Comfort
To begin this review I'll start by covering the what
I consider the three most important features of any holster.
This holster is about average on comfortableness, I found that the crossdraw
and the 4:00-5:15 positions were all very comfortable. The holster was
not uncomfortable for me when riding in vehicles unless it was for an
extended period of time. Many readers will find that their body shape
will be a major factor on how comfortable any holster is on them.
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The outer leather on this holster is smooth and pretty tough, it resists scratching and gouging well. Although it will wear more depending on what type of clothing you wear, jeans for example will cause faster wear than slacks, but I personally found that the wear wasn't really noticeable. Some wear helps break in the holster and make it much more comfortable once its broke in.
If you are looking for an affordable and well made leather holster to carry with, this is a good choice. The holster is easily concealed, the outside of the holster is smooth so it doesn't catch on clothing and there are no raised edges. It is smooth with raised/lowered sections for external gun mechanisms all seamlessly molded into the leather. The leather is top notch as well as the stitching.
Street Clothes
I had no trouble concealing the gun in this holster with casual wear. There was a little printing of the gun on the outside. As I normally wear just a casual sunday getup I don't get out much wearing like this. Keep in mind a larger shirt will conceal the gun better.
This is my prefered combination of clothing. While wearing this type of outfit, I found it provides me the greatest level of concealability. Concealing while tucked in wasn't an option.
As of right now I cannot post a review of how well the Tuxedo concealed this holster because my Tuxedo is at the dry cleaners again as I am having an after wedding reception in two weeks so once I get done with that I'll have my tux back and I'll take a few pictures of how well it conceals.
Retention
The holsters retention isn't adjustable. The holster itself is sewn and formed tight so the holster itself holds the gun in place. The holster is well molded and retains the gun as well if not better than some holsters with retention screws. The sight channel was off angle a bit which caused the front sight to rub the left side of the holster.
This concerned me a bit as it was causing the front sight to dig into the leather and every time it was drawn the sight had a little bit a residual leather fibers on it. I contacted Don Hume and asked them how to adjust the sight channel and they rose to the challenge with exceptional satisfaction. They provided me with a pre-paid return shipping label and I sent it back they fixed the sight channel problem and got it back to me.
Draw speed
The draw was not very quick on the original holster because the sights were dragging into the side of the holster but once I contacted Don Hume they quickly resolved the problem and now I can draw the weapon much faster, the actual speed itself while vastly improved is still slower than some, when I first received the holster I did have to give it a week or two for it to get broke in.
Tactical Reholstering
Tactical reholstering wasn't super easy but it was possible, the holster is still quite tight and holstering still can be somewhat difficult. pretty easy. The leather holds form pretty well, but It can be a little difficult to reholster.
Grip Presentation
The holster provides full access to the grip. As long as you don't have a huge spare tire around your waist you won't have any trouble using drawing from this holster. I was able to grasp the grip fully and did not have to adjust my grip after drawing.
Ease of Removal
The holster comes with a single built in belt slot on either side of the holster. These aren't just plain slots, they are "backed" for lack of a better term. The slot is open only on one side and a single piece of leather on the other side. This makes the front of the holster smooth and without visible belt loops. Not many bad things about this design other than it cannot be removed from the belt with the unfastening/partial removal of belt. One thing that concerned me when I first received the holster was that the loops were so stiff it was hard to thread the belt through the slot, but once its been work they are flexible enough now that I have no more trouble getting it on the belt.
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Cant Adjustability
The H721 is only available in a slight cant option and cannot be adjusted.
The outer holster body has a smooth finish which is lightly textured and provides a good gripping surface. The inner lining surfaces aren't perfectly smooth, it is a rougher unfinished leather. The holster reviewed came in the "Saddle Brown" color.
Sharp Edges
The holster is very well cut and sewn, it has no sharp edges or places to snag the holster on the clothing. This holster lends itself well to concealed carry, but it also can be work openly.
Product Care.
There are many different products to maintain leather; all should work fine. I haven't needed to clean the holster yet so I cannot make any recommendations for a good cleaning product yet.
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This holster has a basic semi gun specific design. This holster style does function as a slide type holster.
You can get this holster to fit the following models.
XD Series Pistol |
Compatible Standard Holster |
| XD 9mm Sub-Compact |  |
| XD 9mm Service 4" | |
| XD 9mm V-10 Ported 4" | |
| XD 9mm Tactical | |
| XD .357 SIG Service 4" | |
| XD .357 SIG V-10 Ported 4" | |
| XD .357 SIG Tactical | |
| XD .40S&W Sub-Compact | |
| XD .40S&W Service 4" | |
| XD .40S&W V-10 Ported 4" | |
| XD .40S&W Tactical | |
While the holster I ordered was setup for a 4" Service model, the holster worked great for a 3" sub-compact as well. The Tactical version works well in the 4" holster as well keep in mind if you plan on ordering the holster for a tactical model you'll want to probably order the 5" holster. The Tactical model pokes out of the bottom of the 4" holster, but stays put quite well nonetheless.
XD Series Pistol |
Slide Holster Available |
9mm |
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.357 SIG |
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.40 S&W |
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Customer Service
Turnaround Time
My order was placed on 4/7/04 and I received my package
on 4/21/04. The reason for the delay was this holster, they didn't have
any already made so they had to make a new one. The time if takes for
product turnaround can usually be expected within one week probably if
its in stock, if its not already made expect delivery within 2 weeks.
(My approximation is based on time it took to manufacture my holster).
I had to have a small repair made and the turnaround I sent the holster
out of 6/21/04 and it was back fixed by 07/02/04.
Customer Service
When I corresponded with Shniece in Don Hume's customer service she was
very polite and always glad to help.
Warranty
Don Hume's warranty is the better than most, its a 2 year warranty against
manufacturer defects. This warranty is double the standard one year warranty
that many other manufacturers provide.
Repairs (If Necessary)
Only a single minor repair was necessary. The sights were rubbing the
side of the holster and causing some draw troubles. I contacted customer
service and had it repaired and back fixed quickly.
Value vs. Cost
This is a well made holster. And a good value for the price.
Don Hume - H721-OT