Review: Six months with a Jason Winnie holster

[ImperatorGray]

Just wanted to take an opportunity to brag on this lovely holster.

I have worn this Winnie J101 pancake every day for the last six months (plus one day). I was impressed the moment I got it out of the packaging, and I'm just as impressed now.

First, the leather is incredible quality. I am not a leatherworker by any means, but years ago I did get to see what goes into selecting and purchasing raw leather, and the stuff that went into this holster is everything implied by the word "choice." It is so thin and robust compared to much holster cowhide that it's difficult to believe it is not at least horse.

That lack of bulk makes it simply the best-concealing OWB leather I have ever worn. I have seen similar holsters of equivalent materials and workmanship for twice as much money, and I still thought those were worth every penny.

If I had to say something negative, it would just be that I wish there were more colors available as standard options. These holsters are in black or dark brown, and the dark brown is a cordovan whereas I'm a sucker for chocolate tones. That said, I imagine that offering two more-popular colors in lieu of endless choices must be a big part of keeping materials costs down for a small shop, so I really don't have a problem with it.

 

[ImperatorGray]

Also: My little story about customer service.

I ordered this holster on 04-DEC. On 15- or 16-DEC, I was surprised by a call from Mr. Winnie himself humbly telling me that there'd been a mix-up and my holster had been made for a Glock 42 instead of a 43.

I was flabbergasted, not by the mistake but that I was getting a call. Good leather takes time and results in backlogs. I'd seen no promise of a specific timeline on the website, so I was amazed that Mr. Winnie felt the need to explain the delay.

Then, too, he could have just called (or emailed) to say it was taking a little longer than expected, blaming it on a holiday rush. But no: He called, told me what was happening, apologized profusely that it would take a little longer, and promised to get it made on a rush for me.

I just had to chuckle, and I specifically told him that he didn't need to rush it. I explained that I didn't even have the pistol yet (I get a professional discount from Glock, but they take their sweet time filling those orders) so there was no need to hurry and I wouldn't mind a bit if he just put my order in the back of the line.

And yet, my holster shipped 21-DEC and I had it in my hands on 23-DEC. So even with that "delay," frankly it arrived much sooner than I'd anticipated.

The holster itself impressed me so much that I couldn't wait for Glock to get me my pistol - the next morning I drove 30 miles to my favorite Academy and waded through Christmas Eve lines to buy a 43. Since then, it's held up to everything I've thrown at it, including a crazy night crawling around under parked cars. Retention is perfect, as is the draw from concealment.

...all right, I'll stop gushing now.

 

[bannockburn]

ImperatorGray

Nice looking holster! Thanks for the info and recommendation.

 

[ImperatorGray]

Thanks, Bannockburn. I dig the looks myself.

One of the things that attracted me to the brand was that it's not fully boned. I've never understood why boning became so ubiquitous on leather holsters; just seems ostentatious to me. But to each his own in matters of mere style.