We are almost always expecting a delivery of something. Sometimes its sights or some other long-awaited product for the store (currently we are expecting a shipment of a limited number of hard to find Lone Wolf conversion barrels for the 22, 23, 31 & 32) and sometimes it is new gear to test, but sometimes we get a surprise and something just shows up!
Today it was the later and we received a Level 2 Retention Holster from HT Holsters.
Who is HT Holsters?
If you don’t know, you aren’t alone.
HT Holsters is partnership between 2 distant cousins whose family have stayed in contact through 3 generations and 2 world wars. Mark Thurber’s (from the US) and Marko Rissanen’s (from Finland) families managed to stay connected since Mark’s grandmother emigrated in 1911.
Oddly it was Marko’s family that because involved in the armament’s business, but recently Mark brought some of his experience into the act and they are setting up US HQ in Michigan (Mark is a U of M guy and although it is difficult I am going to try not to hold that against him… I’m a Buckeye).
I became aware of them when I stopped to put somethings into my backpack and a guy offered me a chair to make it easier at the SHOT Show. I honestly had planned to walk right on by, but because of his gesture I stopped to look at his product and chat.
They had a couple of neat products and Mark was very knowledgeable about the materials and manufacturing process.
HT Holster’s Holsters
At the SHOT Show, they were demonstration 2 main products…
The first is Level 3 Duty holster that looks like something Robo-Cop would wear. It has a lock and a button to release the firearm like you would expect, but it also has an extension that makes it impossible to get a positive grip on the gun before releasing it. When the button is pressed the gun is projected 50mm (2 inches) vertically with 17.5 lbs of force into the shooters hand.
HT Holsters claims this system offer superior weapon retention and faster draws. I can’t speak to that, but I can certainly see how it would put you in the proper frame of mind!
The second is the Level 2 holster I received and is designed for concealed carry. It has a lock that is designed to be disengaged by the web of the shooters hand when they get a firm shooting grip.
Both designs are made from fiberglass-reinforced polymer which should be plenty strong and it appear to have a some interesting design features to increase its strength (which I will cover later). Both also use a system than can adjust the cant anywhere in 360 degrees in 10 deg increments.
The Review
HT Holsters sent the holster with a letter asking for our response to 4 questions…
- What is your overall impression of the product
- How does it compare to competing products you may have tried? Please name or describe the competing product?
- Were you confident your weapon was secure while using our product?
- What would you do to improve the product? What other types of products would you like to see from HT Holsters?
Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll experiment with the “Speed-draw CC” and share my comments and feed back with HT Holsters and you here.
Based on the 550 words that have been shared with you and the 2 photos, what is your initial impression?
Sponsors
Ron is the Founder and President of When the Balloon Goes Up! He competes regularly in IDPA as an ESP/Expert, his focus is on concealed carry, home defense and analyzing equipment to find “Gear that Just Works!”
