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Great holster and I love the way it contours to the body but... Unfortunately it does not work well with the thicker Instructor Belts I tend to wear but it works great when wearing a dress belt which is when I mostly wear it now. Great holster and good retention. Thinning out extras I have to help fund a new gun purchase. $75 new, will sell for $50. I am willing to ship.

http://www.fist-holsters.com/novoerfide ... etail.html

These holsters do hug the body and do a great job of concealment. However:

Be aware that this design, which uses stitching instead of rivets, is prone to tearing along the stitch line.

I have had several of these holsters, and two tore at that point. In one case this resulted in a gun falling out of the holster when sitting down in a restaurant.

The seller does replace them under warranty, but that doesn't mitigate the risk.

I use only riveted kydex holsters now.

First I've heard of it and I've haven't had issues with it although I've only had it a year. I can provide better pictures if necessary but there are no issues like this that I have experienced.

Jose_in_Dallas wrote:First I've heard of it and I've haven't had issues with it although I've only had it a year. I can provide better pictures if necessary but there are no issues like this that I have experienced.

The issues I experienced happened when they were over two years old. The problem is that the stitch holes are so close together that they act like a perforation line after the holster has been worn extensively which causes the outer panel to flex against the stitches. Even when it starts to tear, it still looks fine - until something pulls or pushes the gun just a little against the outer panel and the separation becomes obvious. Even the one that was torn to the point that it dropped the gun on the floor still looked fine to casual observation afterwards.

That's most likely the reason that every other Kydex holster manufacturer uses rivets instead of stitches to assemble their products.

The body hugging design of the OWB holsters is first rate and they used to be my preferred carry method, but the stitched construction is a real issue for me. Their pocket holsters with the thumb pad that keeps the holster from coming out with he gun are still among my favorites because there's no stress on the stitching and even if it did fail the gun wouldn't fall out of the pocket.

YMMV.

I don't like to criticize something that someone has up for sale, but this I believe is a major safety issue that folks should be aware of.

Thanks?

I ordered a Bravo Concealment holster today and would like to regain some space in my holster drawer. Open to offers. I'm open to trades for boxes of ammo; .45 ACP and 9mm.

I have a FIST holster, OWB, for a J-frame snubbie. They are well made kit.

The Annoyed Man wrote:I have a FIST holster, OWB, for a J-frame snubbie. They are well made kit.

If there's no stress on the stitching they may hold up OK. In my situation I wore them at 5:00 with a 1911. Sitting in a car or an upholstered chair, the butt would be pressed a bit forward in the holster and put stress on the front vertical stitching. Over time this flexing caused breakage of the kydex between the stitch holes, starting at the top and working its way down. The effect is similar to metal fatigue. When this was happening, it still looked fine - it was only detectable if you either pushed the gun forward in the holster or pulled on the front side of the holster.

I haven't worn a FIST OWB since the second failure, but I sill use their pocket holsters.

If you're carrying a J-frame with the original small round grips, the situation may never occur because the grips may not be pressed forward when sitting in a car or upholstered chair, but it's a situation to be aware of. I would suggest giving a light pull on the front side of the holster from time to time just to make sure the seam is still secure.

Excaliber wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:I have a FIST holster, OWB, for a J-frame snubbie. They are well made kit.

If there's no stress on the stitching they may hold up OK. In my situation I wore them at 5:00 with a 1911. Sitting in a car or an upholstered chair, the butt would be pressed a bit forward in the holster and put stress on the front vertical stitching. Over time this flexing caused breakage of the kydex between the stitch holes, starting at the top and working its way down. The effect is similar to metal fatigue. When this was happening, it still looked fine - it was only detectable if you either pushed the gun forward in the holster or pulled on the front side of the holster.

I haven't worn a FIST OWB since the second failure, but I sill use their pocket holsters.

If you're carrying a J-frame with the original small round grips, the situation may never occur because the grips may not be pressed forward when sitting in a car or upholstered chair, but it's a situation to be aware of. I would suggest giving a light pull on the front side of the holster from time to time just to make sure the seam is still secure.

I'll have to upload a picture later (going to my son's graduation ceremony this morning), but I don't think my FIST OWB holster has any kydex in it. It is all leather, and a very nicely made holster, with triple stitching. It goes without saying that I not only haven't worn it as much as you wore yours as an LEO, but I'm not likely to either. But it seems at least as well made as any of the other good leather holsters I own. No doubt that's why kydex is used so often for more extreme applications. But for just EDC for the average LTC, I've no doubt that the all leather OWB holster will be just as long lasting as any other brands.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Excaliber wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:I have a FIST holster, OWB, for a J-frame snubbie. They are well made kit.[/quo

If there's no stress on the stitching they may hold up OK. In my situation I wore them at 5:00 with a 1911. Sitting in a car or an upholstered chair, the butt would be pressed a bit forward in the holster and put stress on the front vertical stitching. Over time this flexing caused breakage of the kydex between the stitch holes, starting at the top and working its way down. The effect is similar to metal fatigue. When this was happening, it still looked fine - it was only detectable if you either pushed the gun forward in the holster or pulled on the front side of the holster.

I haven't worn a FIST OWB since the second failure, but I sill use their pocket holsters.

If you're carrying a J-frame with the original small round grips, the situation may never occur because the grips may not be pressed forward when sitting in a car or upholstered chair, but it's a situation to be aware of. I would suggest giving a light pull on the front side of the holster from time to time just to make sure the seam is still secure.

I'll have to upload a picture later (going to my son's graduation ceremony this morning), but I don't think my FIST OWB holster has any kydex in it. It is all leather, and a very nicely made holster, with triple stitching. It goes without saying that I not only haven't worn it as much as you wore yours as an LEO, but I'm not likely to either. But it seems at least as well made as any of the other good leather holsters I own. No doubt that's why kydex is used so often for more extreme applications. But for just EDC for the average LTC, I've no doubt that the all leather OWB holster will be just as long lasting as any other brands.

Absolutely correct - I agree.

FIST's leather products are well made, and leather flexes without damage.

My comments apply only to FIST's Kydex products.

Here's my FIST holster for J-frame:

Selling for $45 shipped.

Last price drop to $40 shipped/or local.