Hype Holster Showdown! I bought them all so you don't have to...

I set out earlier this year with a goal for my CCW: figure out the best, most comfortable way to appendix carry my Glock 22 during the summer in my usual getup of shorts and a t-shirt. I'm a fan of buying stuff, so I started getting my hands on all the most recommended holsters that are out there. I ended up with five: Legacy Firearms Cronus, Tenicor Velo4, JM Custom Kydex Wing Claw 2.5, PHLster Enigma w/JMCK Enigma Shell and a Tier 1 Axis Elite.​I've worn each on and off for a few weeks a piece, both with my Blue Alpha Belts low profile EDC and Nexbelt Supreme Appendix, so I figured it was worth doing a review on all of them and letting people know what I've found out about them. For reference, I'm 6'0", 220lbs with what I'd describe as a dad bod: little bit of a belly but also a pretty broad chest and shoulders.​Legacy Firearms CronusThis is a very well made holster and it's pretty comfortable, but I found that for me it doesn't conceal well. I added a wedge and DCC monoblock, but without adjustable ride height it sits too high above my belt and prints pretty bad. Of course nobody has ever noticed it, but I'm hyper aware of it which makes wearing it not a fun experience compared to the rest. All isn't lost though, because I found that when I slide it around to 3:00 the gun completely disappears. So this will be my strong side holster any time I choose to carry that way. Grade: B-​Tenicor Velo4Excellent build quality on this one as well, and it conceals very well. There's a little bit of printing, but again nothing that anyone would notice. Bonus points to Tenicor that any time I've ordered a holster from them it ships within about an hour of my purchase. My only real gripe is that with the built in "wedge", if it doesn't fit your body type you're pretty much SOL. I greatly prefer a wedge that can be moved or resized, so my recommendation would probably be if you order from Tenicor the Certum3 might be the one to go with. Grade: B+​JMCK Wing Claw 2.5This holster Is great. Well built, incredibly comfortable, and if you want a holster that's attached to a gun belt it conceals the best. There's really not much else to say about it. Grade: A​PHLster Enigma w/JMCK Enigma ShellThis was actually the first setup I bought, because I was pretty sure that it would offer the best concealment. I wasn't wrong about that, if you're #1 priority is concealment and not printing, this is absolutely the best answer. Likewise, if you need something for an "unusual" outfit like gym clothes or a dress, this is your best bet. That being said, for everyday use with my shorts/t-shirt combo the Enigma has some issues. The biggest problem is that even though the Enigma keeps your gun from moving, it doesn't stop your shorts/pants from moving. When it's hot out and I'm starting to sweat, it's an absolute crap shoot what my purchase will be like if I ever need to unholster the gun. Sometimes the grip is below my belt line, sometimes right on it, and other times above it. This isn't the Enigma's fault per se, but it's something that makes me not really comfortable using it day to day. The second is that it's really not very comfortable. If you're like me and wearing shorts or pants with a belt, it's like having two belts on and one of them is rubbing against your skin. I also like being able to take my gun off when I'm at home, and with the Enigma you basically have to strip down to get the leg leash off. Grade: B+​Tier 1 Axis EliteThis one will probably be the most controversial, and get me kicked out of the PHLster Concealment Workshop on FB...but the Axis Elite is hands down my favorite holster for me to wear day to day. Honestly I was shocked by this, because so many reviews talk about how it prints like crazy and is uncomfortable, and my intention when buying it was to have an option for a second mag during the months when I'm wearing heavier layers. I decided to try it out for a couple days anyway, and immediately I was surprised by how comfortable it is. It does print a bit compared to the Wing Claw and Velo4, but again not enough so that anyone will notice it. The width of the holster and the distance between the clips do an excellent job spreading out the weight of the pistol, which is substantial. Being able to carry a second magazine comfortably has made this my go to setup. I did try some DCC clips with it, but they made it way harder to get the holster on and off and didn't really add that much in the way of concealment, so I switched back to the standard T1C clips. Grade: A​So, what are my final thoughts? Don't carry a full size Glock haha. Seriously though, it is doable (depending on your size and body type) but it will take some work and never truly be a situation where you can forget you're carrying like it is with micro compacts. I love my Glock 22 though, and it's the pistol I'm most accurate and comfortable with so I wanted to be able to carry it.​I hope this was helpful for some people, feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer whatever I can.https://ift.tt/3f90MrR via /r/CCW https://ift.tt/3iUYzkZ