8 minute read
INSIDE AIRSOFT: KYDEX CUSTOMS
QUICK DRAW ACES
A HOLSTER IS JUST A HOLSTER, RIGHT? IT IS UNTIL YOU FIND THE IN-GAME SHORTCOMINGS OF CHEAP AND CHEERFUL MODELS THAT MAY RETAIN YOUR BELOVED GBB SECURELY, BUT WHEN IT COMES TIME TO DRAW LETS YOU DOWN WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST! BILL IS CONTINUALLY SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT FIT AND FUNCTION WHEN IT COMES TO HIS PERSONAL HOLSTERS, AND THERE’S GOOD REASONS WHY HE TURNS TO KYDEX CUSTOMS WHEN HE NEEDS A NEW ONE!
Over the years that I’ve been involved in airsoft both at home and abroad one name has been at the forefront of things when it comes to my personal holsters for both airsoft replicas and the real thing, and that name is Kydex Customs. I’ve shopped with them consistently online for about three years and always received friendly, efficient service and their product range is simply staggering.
Over my time playing airsoft and shooting the real thing I’ve personally tried many holster models, from leg and thigh rigs through to concealed carry models, but what should YOU be looking for in a good holster? To me it’s not just a method of securely carrying a pistol, but a vital part of your “fighting kit” that will allow you to deploy your “secondary” swiftly and efficiently IF you need it. To me the pistol is a backup for the “SHTF” moments and is only really there for when your “primary” malfunctions or lawd forbid you run out of “ammo”; in this situation you need to get your pistol from secure to deployed lightning fast, and get on target!
Holster choice is a VERY personal thing, but I certainly hope that over time the members of Red Cell and the AA Legion have given you some pointers on what models to check out if you’re looking to upgrade. For me, well I’m definitely a two-piece beltkit kind of guy these days, so my holster is always going to be on there. In line with the above I have a Kydex Customs Holster for my Glock 17s, and a Kydex Customs light-bearing model, again for the 17s, in a cool Multicam wrap. As I’ve started mucking about with Hi Capas and 1911s (again!) for now I’m running a simple, cost-effective Kydex Customs “BARE BONES” holster which works well with the all the 1911-derived models, and I’ve also upgraded this with a 1911 light-bearer from Taig as well!
ORIGINS
But where have Kydex Customs come from, and what particular passion drives Taig and his team on in the journey to holster perfection? The original Kydex Customs operation was founded in January 2018 and from word go they carried the most diverse product line with holster options for some of the most popular GBB models available on the market, and this continues today, and of course now they are a much larger operation altogether!
Recently I happened to be speaking with Kydex Customs founder Taig, so I took the opportunity to run a few specific questions past him about how he does things, and where he’s heading. Although I have dealt with Kydex Customs for years, and have personally known Taig for even longer as a player, I’d never had the real chance to sit down and discuss the business with him in detail; I know his team well too these days as I see them at most major events, and it genuinely felt like I was speaking to an old friend!
After having a good natter with Taig about life, house-renovation and plumbers (what a rock n’ roll life we lead!), I asked specifically why Kydex Customs was set up, and he told me simply:
“At the time, I’d recently started playing at the Gaol in the UK and realised that I’d never played at a site before which had pitch black rooms. I wanted to mount a weapon light onto my pistol but couldn’t find a holster for my specific pistol and weapon light. So, having heard of Kydex in the past and being okay at making stuff I decided to give making my own holster a go!”
And the rest, as the saying goes, is history!
The team at Kydex Customs are tight knit and incredibly knowledgeable with many years of experience in the airsoft industry. Taig runs a thoroughly professional business which brings together holsters and accessories complementary to airsoft brands from all over the world. He also ensures that the “front facing” side of Kydex Customs runs smoothly and efficiently with regular updates on a
number of social media platforms whilst behind the scenes the guys beaver away in the workshop.
PROCESSES AND MODELS
Kydex Customs offering of products to support and complement many top brands is simply mindboggling! When I asked Taig what were the bestselling holster models, he told me at present it was the usual Glock and Hi Capa holsters, but surprisingly HK45 and FNX .45 holsters are pretty close behind them! They also offer a large and comprehensive range of accessory products like Vortex optics, Shooters belts and weapon lights.
Their onsite workshop creates both production models and prototypes “in house”, and I understand that there’s also a lot of “skunkworx custom work” that goes on behind the scenes, normally at the specific request of many of the “real deal” customers Kydex Customs works with but can never mention! All of their work is made to a high,real-world-user standard, and the quality is absolutely top notch. I asked Taig about the process for creating a new model and he told me:
“Usually, we’ll purchase a new model of pistol from a supplier, painstakingly 3D model the pistol by
hand in CAD, once we’ve got a model we’re happy we’ll split the model into a the mould/tooling and go about machining the vacuum mould on our HAAS CNC mill.
“From this point it’s a case of machining moulds, testing the fitment and tweaking things (this is usually the most time consuming and expensive part of the process!) to ensure the fitment of the holster is spot on with different makes/brands of the same pistol to ensure our customers have a quality product regardless of which version of the same pistol they have.
“Once we’re happy with the mould, we’ll then design and machine the trimming jig to give the holster its final shape, which usually only takes 1 or 2 revisions to be perfect and we’re done!”
NEXT GEN?
Kydex Customs continue to attend many airsoft shows and events in the UK (and further afield!) in person, and their mobile shop is just as well laid out, well stocked and professionally run as their main online store. They also regularly have a shop on site at the UK National Airsoft Festival so that they can gain firsthand feedback from users.
Before I ended my chat I had one final question for Taig, and that, as always, was where do you see airsoft heading in the future and he told me:
“I believe there’s going to be a bit of a shift in airsoft being used as a training platform with armed police and being taken a little bit more seriously by firearms manufacturers (which we’re already seeing in the USA). Which should mean that we could be seeing more 1:1 replicas hitting the market and airsoft as a whole could move more into the spotlight as the goto realistic training platform!”
Ultimately, whatever holster you choose, make sure it works for you and your style of play; don’t be influenced by socalled “experts” online, but get to your local site and try a few different models; undoubtedly more and more of them will orginate from Kydex Customs. Think about how you play, how and why you use your pistol, and go from there! If you are in need of a new holster, or indeed any kind of Kydex accessory I would thoroughly recommend that you take a look at the Kydex Customs Website; believe you me I guarantee it will be worth your while even if it’s just to gawk at their fabulous custom creations!
If you have a specific request for a holster then you can always contact Taig and his team via Sales@ kydexcustomsuk.com, and to check out exactly they already have (and it’s a LOT!) simply head on over to www.kydexcustomsuk.com AA
