desantis or alien iwb holsters

[rock n roll kid]

the desantis is the invader . alien gear is 3.0 cloak tuck . they are nearly the same price and do have some like features .
i have had good luck with desantis products so i am leaning toward them .

who has one of the two and what do you like/dis like about them ?
the alien belt clips look a little fragile but that may only be in their ad.
and they look to be plastic also , while the desantis look like metal .

what do you think ?

[bigwheelzip]

Don't know anything about Desantis, but you get a free month to try the AG holster and return it if not happy with it.

AG has various configurations of belt attachments in plastic, steel, and leather.

Holster Clips for Enhanced Concealed Carry | Alien Gear Holsters

[amcline82]

Don't have either but the AG gives you free shell swaps for lifetime. And you can add new shells for $15 and it's the same back.

Friends don't let friends buy a Taurus

[nodpete]

I have the Tuck 2-0 and love it. I've used it for 2 years now and find it very comfortable. And as mentioned, free shell swaps. I like the plastic belt clips as they do not show like the shiny metal ones. They are more than strong enough, I doubt you could break one.

[Topsarge]

I have 3 AG Cloke Tuck 2 iwb Holsters with the standard nylon clips. No problems with them at all. Much stronger than they look. These are very comfortable holsters.

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have a number of DeSantis IWB holsters. The fit, retention, and workmanship have been fantastic. Some came with "Tuckable" hardware others it was an extra few bucks. 3 of my friends tried AG because of the returnable policy, but they found they couldn't return them fast enough! All had workmanship and QC issues!

Ivan

[Dobie406]

I carry an XDs in an AG 3.0 every day and am happy with it. Comfortable, good fit, good retention and lots of adjustment for ride height and cant.

[kthom]

I've got two AG Cloak Tuck 3.0 holsters and about three or four extra shells for different handguns. I haven't any experience with the DeSantis holsters, but I cannot imagine them being any more comfortable or practical or useful than my AG holsters. Since owning them, my other holsters have been retired to the holster box! My experience with AG as a vendor and service provider for these holsters has been excellent!

[adwjc]

I've been using DeSantis products since the 1970's. Great quality and fit for mass produced holsters.

I have 4 I currently use for Glock 19, 26 and S&W J frames.

No experience with Alien Gear, but I don't think their design (IWB) will work with my waistline.

[amcline82]

I use a Desantis pocket-tuk for my shield and love the holster. I think that the hybrid style of the AG is just too big for me. People say how comfortable they are but I have a hard time believing that considering how big they are.

Friends don't let friends buy a Taurus

[coachray]

I have both. An AG 2.0 and a desantis pocket tuk, both IWB. I like both but wear the alien gear most often, as it is a little more comfortable. The advantage with the desantis is that it's easier (quicker) to put on and take off.Both have plastic clips and no problem with either. The alien gear gives you more options down the road should you change or buy new guns.

[Luked]

I have the Alien Gear 3.0 Tuck and love it.
its very comfortable. I upgraded mine to use the metal belt clips.
I carry a Shield and it holds well and they give you a lot of stuff with the holster to change the retention to your liking.

[kthom]

These comments point out the truth that each one of us really have to try a holster before we will know whether or not it works for us. Just because someone else or several someones say a holster is the best thing since sliced bread doesn't mean I (or your) will like it. But the more you know about the guy making the recommendation, the more you can narrow down your choices. I'm a big guy with a big waist. I'm not gobby fat, but I've got noticeable love handles and no one would accuse me of having the condition known as "noassatall".

I've got some good IWB holsters that feel kind of like a softball underneath my belt which presses against me in a pretty small spot. Not a recipe for comfort for me! The AG holster does take up quite a lot of real estate around my waist line (and I have plenty), but the back side of the holster has a good quality neoprene lining against my body with a synthetic portion outward against the back side of the gun. The kydex portion is molded to the gun shape so fit and function is good as well as adjustable to my liking.

I also wear a thin moisture wicking tee shirt (or athletic style or tank style of the same material) year round. That increases the comfort of carrying any IWB holster for me. The size of the AG holster and the location of the belt clips spreads the weight of the gun over a larger area which makes it more comfortable as well as being more concealable for me.

This holster is NOT an easy one to remove an reinstall like some of the more narrow and fully kydex or leather holsters. But if I need to remove my gun to go into the Post Office or other place like the courthouse, etc, the holster does not lose its shape and my gun is easy to reholster after wearing it empty for a time. It also does not move around much, especially forward or backward around my waistline. It pretty much stays in place. Because of the several choices for adjustability for carry height and carry cant, after some experimentation, I can find the best choice for carry for my body style and ease of draw and reholstering. And the bonus is that I can buy other finished holster shells that will install easily on the body portion of this rig to allow carry of more than one gun. It only costs $12 for additional shells (MUCH less than another dedicated holster to carry an additional gun.)

I have yet to find an absolutely perfect holster, but my AG comes closest to meeting that goal FOR ME that I've tried. Trust me, I have tried a great many over a long period of time. I've got two or three boxes of holsters to prove it! I can't tell you if the AG holster is for you. But I can tell you it is for me. Hopefully, from what I've said, you can have some additional information to understand why it's best for me and then have a better idea of whether it might work for you. Best part is that it really doesn't cost much to try, and AG will give you your money back after a 30 day trial period. Might cost you a bit to return it, but that's about as easy and inexpensive a deal as I've ever been given.

[mikesp11]

I use the Alien Gear Tuck 3...love it....very comfortable...I have no experience with DeSantis....also, if you order any AG holster in the next 24 hours and purchase it as a combo with a mag holster, use coupon code THANKSAMILLION and they will give you the mag holster, a $33.88 value for FREE!!! ( I do not work for them) I got an email from them as I was on their website looking to buy an OWB holster....

[joe sacco]

For whatever it's worth, as far as quality goes, I am writing this wearing a DeSantis inside the waistband holster I bought in about 1978 when he was working in a walk down shop on Long Island. I've worn it regularly since then.

Still works fine. I own probably a dozen of his products all of which have held up. I'm actually expecting an Inside Heat to show up tomorrow.

Gene is a good man, makes a great holster. You can't go wrong.


Best, Joe

[Survivor87]

I can give a personal Thumbs Up to the Alien Gear Tuck 3.0. I ordered it on a Thursday, it was here the following Monday. I got the IWB, and it's just so comfortable. I was carrying my shield in it today, and so far every day that I've used it, it's getting more and more comfortable.

I nearly forget it's there. I can sit down in a chair, drive, and it feels great.

I would recommend, at least IMO, to try the metal clips rather than the standard clips they recommend. For me I think they will slide onto the belt better and easier. They should be here in the next few days so if anyone is curious I'll take some pics and let you know how it works out.

[kthom]

I tried the metal clips when I bought my first AG 3.0. I found that they lost a bit of their tension and did not grip my double thickness belt satisfactorily for me. I ordered the nylon belt clips and I like them much better. Yes, they are a bit difficult to slide on to and off the belt, but my holster stays in place as I think it should and after several months of wear, the nylon clips are still doing their job well. The metal clips may have worked better on a single thickness belt, but I still believe the nylon clips will keep the holster from coming out of my waistband much better for a very long time.

I do not remove and install my holster except when I have my pants off. And I have had no problems at all with wearing the holster without the gun in place during those times when I must not carry my gun into a forbidden place. The holster is still comfortable and the gun inserts easily after any period of time of wear without the gun in place.

This is just my personal experience and reported here for whatever it might be worth. I really do like the AG 3.0 holster!!

[TX-Dennis]

I like my Alien Gear 3.0 as well. Very comfortable to wear all day. Having said that, DeSantis makes great holsters, too.

[gman51]

I just received my DeSantis sof tuck for my 640-1. It is for rh IWB but I will wear it lh owb. Because of the way the clip is made it would be better worn IWB. The clip can be moved to whatever cant you want. $24 it is good for such an inexpensive holster.

[dougb1946]

I wear the Alien. Comfortable. You can buy the replacement molded holster for any of your guns to mount on the holder. You can also get different holders to carry OWB, IWB, or paddle using one molded piece holster.

[dben002]

Have 3 AG IWB (Glock 26, Shield 9 and Shield 45)...Great holsters for sure.. Those Plastic clips as you said are strong and secure well..Think they are more than plastic ??????? HOWEVER.......

My fav holster are from Foxx with the metal clips..... Why ?? I don't really know....just really feel great and secure.....

foxx1.jpg

foxx2.jpg

[BigDog48]

If I could make another suggestion, look at Stealthgear holsters. I have the Stealthgear Onyx and also have the Aliengear and find Stealthgear ventcore technology to be much more comfortable. I wear it all day almost every day. Stealth Gear USA | USA Made Concealable Holsters & Mag Carriers | Performance Concealed Carry Holsters Product Technology

[T2C]

I am interested in the holsters the OP is inquiring about myself. I've read threads on holster recommendations, made a purchase and did not like the holster. I have a file cabinet drawer half filled with holsters that did not work out.

If a person recommends for or against a particular holster, it would be nice if they would provide their height, weight and build. If the poster has a build similar to mine, I would more readily follow their recommendation.

A good example would be "I am 5'10" tall, weight 192 lbs. and am average build" or "I am 5'7" tall, weigh 200 lbs. and am carrying a little weight around the belt line due to my love for good pasta."

I would not be judgmental about a person's build and would tend to lean toward recommendations by a person with a similar build.

[kthom]

Fair question, Sir. And I will oblige. I'm 6' tall, weigh 250 pounds, and am what can charitably be described as "Stout!". I have some dunlap over my belt in front and around on the sides, not terrible, but definitely noticeable. I wear size 42 Wranglers and 2XL shirts. I have plenty of space on my waistline to accommodate the width of my AG holsters. I can understand that a skinny feller may not have that option. I can wear my holster to present my gun from about 5 to 3 o'clock if I choose. The Cloak Tuck 3.0 will allow adjustments in ride height and cant to work in any of those positions for me. I really like that the weight of my gun is spread over a larger area than those which only attach to the belt in one location. I do not have as much "bulge" in any place on my waistline with this holster as I do with many others. And the back side of the whole rig conforms easily to my body shape in a smooth surfaced contour same as my body.

I have recommended this holster to two of my friends and both my sons. They range from what I'd call a medium build (compared to me) with waist sizes ranging from probably 36 to 40. A couple of them have little if any overhang. All of them have worn this holster for some time now, with previous experience with other holsters. They do require differing adjustments for how the holster is mounted on the backing side to fit their build. All are at least 5'10" tall and two of them are about 6'5" or 6'6" tall. That's about the best picture I can give you of all of us! Hope it helps.

[Arik]

All holsters are going to be different even if they are the same type. I carry only IWB and have a plethora of holsters. For my build the best one I found was Galco King Tuck. I have a Alien Gear and a few others, they all work well but the Galco keeps it closest to the body and has no printing. The others are good but have printing to some degree. I'm avg I guess, about 6ft and around 200lbs. My smallest carry gun is a Glock 19. Before gaining 20lbs I was able to conceal full size guns without issue

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[Survivor87]

Originally Posted by kthom

I tried the metal clips when I bought my first AG 3.0. I found that they lost a bit of their tension and did not grip my double thickness belt satisfactorily for me. I ordered the nylon belt clips and I like them much better. Yes, they are a bit difficult to slide on to and off the belt, but my holster stays in place as I think it should and after several months of wear, the nylon clips are still doing their job well. The metal clips may have worked better on a single thickness belt, but I still believe the nylon clips will keep the holster from coming out of my waistband much better for a very long time.

I do not remove and install my holster except when I have my pants off. And I have had no problems at all with wearing the holster without the gun in place during those times when I must not carry my gun into a forbidden place. The holster is still comfortable and the gun inserts easily after any period of time of wear without the gun in place.

This is just my personal experience and reported here for whatever it might be worth. I really do like the AG 3.0 holster!!

I received the metal clips a couple days ago. So far I do like them much better than the standard clips. Good point about if they might lose some of their grip over time, I guess I'll find out but hoping they stay put.

Thanks for the input! So far I'm likely my 3.0 as well.

[ruger 22]

Being retired I mainly pocket carry a 649-2. I use a Mika Round for suit pants, a Mika Square for Levis and a DeSantis Nemesis for wide pockets like in Cargo pants. Each for their given purpose is excellent. I have found that holster needs vary based on what you are wearing, hence you may need several holsters for any given gun.