Clips....bad?

[Irelander]

I just switched my JMCK IWB3 holster over to the clip and am enjoying the lower profile. Just read this article from Jeff Gonzales. Interesting. I quickly searched around here and couldn't find a discussion on the topic.

http://soldiersystems.net/2015/03/07...jeff-gonzales/

The clip on the JMCK IWB3 is plastic and just a cursory look around it seems a lot of holster makers use them. My opinion is that paired with a good belt the plastic clip seems just fine. The metal clip that came on my Dark Star Gear holster seems pretty bomb proof. Its even hard for me to get off my belt. Soft loops work great but they always seem to bulge and print more than the nice flat clips.

Are clips really just a bad idea for EDC holsters?

[Chuck Haggard]

I'd have to ask the guys that pressure test gear more often than I do like Craig or Paul Sharp, but the issue as I understand it is that this sort of set-up doesn't withstand physical stuff well.

[EricM]

Craig mentioned his preference for solid loops at ECQC, and during the class I noticed at least two instances where a clip on someone's holster came loose. One was a Crossbreed, can't recall the other. Now obviously some clips are much better than others, for example early impressions of the Eidolon from guys like Cecil Burch indicated the clips held up well. Clips were the only attachment method available with the pre-release package for that holster, otherwise I doubt we'd have heard much about them from the guys who really test them hard, as they'd probably have opted for another option by default. As I understand it, it's not so much whether the clip stays on when drawing or running -- a good clip with a good belt will pass that test -- the concern is more about if some guy's on top of you and you're rolling around on the ground, pressure is being applied in all sorts of different directions, twisting on a variety of axes. As with anything though one has to evaluate the tradeoffs vs. your priorities, sometimes a clip on holster is pretty darn convenient and I accept the potential drawbacks.

Would be interesting to hear more about what clips guys have seen hold up and which ones have failed (and under what circumstances).

And thanks for the reminder that I really need to get an order in with DSG, been wanting his clip on AIWB for my PPS for a long time.

[DocGKR]

The only time I use a clip on a holster is if I did not have a belt; any other time, I go with some sort of more solid attachment method.

[Cecil Burch]

, for example early impressions of the Eidolon from guys like Cecil Burch indicated the clips held up well. Clips were the only attachment method available with the pre-release package for that holster, otherwise I doubt we'd have heard much about them from the guys who really test them hard, as they'd probably have opted for another option by default. As I understand it, it's not so much whether the clip stays on when drawing or running -- a good clip with a good belt will pass that test -- the concern is more about if some guy's on top of you and you're rolling around on the ground, pressure is being applied in all sorts of different directions, twisting on a variety of axes. As with anything though one has to evaluate the tradeoffs vs. your priorities, sometimes a clip on holster is pretty darn convenient and I accept the potential drawbacks.

I rolled with a couple of my regular black belt training partners when I first got the Eidolon. The clips did hold up, and they are still fairly strong. However, all else being equal, I much prefer solid loop attachments, like soft loops, or the solid single big loop of the Keeper. While the RCS clips held up, I worry about long term. Will they weaken over time and exposure? Will they be more susceptible to breakage after seeing some use? As mentioned above, a good clip will stick to the belt, but it is the torquing and twisting from an entanglement that worries me.

I certainly did not mind carrying the Eidolon with the clips for the month or so I rung it out. If I made it my EDC though (I don't only because I don't carry a Glock), I would absolutely go for the newer loops.

[orionz06]

The Eidolon clips are impressive. Not too much I would change about them and I could foresee using them once available in quantity.

[Byron]

The Eidolon clips are the best clips I've ever seen on a holster, though I've yet to play with one of DSG's clip-on holsters. The steel clips on the DSG holsters look very impressive, but I've never had the chance to use one.

I got the soft loops for my Eidolon as soon as I could, but a big reason was because they offer more options for ride height. The soft loops give me more confidence, but I can't say that the Eidolon clips ever gave me any problems. Still, I have a lasting bias against clips from having enough of them pop free under physical pressure (not even always entanglement).

[Irelander]

Thanks for the comments guys. I think I may order one of JMCK's split kydex loops for my IWB3. Looks like it will be nice and low profile but give the added security of a loop attachment.

[Irelander]

And thanks for the reminder that I really need to get an order in with DSG, been wanting his clip on AIWB for my PPS for a long time.

Do it!

[ssb]

Thanks for the comments guys. I think I may order one of JMCK's split kydex loops for my IWB3. Looks like it will be nice and low profile but give the added security of a loop attachment.

Of the holster attachments he makes, IMO the split loops are the best. Very low-profile (they don't print), secure, can straddle a belt loop if needed.