Fobus hoslters anyone?.?

[duckjihad]

Anybody own one and how do you like it? Do you carry it with the paddle or loops? Weapon retention okay?

[VHinch]

I have a Fobus paddle for just about every handgun I own. I like them to throw on for a quick run to the store, etc, but there are much better options out there for all day carry.

[btg3]

I use a Fobus paddle for CC with SW M&P 9mm compact. Although, I don't have a large basis for comparison, the Fobus is infinitely better than what I previously had (cordura Uncle Mikes paddle/thumb strap with a smaller 9mm).

No issues with retention (which is somewhat adjustable), but if I fell down hard, I could see the pistol possibly getting dislodged. For $25, I feel it's a great starting point, even if I find a better holster later on.

[Standing Wolf]

I carry my pre-agreement Smith & Wesson model 60 five-shot .357 magnum revolver in a $23.95 Fobus paddle holster.

I looked down my nose at plastic holsters for years, and still wouldn't carry a barbecue gun in one; that said™, the cheap little Fobus has replaced all mymuch more expensive leather holsters for daily carry. It's comfortable; carries the gun securely, and can be switched from side to side in no time. Beautiful? No way! Functional? Absolutely.

By the way, don't even think about Fobus holsters without adjustable tension for retention. Spend the extra few dollars to do the job right.

[Zach S]

Fobus holsters are good for the money. Retnetion is pretty good, and a quick draw takes a lot of practice, otherwise you'll just be pulling your pants up.

Concealment sucks for me, but for work around the yard or a quick trip to the store theyre hard to beat with another cheap holster.

[lance22]

Down on the bottom rung of non-leather holsters we have Fobus and Uncle Mike. I've used both and I like Fobus much better because Fobus has a softer feel and is not as prone to hairline fractures as Uncle Mike.

Both Fobus and Uncle are injection molded. IMHO plastics are better suited for injection molding than kydex. I don't know what Uncle does but they manage to turn a great material (kydex) into something brittle, hard, and inflexible - maybe that's what happens when they superheat the kydex?

Something better would be a Blade Tech, and better than that you have BearClaw Holsters, Dan Hillsman Holsters, RM Kydex, and Comp-Tac.

[Old Dog]

Excellent range holsters. And for that evening trip down to the Quicki-Mart for milk and diapers, why drop a 642 (5 rounds of .38) in your coat pocket when you can just as easily slide on Beretta 92FS (19 rounds of 115-gr +P JHPs) in a Fobus paddle holster?

Went to a gun school, primary gun broke, had to substitute the Glock 23 in a Fobus, rolled around in the gravel and dirt, a few hundred draws, more'n 1500 rounds fired over 3 days ... Fobus had a few scratches, but still maintained retention and held up fine.

Of course, the brand-snobs and purists will never agree ... (but for the record, I do prefer my Sparks, Rosen and Kramer gunleather).

[Landlocked Pirate]

I have a Fobus paddle holster for my Glock 17 that is extremely comfortable and close-fitting, and it actually had more retention than I wanted for concealment purposes. I filed down the retention area that fits inside the trigger guard to obtain just the right amount of retention for my purposes and then sanded it smooth and treated it with ArmorAll, and now it's perfect. I can't imagine a better holster of this type (for me, at least) for any amount of money.

[Jkwas]

I have several. The last one I bought for my Taurus MilPro had a rubber cushion pad on the inside of the paddle, and and adjustment screw. Rides nice and high. A big improvement on their old models. I mostly pocket carry, but lately when I hip carry it's mostly a Fobus.

[Zach S]

I filed down the retention area that fits inside the trigger guard to obtain just the right amount of retention for my purposes and then sanded it smooth and treated it with ArmorAll, and now it's perfect.
You can also use a hairdryer or heat gun. That's what I did with mine.

[Macx 45LC+P]

The paddle is a little wide for CCW, fine for open carry or under jacket for late night dog walking (when you don't expect to see to many people or be too well lit). I have one for my Makarov & mostly use it for a bedframe holster. . . for CCW I tend to use the Falco IWB in leather.

[jamz]

I've used one for IDPA this year, and occasional glock 19 carry. Not bad, hard to beat the convenience, but for some reason the paddle irritates my hip in a wierd way (happens with a Galco paddle I have too) so I wouldn't use it for an all day thing, personally.

[JMag]

No thanks...

[Ohen Cepel]

Bit rough on the finish of some guns.

However, for the money I think they are a great buy.

[Oldskoolfan]

They are not for me.

[spwenger]

A few years ago, when I lived in a different town, I had two students for a CWP course. One was an athletically fit young man and one was a somewhat pudgy, short-waisted middle-age guy (two or three years my junior, as I recall). They had both been sold Fobus hosters as that was all that was stocked at the local gun shop. The young man had no trouble with his. The older guy could not manage the combination of strength and angle to draw reliably.

All the exercises in that course involved drawing from an upright position.

My questions to you are:

If a holster is that demanding of the correct angle and enough strength for you to be able to draw your gun, will it help you or hinder you if you have to draw from an unconventional position, particularly if you may already have been struck or cut on your gun hand or gun-hand arm?
If you're training for the street, why would you want to distinguish between a range holster and a carry holster?
If your manipulation of your handgun will be on autopilot when your life is on the line, wouldn't you be more likely to succeed if you always used the same gun in the same holster, at the same location on your body?

[rantingredneck]

I use them for woods carry (usually open) when hunting. I have better holsters for every day, concealed carry. Retention is good. Too good sometimes when the holster is new. After some use they loosen to where drawing the weapon doesn't result in a near-wedgie.

[hankdatank1362]

For range or CC under a coat, FOBUS is fine. Not the best, but for the money, you can't go wrong.

I don't like how far away from the body they ride, so I merely unscrew the paddle or belt loop attatchment, use a heat gun to widen the brace that secures the holster body to the paddle or belt loop attatchment, and presto! I now have a snug, secure, close-riding belt loop holster!

[W.E.G.]

I like the plain-jane Fobus paddle holster a lot.

The Fobus "roto" holster sticks out too much though.

I leave the Glock in the Holster when I'm not carrying. No worry at all about moisture or corrosion. For the record, I absolutely HATE the kydex/synthetic holsters with the pushbutton thing on the side. Last thing I want to do is reach for some stupid button when I'm trying to draw my gun under adverse conditions.

[btg3]

Seems that experience with Fobus holsters varies and I suspect this may be because we talking about several different guns various models of holsters. Your specific gun/holster combination may give results that you don't expect based on the above.

[hexidismal]

I've tried two fobus kydex holsters.. I REALLY didn't like either one of them.
Bersa 380 holster: BS2BH BERSA THUNDER SERIES BELT HOLSTER
4" 686 holster: SW4 SMITH & WESSON K&L FRAME PADDLE HOLSTER

These negatives apply equally to to both holsters.
#1: Retention was way too tight. Not only did it make proper draw technique difficult, but it seemed very likely to affect/damage the finish of the holstered firearms. Perhaps as some other posters have mentioned this can be altered with a heat gun.. but why bother, plenty of other holsters out there which don't require me to do a project after spending the money on them to have them function well.
#2: Both holsters seemed to angle the the grip of the guns away from the body considerably. Not only does this seem strange and impractical to me, it also makes good concealment almost impossible. One has to consider that this also causes the draw to be made at an angle away from the body, which is by no means optimal.

The only positive I can really see would be the durability. I can easily see these holsters standing up to a lifetime of use. Maybe if I was going into combat of some type I would like them more, but for my purposes they are quite useless.

[nwilliams]

I have a few Fobus holsters for various guns, they aren't bad but having recently picked up my first Comp-Tac holster and I see now why Fobus are cheap and why Comp-Tacs are costly. You get what you pay for, if you want a very nice holster buy from Comp-Tac, if you want a budget holster then pick up a Fobus.

In short, there are certainly better holsters out there than Fobus, but like I said you want better, you pay more.

[possum]

had one didn't care for it, not concealable, and just didn't aid in a smooth draw stroke.

[Geno]

Fobus holds my Glocks well, but chews the Hades out of the finish. By the second day, the left side of the slide was bare steel.

I refuse to use Fobus for my 1911s for the same reason, and because the 1911 almost always hung up in the holster, making it near impossible to draw.

At present, I have 1 remaining Fobus...for the Glock, and it will not be replaced. Give me a nice piece of leather any day.

[Landlocked Pirate]

I have a few Fobus holsters for various guns, they aren't bad but having recently picked up my first Comp-Tac holster and I see now why Fobus are cheap and why Comp-Tacs are costly.
I know experiences vary, but after modification my Fobus paddle holster holds my Glock more securely than my son's Comp-Tac IWB holds his Glock, but still provides a smooth draw.

[Zach S]

Perhaps as some other posters have mentioned this can be altered with a heat gun.. but why bother, plenty of other holsters out there which don't require me to do a project after spending the money on them to have them function well.
Why not? A comp tac holster is much nicer, but at around 50 bucks, its twice the price of fobus. Blade tech is much nicer as well, but cost about 65.

I saved 60 to 80 bucks by getting a couple of fobus holsters instead of comp tac or blade tech, more if you consider that fobus is stocked at the local gun store and I didnt have to pay shipping. I spent about 5 minutes on each of them to get retention where I wanted it. Ten minutes each if you consider the time it took me to find my heat gun.

[bannockburn]

I tried a Fobus holster for my Steyr M9; package was marked as such, but couldn't even get the gun into it. Don't know if they screwed up the design or the label. Also tried a magazine holder for double column 9mm mags. Couldn't get a Hi-Power mag to fit in it. Finally after several hours of sanding and scraping the inside of the holder, I could get a mag in, but it still is a tight fit. Overall, I'd have to rate them as marginally conditional; try them out first, and then buy it if there's nothing else to choose from.

[JerryM]

I like them, and the last one I purchased has a screw to adjust tension. That make a lot of difference since some I have used were too tight.

In spite of all the badmouthing, maybe some are justified, that always goes on when the subject of Fobus comes up, I have used them for over 10 years, and have never had a single problem.
I also have some leather holsters from some of the very top makers, but I probably just slip on the Fobus paddle more than any other.

As for quality, I admit they are not equal to some other kydex holsters, such as Comp-Tac. But they work, and I don't worry about them breaking, coming off, or someone breaking them off me.

Best,
Jerry

[Grandpa Shooter]

I have purchased and used them even for guns they weren't labelled to be for. I asked permission from the shop to try them on my firearm and bought the closest fit and then shortened the holster section, changed the curve of the paddle, snipped or added plastic to suit me, and used the daylights out of them.

They now have a new generation where the paddle is more flexible and padded. I will be buying the new ones for each existing "old style" one I own.

Yes, it does require practice to use one for daily carry. You have to adjust the tension, get used to the angle of extraction, and the pull your pants up routine, but then doesn't anything you choose to do well require practice?

[cheaptrick]

I would just get a Comp Tac paddle holster and be done with it.

Most people that have a Fobus, like me, eventually end up upgrading their holsters anyway. Just get a good one now.

[Gunner4h1r3]

I got one of the Roto models for my 1911. I like it and use the paddle attachment more often than the belt attachment. Good holster for the money. Especially if you are left handed.

[Rogelio]

I bought one like 3 weeks ago... although mine has great retention and is really confortable to carry, it needs a light jacket to conceal (Shirts just tend to open up!) I always appendix carry (1:30 ) unless when wearing thunderwear...

IMHO, just for winter