Blade-Tech Straight Drop Eclipse Holster: Making concealed carry comfortable.

Before you read on I have a question for you:

Are you carrying your gun? I mean right this minute is your gun on your body?

If the answer is yes, good for you.

If not, WHY? Is it your holster or your belt or comfort that are keeping you from having your concealed carry handgun with you?

Finding the BEST Concealed Carry Holster

Selecting the best concealed carry holster can be a daunting task. As a professional defensive shooting instructor helping clients select the proper gear is part of the job. Finding the right gun is fairly straight forward. Choosing the correct caliber is pretty easy. When it comes to helping students find the right concealed carry holster things get tough. As a result, many people just don’t carry.

It isn’t because of a shortage of holsters. In fact, the problem is exactly the opposite. There are so many concealed carry holsters to choose from that often times people don’t know where to start. It is a problem of information overload that stops many people in their tracks.

When you start shopping for holsters you have to wade through right handed, left handed, IWB, OWB, 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock and appendix models. If we consider just the guns from the major manufacturers that I recommend to my clients it gives us a total of 108 combinations…and that doesn’t even touch the decision between leather, kydex, injection molded and hybrid models. Mind boggling. Where do you begin?

Try starting right here.  At the recent NASGW Show in Little Rock Arkansas I had the opportunity to talk with Kyle Thompson, the General Manager of Blade-Tech, about Blade-Tech’s products, particularly the Blade-Tech Straight Drop Eclipse Holster, the Ambidextrous Klipt and the Instructor Belt, and  how these products may help you carry concealed with more comfort, security and ease than before.  You can listen in on my conversation with Kyle below.

Blade-Tech Straight Drop Eclipse Holster

Blade-Tech is working to help and simplify the process of selecting the correct holster with the introduction of the Blade-Tech Straight Drop Eclipse holster.

The Straight Drop Eclipse from is a new offering from Blade-Tech. The holster is an injection molded polymer body that is designed to be used in a variety of carry methods and positions on the body.

Injection molding provides for a holster that is durable. Modern polymers are strong and resistant to heat meaning that there is no reason that your holster won’t function as long as you carry your concealed carry handgun. In addition, the injection molding process provides for a consistent fit.

The flexibility shown by the Blade-Tech Straight Drop Eclipse Holster is achieved through its attachment clips. The holster comes with two different types of attachments one set for OWB carry, which allow for a straight drop or FBI cant, and the other a tuckable clip that allows for IWB carry with the shirt out or tucked in. The curve that is necessary for a holster to conceal well is built into the attachment points so that the same holster body will work for both right handed and left handed shooters.

The Blade-Tech Straight Drop Eclipse Holster  will be available early in the first quarter of 2015 and will first appear in models for 1911’s, GLOCKs (17/22, 19/23), Smith & Wesson M&Ps and SIGs.

MSRP on the Blade-Tech Straight Drop Eclipse is $79.99 which is a great value based on the holsters 4 in 1 possibility.

Blade-Tech Ambi Klipt Holster

The Ambidextrous Klipt Holster is a new twist on a tried and true product for Blade-Tech, however it fills an important niche. The Ambidextrous Klipt provides a right and left hand option for appendix carry and also allows for the shirt to be worn tucked in. The design of the clip itself provides for easy removal of the holster should your gun need to be secured instead of carried, a common issue for both plain clothes LE Officers and Concealed carry permit holders. In addition, the Ambidextrous Klipt is adjustable for carry height. Moving the clip up or down modifies how deeply the holster and the handgun are carried in the waistband helping you to find the best balance of access, comfort and concealability.

MSRP on the Ambidextrous Klipt is set at $59.99.  Ambi Klipt Holsters for the GLOCK 42 are available now.

Blade-Tech Instructors Belt

Blade-Tech’s Instructor belt has some slick features to help make concealed carry more efficient and comfortable at the same time. The very popular cobra buckles have one major disadvantage. With standard belt loops the buckle must be unthreaded and removed to fit through the belt loops. Then the buckle needs to be rethreaded and secured. This procedure has left me wondering, “What’s the point?” As a result, I have avoided the belts with the Cobra Buckle.

Blade-tech took a look at this issue and came up with s simple and elegant solution. The width of the male end of the buckle has been reduced to a smaller size so that it easily fits through the belt loops on even your favorite Jordache Jeans. The Instructor Belt v2.0 will also include a heavy duty hook and loop attachment for the male end of the buckle which will allow threading through holster attachments which can prove to be problematic for Cobra buckles.

When talking about the Cobra buckle, it is clear that size does matter but it isn’t the only attribute of the Blade-Tech Instructor Belt that is important. Stiffness can also effect performance. Many manufacturers have begun to include additional layers in concealed carry belts to help keep the concealed handgun close to the body. Overall stiffness certainly increases security but at times that can come with a cost. Comfort. Typical stiffened belts contain an insert that runs throughout the entire belt. The result is a belt that is stiff where it needs to be and also where it doesn’t need to be. These belts can pinch and poke in all the wrong spots especially if you have a smaller diameter waist.

Blade-Tech has addressed this issue by simply segmenting the stiffening inserts allowing the belt to bend in areas where the gun isn’t typically carried and keeping it stiff where you are likely securing your gun.

The Blade-Tech Instructor Belt retails for $74.99.

The simple innovations that Blade-Tech is building into its gear are the little things that really increase your ability to wear your concealed carry handgun.

Remember back at the beginning of the post, I asked you a question? Let me ask another one now. If you aren’t carrying, or if you are but you find it can become uncomfortable, What are you going to do about it?

I’d like to make a suggestion: Keep an eye on www.Blade-Tech.com and see what their products might be able to do to help you carry your defensive handgun safely, securely and comfortably.