FIST K3 review

[mr.72]

I bought a FIST K3 kydex IWB holster at a LGS about a month ago and have been wearing it daily since. This is for a Kahr CW9.

http://www.fist-inc.com/holsters/k1/K3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I got the "bodyguard" option which includes a little extra kydex covering the slide on the gun on your body side.

This holster has exceptional retention and fits my CW9 perfectly. It seems to be reasonably well-made, but is less sharply molded than the photos on the web would have you think. It is comfortable most of the time and works as expected. It stays open for one-handed holstering and does not require a real tight belt in order to get it to stay put. The J-hook design makes this holster extremely easy to get on and off and position correctly: you simply loosen the belt a little bit, slip it on, and then slip the belt over the bottom of the J and re-tighten. The draw is excellent.

I have noted one major drawback with the J-hook equipped on this holster. First of all, it is advertised as being for a 1.5" belt (mine even has 1.5" scratched into the holster hook). I have a 1.5" belt that definitely does not fit. In fact a 30mm (1.25") nylon belt I have barely fits. The problem is not the clip as far as I can tell, but the tight fit between the clip and the rest of the holster prevents the holster from being completely slipped all the way down over your waist band. If you look carefully at the picture on the FIST page you can clearly see that the belt is pulled up above the normal belt line of the jeans where it goes into the J hook.

Otherwise, if you are wearing without an undershirt, then the slide guard upper edge of the holster can get a little bit jabby and if you wear the holster without the gun in it, then it gets quite uncomfortable even if you have an undershirt on. It has a sharp edge and is uncomfortable with no undershirt. Application of some moleskin to this area would probably improve this substantially.

Overall I am very pleased with this holster but I will likely change out the clip with a different one, perhaps from another vendor, by means of drilling the rivets and using Chicago screws and spacers for attachment. Given the poor clip design, I would recommend getting this holster fir a 1/4" larger belt than the measurement of your belt, such as a 1.75" model for your 1.5" belt.

I bought this holster at the LGS for convenience since they had it in stock and I needed one right away. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the K6 with interchangeable clips.

In summary I think for a very low-profile holster that is easy to get on and off, the K3 is a winner. If you don't value the low profile then there are other Kydex competitors that should be considered such as a Comp-Tac Infidel.

[MTICop]

Looks good!!!