In today’s article, Mike Mills reviews the Crucial Concealment Universal Light Holster. A concealment holster, the Kydex carry rig is designed to be a universal fit that uses a mounted light to retain the firearm. How well does it work? Mills gives the holster a full evaluation in this review. The holster in this article was provided for testing by Crucial Concealment.
The question we’re going to tackle today relates to a new ambidextrous multi-fit concealment inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster from Crucial Concealment. I have owned a few Crucial holsters over the years and have liked them, but this one has some new tricks up its sleeve.
For those who don’t know, Crucial Concealment was founded by the owners of another company, Blackpoint Tactical. They formed Crucial to provide consistently high-quality, U.S.-made holsters at a value price for consumers.
Needless to say, they hit the mark because Crucial Concealment has grown and grown since its founding in 2019. All of this growth was accomplished while maintaining high levels of value and quality for its customers. But, what makes this new multi-fit holster for light-bearing pistols so special? Also, does it do what it is designed for, and is it worth your hard-earned money?
What Makes a Good Holster?
There are a lot of companies out there with new wiz-bang holsters today. But despite all the technology available, there are still simple design elements that make a holster worth carrying around. Let’s break down what a good holster looks and feels like, and how it’s made.
First, it needs to be made of a consistently high-quality, long-lasting material. To meet this benchmark, Crucial makes their holsters out of the well-respected Kydex material, which is extremely durable and has been proven to be one of the best holster-making materials in the market today.
There also must be solid retention and concealability. Within the Universal Light Holster from Crucial, you get an exclusive belt clip design that keeps the holster in position. It also aids in the draw process by keeping a firm grip on your beltline. The ability to conceal the Crucial holster is aided by its kickstand attachment that pushes against the belt inwards, keeping the pistol grip from printing.
If you don’t know what printing is, it’s when the pistol grip or any portion of the pistol pushes out against your clothing enough to outline the pistol in some way so it is recognizable. There is also adjustable retention on the holster so your pistol will be firmly retained by friction. This also allows for adjustments to match the pistol thickness from one size category to the next.
And, of course, comfort always comes into play with holsters. Crucial has streamlined the design of the holster so there is no excess material or rough edges to dig into your skin.
What Is the Crucial Difference?
There are some elements of the Crucial Concealment Universal Light Holster multi-fit system that definitely set it apart from the rest. Admittedly there are other multi-fit holsters out there, but not all of them are the same or give the options this Crucial one does.
First, let’s tackle what a multi-fit holster is. This holster from Crucial Concealment will fit most compact and full-sized pistols equipped with a Surfire X300 series light. What this means is if you go from your full-size to your compact, as long as you still run the same light you can use the same holster. Also, if you’re not a Surefire X300 user, there are also options for the Streamlight TLR-1 and TLR-7 series lights.
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Another big difference is the ambidextrous design of the holster. This means, whether you are left- or right-handed, you can use this holster.
And for me, probably the biggest innovation in a multi-fit holster is the adjustable friction retention shim built on the inside of the holster. This changes the entire feel of how firmly the pistol fits inside the holster. When you make a holster that can fit many different sizes and brands of pistols, you need to leave room for all of them to fit. A byproduct of this can be a holster that allows the pistol to slightly cant or move back and forth within the holster. However, due to the internal shim design from Crucial, this is not a concern.
Using the Crucial Concealment Universal Light Holster
Wearing the holster around for several weeks, I immediately noticed the minimal design was comfortable to wear in the appendix and 3 o’clock positions. These positions seem to be the most common amongst the everyday carry enthusiasts.
The concealment kickstand helps keep the pistol tucked tightly against the body, and the adjustable retention keeps the pistol firmly in place. Your belt will be firmly grasped by the clip on the Covert holster to ensure when you draw the pistol, the holster stays in place. Both holstering and drawing are smooth, consistent and repeatable once you get familiar with your new holster and pistol position.
While adjusting the retention for my pistols, I did add a dab of Loctite to the fasteners, which is something I always do. This is personal preference, but anytime I see a screw and I know it needs to stay where it’s at, I use a locking compound that will ensure it doesn’t loosen over time. Just make sure you use a non-permanent locking compound.
Is It “the” One?
I think Crucial Concealment did a great job on the new Universal Light Holster. They took the multi-fit design and gave it the added retention with the adjustable shim design while still allowing enough room to go from a full-size pistol to a compact. An example of the modularity here is you can go from an Echelon like I used on the range to a Springfield 1911 DS Prodigy.
And the best part is the quality-for-price ratio is solidly in the customer’s favor. You get all that Crucial Concealment has to offer with this for an MSRP of just $69 USD. Now, you may be able to find a holster cheaper, but I truly doubt you are going to find a U.S.-made holster with these options at this quality level for a price point like this.
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