Thanks for your review. Looks like a solid kydex offering. As the owner of several Five seveN pistols I own a number of holsters. Especially since the Five seveN is the gun I carry most of the time.

It is interesting what you say about leather holsters. I have never thought about that. While what you are saying might well be a real concern, I have never experiences something like that. I own and enjoy using a number of both leather and kydex holsters for many of my semis and revolvers. Invariably I find the leather holsters more comfortable, especially in areas where the holster contacts my skin. Since leather is pretty much skin, it makes sense it would be more comfortable.

Not to hijack your review, but maybe we can use this thread as a resource for those who are looking for holsters? Here is a review of the 3 holsters I use the most often for my Five seveN.


EBAY KYDEX IWB HOLSTER

The first holster I ordered for my Five seveN was an Ebay Kydex IWB holster. I have had really good luck with these homemade Kydex holsters for my semi-autos from Ebay in the past. I still carry my Glock 17, Glock 19 and my S&W Shield in one of these Ebay holsters and they are usually pretty damn good. I have tried other brands of holsters for these guns, both leather and kydex, but I still go back to the Ebay ones.




This holster is well worth the $35 plus $4.99 shipping. Retention is very positive, and the release is smooth and quick. Other than the discomfort of kydex against my skin, the only issue with this holster is the fixed cant. It doesn't cant quite enough for my taste. For me, more cant on this holster would allow for better concealment.

The holster also can't be adjusted for height, or how high above or below the belt-line the gun rides. But they have the height pretty much right on with this holster, so it is not really an issue for me, but might be for some.

Given the firmness and molded nature of any kydex holster, re-holstering is a snap. There is nothing more frustrating and potentially dangerous than struggling to re-holster your gun once it has been drawn.

I live in South Florida and I wear shorts and t shirts 365 days a year. With a regular t shirt this holster just doesn't allow for total concealment, a couple of more degrees of forward cant would do the trick. With a button-up short sleeve shirt, being considerable looser than a regular t shirt, it works just fine. Let's remember, this is a full size gun, being able to conceal it in shorts and a t shirt is pretty remarkable in the first place.

All in all a pretty good holster, especially for the money.


ALIEN GEAR IWB HOLSTER

I think Alien Gear is a seriously slick company with a brilliant business plan. If you don't know what I mean, go check out their website. They sell a base holster that takes different shells for different guns. You can buy as many shells as you have different guns and switch them out on the holster base. It is truly a modular holster system. It is very well done and very reasonably priced. The Alien Gear holster for my 5 7 was about $40 delivered.

I had been wanting to try their product and thought my 5 7 purchase presented a good opportunity. I ordered the holster the same day I ordered my 5 7. It took me a week to get my gun, and it took about two weeks to get my Alien Gear IWB holster.




As you can see this is a big and bulky holster. Despite that, it conceals well for its size in the 4 or 5 o'clock position.

The tension is adjustable and it firmly retains the pistol and allows for quick drawing as well depending on how tight you turn the tension screw.

While you can't adjust it for cant, they have it in a nice position and it works well for me. YMMV. The height, or how high or low the gun rides above your belt-line can be adjusted fairly simply. This feature helps a lot with concealment depending on what kind of outfit you are wearing. With shorts and a t shirt you want the gun to ride fairly low with as much of the gun below the belt-line as possible. This leaves less of the grip exposed to print through your t shirt.

Given the way I dress, this holster is a little bulky and the lower height adjustment puts too much gun down the side of my right buttock and makes it a little uncomfortable. When it is on the higher adjustment it prints a little too much through my t shirt. I can only use this holster with a button-up t shirt.

Since the base is leather, it is the leather that meets up with your body, which is more comfortable than kydex. Definitely a plus for me.

One problem is re-holstering. The way the holster is designed, the shell just lays on the leather base. It is hard to explain, but this makes it very difficult to re-holster your gun. It is a major struggle to put your gun back in the holster once it is drawn. To me, this is a major weakness of the Alien Gear modular design.

Overall a very flexible holster system for the money and you can change the shell out fairly quickly for any of your other pistols. New shells are about $12.

Alien Gear Holsters


TUCKER GUN LEATHER COVER UP PLUS

This is hands down the best holster of the bunch. it is also the most expensive at $112 delivered. It is well worth every penny. I have several Tucker Holsters for my many revolvers. They have served me very well over the last bunch of years, and have held up fantastically to daily use.






It took about about 4 weeks to receive the holster after I ordered it. Each holster is custom made to order. The Tucker is easily the most comfortable of the bunch. It is 100% leather, which I much prefer over kydex against my skin. It is very lightweight as well, and not at all bulky.

The tension is adjustable and it firmly retains the pistol and allows for quick drawing as well depending on how tight you turn the tension screw.

The top of the holster is reinforced which allows for easy re-holstering. The reinforced mouth of the holster will not collapse from the pressure of your belt, and you can easily re-holster your gun once drawn.

Not only is the cant adjustable, the height is adjustable as well. This allows me to find the perfect combination of cant and height for concealment. The other holsters only offer one or none of these adjustments. This is the only holster of the three that allows me to wear a fairly tight t shirt and completely conceal my 5 7 with no printing through my shirt.

It also has a sweat guard that covers the back of the slide as you can see in the second picture, which is a nice feature. Since the 5 7 is all plastic, and the exterior of the slide rusting is not really possible, I guess you don't really need it. But I would rather have the leather sweat guard rubbing my skin as opposed to the rough plastic slide of my Five seveN.

I have been using this holster for the last two years pretty much daily. It is so much more comfortable than the other two holsters it is unreal. A real pleasure to wear all day and night. If you are looking for a quality holster that offers comfort, adjustability, and the best concealment for the 5 7, the Tucker is an excellent choice.

Tucker Gun Leather


I am not affiliated with any of the companies discussed in this review.

Though I am not going to get into it here, I cannot stress the importance of a good carry belt. Do NOT carry your guns on belts you buy in a department store. Get the right tool for the job. I makes a world of difference. Once you use one, you will understand and never go back.