I have spent the last several months with one of Dara Holsters’ OWB Holsters for the Glock 19 with Streamlight TLR-1.  I’ve put it through its paces, taken notes, and now its time to dig in.

Overview

The Custom Kydex OWB Holster from Dara Holsters is a molded Kydex holster that is well suited for range work. It is clearly not designed to be a concealment holster.

Dara Holsters uses .093″ Kydex. This holster features finely adjustable tension via three adjustment screws. Their belt mount and tension adjustment hardware is Melonite treated.

All of their holsters come with what they call a “No BS, Lifetime Warranty”.

Observations from Use

The holster exhibits good fit and finish with a very positive click-in/click-out and no drag or additional catch points. This is due to the care that has been taken to block various catch points on the gun and light during the molding process. This takes some attention to detail to get right and Dara Holsters got it right. The edges are well finished to a satin polish.

Dara Holsters offers several different belt attachments for these holsters. I was able to try the winged belt loops (double loop), the single belt loop (single loop), and the paddle. The winged belt loops are very wide and stable and offer quite a bit of adjustment for height and cant. The single belt loop is surprisingly stable but not nearly as stable as the winged belt loops. It offers no adjustment for ride height or cant and is probably my least favorite of the attachments. The paddle is one of the best paddles that I have used. It holds the belt tenaciously and is quite stable in spite of its fairly small foot print.

I mentioned earlier, that this is not a concealment holster and that is due in large part to how the belt attachments are fixed to the back of the holster. The handgun is held out slightly from the body, not right up against it. It was not designed to be an OWB concealment holster and as it is, it makes a very good range holster. I have also found it to be very comfortable for around the homestead when I don’t need to conceal.

Dara Holsters offers a staggering amount of options on their holsters. Like most custom makers, you can choose the belt attachment, color, and light/laser but they go so far as to offer options like ride height, muzzle coverage, and flared openings! I am not sure I have seen so many options at the point of purchase. None of the options increase the price.

I will admit to having a preference for holsters without adjustable retention so I am not crazy about the triple tension adjustment screws. It just seems that tension screws are always working themselves loose, even when they have thread locking compound applied though the ones on this holster have not loosened. I tested the holster with one and even two of the screws removed just to see what would happen if screws were lost. Surprisingly, the holster will function reasonably well with just one of the tension screws in the top or middle position so at least there is some redundancy built in if you lose a screw.

I did get to experience their customer service. My initial holster came with a crushed sight channel that caused my front sights to drag on the inside of the holster and gouge the Kydex. After I wore in the initial groove, the problem started to go away but I still contacted Dara Holsters. They sent a replacement along with a return label for the original. The replacement was in hand in about 4 days.

Wrap Up

I did have initial issues with my first holster which were corrected quickly. The replacement holster has been a solid performer that exhibits good quality. The Melonite treated hardware is VERY nice touch. You will be blown away by the amount of custom options offered on these holsters. The winged double belt loop is great and the paddle is one of the best I have used. I would pass on the single belt loop as it lacks the stability and adjustability of the double.

I have come to really like this holster for situations where concealment is not an issue which are frequent since I live on rural property.

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This holster was provided to me free of charge for review by Dara Holsters & Gear.