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TEA wrote:

RPBrown wrote:

n5wd wrote:Just as an aside... You'll find that "I forget I'm wearing a gun" feeling a lot sooner if you start wearing a T-shirt between the holster and your skin. Rubs raw a lot less often.

Especially during the upcoming summer months

Sounds hot. I haven't found any problems with chafing w/o an undershirt, but since I only wear it around the house, I haven't been out in the heat or in many situations where I've sweated a lot (I did clean out my garage last week and sweated like a pig). The suede backing is pretty soft on the skin and the closed cell foam is pretty cushy even though it's really thin. The sweat shield does a good job of keeping the slide and thumb safety from digging into my side, too.

Update: I've been carrying every day now since my CHL arrived in the mail back in March. Just as with carrying at home, this holster is super comfy when I'm out and about. I've actually forgot I was carrying a few times when I've gone to work until I was between my truck and my office and once until I was actually in my office, and had to go back to my truck to take my pistol out and lock it in the gun vault under my front seat. So far no need for an under shirt. The suede backing is comfy enough on its own. Given the weather this Winter and Spring, I have not had a chance to wear it out in the heat yet. I'll post an update in a month or two once I've been out in the heat a bit.

Thanks for clearing that up, Ron.

A-R wrote:Any relation between Gregg Garrett of Comp Tac fame and this Garrett Industries?

Good question. I don't know the answer, but I posted on the Garrett Industries sub-forum on the 1911 Forum to ask.

Update:

I went ahead and ordered a pair of clips from Comp-Tac to replace the standard clips. They not only seem quite a bit sturdier than the standard clips, but they are also easier to clip on and off my belt when I have to take off my holster when I go to work (community college, so now ccw) and put it back on again after work. Garrett Industries has started to carry a similar clip, their HD clip, but it is only available in black.

RPBrown wrote:

n5wd wrote:Just as an aside... You'll find that "I forget I'm wearing a gun" feeling a lot sooner if you start wearing a T-shirt between the holster and your skin. Rubs raw a lot less often.

Especially during the upcoming summer months

Sounds hot. I haven't found any problems with chafing w/o an undershirt, but since I only wear it around the house, I haven't been out in the heat or in many situations where I've sweated a lot (I did clean out my garage last week and sweated like a pig). The suede backing is pretty soft on the skin and the closed cell foam is pretty cushy even though it's really thin. The sweat shield does a good job of keeping the slide and thumb safety from digging into my side, too.

Currently, I do not have my CHL, in part because I teach at a community college and the bill to allow for concealed carry on higher ed campuses failed during the most recent session. I do carry when I'm at home, though, and have recently applied for my CHL. While I won't be able to carry at work, if and when this bill does does pass, I want to be able to carry to work. Since our dress code is business casual, I usually wear a shirt with a collar tucked into a pair of slacks so I need a tuckable IWB holster. The Garrett Industries' Silent Thunder Fusion seemed like it would meet my needs and I've read great reviews of Garrett Industries' products and service on the 1911 Forum. So, on September 25, 2013, I ordered a Silent Thunder Fusion.

Their Web site (http://www.giholsters.com/) implies a wait time of 3-4 weeks, so I was expecting to have to wait that long. I was pleasantly surprised to receive my holster in the mail last Friday (Oct. 4).

I've been wearing it around the house since then, so I think I can make some comments now about how much I like this holster. First off, the quality of this holster seems outstanding. For those unfamiliar with the design, it is a hybrid holster comprised of a leather lined Kydex shell mounted on a backing of closed cell foam sandwiched between leather and suede. The leather is a thin layer of Herman Oak that is more gentle on a blued gun's finish than bare Kydex and won't promote rust like suede, which is cured with chromium salts.

The second thing I like about this holster is that it is extremely comfortable to wear. I can't say that I don't notice that I'm wearing it, as I don't think any holster can eliminate the weight of a full sized 1911. It does make it comfortable to wear, though. The sweat shield keeps the thumb safety from digging into my side and the suede backing is very comfy.

The third positive is that it easily conceals my full sized 1911. FWIW, I'm 5'8" and 165lbs. Also, the widely spaced clips not only help spread out the weight of the pistol, but also prevent the holster from shifting on my belt (this is something I've found bothersome with single clip holsters). The clips are a little hard to fit over my DM Bullard belt, but I'm getting used to it and I don't think this is a big concern.

The biggest downside of the clips, though, is that the standard clips are a bit flimsy and I've already broken one. Fortunately, I already had a Comp-Tac clip that I had purchased from Brownells for another holster and it works even better than the GI standard clip. Next time I order from Brownells, I'm going to order a couple of more of these clips as back ups.

Since this thread would be worthless without pics:




I went with coyote brown Kydex because I thought it would blend better with my belt. As you can see, with a shirt tucked in, it hides the pistol very well. However, I think anyone who knows what to look for would quickly notice the clips over the belt and the bulge in the belt itself where it rides over the holster. I don't think any tuck-able holster would be able to overcome these last points, though. Overall, this holster rocks.

The ST Fusion is an improved version of their What The Tuck, which was a leather lined version of the Crossbreed ST.

GI What the Tuck^^^

The differences between the What the Tuck and the Fusion, as far as I can tell having never handled the WTT and only having read descriptions of it, is that the clips are a bit closer together on the Fusion and they replace the single piece leather backing of the WTT with a composite of suede, closed cell foam and a thin layer of Hermann Oak leather. The composite backing of the the Fusion does not seem to be any thicker than a thick piece of leather.

Edited to add: Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to mention - Garrett Industries is a family run Texas business. Buy local! http://www.giholsters.com/

If you have any experience with Garrett Industries Silent Thunder Fusion, please feel free to share.