LongRider

My new K&D Holsters arrived, last Tuesday, Finally. Kevin kept me posted on the status of my order the whole time. Called me twice with questions about my order & when to send him my LaserLyte and again when my number came up. E-mailed me when it shipped with a tracking number. As usual with Kevin's customer service is top notch.

I have the K&D Maverick Defender which is an excellent adjustable cant holster. Comfortable as can be with great retention but I wanted something for deeper concealment during the summer months while wearing lighter cloths and an OWB for winter when I have layers of cloths on. So for the summer I ordered a Dakota Defender for both the Bersa Thunder and the XD.45 compact. Than an OWB Eagle Defender for the XD.45 compact for the winter. Kevin customized his designs to accommodate the Laserlyte Laser and TruGlo sights on my XD.45. My preferred cant is 43 degrees and Kevin did adjust the cant on the Eagle Defender as best he could without dramatically altering the design at my request. If I had asked for a complete custom he would have done that but I liked the way the Eagle Defender looks and its reputation for holding the gun close to your body.

All three of these holsters are perfect all of the edges are evenly cleanly cut and bonded. Every single stitch is right were it should be even and straight. The boning inside and out is incredible the pics do not do them any justice at all. The Bersa holster even has the Bersa logo imprint on the inside of the holster .
My biggest concern was is these would not be as comfortable as my Maverick Defender. With the Maverick Defender I am able to set the cant exactly at the most comfortable angle for carry and draw. I really do like the draw from the Maverick as the grip is right where my hand naturally drops so that the grip just drops into my hand.

This week I have worn the XD Dakota Defender, although I have the Eagle Defender on now. I think I like the Dakota Defender The suede sweat panel on the Dakota Defender does make a difference in comfort and feels great against my skin. Especially in the heat. The wings do distribute the weight nicely very comfortably and I can adjust the cant pretty much to where I like it and set the gun as deeply into my pants as I want. Once I found the spot and cant that feels right it disappeared from sight and my conscious awareness. It is only when I think about it do I notice that I have a gun on at all. No matter what I was doing walking running going about my daily activities, driving it is barely noticeable and rarely if ever needed adjustment throughout the day.

The draw is very stiff the holster grabs the gun like a vice. Well, duhh the holster is new and as I said the boning is impeccable every nook and cranny of the gun is molded into the holster like leather stretch pants or a second skin for the XD and so is very snug. After break in I expect this to be a great carry with good solid retention. Now the Eagle Defender Wow I love the look of this thing. Kevin set the shark grain so that it follows the contours of the gun. Everything about this holster says quality craftsmanship. It really deserves a nicer looking gun than an XD. Like a custom 1911.

I am glad I did not ask for a complete redesign of the Eagle Defender. Its is a simple elegant minimalist look. The shark skin is subtle and gives it just enough pop to separate it from a run of the mill holster. Kevin did a great job adjusting it to suit my needs. It too will need some break in as it wants to pull my pants off when I draw but again I think that is a good sign especially in an OWB without any retention strap. I expect that it will hold my gun securely during most daily activities and will report more on it when I have a chance to wear it more. So far today sitting here it is pretty comfortable.
Hope the pics look OK I have been having trouble with my monitor so let me know if they look screwy


Bersa Dakota Defender


XD.45 Dakota Defender


XD.45 Eagle Defender

My K&D Family

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Abort the Obamanation not the Constitution

Those who would, deny, require permit, license, certification, or authorization for me to bear arms are as dangerous & evil as those who would molest, abuse, assault, rape or murder my family

fotomaker57

Good choices on your holsters. I have the same combo for my XD Compact inc the shark on my Eagle. I have been using mine for a little over a year. I am sure you will enjoy them as much as I have.
Mike

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Bowie

Congrats on some great leather. The eagle defender has been my favorite OWB so far, I have another on order K&D indeed has a great product and great customer service.

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H&K USPc, S&W 642, Wilson Combat 1911 CQB

Wasabi

Excellent holsters. I'm looking forward to my two Dakota Defenders.

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"Life's tough......It's even tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne

McPatrickClan

The pics look great! Nice.

ripley16

I have the Mini-belt Defender and the Eagle Defender holsters and can also attest to Kevin's workmanship and service. His prices are more than reasonable...excellent value for the dollar.

redrick

Nice holsters , I just got 2 Eagle Defenders and I share your satisfaction , great holster and great customer service. Nice pictures mine don't do him justice.

fatboy97

Very nice... I've been wanting to buy a Dakota Defender... the wait time is the only reason I have not pulled the trigger on this one.

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Be Observant and Be Safe.

Current: Springfield XD9sc, XDm9, and Glock G26, G19, G23C, and SIG P226-40 TT, and Ruger GP-100, 22/45 MKII
Former: Taurus 92SS, SIG P220 TT, S&W 360, SIG P239-40

JerryM

I have a Laredo Defender for my G26, and decided to order an Eagle Defender for my 1911 Compact SA.
After placing the order I wore the Laredo again, and decided I like so well that I changed the order from the Eagle to the Laredo.
Kevin makes some fine holsters.

Regards,
Jerry

LongRider

The sooner you order the sooner it will arrive. I doubt Kevin's wait times will get shorter the more folks learn about his great quality craftsmanship and customer service the more orders he will have to fill the longer the wait is apt to become. Look at some of the other top quality holster makers, even when they charge two & three times as much as K&D and have wait times as long as two years, their client list still keeps growing.

Truth is K&D's wait does not seem as long as it sounds as he does not bill you until he starts work on your holster. The real wait is only about two weeks. After I ordered I kind of forgot about it until Kevin called. Now those two weeks seemed like forever. That and the two days delivery took were the real wait times.

Kind of like a kid and Christmas, not a kid in the world is thinking about it today, December 25th is not that far off or too far off to think about. Come December 10th and the real wait begins. Those two weeks can become unbearable. Just like Christmas once you hold one of these holsters in your hand every minute that you did wait will be worth it. Five ten years from than when you are still wearing the same, now old favorite holster that wait will be insignificant compared to the many years of comfortable service the holster has given you. JMO

__________________
Abort the Obamanation not the Constitution

Those who would, deny, require permit, license, certification, or authorization for me to bear arms are as dangerous & evil as those who would molest, abuse, assault, rape or murder my family