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Crucial Concealment Covert IWB Holster: No Frills Performance

In a world of bougie, custom kydex holsters, where much of the cost comes from aesthetics and a made-to-order pipeline easily pushes the price above $100, Crucial Concealment has taken the opposite approach. The trope of having to go through a pile of holsters before you find the one rarely follows the joke through to it's punchline, where after 5 holsters, the new gun owner has already spent more on kydex, leather, and injection molded nylon, than they have on their brand new Glock 19 MOS. The cost of entry for a fully functional, ambidextrous, optics-cut Crucial Concealment Covert IWB runs well below that $100 mark, and presents a holster for what it is, not as a fashion accessory.

Crucial Concealment comes from the blood and stock of Black Point Tactical. This metaphorical offspring of the custom kydex featured in the waistband of James Reece, the protagonist of Jack Carr's Thriller Novels, Crucial Concealment focuses on retaining the functionality of well-made holsters without the cost of purely aesthetic custom options.

Crucial Concealment Covert IWB

Crucial Concealment also offers pistol-specific Magazine Caddies.

Features

The Crucial Concealment Covert IWB, faces judgment on performance. As if it came with “settings,” the cant adjust to fit different body types and carry locations. While all the cool kids will be happy to hear it is modular in that aspect, the staple features of an efficient holster are met with meticulous simplicity. Formed to fit specific handguns, with the usual suspects populating the list, the curves molded into the holster flare to angle the pistol's grip toward the body to reduce signature without the need of additional hardware.

Crucial Concealment Covert IWB

Optics ready, but not necessary.

With adjustable retention, the secure click informs the user the pistol is in place, and a flare at the mouth at the point where the thumb would rest with a proper grip gives the wearer something to push against when drawing the pistol.

Evaluation

From the first use, being familiar with appendix-style holsters, the Crucial Concealment Covert IWB fit right into the groove of practiced motion. After a few minor adjustments, it became more comfortable and as if the dust were being knocked off a draw, bursts of dryfire quickly resulted in smooth, reliable draws and confident reholstering.

Between jeans, shorts, and range pants, printing had to be forced, and wouldn't come about naturally. The drawback, however, was when riding a motorcycle or sitting for long periods of time, some pinching occurred, and there was no forgetting that the pistol was there. The model tested the longest, a SIG P320 XCarry and XCompact, with either a SIG ROMEO or a Deltapoint Pro on top, contributed to some of this, but not all responsibility rested on the longer slide.

Crucial Concealment Covert IWB

If not a spare mag, then something sharp like this Toor Jank Shank.

The included belt clip functions well, but prefers thinner belts. When worn with an old Ares Gear belt, one of those double-layered scuba webbing relics of only 7 years ago, one had to ensure the lip at the bottom of the clip secured firmly. Unlike the retention on the pistol, this one didn't give and audible signature to inform the wearer it was in place. Deliberate donning and doffing required.

Unlike other holsters of its type, since the Crucial Concealment Covert IWB can be converted between right and left-hand use, its versatility in that aspect allows a single model to be effectively used by multiple people. Digging deeper, this is one of the ways Crucial Concealment is able to keep the price lower than half of many staple custom kydex options.

The only downside of the design is that the ride height is pretty much fixed. The cant of the pistol sets on a fixed point, with an arched groove for the second screw. For the duration of it's use, none of the hardware loosened over time, but like all things, they should routinely be inspected. 

Crucial Concealment Covert IWB

The KAGWERKS Raised and Extended Slide Release runs into the sweat guards when re-holster.

Note: For those who have become mechanically dependent on the KAGWERK Raised and Extended Slide Release, this isn't the best holster. With sweat guards on both sides, a Gen5 Glock fits perfectly, but the KAGWERKS release flares out the holster, creating pinching channels and an uncomfortable draw.

Concluding Considerations

The Crucial Concealment Covert IWB works well as a first holster, with a price point of $60, and for those just foraying into Kydex, this is a reliable first option, as it is backed by the quality of its sister company: Black Point Tactical. Forgoing some of the frills of a custom holster, while retaining the virtues of the material, it can easily become a “forever holster,” especially for a side-piece.

Neither a minimalist holster, nor one burdened by the spread of a pure “pancake” style gun-caddy, it works right out of the box with minor adjustment. On point with recognizing the proliferation of Red Dots on Handguns, each Crucial Concealment Covert IWB Holster comes optics ready for those who choose to indulge.


Crucial Concealment Covert IWB

Fits: Glock 19, 43, 48; Ruger LC9, EC9, LCP; Smith & Wesson EZ-9, Shield; SIG P365, P365XL, P320 Carry, Compact; Springfield XDM, XDS mod 2, Hellcat, Hellcat RDP; Taurus G2c, G3c.
Color: Black
MSRP: $60
URL: www.crucialconcealment.com

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