Customer Follow-Up
There is a phenomenon that shooters seem to have come to a peace about that you will wind up with a box of holsters that you don’t really like, or that didn’t really work out for whatever reason. My custom holsters tend not to land in this box. I’ve been able to keep in touch with many of my customers, and have found that there is a long-time satisfaction in owning and wearing the holsters that I make.
The man who bought my original derringer holster still wears it proudly, and often says that he will get a concealed holster for his Sig Sauer from me. I’ve encouraged him to go ahead and do it – we shall see when he makes a move on that. When you find something that works for you, it can be difficult to try something else. Heck, I went two years without making a new holster for myself, even though I was making holsters for other people all the time.
The gentleman who commissioned me to make the N-frame cross-draw is a handgun instructor. He wears it on a regular basis and has repeatedly told me that it is the best holster he’s ever had. Well, now he says that it’s the other best holster he’s ever had – as he truly loves the woods holster that I made for his M629. This is the kind of work that I pride myself in. When someone will come back for more because the product is absolutely the best they’ve put their hands on, that makes me happy.
My brother is constantly wearing his 1911 in his blue holster. You will not catch him out of it. He’s been rough on it and it has worn nicely. Whether he’s in the woods, the city, or at a family gathering; if he is wearing pants, he is wearing that holster. Always.
When I left traditional employment in January, it was on friendly terms with the owner and staff. So, I’ve dropped in unannounced from time to time. Every time I’ve visited, the owner has playfully flashed his Kel-Tec in the warm brown pancake that I made for him. Some people like the holster more than the gun they put in it – and that’s fine with me. Most of us spend a whole lot more time wearing them than shooting them.
Stranger had me make a 45-degree pancake for his 1911. He was so impressed with my work that he quickly placed a second order. He asked for a pocket holster for fit his PPK, and wound up getting The Executive in black stingray. Stranger has very actively recommended my work, and I can’t thank him enough. His marks are particularly high, as he has been in and around leather work for his entire life. If anyone has a right to say whether my stuff is well-made or worth the price, it is this man.
Caleb at Gun Nuts asked me to make a fire engine red race holster to fit his S&W 627 Pro. Structurally, this was a bit of a departure from what I normally do, but I had to give it a try. What I came up with defies photography, but will give you chills to handle in person. Suffice it to say that Caleb was blown away by the results! (Quite frankly, I couldn’t have been happier with the way that holster came out myself.) Caleb reported faster draw times using this holster over his Kydex race rig. The product is beautiful and very functional – exactly as I like to make them. Caleb has continued to recommend my work.
You may wonder what my wife and I carry. Since she likes to try out a lot of my new ideas, she winds up wearing a lot of different holsters. But, the two that she has pretty well settled on are her belt optional IWB for her S&W M&P and the sunburst pancake for her snubby. Between those two rigs, she finds that she can always wear at least one gun. Quite often, she’ll be wearing both!
As to me personally, I’ve spent a lot of time recently in the red stingray tuckable for my S&W M&P. The holster is so incredibly comfortable and concealable no matter what I’m in the middle of doing. Most people are shocked to find out that I’m wearing a double-stack .45! But today, I’m wearing my M586’s in a pair of experimental holsters that I made for them. There are quite a few concepts that I have been thinking about to add a little extra panache to the good old pancake, so I kind of threw all of these concepts into these two holsters. They are comfortable enough, but I have not spent nearly enough time in them to get them broken in yet. I hope to have pics posted soon. (I think you’ll like them!)
If you have one of my holsters and would like to give me feedback on it, I’d love to hear from you. Testimonials are extremely valuable to me, and it makes my day to hear that my product is performing well for you. Big “thank you’s” to all that have given me your business! I couldn’t make it without you.
