Waist size, where one wears the belt, matters, in whether the pancake-type holster is better, or the BN/Professional style is better. When I first started carrying, I had a 31” waist measurement, at the belt line, and all pancakes were torture devices. I have added a couple of inches, over the decades, and some pancakes are tolerable, for a short time period, but I still prefer a holster with one tunnel loop behind the holster body, and one outboard loop, a type established by Bruce Nelson, as the Professional. (That is where Milt Sparks got the “BN” holster name, as they cooperated.) Some makers use “Avenger” to describe this type, while others will use the term “scabbard*.” On a more-limited budget, I bought a Galco Avenger, long ago. (For 1911 IWB carry, and for revolver holsters, I have spent the money for Milt Sparks leather.) I later acquired a pre-owned Josh Bulman Forward Drop Scabbard, which remains a favorite. (I believe that he stopped taking orders, some time ago.)
I was reading Matt Del Fatti’s site, and saw that he recommended the tunnel-loop-with-outboard loop type of holster for leaner folks, and the pancake type for larger waist sizes. If I recall correctly, 32 inches was my waist size, at the time, and his site indicated that his tunnel-loop-plus-outboard-loop type would be the better holster choice. His site may well still have this fit information.
*Notably, however, some makers will use the word “scabbard” to refer to holsters that are what we are calling “pancakes.”
