So I used to carry an XDM .40 Compact 3.8 appendix in a Comp-tac holster... quite uncomfortable for my 5'11 175lb build, however concealable even with tucked in well fitting shirts, and further, aside from the point. Sold it, and later got a S&W Shield 9mm and a Stealthgear AIWB holster about a year ago. I owned a Ruger LCP for a short period of time and like many people, wanted to migrate towards something more concealable, but with more firepower than a .380.This combination was used throughout the year in central Florida, in the construction industry working mostly on commercial jobsites e.g. car dealerships, churches, etc, sometimes people's houses. I carry from when I put on my belt to go to work, throughout the day until the weapon is stored within the room with me when I retire for the night. I must say, it worked fantastic. Florida summers are very hot and humid, and despite that the holster remained comfortable enough to forget about wearing it at times. Some moisture did accumulate on the slide, however if I wipe the slide every few days to weekly with a tuff cloth it would never gather moisture on the slide. Failing to do so caused some rust to develop on my slide where the holster wear marks are, and the rhino mesh they use on the backing for the holster will rub through the melonite-type finish on the shield, and I imagine it would with similar finishes like on a glock/XD. With regular wiping of the tuff cloth the marks don't have any actual rust and just have a black appearance with a rough texture. No big deal to me.After roughly 3 months of the hot, humid summer, the washers on the body side of the holster into which the screws thread developed some rust. On the website they are described as "Black oxide stainless steel fasteners mean no rust." I'm well aware of the fact that stainless steel can rust, and in this case they did. The screws themselves showed no signs of corrosion then or now.Fast forward roughly 9 months and the holster still performs flawlessly. Before I had gotten used to it, I adjusted the clips a couple times to make it more comfortable, and then realized the default position actually worked best after all. Never had to adjust it or tighten anything up since. The threaded grommets on the back of the holster are now crumbling apart and I fear I couldn't remove them for cleaning without replacement screws... Eventually they will crumble and my holster will be useless.I haven't been on Stealthgear's website ever since I got the AIWB, much less shopped around or browsed any other holsters. I guess that illustrates how satisfied I was. Well their website layout had completely changed, and they had some chat window that popped up on my screen. I thought it was some bot program or some B.S. advertising, but I put in my email and started it nonetheless.The bot/CSR named Laramie asked me what was up, I asked him about the fasteners, and he immediately offered to send me replacement parts that I needed along with some other parts. confirmed my address and told me it ships tomorrow. Pretty awesome, I'd say. (I haven't recieved any kind of shipping confirmation email... idk if I will or not in this case.)That's my story. If anyone wishes I could put up some pictures of the corrosion later. If anyone is on the fence about either of these products, hopefully my story may help you make the right decision.TLDR: I've carried my 9mm Shield in a Stealthgear AIWB for a year doing construction in Florida, carried almost everywhere, even made it through a shitty patdown/metal detector wand with it! The gun/holster combination is great, Stealthgear's customer service seems just as solid as their product. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2hqhgQb
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