I have several belt and paddle holsters for the Glock 17 but was interested in a IWB, mainly to help hide the length of the slide. After looking over every holster that I could find I settled on the Blade-Tech standard IWB.
At $65 it is not expensive and I didn't even wait 4 days to receive the package. After taking it out of the box, the first thing I noticed is that it's very well made. I used to have an ultra-thin Kydex IWB from Fist Inc. for a Glock 20 that was wonderful for concealment, but it was - as you would guess - very thin. The Blade-Tech is not super thin but it is not excessive either. It has the double snaps so that it can be put on and taken off without the removal of the belt, as well as two adjustable tension screws to keep the gun secure.
Fitting the gun to the holster with the tension screws was quick. The belt loops attach to the holster body with screws and are adjustable for cant, with the loop closest to the sight trough having two slots to give a greater degree of cant.
I prefer a great deal of cant to help with concealment, but more importantly to help balance the gun. 17 rounds of 9mm in the magazine is not light and makes the butt of the gun tip down.
I usually wear some type of riggers belt from either 5.11 or Wilderness. The belt loops fit over them fine and I think that the 1 3/4" riggers belt from Blackhawk would probably work great too.
As far as the holstering and un-holstering, this is where the Blade-Tech really shines. No exaggerating, this is the slickest holster I have ever owned. Blade-Tech claims this thing is made of Kydex, but with the silky smooth snickitty-snick goodness it feels like it was crafted from the plasticized asshole of Bambi's baby brother. I'm not kidding. When you holster the pistol it's like a hand is inside of the thing and guides the pistol home. Drawing is fast and smooth and lacks the distinct Kydex snap that I'm used to from using Fobus holsters. Not that Fobus holsters are bad or anything; I have lots of them.
I generally use leather holsters because they feel smoother than the gritty snap of Kydex but now I feel like I may have to order another one of these for the future 1911 that I'm shopping for.
The Blade-Tech carries and conceals well but I find IWB holsters uncomfortable. This is not a knock against the Blade-Tech, it's just that sitting on a 3 x 2" block of plastic and steel all day can be very painful. Then again, to quote Clint Smith - "Your carry gun should be comforting, not comfortable." 
Even with the gun canted as much as that it still tips down after getting in and out of the car and walking around all day. No big deal to me, this holster is for the minimalist to conceal a handgun. If I wanted a holster that absolutely did not move I would have ordered one of these.
Taking the holster off is very easy, just un-snap the belt loops and off she goes. Putting the holster on while wearing the belt can be a exercise in futility. I find it a pain so I thread the belt through like any other holster and I save myself some time. A bonus is that my Glock 26 also fits in this holster just as well as the Glock 17, although the paperwork that came with it says not to use it for any gun that it is not designed for. Just a thought.
Other than that, there isn't much else to say about it. I will update this post at a later date if I have more to report.
1 comment:
I'm with you on uncomfortable IWB holsters. I couldn't pull them off without significant discomfort until I tried an MTAC from Comp-Tac. Now I carry a Glock 26 to work in one every single day with no discomfort. Sometimes I'll get up from the couch or desk at night to go to bed and realize that I'm still wearing it. I also carried a 23 in it for some time with no problems. Give it a shot sometime. If I had an extra I'd offer to loan you one, but I won't give up my favorite holster. :)
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