Fobus hoslters anyone?.?
- Thread starter duckjihad
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I use a Fobus paddle for CC with SW M&P 9mm compact. Although, I don't have a large basis for comparison, the Fobus is infinitely better than what I previously had (cordura Uncle Mikes paddle/thumb strap with a smaller 9mm).
No issues with retention (which is somewhat adjustable), but if I fell down hard, I could see the pistol possibly getting dislodged. For $25, I feel it's a great starting point, even if I find a better holster later on.
No issues with retention (which is somewhat adjustable), but if I fell down hard, I could see the pistol possibly getting dislodged. For $25, I feel it's a great starting point, even if I find a better holster later on.
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
I carry my pre-agreement Smith & Wesson model 60 five-shot .357 magnum revolver in a $23.95 Fobus paddle holster.
I looked down my nose at plastic holsters for years, and still wouldn't carry a barbecue gun in one; that said™, the cheap little Fobus has replaced all mymuch more expensive leather holsters for daily carry. It's comfortable; carries the gun securely, and can be switched from side to side in no time. Beautiful? No way! Functional? Absolutely.
By the way, don't even think about Fobus holsters without adjustable tension for retention. Spend the extra few dollars to do the job right.
I looked down my nose at plastic holsters for years, and still wouldn't carry a barbecue gun in one; that said™, the cheap little Fobus has replaced all mymuch more expensive leather holsters for daily carry. It's comfortable; carries the gun securely, and can be switched from side to side in no time. Beautiful? No way! Functional? Absolutely.
By the way, don't even think about Fobus holsters without adjustable tension for retention. Spend the extra few dollars to do the job right.
Zach S
Member
Fobus holsters are good for the money. Retnetion is pretty good, and a quick draw takes a lot of practice, otherwise you'll just be pulling your pants up.
Concealment sucks for me, but for work around the yard or a quick trip to the store theyre hard to beat with another cheap holster.
Concealment sucks for me, but for work around the yard or a quick trip to the store theyre hard to beat with another cheap holster.
lance22
Member
Down on the bottom rung of non-leather holsters we have Fobus and Uncle Mike. I've used both and I like Fobus much better because Fobus has a softer feel and is not as prone to hairline fractures as Uncle Mike.
Both Fobus and Uncle are injection molded. IMHO plastics are better suited for injection molding than kydex. I don't know what Uncle does but they manage to turn a great material (kydex) into something brittle, hard, and inflexible - maybe that's what happens when they superheat the kydex?
Something better would be a Blade Tech, and better than that you have BearClaw Holsters, Dan Hillsman Holsters, RM Kydex, and Comp-Tac.
Both Fobus and Uncle are injection molded. IMHO plastics are better suited for injection molding than kydex. I don't know what Uncle does but they manage to turn a great material (kydex) into something brittle, hard, and inflexible - maybe that's what happens when they superheat the kydex?
Something better would be a Blade Tech, and better than that you have BearClaw Holsters, Dan Hillsman Holsters, RM Kydex, and Comp-Tac.
Old Dog
Member
Excellent range holsters. And for that evening trip down to the Quicki-Mart for milk and diapers, why drop a 642 (5 rounds of .38) in your coat pocket when you can just as easily slide on Beretta 92FS (19 rounds of 115-gr +P JHPs) in a Fobus paddle holster?
Went to a gun school, primary gun broke, had to substitute the Glock 23 in a Fobus, rolled around in the gravel and dirt, a few hundred draws, more'n 1500 rounds fired over 3 days ... Fobus had a few scratches, but still maintained retention and held up fine.
Of course, the brand-snobs and purists will never agree ... (but for the record, I do prefer my Sparks, Rosen and Kramer gunleather).
Went to a gun school, primary gun broke, had to substitute the Glock 23 in a Fobus, rolled around in the gravel and dirt, a few hundred draws, more'n 1500 rounds fired over 3 days ... Fobus had a few scratches, but still maintained retention and held up fine.
Of course, the brand-snobs and purists will never agree ... (but for the record, I do prefer my Sparks, Rosen and Kramer gunleather).
Landlocked Pirate
Member
I have a Fobus paddle holster for my Glock 17 that is extremely comfortable and close-fitting, and it actually had more retention than I wanted for concealment purposes. I filed down the retention area that fits inside the trigger guard to obtain just the right amount of retention for my purposes and then sanded it smooth and treated it with ArmorAll, and now it's perfect. I can't imagine a better holster of this type (for me, at least) for any amount of money.
Jkwas
Member
I have several. The last one I bought for my Taurus MilPro had a rubber cushion pad on the inside of the paddle, and and adjustment screw. Rides nice and high. A big improvement on their old models. I mostly pocket carry, but lately when I hip carry it's mostly a Fobus.
Zach S
Member
You can also use a hairdryer or heat gun. That's what I did with mine.
Macx 45LC+P
Member
The paddle is a little wide for CCW, fine for open carry or under jacket for late night dog walking (when you don't expect to see to many people or be too well lit). I have one for my Makarov & mostly use it for a bedframe holster. . . for CCW I tend to use the Falco IWB in leather.
jamz
Member
I've used one for IDPA this year, and occasional glock 19 carry. Not bad, hard to beat the convenience, but for some reason the paddle irritates my hip in a wierd way (happens with a Galco paddle I have too) so I wouldn't use it for an all day thing, personally.
JMag
Member
No thanks...
Ohen Cepel
Member
Bit rough on the finish of some guns.
However, for the money I think they are a great buy.
However, for the money I think they are a great buy.
Autolycus
Member
They are not for me.
spwenger
Member
A Tale Of Two Students
A few years ago, when I lived in a different town, I had two students for a CWP course. One was an athletically fit young man and one was a somewhat pudgy, short-waisted middle-age guy (two or three years my junior, as I recall). They had both been sold Fobus hosters as that was all that was stocked at the local gun shop. The young man had no trouble with his. The older guy could not manage the combination of strength and angle to draw reliably.
All the exercises in that course involved drawing from an upright position.
My questions to you are:
A few years ago, when I lived in a different town, I had two students for a CWP course. One was an athletically fit young man and one was a somewhat pudgy, short-waisted middle-age guy (two or three years my junior, as I recall). They had both been sold Fobus hosters as that was all that was stocked at the local gun shop. The young man had no trouble with his. The older guy could not manage the combination of strength and angle to draw reliably.
All the exercises in that course involved drawing from an upright position.
My questions to you are:
- If a holster is that demanding of the correct angle and enough strength for you to be able to draw your gun, will it help you or hinder you if you have to draw from an unconventional position, particularly if you may already have been struck or cut on your gun hand or gun-hand arm?
- If you're training for the street, why would you want to distinguish between a range holster and a carry holster?
- If your manipulation of your handgun will be on autopilot when your life is on the line, wouldn't you be more likely to succeed if you always used the same gun in the same holster, at the same location on your body?
rantingredneck
Member
I use them for woods carry (usually open) when hunting. I have better holsters for every day, concealed carry. Retention is good. Too good sometimes when the holster is new. After some use they loosen to where drawing the weapon doesn't result in a near-wedgie.
hankdatank1362
Member
For range or CC under a coat, FOBUS is fine. Not the best, but for the money, you can't go wrong.
I don't like how far away from the body they ride, so I merely unscrew the paddle or belt loop attatchment, use a heat gun to widen the brace that secures the holster body to the paddle or belt loop attatchment, and presto! I now have a snug, secure, close-riding belt loop holster!
I don't like how far away from the body they ride, so I merely unscrew the paddle or belt loop attatchment, use a heat gun to widen the brace that secures the holster body to the paddle or belt loop attatchment, and presto! I now have a snug, secure, close-riding belt loop holster!
W.E.G.
Member
I like the plain-jane Fobus paddle holster a lot.
The Fobus "roto" holster sticks out too much though.
I leave the Glock in the Holster when I'm not carrying. No worry at all about moisture or corrosion. For the record, I absolutely HATE the kydex/synthetic holsters with the pushbutton thing on the side. Last thing I want to do is reach for some stupid button when I'm trying to draw my gun under adverse conditions.
The Fobus "roto" holster sticks out too much though.
I leave the Glock in the Holster when I'm not carrying. No worry at all about moisture or corrosion. For the record, I absolutely HATE the kydex/synthetic holsters with the pushbutton thing on the side. Last thing I want to do is reach for some stupid button when I'm trying to draw my gun under adverse conditions.
Seems that experience with Fobus holsters varies and I suspect this may be because we talking about several different guns various models of holsters. Your specific gun/holster combination may give results that you don't expect based on the above.
hexidismal
Member
I've tried two fobus kydex holsters.. I REALLY didn't like either one of them.
Bersa 380 holster: BS2BH BERSA THUNDER SERIES BELT HOLSTER
4" 686 holster: SW4 SMITH & WESSON K&L FRAME PADDLE HOLSTER
These negatives apply equally to to both holsters.
#1: Retention was way too tight. Not only did it make proper draw technique difficult, but it seemed very likely to affect/damage the finish of the holstered firearms. Perhaps as some other posters have mentioned this can be altered with a heat gun.. but why bother, plenty of other holsters out there which don't require me to do a project after spending the money on them to have them function well.
#2: Both holsters seemed to angle the the grip of the guns away from the body considerably. Not only does this seem strange and impractical to me, it also makes good concealment almost impossible. One has to consider that this also causes the draw to be made at an angle away from the body, which is by no means optimal.
The only positive I can really see would be the durability. I can easily see these holsters standing up to a lifetime of use. Maybe if I was going into combat of some type I would like them more, but for my purposes they are quite useless.
Bersa 380 holster: BS2BH BERSA THUNDER SERIES BELT HOLSTER
4" 686 holster: SW4 SMITH & WESSON K&L FRAME PADDLE HOLSTER
These negatives apply equally to to both holsters.
#1: Retention was way too tight. Not only did it make proper draw technique difficult, but it seemed very likely to affect/damage the finish of the holstered firearms. Perhaps as some other posters have mentioned this can be altered with a heat gun.. but why bother, plenty of other holsters out there which don't require me to do a project after spending the money on them to have them function well.
#2: Both holsters seemed to angle the the grip of the guns away from the body considerably. Not only does this seem strange and impractical to me, it also makes good concealment almost impossible. One has to consider that this also causes the draw to be made at an angle away from the body, which is by no means optimal.
The only positive I can really see would be the durability. I can easily see these holsters standing up to a lifetime of use. Maybe if I was going into combat of some type I would like them more, but for my purposes they are quite useless.
nwilliams
Member
I have a few Fobus holsters for various guns, they aren't bad but having recently picked up my first Comp-Tac holster and I see now why Fobus are cheap and why Comp-Tacs are costly. You get what you pay for, if you want a very nice holster buy from Comp-Tac, if you want a budget holster then pick up a Fobus.
In short, there are certainly better holsters out there than Fobus, but like I said you want better, you pay more.
In short, there are certainly better holsters out there than Fobus, but like I said you want better, you pay more.
possum
Member
had one didn't care for it, not concealable, and just didn't aid in a smooth draw stroke.
Fobus holds my Glocks well, but chews the Hades out of the finish. By the second day, the left side of the slide was bare steel.
I refuse to use Fobus for my 1911s for the same reason, and because the 1911 almost always hung up in the holster, making it near impossible to draw.
At present, I have 1 remaining Fobus...for the Glock, and it will not be replaced. Give me a nice piece of leather any day.
I refuse to use Fobus for my 1911s for the same reason, and because the 1911 almost always hung up in the holster, making it near impossible to draw.
At present, I have 1 remaining Fobus...for the Glock, and it will not be replaced. Give me a nice piece of leather any day.
Landlocked Pirate
Member
I know experiences vary, but after modification my Fobus paddle holster holds my Glock more securely than my son's Comp-Tac IWB holds his Glock, but still provides a smooth draw.
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