Should you buy a custom holster or a mass produced holster? To help answer that question we decided to compare two kydex holsters.
We ordered a Light Tuck holster from Vedder as well as an equivalent inside waist band holster from Revkel. It took Vedder about 5 days to ship and Revkel 3 days.
The Vedder holster arrived in custom packaging with the holster contained in a draw string pouch. Also inside was a marketing brochure and feature list of this and other Vedder products.
The Revkel holster arrived in a bubble mailer with the holster contained in a zip lock bag.
First impressions were that Vedder are a class act with impressive marketing and promotional materials. However once all of the packaging is thrown away performance, fit and finish is more important.
Closer inspection of the Light Tuck showed many tools marks. Before we started to test the holster itself we thought that we would mention these issues to Vedder. Their customer service was very good, replying within 24 hours along with a return shipping label. The mentioned that they would make adjustments and send the holster back to me. Again turnaround was very quick and the holster was returned within a week. Unfortunately they returned exactly the same holster back to me with exactly the same issues. While these issues were purely cosmetic we would have hoped that a holster from a premium manufacturer would not be sent out with these cosmetic issues in the first place and definitely not again after claiming to have corrected them.
By contrast, the attention to detail on the Revkel holster was very evident. All smooth edges and completely hand finished. When comparing these two holsters side by side, what was also evident was that a lot more material was used in the Vedder holster making it a lot more bulky which can be felt when carried IWB or AIWB. In all of the photos, the Vedder holster has the wider clip and single screw wing attachment. The Revkel custom holster has the narrower clip and double screw wing attachment.
Both holsters were adjustable in both cant and ride height. However the Vedder in its highest position had the grip of the Glock 19 much too close to the belt making it very difficult to grip the gun. The Revkel in its lowest position allowed for much more clearance for an easier draw.
Retention is adjustable in both holsters achieved by loosening or tightening the wing screws. We found that at a similar amount of retention the Revkel holster’s break while drawing was crisper almost like and on off as opposed to the Vedder which felt a little more gradual.
Being a truly custom shop Revkel can offer a custom holster with various colors, finishes, pocket clips and mod wings.
Let’s talk pricing. One would expect that a custom holster would be much more expensive than a production one. Here is where the biggest surprise was. The Light Tuck in its pictured configuration would cost around $75 and the Revkel similarly priced depending on your options. All Revkel holsters are optics ready, you would have to pay extra for that option on the Vedder. Revkel also have many holster options for firearms with mounted weapons lights.
Credit again to Vedder customer service. When we pointed out that the holster that they returned still had the same issues they again sent a return shipping label and said that they would issue a refund within 5 days of receipt.
Of course all of this shipping back and forth could be avoided in the first place by just ordering a custom holster at no extra charge.
At the writing of the article we only had a Vedder holster as our production sample to compare with the offering from Revkel. Should we end up buying holsters from other companies we will then update this article.
Revkel Holsters is a small business run and operated by the owner who manages every stage of the production and finishing process. When you call customer service you get to speak directly with the owner.