They are decent. I haven't tried the new 3.0, but the 2.0 was fine. They are cheap and they work. The ability to replace shells if you change pistols is nice also. You pay shipping to send it to them, and they pay for the shipping back to you. I've taken advantage of it several times now. After switching to the Raven Concealment Eidolon I like the complete hardshell better, otherwise I'd still be wearing my Alien Gear. I found the Alien Gear more comfortable than the D M Bullard leather I was wearing. With leather I had to wear an undershirt or the leather soaking up sweat and holding it against me would become uncomfortable. I didn't have that problem with the wetsuit type material they used. Stealthgear USA is also decent, I have a mag carrier and their stuff is similar is basic design to the Alien Gear so gives you another place to look. The backing is rougher though, so slightly less comfortable without an undershirt.Mick22 wrote:How good are the Alien Gear IWB holsters? I was looking at those and the Crossbreeds. I like my Triple T, just want to compare with others.
Nothing against Mr Bullard's quality, just a function of leather. I haven't had the hardshell through a summer yet, so can't 100% compare yet. However I had double leather (holster / mag carrier IWB) through a summer, and Alien Gear holster and Stealthgear mag carrier through a summer (both here and Louisiana) and found the soft back ones were more comfortable in the heat because of how they handled the sweat. Leather was fine if I wore an undershirt, but then I am wearing more clothes. Also both my leather and soft backs closed slightly when empty. So the pistol didn't reholster straight in. You either have to point the barrel towards yourself to wedge the pistol in (not so great), reach over and use your finger to do the same, or take the holster off and then put it back on. Now me being fat probably acerbated the situation. I don't know if skinny guys run into that, having not been skinny in closing on two decades. That is why I have liked the complete hardshell, I can just reholster without doing anything special.
I know the Alien Gear won't last as long as good leather. After a couple of years the Alien Gear is showing wear. Leather if properly cared for will last for a long time. The D M Bullard stuff has a couple scratches/scuffs, but functions just like new and has no real wear on it. If I was still carrying a Glock 30, I could probably wear it for decades. So you'd probably have to replace an Alien Gear every 3-4 years, compared to probably 3-4 decades with leather. The Raven Concealment I haven't had long enough to tell you for sure yet, but zero signs of wear so far.