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Thread: Changes at Safariland

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    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Changes at Safariland

    (I asked an off topic question of KevH in another thread, and thought the result was worth it's own thread.)


    What changed at Safariland?
    Last edited by BehindBlueI's; 09-02-2021 at 11:11 AM.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

  2. #2
    Site Supporter KevH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BehindBlueI's View Post
    What changed at Safariland?
    They moved production to Mexico and quality has plummeted.

    A new 6000-series holster feels like some sort of cheap knockoff of their past great product. This applies to magpouches, cuff cases, and everything else.

    My understanding is the employees they abandoned in California teamed up to make US Duty Gear and keep making the great old Safariland products. From talking to them last week I would expect to see at least one really really large department issuing their stuff in the near future. I know they're going to have an ALS line out shortly. I also know they're open to creating a new mold for something (gun, light, optic combo) if they get 100 orders of that product.

    It's actually fairly exciting and may give Safariland actual real competition in the marketplace finally.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by KevH View Post
    They moved production to Mexico and quality has plummeted.

    A new 6000-series holster feels like some sort of cheap knockoff of their past great product. This applies to magpouches, cuff cases, and everything else.

    My understanding is the employees they abandoned in California teamed up to make US Duty Gear and keep making the great old Safariland products. From talking to them last week I would expect to see at least one really really large department issuing their stuff in the near future. I know they're going to have an ALS line out shortly. I also know they're open to creating a new mold for something (gun, light, optic combo) if they get 100 orders of that product.

    It's actually fairly exciting and may give Safariland actual real competition in the marketplace finally.

    Any idea when their ALS line will be out? I also like the look of some of their leather stuff.

    What kind of holster do you use for non uniform carry? Can you find one of those for the Stacatto?

  4. #4
    Site Supporter KevH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheNewbie View Post
    Any idea when their ALS line will be out? I also like the look of some of their leather stuff.

    What kind of holster do you use for non uniform carry? Can you find one of those for the Stacatto?
    I've heard the ALS stuff will probably be out a few months into 2022. As with any new company I think we have to be patient.

    Non-uniform it depends. I have old FIN Designs (long out of business) kydex holsters I really like for Glocks which is what I've been using lately. His stuff was the best kydex in my opinion, but it's NLA.

    Like most guys, and much to my wife's chagrin, I have bins and bins of holsters. I have Rusty Sherrick SIS holsters for a few different guns, some holsters from Tim Thurner and bunch of Milt Sparks stuff all of which I use. My favorite Milt Sparks belt holsters (and my favorite for the 1911 in general) are the 60TK and 1RT. All of them except the 1RT ride really high which I like.

    I'll probably beg Rusty to make me one for the Staccato and buy a Milt Sparks one and ultimately carry long-term whichever one works best. I don't think a 60TK can accommodate an optic.

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    Quote Originally Posted by KevH View Post
    They moved production to Mexico and quality has plummeted.

    A new 6000-series holster feels like some sort of cheap knockoff of their past great product. This applies to magpouches, cuff cases, and everything else.

    My understanding is the employees they abandoned in California teamed up to make US Duty Gear and keep making the great old Safariland products. From talking to them last week I would expect to see at least one really really large department issuing their stuff in the near future. I know they're going to have an ALS line out shortly. I also know they're open to creating a new mold for something (gun, light, optic combo) if they get 100 orders of that product.

    It's actually fairly exciting and may give Safariland actual real competition in the marketplace finally.
    The Mexican producion referenences trouble me, there is concern, and decisions to be made...

    I just had to buy a new body armor carrier, manufactured by Safariland, in Mexico. Only a month old, but watching. Not made in USA, which is where I would likely need it. Not really sure how I feel, or what benchmarks I need. I spent more than a couple of years on the southern border, though. One of my mentors got AR-10s (at least his, as Head of the Firearms Training Unit) as approved for duty use for "cartel intrusions"...I normally have a "Made in USA requirement" for life saving stuff. Like guns. And ammo. And armor. And med supplies...

    Safariland's issues are not really its own. It is part of a multinational corporation, and the biggest issue is the bottom line. They will support what sells, not what saves...

    pat

  6. #6
    Site Supporter KevH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by UNM1136 View Post
    The Mexican producion referenences trouble me, there is concern, and decisions to be made...

    I just had to buy a new body armor carrier, manufactured by Safariland, in Mexico. Only a month old, but watching. Not made in USA, which is where I would likely need it. Not really sure how I feel, or what benchmarks I need. I spent more than a couple of years on the southern border, though. One of my mentors got AR-10s (at least his, as Head of the Firearms Training Unit) as approved for duty use for "cartel intrusions"...I normally have a "Made in USA requirement" for life saving stuff. Like guns. And ammo. And armor. And med supplies...

    Safariland's issues are not really its own. It is part of a multinational corporation, and the biggest issue is the bottom line. They will support what sells, not what saves...

    pat
    Not trying to drift my own thread, but we had a debacle with Second Chance after Safariland bought them a few years back. Safariland recently sent us a vest to demo a few months back and I returned it shortly after taking it out of the box. It was so stiff and the quality appeared very low. It felt like cardboard.

    We switched to US Armor in 2015 and couldn't be happier. Great company, great product and made in the USA.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by KevH View Post
    Not trying to drift my own thread, but we had a debacle with Second Chance after Safariland bought them a few years back. Safariland recently sent us a vest to demo a few months back and I returned it shortly after taking it out of the box. It was so stiff and the quality appeared very low. It felt like cardboard.

    We switched to US Armor in 2015 and couldn't be happier. Great company, great product and made in the USA.
    You seem to have identified one of my problems. I don't mind stiff vests, in kevlar (my first was a 1986 Point Blank vest...) but the way they deform, like cardboard, and hold the deformation, resulting in crappy fits thereafter is pretty disturbing. Depite the girth I gained during my career thus far, I am convinced the fit of my vest was adversely affected by the way gravity affected it while being stored vertically in my locker...

    pat

  8. #8
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KevH View Post
    They moved production to Mexico and quality has plummeted.

    A new 6000-series holster feels like some sort of cheap knockoff of their past great product. This applies to magpouches, cuff cases, and everything else.

    My understanding is the employees they abandoned in California teamed up to make US Duty Gear and keep making the great old Safariland products. From talking to them last week I would expect to see at least one really really large department issuing their stuff in the near future. I know they're going to have an ALS line out shortly. I also know they're open to creating a new mold for something (gun, light, optic combo) if they get 100 orders of that product.

    It's actually fairly exciting and may give Safariland actual real competition in the marketplace finally.
    That's interesting and I had no idea. I'll split this out into it's own topic.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Trooper224's Avatar
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    A while back we got some new Safariland gear at work and I noted a decline in quality from years past. Having zero choice in gear for this job, I didn't give it any further thought. Now the reason is obvious, sad.
    We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......

  10. #10
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    I'd agree with KehH on the lowered overall quality. Especially with the recent light compatible 7360 holsters we received. Universally hated here. Fit was terrible on both the draw and reholstering. When guys who've been using nothing but ALS/SLS combo holsters for years want to throw the holster in the lake out of frustration, you've got a problem.

    We were just sent an "updated" version of this holster that's intended to deal with the fit issue, as well as the excessive flex in the holster body. First impressions are that it is an improvement, but that it still has issue. Still probably the best trigger area coverage of any light compatible holster....but that comes at a cost.

    Looking forward to seeing the level 3 US Duty Gear offering. Their quality seems good....we just want something with a little more active retention than an SLS style bucket.

    And don't get me started on Safarilands refusal to consider making a DG switch compatible holster....

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