| joelrosenberg ( @ 2004-05-25 09:04:00 |
Another (unsolicited, uncompensated) plug for Dave Workman holsters
I usually say something like this in class:
...and then get something good, something that fits your handgun closely, so it's not too loose, and you don't have to worry about things like retaining straps. (You may still want a thumb-break strap -- that's another matter -- but you don't want to have to depend on a snap being snapped to prevent, say, the much-unadmired clankskitterskitterskitter as you handgun goes sliding along the floor when you've loosened your belt to get at your zipper so you can use a urinal.
I really like Dave Workman's stuff. Right now, he only makes four different holster models, but they're all good.
(I'm less fond of the photos on his website, or, for that matter, the text. Workman's a real reporter, among other things, and I read his stuff often, and but writing good ad copy isn't something that he either can do, or bothers to do. I think he should hire somebody who could take better pictures, and either rewrite his own website copy, or maybe hire somebody else who could write better website copy, but that's his call. Sniff.)
Compare the photo of his "Undershirt" holster with the Mitch Rosen "Workman"
holster, at right. I've got both -- I've got an "Undershirt" holster for my Kimber Ultra Carry, and a Rosen "Workman" for my snubby, and you can't tell it from the photos, but the holster made by Workman is just a little nicer than the Rosen clone. (The Rosen clone is very nice, honest.) And even if you could tell that from the photo, you wouldn't be able to tell that the fit of the Workman-made holster is better than the Rosen -- it grips the gun just right, without being either too tight or too loose.
And, on top of that, it costs less. Workman's holster is really the equivalent of the Rosen "Slimline" version, which sells for $210; Workman's costs a little more than half as much.
I'm a big fan of pocket carry, as regular readers know. But there are some advantages to carry on the belt, particularly for those folks who regularly wear a covering garment, like a suit jacket. And the "Undershirt" gives you another option -- because of its clever construction, it's possible to tuck the shirt around the holster, leaving nothing showing on the belt except for a little leather loop. That way, if it's necessary to take off your jacket or vest, neither the holster nor the gun shows.
Plus, since the only way that the holster attaches to the belt is with that snapped loop, when you want to put the handgun away, all you have to do is unsnap it, and remove the handgun and the holster as a unit, then put them away together in the gun box.
A good buy, I think. And it might help keep the size -- and the expense -- of the holster drawer down.
I usually say something like this in class:
"I've got some bad news for you. You're about to acquire a large, expensive, and useless thing called the 'holster drawer.' It's sort of a living graveyard for holsters that didn't quite work out, for you. The thing that you saw in the catalogue, or ordered on the Internet, or even felt comfortable at first will turn out to, well, not work out for you. It'll be uncomfortable after awhile, or it'll 'print' too much, or it'll turn out to not hold the gun securely enough.One way to minimize the size and cost of the holster drawer -- and it may work -- is to figure out what kind of holster is likely to work for you in the first place...
"That goes for me, too. I've got a holster drawer. Heck, mine has its own zip code. . . ."
...and then get something good, something that fits your handgun closely, so it's not too loose, and you don't have to worry about things like retaining straps. (You may still want a thumb-break strap -- that's another matter -- but you don't want to have to depend on a snap being snapped to prevent, say, the much-unadmired clankskitterskitterskitter as you handgun goes sliding along the floor when you've loosened your belt to get at your zipper so you can use a urinal.
I really like Dave Workman's stuff. Right now, he only makes four different holster models, but they're all good.
(I'm less fond of the photos on his website, or, for that matter, the text. Workman's a real reporter, among other things, and I read his stuff often, and but writing good ad copy isn't something that he either can do, or bothers to do. I think he should hire somebody who could take better pictures, and either rewrite his own website copy, or maybe hire somebody else who could write better website copy, but that's his call. Sniff.)
Compare the photo of his "Undershirt" holster with the Mitch Rosen "Workman"
holster, at right. I've got both -- I've got an "Undershirt" holster for my Kimber Ultra Carry, and a Rosen "Workman" for my snubby, and you can't tell it from the photos, but the holster made by Workman is just a little nicer than the Rosen clone. (The Rosen clone is very nice, honest.) And even if you could tell that from the photo, you wouldn't be able to tell that the fit of the Workman-made holster is better than the Rosen -- it grips the gun just right, without being either too tight or too loose. And, on top of that, it costs less. Workman's holster is really the equivalent of the Rosen "Slimline" version, which sells for $210; Workman's costs a little more than half as much.
I'm a big fan of pocket carry, as regular readers know. But there are some advantages to carry on the belt, particularly for those folks who regularly wear a covering garment, like a suit jacket. And the "Undershirt" gives you another option -- because of its clever construction, it's possible to tuck the shirt around the holster, leaving nothing showing on the belt except for a little leather loop. That way, if it's necessary to take off your jacket or vest, neither the holster nor the gun shows.
Plus, since the only way that the holster attaches to the belt is with that snapped loop, when you want to put the handgun away, all you have to do is unsnap it, and remove the handgun and the holster as a unit, then put them away together in the gun box.
A good buy, I think. And it might help keep the size -- and the expense -- of the holster drawer down.