Kydex Vs Leather Holsters For IWB Carry

Buy at Amazon from Holster HQ

Carrying a gun is a serious decision. It Should never be taken lightly. Every detail including training and licensing has been completed. You have considered the size, brand, and caliber carefully before even carrying and concealing your weapon.

How much time did you put into picking the right holster?

Most people spend their time learning about their gun and what type of bullets are best for home defense. Hopefully after that practicing is at the top of this list before you start carrying. Next is to simply pick a holster at random ignoring the very thing protecting your weapon, your holster.

Do you know what the best material for a holster is?

There are a few different options. Plastic, Nylon, Leather, Kydex

Leather

Cons

-Feels good but has major draw backs.

-It doesn’t last as long as harder materials, it’s not waterproof

-it is sensitive to temperature, moisture and humidity

-it’s retention abilities are even limited

-leather holsters may cause excessive wear marks

-extra maintenance is needed for the leather

Pros

-comfort, its hard to beat the feel of a leather holster

-silent draws, other styles do make a noise when drawing

-Look, probably the biggest appeal is the appearance

Plastic

In my option if you don’t care about quality, where it’s made, and durability then you can get a cheap plastic holster. It probably won’t last if you use it often.

Nylon

They are soft and flimsy and tend to collapse after the gun is drawn making it harder to re-holster. A genuine risk is that you could catch the trigger on an edge by accident. Lastly, they absorb everything, just like clothing does. I would even pick a plastic holster over a nylon holster just about every time.

Kydex

The answer to a trouble-free Holster is Kydex

-strong and durable

-lightweight

-retention adjustments

-waterproof and easy to clean

Kydex comes in different thickness and many designs. Its lightweight, rigid and tough. One thing to know is that all Kydex holsters are not equal. Some Holsters claiming to be Kydex are actually injection molded. Kydex Holsters are never injection molded. Real Kydex is heated and molded around the custom mold for a specific model of gun to get the perfect fit. Real Kydex creates minimal wear on your gun and then only on the retention points of contact.

Another great feature about Kydex is the speed at which you can draw. With adjustable tension you can make it take more or less pressure to release your weapon. Then for even more speed you can add a lubricant for the fastest draw possible.

With so many options how do you know what kind of Holster to choose?

First off you need to figure out what your purpose and use is. How will you be carrying it? What position will you be wearing it in? Are you looking for outside the waist band (OWB)? Or inside the waste band (IWB)?

If your looking for Inside the Waist Band

I recently came a across a small company trying to carve out a name for itself in the holster business. Holster HQ is a small family owned company. If you want a holster you can count on then you should check these out. Our first review covered a specific IWB model. This review will be more about the company and the features Holster HQ has to offer.

Here is what we like about Holster HQ

1) Anyone can make a holster, but these guys make a great holster. Quality is at the core of everything they do. All the features you need in a lightweight package: custom fit, adjustable retention, different carry angles, waterproof, and tough.

2) Really cool accessories-most of their holsters come with what they call Tactical Multi bags. It looks like a small tactical ammo or dump drop bag. The bag could be used for 100 different items. We also like the mini microfiber cloth that comes with the holster.

3) Small, family owned, and American made-Their Facebook page says just a small family owned business. All the holsters are handmade in the U.S.A

4) Happy Customer Guarantee- I talked with the owner and it’s true if you’re not happy he will fix it. In his words “the way it should be, the way it used to be, if you’re not happy I’ll make it right”

5) We also really like how easy it is to take care of these Kydex- holsters. If you’re wearing a holster day in and day out it’s bound to collect some dust and debris. The instructions say to simply rinse underwater and dry at least once a month.

I carry one of these types of holsters on a daily basis. I probably wouldn’t have even heard of this company if I didn’t know these guys. I’m glad I do though and I was Happy to write this review for them. I know firsthand that they make really great products. If you’re looking for an IWB Holster you can wear every day, will last, and is custom made for your gun, Holster HQ is the answer. As mentioned before there are many companies making many different styles. If you your looking for something bigger, hybrid, convertible or an OWB style then you will have to look at other options. These guys specialize in compact IWB carry only and they do a great job at it.



Author: Mike Epson

I do product reviews for thesmartconsumer.and other sites on occasion. In my spare time I like to write about firearms and gun accessories. I have extensive training in self-defense and now specialize in concealed carry. Full disclosure-I’m not paid to write this, but I might be a little bias since I’ve met the owners of Holster HQ.

 

Harvesting Bamboo for a Potential Dome

How to Harvest Bamboo for a Potential Dome

 

Harvesting Bamboo
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I have long been interested in geodesic domes and owner built homes – read “I don’t have a lot of money but I have lots of ideas”.  For the last couple years I have been looking for bamboo groves to try to build with.

I even tried buying seed (but as of now none have germinated).  Luckily through craigslist I found a place to start harvesting bamboo for free.  A lady has over an acre of thick bamboo.  Her bamboo is tall enough and thick enough I can get some use from.

Bamboo Dome Idea

My idea is to use bamboo to build a dome, then cover it in wire for strength.  Once it is wired, I will use a tarp to protect the bamboo, then more wire.  Then I intend to cement it.  My plan is to use either latex cement, or aircrete.  It really depends on how my aircrete machine experiments work.

By using the tarp and wire I can make the bamboo frame removable.  I can then remove the bamboo form after the cement cures so that I can build more than one dome.

I found several online sources of bamboo dome techniques, but the one I think I will try is from desert domes.

If I use this technique and the plastic rope machine, I can make a frame for almost nothing – well except time, labor, and gasoline.

In less than 3 hours (including an hour of driving) I harvested 45 10 foot tall shoots.  This is about half of what it takes to build a single dome with a radius of 11 feet.

I will need more Bamboo

One is not enough, I am not done harvesting bamboo.  I want to get all I can from this spot, and when I go back I want to take my weedeater with the sawblade attachment, but I also need to let the shoots I have collected dry under the carport for a couple months.

Right now I have the shoots standing up in my carport, I have to trim them a little and make a stand – like stickering lumber – basically some cinder blocks and a frame so they can lay off the ground and relatively flat.

Screen House 13’x9’x6.9 Review

 

 

Screen House
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Since the land has little shade and lots of bugs, I have been looking for a shade canopy with big screen.  This RORAIMA Screen House measuring 13’x9’x6.9 does the trick.

It is easy to set up, lightweight, and is very roomy.  Without instructions, I set it up in just a few minutes – it actually tool me longer to unpack it then to set it up.  It is pretty intuitive, and a lot like a dome tent.

The top is 3 shock corded poles, 2 longer, and 1 shorter.  the long poles go corner to corner and fit into a plastic sleeve that also attached to a larger diameter corner pole.

As I said, this is a very roomy bug proof shade canopy, and I look to get a lot of use out of it this summer working at the land. It is a well designed Screen House, and is well worth the money.

I hope I can use it over my sawmill trailer, as it gets crazy hot working on logs without any shade, but it will probably require modification, and with the sawdust, its probably not a good idea.

No matter if I use this while I cut logs, or just to provide shade for breaks, I know that at 89 dollars it is a good deal. Besides, if having a shade house at the land makes work more comfortable, I know that my wife is more likely to come help. I know I am getting tired of a single out of shape guy doing two man jobs out there.

#RORAIMA #SCREENHOUSE

Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker Review

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I have been looking for a Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker to use while I am working at the land, its nice to have music while working, but also something to connect to my FMRS radio so I can hear calls while working in an area, but not having to have a bunch of stuff on my body as I work the sawmill.

This small speaker does not seem like much, but when I tried it out it was very loud.  I used the bluetooth function to call my wife and she could not tell the dirrerence in phone quality.  I, on the other hand, could.  Because of my hearing loss communication over the phone is difficult for me, and with this speaker I could hear her very well.

  • The waterproof speaker is built for durability in harsh environments. IPX6 Waterproof, dust-proof, drop-proof, shockproof, shower speaker.
  • The portable speaker amplifies higher as well as lower bass frequencies thanks to the unique combo of powerful stereo sound (10W) and a passive SUBWOOFER!
  • Ultra lightweight, net weight only 9.6oz(0.59lb / 272g), and attached with a CLIMBING HOOK
  • Built-in Rechargeable 2,200mAh Li-battery, provides extended playback, enables you to stream music up to 15 hours when full charged.
  • Built-in Microphone, Enables to use this Bluetooth speaker as a speakerphone when making a call.