No rattles. No shakes. No fear that the holster body is going to split on me. The snap type belt attachment is faster off and on than any paddle I've tried, and more secure to boot. They could charge more for this holster, but I'm glad they don't. Most of the shops that stock holsters around here are asking between $80 and 100 for the Galco stuff, and $70-120 for Bianchi stuff, depending on the model.

IT'S WORTH IT to get good stuff from the get go, instead of cheaping out.

You pay ~$400+ for a pistol which you're going to trust your life on. That gun deserves more than a $20 bargain basement holster to ride in. YOU deserve more than a $20 bargain basement holster.

Buy used if you must - but don't cheap out and waste money and risk your safety with a cheap holster if you have any alternatives. This site - along with the likes of Glocktalk and Arfcom have equipment exchanges where you find just about anything if you look, if a new holster is out of your price range.

Friends don't let friends use cheap holsters!

ABSOLUTELY could not agree more.

Uncle Mike's, by the way, is owned by Fobus.

I just read an article by a guy who got shot through his butt and thigh when his cheapo IWB holster broke and his Glock fell down his pants.

I like Galcos.

I have seen a lot of people with stacks of cheap holsters in the closet, who complain they can't find a comfortable way to carry, or a stack of expensive holsters and a cheap, floppy belt.

We are working hard to get a good stock of Front Line holsters in the US. They are the quality Israeli holsters. Hopefully we can get them on dealer's racks, since they are very affordable top quality holsters.

I agree. You save money on a holster but you pay for it in tears....

I think a lot of the reason that people buy those cheap crappy holsters is because gunshops stock them and they're available for instant sale.

Gunshop clerks are there to make money, and will gladly lie and say how great those crap holsters are, when they themselves carry in something else.

bc

I don't know how much of it is that or buy something cheap till you find something good.

Like this thread, finding someone who sticks with them is a lot rarer than finding someone who bought one.

I actually have a couple I use. Mainly as a transport method than actually a holster. I use a couple of their shoulder holsters for humping in .22lr handguns for hunting with either my CCW or open carry main gun on my hip. Works out pretty well because its out of the way of my pack and when I'm hunting the guns in my hand anyway. I'd sure hate to try to fast draw out of that thing.

Tj

Uncle Mike's is owned by Bushnell, Fobus is a completely different company. There are exactly two paddle holsters that I trust, one is CompTac the other is Eagle Industries G-Code. The reason the holster failed was because it was a paddle holster, not because it was Uncle Mike's.

This post has been edited by KellyTTE: October 2nd 2009 9:23 PM

Have you looked at the Safariland 6378?

I'm the original skeptic when it comes to paddle holsters and this one definitely makes me happy.

bc

Yup. Its mostly a function of the design itself, you're trading convenience (the ability to don and doff at will) for platform stability. If it can flex, or bend open, expect it to happen at the worst time possible.

This is true in many cases, but another reason that gun stores push the cheap holsters is because it is very difficult to stock a full line of expensive holsters. When you look at different holster models for most popular pistol models, it begins to be an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to carry enough quality holsters to be able to have one in stock to sell to the guy who comes in looking for a holster for his particular pistol.

They should have one or two designs from each manufacturer of quality holsters as demos. "We have this, and this, and this. I personally suggest this. It's impossible for us to stock one of these for every gun we sell. I can have it here in a week though."

Exactly! I don't see why they won't do this. For this reason I order my holsters direct from the manufacturer, and the gun store doesn't get my money.

I do think the cheapo holsters are good for first time gun carriers to find out what they want in a holster. I went cheapo paddle and decided I didn't want a paddle holster. Then I went with a Galco IWB and absolutely love it. I saw a guy today at the store where I work with a holster on, but no weapon in it. I guess he didn't think we allowed weapons inside or something, although we do. It was a cheap Uncle Mikes padded holster. The kind with the webbing that goed over the top and snaps in place halfway down the holster. You would be lucky if you could unholster that weapon in a fight against the really slow zombies in "Night of the Living Dead". I've heard a lot of people, usually my age in their 20's, talk about incidences where their weapons fall out of their holsters. Every single case involves a cheap Uncle Mikes or Fobus.