When Craft Holsters offered to send an OWB holster to do a review I jumped. As readers may know, I am a big fan of a good leather holster.

One of my favorite holsters (and first good holster) was a Galco Combat Master (also my first pistol). I still own both. I'd have to check my receipts but that was 30 years ago. I remember because, for me,  it was a big jump $-wise to go from an Uncle Mikes holster to the Galco.

What I am saying is that a good leather holster is an investment and will serve you for many years to come. They are definitely worth the money.

I carried that combination for many years, but at some point I switched to a Sig P220 for its light-weight and out-of-box accuracy (even in my hands). At the time, I tried to go the route of an IWB like a Kramer but it is just not a very concealable pistol. As I got older it became impractical to me to to carry a such a large pistol and like others, I moved onto smaller more concealable pistols for CCW.

Although no longer my CCW pistol I still have a soft spot for my P220. In fact, taking it to the range reminded just how well it still shoots. Going through my box of holsters, I realized that I never did end up with a holster for it - I had traded/sold them!

That brings me back to Craft Holster's offer.

After taking a look at their website: http://www.craftholsters.com I was happy to find that P220. In fact, there is a good variety of other models that can sometimes harder to find. In my recent search (and on their site): CZ 75 Compact, HK VP9sk, Beretta 92 Compact (with or without rail). Additionally, newer pistols models are available like the new Glock 43x and 48. For newer Sig fans the P320s, P365 and 938 are also represented. 

The "holster finder" allows you to find all their holsters that fit your model. It also gives you an in-stock status and estimated ship time.

So, with fall weather here (full size pistol time) and feeling a bit of old-school Sig nostalgia I requested a holster for my P220.

In just a few days a box arrived with the holster. The packaging is the ship box. I am all for minimal packaging, especially if it helps keeps the cost lower. For me, most of that stuff gets thrown away or lost anyway. The inside of the box has some information on their holster email club (10% off your second holster and email offers) along with support info:

The holster has a nice tan outer finish – mahogany. The boning is more detailed than the average holster, with a typical depth. I was pleased that there was no out-of-the box stain smell:

The first thing that I noticed is how thin the holster is. Leather work has come a long way! The issue with my old IWB attempts with the Kramer and now defunct C5 Custom Leather was how thick they were.

This is very thin:

Noteworthy is that the inside of the holster is unfinished and unlined. Lining adds additional cost and supposedly saves wear on your pistol, but I haven't noticed a difference.

An inside finish looks nice at first but it always wear off with usage and ends up looking the same.I have plenty of black leather holsters where the inside is tan now.

I am not personally concerned with holster wear on pistol. If it's a safe queen it should probably be in the safe and not a holster ;) 

Inside, different angle:

The company logo and name are prominently stamped on the back-side. It is very clean, minimal, and looks very nice:

One thing that would be a nice addition to the holster would be what model it fits  stamped into the holster - We all have A box of holsters that we are not quite sure of what they fit. For fun, I did a quick check of a few of my holsters and found that some companies, some do not, and a few vendors simply wrote the model in Sharpie on the inside of the holster. It works!

Continuing on...Double-stitching on the interior and single-stitching on the outside looks great!

 Oops, is that a missing stitch at the bottom left? I am not sure if that is intentional, but there is no loose thread. Regardless, it is certainly no practical issue.

Another shot of the stitching and it also shows that muzzle is completely protected. This saves your jeans:

The sweat shield may look small but it works perfectly without requiring a huge shield. Craft calls it a partial shield and, if not convinced, does also offer a holster with a full shield.

The partial shield is a huge advantage over holsters without one (like the Galco Combat Master). Some of my other holsters do have a full guard,  Sometimes they are even reinforced - and they are always huge - now I wonder why? Craft proves that all that extra material and thickness simply isn’t needed.

Notice how the "partial shield" does not dramatically over-arch the holster body?

It may not look like it covers the whole pistol completely, but I didn't feel the pistol against me. No cold steel sensation -- even with an un-tucked t-shirt.

I think that this is my favorite feature of the holster!

View from the other side:

You may have noticed that the holster does not have a reinforced mouth. Many feel that this is a requirement for rapid re-holstering. I have both and to be honest, I have never had an urgent need to re-holster. Still, it is nice not to have to use an additional hand as some holsters seem to collapse without the pistol. The Craft is actually not bad reholstering. I can press the P220 into the holster and re-holster with minimal effort and with one-hand - this is not something that I can do with all my OWB holsters.

NOTE: You do need to always glance down prior to holstering to ensure that there is no obstruction or anything that may catch the trigger.  This is true of all holsters.

On the other hand (and more important to me) is that the pistol draws clean without any drag. There is no retention, but I did flip it upside down and it did not fall out with a light shake (sorry, no pic of that lol).
 

The belt slots are a standard 1.5”.

It fits my Wildnerness 5-Stitch perfectly:

It also fits the Wilderness CSM (polymer insert model):

One belt that a lot of holsters (especially Kydex) have issues with is the Galco SB2. It is simply ridiculously thick. Mine is at least 30 years old! (remember the quality leather statement)

The belt is a little snug going through the loops, but the Craft passes that thick belt test!

Wow, itwas a snug fit! But to be fair it is thicker than any of my other belts:

The loops passed through my Relentless Tactical "Steel Core" Ultimate Belt without any problems:

 After wearing the holster for several weeks, the only noticeable wear was from squeezing the Galco Belt through! Nice quality leather and good finish.

Speaking of wearing the holster, I found it to be very comfortable. What was surprising is that the Craft's loops loops actually bend inward towards your body. With other holsters, like the Galco Combat Master, you can distinctly feel the edge of the pistol at the main holster body. I could not with the Craft. The only reason that I could think of was because of the loops. I was able to wear the holster, even seated all-day without any problem. Also, thinking that the lops bending makes the holster body a little more rigid making it easy to holster/reholster than others.

I struggled to come up with a pic that illustrates this, but this was all I could come up with. NOTE: I am actually wearing it in the pic - I tried a darker shirt but you couldn't see anything then):

In some of the photos above you can also see how the loops have become bent in from wearing it.

To conclude, the Craft Holster is very will made. It is basic (no lining, mouth reinforcement, etc) leather holster that is practical and comfortable. Their standard partial sweat guard works amazingly well and IMO should be on every holster!

Incidentally, their holsters are covered by a 5yr warranty but I suspect it will last MANY years to come.

This will not be my last from them:
 

Craft Holsters P220 holster selection:
https://www.craftholsters.com/sig-sauer-p220-holsters

There is a newer slimmer holster that is slimmer with better reholster capability:
https://www.craftholsters.com/open-top-leather-pancake-holster-panther

Holsters are a critical piece of equipment often taken for granted. The difference between a good holster is carrying your firearm or not. The first rule of a gun fight is to have a gun. For most of us, that means having a good holster (and belt, but that is a different story).

I started off my CCW-years using leather only. Leather is amazingly comfortable. But, in recent years, like a lot of people I moved away from leather for Kydex holsters. Kydex simply became more cost effective, thinner, lighter and for some reason the Kydex companies seemed able to add new models quicker. Over the years custom leather holster prices soared and seemed expensive. Kydex filled a category in between leather and inexpensive nylon. I even tried several less expensive custom leather companies, with mixed results. It was hit and miss.

Fast forward. I received an offer from Falco Holsters to try out one of their leather holsters. I had seen their holsters offered before on vendor sites and was curious. But, to be honest, I had never tried one before because I thought that their name was a play off of Galco Leather. It was time to give leather another try.

I was allowed to pick (from a list) of what I wanted and scrolled through the list of supported firearms (https://www.falcoholsters.com/list-of-available-guns). In particular, I was impressed by their CZ support. I have a CZ 75 Compact that is a tack driver. However, finding a good holster for it has been difficult. I have a few and none of them are satisfactory. The pistol's shape/weight is just hard for me to carry/conceal comfortably. I was pleased that Falco has a mold. Additionally, Falco has holsters for the traditional CZ75, the P01, the P07, and even the striker P10c. Impressive! CZ sells everything that they import, often with waiting lists, so I knew that CZ fans would be interested too.

Depending on what you are looking for you will like/dislike any holster maker. For newer firearms, I saw that Falco has a mold for the HK VP9 but not the VP9sk. Additionally, they have a mold for things like the Walther P99, the PPQ and even the PPX but not the PPQsc. Demand always dictates. There was nothing for the Ruger American Series while, not surprisingly, there are a number of options for the Sig P320.

Incidentally, a lot of revolvers are represented - but you may have to do your homework. For example, the only S&W 19 model they list is the 4", however, a lot of other K-frame lengths are available, but expressed in alternate model #'s (65/66, etc). I was pleased that 3"-ers are fairly well represented. I have an affinity for 3” revolvers and a quick view shows that Falco has holsters for the 3” SP101, K and L Frames. Nice!

I chose an IWB leather holster for my CZ75 Compact. I chose a model with snaps separate from the main body of the holster. In fact, the holster's configuration is due to the plethora of options available that I chose (sweat shield, cant, no retention screw, color, stitching, etc.)

The pistol itself (for those unfamiliar) is an all steel mid-size double-stack 9mm - fairly thick and heavy. It is a double-action with a hammer, kind of old school now:

Yes, it's empty:

I received the holster from Falco. Their website allows you to pick and choose the options you want, and there are a lot! It came from Slovakia and was professionally packaged:

 The back, with some basic instructions on break in, usage and care:

The holster itself:

The Falco logo distinctly marks it. Everything about the holster is professionally done. No short-cuts here.

I instantly took it out and ended up wearing it for several days.
Actually, the fact that I was able to wear it that long speaks volumes. My last holster (Kydex) I gave up on after a few hours. It was not comfortable and printed – strangely the front top of slide.
I did NOT have any of these problems with the Falco. It concealed easily in just a t-shirt (that's good for a not super thin guy like me).

There was no break-in period as the instructions implied and is often expected from a leather holster. Perhaps it is from the boning being not being super deeply embossed, but it definitely enough to ensure good fit:

My CZ75 Compact fits in it perfectly. But, if you are looking for a holster where the pistol “snaps” into it with a positive retention – more than just by gravity you will want to order an holster with the retention screw option. Since I am not anticipating being upside down I did not order it with one (that's a joke). It's just what I prefer.
This falls somewhere in the middle (not loose or tight) which is a good thing IMO.

So for actual usage...

One thing that I have to do (and dislike) is frequently disarm when going to certain places. But, I often leave my holster on so that I can re-holster when possible.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well this worked with the Falco - the holster compacts ridiculously comfortably when the pistol is not it. It does not feel bulky like a Kydex holster which retains it shape. Putting the pistol back in it is no problem with the Falco’s reinforced mouth as shown in the pic above and below:

The construction of the holster is very well done. There is double-stitching for the main body:

Threads are very thick. You have the option of picking an alternate color. 

I was a little bit disappointed that the snaps are not one-way - but they are very positive in snapping open/close and require quite a bit of force to undo. In fact, for the pics it took a bit of effort to snap/unsnap them without the pistol. These are not cheap snaps.
The Falco logo on them is a nice touch:

The sweat shield, even though from the pics looks a bit short, especially if you carry the pistol half-cock (which I do) or cocked and locked but I did not encounter any discomfort.

Hammer is actually fully covered:

I do not feel the hammer even in condition 1.

Sweat guard is rugged and is not flimsy:

Reinforced sweat guard from the back:

The muzzle is completely covered"

In short, this is a holster that has turned my CZ75 Compact into something that I would carry as an everyday CCW piece. A pretty good feat considering its almost 33oz weight.

Folks always ask for some shots of inside the holster, about the thickness, wear, etc. Here are a few:

Thickness/stiffness incidentally is nice. It is not a hard stiff like the new Galco holsters like the Concealable but not soft like the Don Hume.
Somewhere in between - I am not sure that helps.

From a slightly different angle, shows a little bit of rub marks (I am actually using it lol):

Slide top clears with no rubbing:

I have only been wearing it for 3 days now so the physical wear is minimal. No issue wearing it all day sitting with no pistol.
What is amazing is that I don't mind wearing this heavy pistol. This includes walking around or just hanging out at the house watching (and losing at fantasy) football.
I also have to mention that the finish is professionally done -- I have had a number of holster makers dye come off after a very short period of time which has always distinguished them from big brands like Galco.
This is not the case here, this holster has no signs of any of the finish/dye coming off. Oh, there is NO dye smell from the holster at all.
Incidentally, Falco Holsters also have a 5 year warranty.

If you are looking for a holster I highly recommend that you give Falco a try: https://falcoholsters.com - They are the real deal! I see some 3" revolver holsters in my future.
I do hope that they add some of the new striker compacts like the HK VP9sk and Walther PPQsc to their line in the future though.