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My rant about holsters...

7K views 99 replies 55 participants last post by  Traviss224 
#1 ·
I'm a meat and potatoes guy. I head a single income family of five and run a small farm so money and value are important to me when I buy a gun or a gun related item. Recently I've been shopping for a new IWB holster for my G19. What I found was that cheap kydex holsters are almost as expensive as a hand made leather holster. Frankly I just can't for the life of me understand why.

Leather is a tough medium to work with, stitching and molding take time and time costs money...I get it. Kydex is cut, heated and molded. From my understanding of the process it's not even close to the same amount of work. So why on earth are people selling kydex holsters for 60 dollars or more?

Maybe someone can answer that for me.
 
#4 ·
There is a product for almost every budget out there as far as Holsters go. I know what I paid for my EDC holster, and like a good consumer, I felt it was worth the amount paid. Aliengear a sponsor here has a pretty decent price point. Fobus IWB does too (Never wore their IWB but like their OWB with paddle)
 
#5 ·
I have about seventeen bucks worth of materials and about four hours of my time in each holster I make, after having spent forty-five dollars on the blue gun mold, plus my press and associated tools. Just considering materials and shipping alone, that shakes out to maybe bucks an hour for an eighty dollar holster.
 
#6 ·
I get your point, but these shops aren't buying a press and a blue gun for every holster made.

I like plasma cutters and own three of them. It hurts the first job that I purchase them for, but I don't cry when I use them for every subsequent project.....
 
#8 ·
For me-I carry leather in the summer due to heat/sweat. Kydex every other season. Both IWB. I like both, use both, think both were good investments. Is the kydex cheaply made? It's held up so far. I do think the kydex is slightly more secure with the "click" when I holster it. FYI I carry a Glock 19 & 43.
 
#9 ·
One reason I settled on hybrids for IWB carry is it's the best of both worlds IMO. A nice, easily conforming leather backing, with the less expensive kydex shell that provides excellent retention. All in a package that's usually less than both full leather and full kydex rigs. Quality ones at least.
 
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#10 ·
I am on the other side of this debate , this is 2016 and things cost money and labor rates are high for the most part . I have no problem seeing the value in all the holsters I own (leather or hybrids) .
I run a business and stuff cost money , overhead , insurance . My business cost me money while we are closed , these cost need to be applied somewhere .

If you run a farm and equipment you have fuel and other cost . The market will weed out the people selling over-price gear . IMHO
 
#72 ·
Pretty much sums it up for me. Especially when I'm not willing to do the work myself.
 
#22 ·
I ordered a clinger stingray last week.
Is it just me or is clinger about half the price that most other kydex benders are?
I don't have the holster yet so i can't lay claim to the quality but the three holsters they offer seem to be of good quality and the design of their most expensive holster seems superior to many of the other companies with similar offers.

So if these holsters are equal in quality the question would be what are they doing different in their process as a company to be able to cut the cost nearly in half?
 
#15 ·
I don't really know anything about the holster manufacturing process, but will say this: I bought one of the special run HSP/GCODE Incog holsters that they ran earlier this year to benefit the MARSOC foundation, and it is well worth what they are charging for a holster. I'm probably a bigger buy than most think can effectively carry forward of the hip (about 6' and 245 currently), but carrying a Glock 19 at 1:30-2:00 with this holster is a breeze.

Also, for IWB, I usually prefer kydex, because it doesn't collapse after the gun is drawn, and makes for easier re-holstering.

High Noon holsters currently has a sale that is 20% off all of their kydex holsters (ends 1/20). I just picked up several of their "Light duty" kydex IWB's, mostly for smaller guns (PM9, J-frame), but will give them a shot. I don't know how the single loop set-up will work for something the size of a 19, but for $32 bucks, plus you can return it if you don't like it, maybe it is worth a shot?
 
#16 ·
I was at a gun show this weekend and there was a vendor cranking them out while people waited. All kinds of different colors and designs and a large pile of blue guns up front. It didn't take them long to produce one but I didn't notice the cost or quality but they had plenty of customers and several employees.
 
#32 ·
I was at a gun show this weekend and there was a vendor cranking them out while people waited. All kinds of different colors and designs and a large pile of blue guns up front. It didn't take them long to produce one but I didn't notice the cost or quality but they had plenty of customers and several employees.
The best analogy I can come up with that one is the line wrapping all the way around the building and back to the street at McDonalds.
 
#17 ·
I expect to pay $60 to $80 for an excellent kydex or hybrid holster. And $120 and up for a quality leather one. I learned the hard way the second my $50 Highnoon "leather" holster arrived on my porch. It didnt take me long to declare it a POS.
There are real craftsmen who know how to make holsters, just need to weed out the crappy ones. And that can be expensive.
 
#18 ·
Timmy,
First, I think a lot of the good leather makers don't charge what their products are worth and some charge way too much for mass produced, meh quality leather. The same can be said for the Kydex benders.

I make several holsters for well under $60.00 and a couple that are a good bit more than $60.00.

As mike stated, there's a good bit of investment in making even Kydex holsters. While you don't need a new blue gun for every holster, you do need several of each make and model for different reasons. Not to mention the fact that while some blue guns(or Duncan's Custom Castings or Red guns or, whatever) pay for themselves quickly, some never do. Then there's R&D which can be time consuming and expensive in materials. Next add in the cost of book keeping software, office equipment and the hours spent managing the business side of things. Just doing the sales taxes can be a huge pain in the backside for a "mail order" business (Ohio has nearly 1000 different tax regions). Retail packaging, warranty costs(my holsters are as near bullet proof as I can make them but some folks still manage to break them), lost packages, etc. It adds up fast.

It's easy to make a holster from kydex. If you have an eye for detail and a minimum amount of manual skills, you can make a decent holster. You might even make a great holster. Now, someone persuades you to make one for them and they talk it up on a forum, you get a couple more requests for holsters. Next thing you know you have 12 months worth of orders and you are still making everything one at a time by hand because that's the way you get the quality you'd demand for your hard earned money. You try to get some decent help, train a friend or a friend of a friend and you find that their idea of quality and yours don't see eye to eye. You're out time and money and still have no help. It all adds up and is called the cost of doing business. The cost has to be defrayed somehow so, a $20.00 dollar holster is now $25.00, a $40.00 dollar rig is now $50.00, etc.

I have watched at least 100 new Kydex makers come and go over the last decade. Some made good stuff and didn't make it for some reason. A few made mediocre stuff and got popular somehow. Luck? Connections? I don't know. Some made crap and lasted a few years until they imploded and a few made quality and are still turning out the gear.

I count myself as lucky. I was in it early and got some much needed critique and insight from some very good people in the shooting world. This forum, as well as a few others were key in my success and I try to pay it back whenever I can.

So, don't hesitate to call me if you need some help choosing a new carry rig. Sometimes mine are right and sometimes I refer customers to other makers. There are several right here that do great work.

Regards,
Rich
 
#20 ·
I like leather holsters and I had mine made at a local shop with tax it was just over 100.00. He's a 1 man operation so it took a few weeks to have it finished but to me it's worth it since it was exactly as I wanted it. A good holster IMO must fit the pistol, be durable, and be comfortable to wear.
 
#21 ·
It seems I'm almost always searching for holsters online for one gun or another. One thing I've noticed is that most custom Leather holsters are priced between $80 and $120 and almost all have a wait time of 6 weeks or more.

Kydex Holsters are usually $60 - $100 and, depending on the manufacturer, can be available to ship within a week or are usually up to a 4 week wait time.

So while the prices may be similar, Kydex is generally slightly cheaper, and are available in much shorter time frames than leather holsters. (The one thing saving my paltry bank account from James Nelson is the wait time.)
 
#23 ·
I bought a Spartan hybrid holster, and then a different gun. All I needed was a little 6" x 6" piece of Kydex to make another shell for the new gun, right? Took hours and making jig, etc. I got it done, it works, but a blind man wouldn't pay me to make him one. To get into it all you need is a 2x6, foam sleeping mat, and some large C clamps to make a press and a utility knife and dremel for cutting, shaping, polishing. A few hours research, a few hours heating/cutting/forming - let us know what you'd pay someone else to do it instead. Single Kydex sheet for a holster would be $20, one to practice with $20, bulk set of screws (most of which you may never use) $10 - you're over the cost of the holster you need (including the press materials) and still don't have the skills yet. Are you going to keep up the project list to maintain your skills? Not being a smart ass, just reminded now and again why it's worth it to pay someone else to do something - sometimes that's what you're really paying for, not just the object itself.
 
#36 ·
I started with a $30 clinger stingray, and even though it wasn't a bad holster there was something about it that I just didn't like. maybe it was the scraping sound every time you holster and unholster.

I heard about Garrett Industries on here and checked them out. I ordered one right away and am absolutely in love with it. Seems like the best of both worlds with a nice quiet leather draw. Now the clinger is gathering dust.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I agree haha
 
#25 ·
I charge $65 for my AIWB work, I've been closed for four months, and still get requests daily asking when can they order, when I will re-open. Quality costs, and it seems is in demand. I know the benders here turn out some of the finest Kydex on the market, it's hard, demanding work, and we demand a lot from ourselves and put that into our products. Purchase a $30-$40 holster and put a Shaggy or one of Mike1956's pancakes beside it. The extra cost becomes evident very quickly.
 
#26 ·
I bought an Aliengear IWB2.0 over a year, actually it was a 2 holster combo for $75 shipped. I figured I'd replace it with something better later after it wore out, well it's so comfortable that I forget to get a new one, it retains and just works for me. I'm. In construction and can be crawling under a sink one minute and scaling a ladder the next. I roll around on my holster all day long and have not had a problem. My carry guns also show no signs of wear from the holster, whereas leather seems to wear the finish from what I've heard. Eventually I'll get another holster, but at this point I don't need one. My CHL renewal is coming up this year as well, so after that if I'm renewed I'll probably look into one or more of some of our members or sponsors holsters.
 
#28 ·
I'm a part time hack, one man show (well the wife and kids are getting pulled in), garaged based shop with an eBay store, local following, and loyal NC gun board following. That said, I still have several thousand dollars worth of equipment, guns, gun molds, and disposable materials. I've gone from ordering 6 Sq foot of leather to ordering 75-100 sq foot at a time, 3-4 sides. Ordering a couple square feet of kydex to ordering 5-6 2'x4' sheets. Clips by the hundred or more. Luckily I've built it slowly and it's all paid for, no credit going out. But I can't do business selling the holster for what it costs. I either get more than cost to pay me and buy more goodies, or I hang it up.

That said, the question of cost is the biggest struggle I have. I probably don't want to know what I make per hour, it's not nearly enough I'm sure. It's a funny game. You have guys turning out great gear that's not expensive but they don't have the recognition, then you have guys turning out OK gear with a big name making a lot more. Telling the difference is not that hard if you start paying attention to the details on the holster, fit, finish, and materials. Guys are cranking out .06 full kydex rigs and I've replaced them with a holster when they snapped. They go from gun show to gun show suckering new guys into buying them. But find a guy running thicker kydex, that cares enough to finish the edges nice, uses good hardware, and well though out design but charges a bit more deal with that guy.

There is a point where you get what you pay for here. Too cheap is, well cheap. A lot of guys in the middle putting out good stuff at a good price. Then there is the point where you are buying into a name, brand, almost like a club, and there is a cost to that too. Not saying all high end gear is a rip off, but I do shake my head at some of it. But some of it I do truly admire.
 
#29 ·
I've done enough leather work to recognize good work when I see it and to know what is involved. Quality leather work is worth every cent. It is not easy, requires a high level of skill, and the materials can be expensive. A square ft of good leather can be $30 easy, and thats not an exotic. Leather stamping and carving are art forms, labor intensive and time consuming. I have a drawer filled with basic ugly leather holsters, and maybe three good enough to sell, which I gave to brothers.
Instructions for holsters are available on line and there are on line sources of materials. Try it. Makes buying the next holster easier.
 
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