By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The holster arrived in a black fabric bag, inside of a cardboard box, with some reading material about breaking in the rig and maintenance tips.
This holster came from Craft Holsters, which is enjoying growing visibility online, and has been sending me frequent emails offering additional holster care products and information on materials. According to their information, Craft Holsters are built with Italian leather, which is tanned with natural vegetable oils, stitched with German threads and finished by hand.
Having operated my own small custom holster company for some years, there were things I looked for which may, or may not, be important to most consumers, but they do make a difference when it comes to judging quality.
The stitching was done evenly and it was tight, with thread appearing to be a woven nylon, which—in my experience—has a pretty good service life and is not prone to coming apart through years of use.
All edges were nicely burnished and nicely finished. The holster appears to have been well-buffed and carefully packaged for shipping.
My test holster was single thickness and nicely molded to the shape of a Model 1911 pistol for a right-hand draw. It featured three belt slots, allowing the sidearm to be carried either on the strong side with a forward cant, or as a vertical cross draw, and all were nicely done. Each slot is capable of accommodating a 1 ¾-inch belt. The holster passed with flying colors when used either way.
The holster was stamped “Vega Holster – Made in Italy.” The medium brown finish was flawless front and rear, and the thumb break was reinforced with a stiff insert which had required the leather to be carefully split and then stitched to cover the reinforcing tab.
Overall, the rig was adequately stiff to retain its shape and hold the pistol snugly without the need for a tension screw. At the toe, the leather was nicely folded over the muzzle without being stitched.
And, it smells like leather, which is something I expect when a rig comes out of the package, whether it’s a cloth or plastic bag, or just wrapped in some sort of covering.
I’ve always preferred leather as a holster material. I’ve seen some synthetics fail. After more than 50 years of packing sidearms, I cannot recall a leather holster failing. Some rigs are better than others, for sure, and from my observations so far, this rig from Craft Holsters is one which will stand up to all sorts of changing conditions.
The maintenance tips are good, noting that the holster should be cleaned and that small scratches should be fixed, and holsters can be conditioned for longer life.
Craft Holsters offers belts, magazine pouches and speed loader carriers.
This outfit offers holsters for a wide variety of handguns, molded to fit specific models. Find out more at Craft Holsters.
