stevereno1
Member
For carry, are there any advantages to leather against the plastic holsters like fobus, or blackhawk? I can't see any, except for the look and feel of leather, but a ccw holster isn't supposed to be seen or felt, right?
New plastic, or old leather? a holster discussion.
- Thread starter stevereno1
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I'm inclined to say it depends on your method of carry. IWB is just plain uncomfortable for me when kydex is involved unless it is something like the Comp-tac minotaur holster. I will say that kydex iwb doesn't pick up a nasty sweaty smell though, which is a plus. Also, I suspect it doesn't degrade in the same way leather does. I have a galco royal guard holster that is pretty much on it's last leg after about 2 years of wear on a regular basis (60% +). Granted, YMMV, but that is just my experience. That said, once you exit the waistband, I find the playing field pretty level. I have a few of each kind that I use often. One thing I see a trend with, which once again may just be me, is that the kydex holsters seem to cause more harsh holster wear faster. But, I find comfort to be about equal. YMMV.
Steve B.
Member
I would choose leather any day over Kydex for daily carry. If the Kydex is not molded to your body exactly where you are going to wear the holster, it will probably/possibly be uncomfortable. Leather will give and mold to your body after it is broken in.
collector14
Member
I look at and feel my holsters pretty often and I prefer "leather".
Geronimo45
Member
Feel does matter - at least for IWB. Leather's much more flexible, generally speaking. For OWB, probably not so much of an issue.
I use a plastic shoulder rig. Only noise is the jingling of .357's bouncing off the... whatchamacallit plate of the revolver, and it only jingles when I run.
I use a plastic shoulder rig. Only noise is the jingling of .357's bouncing off the... whatchamacallit plate of the revolver, and it only jingles when I run.
massglockman
Member
anything other than iwb i would go plastic but i aint damaging my love handles with the plastic iwb
Old Dog
Member
Advantages to leather over kydex/plastic/polymer for concealed carry? As others note, leather is quieter. As far as aesthetics go, leather looks much better (and smells good, too) and can be worn as fashion to match belts, boots, etc. (let's face it, leather is simply much classier).
I will never again holster an Eclipse or Black Stainless 1911 in a kydex rig, either due to the scratching. A good-quality horsehide or properly crafted cowhide holster should last you as long as any kydex holster.
Interesting how most of us can admire pages of photographs of classy leather rigs, but has anyone ever seen a thread here titled, "Show us your kydex?" Deeply blued steel or bright polished nickel, exotic hardwood stocks and ... kydex? I don't think so ...
I will never again holster an Eclipse or Black Stainless 1911 in a kydex rig, either due to the scratching. A good-quality horsehide or properly crafted cowhide holster should last you as long as any kydex holster.
Interesting how most of us can admire pages of photographs of classy leather rigs, but has anyone ever seen a thread here titled, "Show us your kydex?" Deeply blued steel or bright polished nickel, exotic hardwood stocks and ... kydex? I don't think so ...
the_fallguy
Member
In my opinion, for every day carry and concealment, leather is superior even with owb holsters. Though leather is usually thicker than kydex, more often than not the leather holsters' belt loops will hold the gun in tighter to your body. Leather typically breaks up the lines of a gun better under a lighter cover garment than the harsher edges found on most kydex rigs. Kydex will never conform to your body like a good leather rig, either. The Serpas aren't bad holsters, but they will certainly tell on you if you bump against something or someone while concealed. Fobus holsters are fine for the shooting range but I would never trust one as an EDC solution. Try a weapon retention drill with a FOBUS and you'll know why. This is just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth, as I'm a little biased 
P97
Member
I've tried them all and my favorite is Horsehide.
SAWBONES
Member
What's important to you?
In IWB applications, leather is more comfortable and is definitely less bulky whether the holster is IWB, OWB or a shoulder rig.
Kydex OTOH can be quite adequate, is inexpensive, and can be gotten quite quickly, while wait times for leather rigs from the best makers may be out to a year.
Can't do better for leather IME than Lou Alessi and Matt Del Fatti.
Can't do better in Kydex IME than Gregg Garrett (Comp-Tac).
In IWB applications, leather is more comfortable and is definitely less bulky whether the holster is IWB, OWB or a shoulder rig.
Kydex OTOH can be quite adequate, is inexpensive, and can be gotten quite quickly, while wait times for leather rigs from the best makers may be out to a year.
Can't do better for leather IME than Lou Alessi and Matt Del Fatti.
Can't do better in Kydex IME than Gregg Garrett (Comp-Tac).
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
I am not at all a fantastic, plastic fanatic; preferring the old real leather
to the gimmick holster's of today~!
to the gimmick holster's of today~!
Lucky Strike
Member
I like a mix of the two. I've got a crossbreed IWB and it's got a leather backing for comfort (after a couple months it's molded nicely to my body) and kydex to actually hold the gun which keeps things thin, adding to concealibility .
AK103K
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I carry IWB, as its the most concealable way for me to carry and I also find it more comfortable.
For the most part, I gave up leather as soon as kydex arrived on the scene. For anyone who carrys every waking moment, sweats like a pig in the summer, and works physically outdoors, year round, its the ONLY way to go.
Leather just does not hold up to day in, day out hard use like kydex does.
A couple of the comments here baffle me.
I used to go through a couple of good leather holsters a year. The last couple were Galco Royal Guards. Summer is what usually killed them for me. They would get wet and stay wet. Rough out leather is the worst, as it sucks up sweat like a sponge. Once wet, they dont dry out overnight, and the next day, they are sucking up more. Before long, both you and your gun start to suffer. I used to rotate between two holsters during the summer to try and get them to dry out. It never worked to well, as the wet one would not dry over night, and the one you were using while you were waiting was wet the first day it was worn, so everything was in some degree of wet/damp all the time.
Speaking of suffer, how many here have spent the whole day at heavy labor in 95+, high humidity, with a wet leather holster rubbing against your bare skin, when your tee shirt rode up and you cant fix it? Take my word for it, it SUCKS, big time! Kydex isnt anywhere near as annoying, as it doesnt absorb the moisture, and slides across your wet skin. It also doesnt have tanning chemicals in it that tend to aggravate abraded skin.
Just to give you an idea of how well they wear, this Blade Tech IWB was used daily for about 10 years. In that time, all I had to do was replace a couple of straps. I did break off a small piece of the sweat guard. Its still as serviceable as the day I got it, and I still have it, although its been retired along with the 1911 that rode in it. The one on the right is the 10 year old holster, the one on the left, a new and unused back up.
This is a pic of the last Royal Guard I used. It was about a month or so old ( in late summer) here when I switched. It had been sitting in a box for about 10 years when the pic was taken. I sold it on EBay for about what I paid for it.
The duct tape was an attempt to slow down the sweat soaking in, didnt work to well.
Dont get me wrong here, I still use leather holsters on occasion, mostly in the winter. They do still have their uses. I like the Milt Sparks VMII's quite a bit. I also like the Galco Executive for my P230 and 642.
I know I'm probably an extreme case as far as how I carry and what I do and have to deal with to do it. I suppose if you arent as active, and in air conditioning all day, its really not to much of an issue. For flat out practicality and utility, kydex cant be beat. It wont win a beauty contest, but its beautiful to me, and I wont hesitate to slip any gun I carry into one.
For the most part, I gave up leather as soon as kydex arrived on the scene. For anyone who carrys every waking moment, sweats like a pig in the summer, and works physically outdoors, year round, its the ONLY way to go.
Leather just does not hold up to day in, day out hard use like kydex does.
A couple of the comments here baffle me.
No matter what you use, its the other way around.
See above.
Kydex doesnt scratch your gun. Anything you put your gun in WILL wear its finish. Leather is actually worse, since it tends to embed dirt and debris into it. You can wash your kydex holster out in the sink, dry it with a paper towel, and your right back in business. Kydex does not hold moisture, unlike leather, so your gun is not wet for days while you wait and hope it dries out before your gun starts to rust.
SQUEAK...SQUEAK...SQUEAK...what was that you were saying? What part of kydex is noisy? The draw? The reholster? My leather holsters, especially new ones, were VERY noisy, and they also had that nice leather smell that made anyone next to you think you were wearing a saddle.
I used to go through a couple of good leather holsters a year. The last couple were Galco Royal Guards. Summer is what usually killed them for me. They would get wet and stay wet. Rough out leather is the worst, as it sucks up sweat like a sponge. Once wet, they dont dry out overnight, and the next day, they are sucking up more. Before long, both you and your gun start to suffer. I used to rotate between two holsters during the summer to try and get them to dry out. It never worked to well, as the wet one would not dry over night, and the one you were using while you were waiting was wet the first day it was worn, so everything was in some degree of wet/damp all the time.
Speaking of suffer, how many here have spent the whole day at heavy labor in 95+, high humidity, with a wet leather holster rubbing against your bare skin, when your tee shirt rode up and you cant fix it? Take my word for it, it SUCKS, big time! Kydex isnt anywhere near as annoying, as it doesnt absorb the moisture, and slides across your wet skin. It also doesnt have tanning chemicals in it that tend to aggravate abraded skin.
Just to give you an idea of how well they wear, this Blade Tech IWB was used daily for about 10 years. In that time, all I had to do was replace a couple of straps. I did break off a small piece of the sweat guard. Its still as serviceable as the day I got it, and I still have it, although its been retired along with the 1911 that rode in it. The one on the right is the 10 year old holster, the one on the left, a new and unused back up.
This is a pic of the last Royal Guard I used. It was about a month or so old ( in late summer) here when I switched. It had been sitting in a box for about 10 years when the pic was taken. I sold it on EBay for about what I paid for it.
The duct tape was an attempt to slow down the sweat soaking in, didnt work to well.
Dont get me wrong here, I still use leather holsters on occasion, mostly in the winter. They do still have their uses. I like the Milt Sparks VMII's quite a bit. I also like the Galco Executive for my P230 and 642.
I know I'm probably an extreme case as far as how I carry and what I do and have to deal with to do it. I suppose if you arent as active, and in air conditioning all day, its really not to much of an issue. For flat out practicality and utility, kydex cant be beat. It wont win a beauty contest, but its beautiful to me, and I wont hesitate to slip any gun I carry into one.
I was forced to use kydex on duty, but I've chosen to use quality leather on my own time. No doubt leather has it all over plastic when it comes to comfort and wear on the pistol (unless you're putting a plastic gun in a plastic holster).
AK103K
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I'm curious about all this extra wear I keep hearing about. How is it different than what a leather holster does?
Is it because most of the kydex type have retention screws which put added pressure on key points, and those points tend to wear quicker? My leather holsters with the retention screws did the same, and similarly wore the finish at those pressure points.
For as fast and smooth as the gun comes out of the kydex holsters, there has to be less overall contact with the guns finish than with leather and other than those couple of contact points, the rest of the guns finish shows no wear, unlike leather. My blued guns that rode in leather almost always had an overall worn finish in short time, especially where the metal contacted the leather, which was considerably more than what I see with kydex. Stainless and HC show more polish at the wear points.
Is it because most of the kydex type have retention screws which put added pressure on key points, and those points tend to wear quicker? My leather holsters with the retention screws did the same, and similarly wore the finish at those pressure points.
For as fast and smooth as the gun comes out of the kydex holsters, there has to be less overall contact with the guns finish than with leather and other than those couple of contact points, the rest of the guns finish shows no wear, unlike leather. My blued guns that rode in leather almost always had an overall worn finish in short time, especially where the metal contacted the leather, which was considerably more than what I see with kydex. Stainless and HC show more polish at the wear points.
NoScreenName
Member
I think Kydex is easier to wear IWB. Less noisy. Easier draw/reholstering due to less friction.
I also think Leather wears the finish more.
I like and use both though.
I also think Leather wears the finish more.
I like and use both though.
Mainsail
Member
I swore when I bought my Sig 1911 that my beautiful new pistol would never ride in anything except a custom hand boned leather holster. But since it is my primary carry weapon, and I carry openly about 75% of the time, I went with a Serpa for the retention feature.
Vern Humphrey
Member
I make my own concealment holsters, and for IWBs, I heat the leather gently with a hair dryer, then rub in Sno-Seal (tm) which does a good job of preserving and sweat-proofing the leather. Occasional re-treatments are needed, but that's no great hardship.
Comfort is important if you wear it against your body for long periods of time. I have found leather more comfortable. Have never seen a comfortable pair of kydex cowboy boots?
If worried about the finish on a particular gun, carry something else.
If worried about the finish on a particular gun, carry something else.
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