Kydex holster drawbacks?

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oldbill

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I've always preferred leather holsters. However, there are some great sounding IWB holsters with kydex that sound very tempting.

Will the kydex cause premature wear marks on a non stainless hand gun? Are there any drawbacks, other than aesthetics?
 
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I have one for a stainless J-frame, but almost never use it, preferring pocket carry. One thing I don't like is that drawing and re-holstering the gun are very noisy. Might be advantageous in some situations and risky in others, but mainly I just don't care for it.

Retention is good with mine. I don't think I'd want to use it much for a blued gun for fear of finish damage.
 
This is just my opinion and I know there are lots of guys out there that love Kydex holsters. I am not one of them. It's hard for me to think of anything worse to make a holster for a gun out of. It is brittle. It is uncomfortable. It will ruin the finish on your gun. It will dry out and break. Then you have to buy it again. If it fails at an inopportune moment it could be a safety hazard. And if all that weren't enough they are ugly...every single one of them. if you are a kydex fan please don't be offended by my opinion. It isn't personal. A persons opinion, after all, is merely how he feels based upon his experience. My experience with Kydex has resulted in the above opinion. If you like kydex holsters then that's great and God bless you. I know we all need something different.

I do have a couple of nylon Uncle Mikes I got before I discovered the wonder of a leather holster. They are alright. But If you buy a holster made out of leather it will last you the rest of you life. It only gets more and more comfortable as the years pass. And except in the case of theft, loss or fire you will never have to replace it.

I have some leather I bought off the rack and some custom things that I ordered on line. I love them. My advice is to buy leather. Quality is not expensive. It is priceless.
 

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In my experience, kydex causes LESS damage to a gun's finish.

Keep them cleaned out with compressed air, wipe down the inside with a waxed cloth, keep the gun clean. NO Problem with excessive gun finish wear.

Leather is harder on a gun's finish because the leather collects grit and acts almost like a mild sandpaper on a gun's finish.

I only use leather holsters at this point, but have found kydex to be very nice for carry.
 
I have a cross breed super tuck (leather between your firearm and plastic holding the gun in place) and dont have any problems. My gun has a stainless finish and I see slight polished areas where the most force would be. Other than that I see no real drawbacks. Its light, cheap, and its molded great for retention. Ugly? Yes but its a IWB holster no one sees it.
 
I carry exclusively in kydex crossbreed and Galco King tuck holster. Both are kydex/leather

It has never hurt any finish on any of my guns. If im holstering it its a tool and look of the finish is a distant priority.

It sits iwb so i dont care if its ugly. No one, including myself can see it.

My job is pretty physical and i sometimes fall asleep at home with the holster on and nothing has ever broken.

I love the fact that the kydex holsters come with two clips spead out. Distributes the weight of the gun and makes it seem lighter. Most leather holsters have one clip that puts all the weight on that area and constantly pulls pants down

I do not like leather. It holds in moisture, it drys out too and needs care, but most importantly its very uncomfortable to carry owb. With iwb holsters the gun is hugged between the belt and the body not so with the owb holsters. They just pull down. Also they stick out and makes the gun bulge out or i have to buy xxx size clothing which looks just as goofy
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I have them but prefer leather. I hate the thought of holstering a pistol with a nice finish in them. They seem to wear the surface.
I have an old H&K PSP that has holster wear from its German Police days. I don't mind using an IWB rig. Not so with my sweet Smith's.

Just a matter of personnel preference I guess.
 
Never had kydex, tried a polymer paddle holster, didn't like it and gave it away. Now I make my own leather holsters and prefer it that way. I've never had a problem with corrosion, I do get a little holster wear but nothing too severe.
 
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Walkin' Jack said:
This is just my opinion and I know there are lots of guys out there that love Kydex holsters. I am not one of them. It's hard for me to think of anything worse to make a holster for a gun out of. It is brittle. It is uncomfortable. It will ruin the finish on your gun. It will dry out and break. Then you have to buy it again. If it fails at an inopportune moment it could be a safety hazard. And if all that weren't enough they are ugly...every single one of them. if you are a kydex fan please don't be offended by my opinion. It isn't personal. A persons opinion, after all, is merely how he feels based upon his experience. My experience with Kydex has resulted in the above opinion. If you like kydex holsters then that's great and God bless you. I know we all need something different.

I do have a couple of nylon Uncle Mikes I got before I discovered the wonder of a leather holster. They are alright. But If you buy a holster made out of leather it will last you the rest of you life. It only gets more and more comfortable as the years pass. And except in the case of theft, loss or fire you will never have to replace it. M

I have some leather I bought off the rack and some custom things that I ordered on line. I love them. My advice is to buy leather. Quality is not expensive. It is priceless.
Click to expand...

I suspect that you may have a cheap kydex holster or even one made out of even cheaper plastic. I have carried my 239 in a CUstom Carry Concept holster for at least five years. The holster is still going strong. It is not brittle, did not dry out and my 239 looks brand new.
 
Thanks to all for the good info points!
I think the above comments, and my IWB and OWB single point of connection experiences, gives me all I need to know to make my selection.
Like everything else, there are always tradeoffs. ( I will be looking more closely at those with two points of connection. )
 
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