Theis IWB holster review

[Cheapshooter]

Theis Holster, http://theisholsters.com/, makes a great IWB hybrid style holster. I have been using mine for several weeks now to carry a KAHR CM9. It has been comfortable, and makes the KAHR very to concealable while being easier to draw than the DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster I was using. It is well made, and appears to be made of quality materials. It fits the gun perfectly, holding it securely, yet allowing it to be easily drawn, and re holstered. The Kydex portion that actually holds the gun is adjustable for height, and cant. Delivery time was a short 8 days VS 3-4 weeks of the most popular holster of this type. It also has a price tag of about $20 less, and the price includes shipping!
If I have one minor complaint it is that the holster is a bit noisy, with a bit of a "new saddle" type of squeakiness. It isn't loud enough to be noticed with normal day to day background noise. Besides, I doubt that anyone would even know where the squeak was coming from.
I'd suggest this holster for anyone looking for a hybrid IWB holster, and am going to order one for my SA XD40 Sub Compact as well.

[Hogtown]

Cheapshooter: I`ve always bought leather holsters and thinking of getting a theis holster for my sig 229r. I`m one of those guys who really pulls his belt extra tight to keep his pants up, alway have , guess I always will, does your theis holster collapse a little if any when pistol is drawn, have this problem a little with my Kirkpatrick,not much but enough to make holstering uneasy. thanks

[stolivar]

I have one and love it.



steve

[Cheapshooter]

does your theis holster collapse a little if any when pistol is drawn,

My "abundance in girth" requires me to cinch up my belt quite a bit in order to hold my britches up! That is one of the main reasons I tried the hybrid style holster. the Kydex portion stays firm,, allowing easy re holstering. A problem I have with my JMG all leather IWB holster I have been using for my Springer XD40 SC. When the gun is taken from the all leather JMG holster it collapses enough even with it's reinforced lip that re holstering is near impossible.

[Hogtown]

thanks , looks like we are having same problem with holstering,I`ll order one . thanks again

[Grant D]

Hey Cheapshooter and Hogtown:
You need to get some Perry suspenders!
I ordered some online, and now can carry my LCP in my back pocket,and Model 37 snub in my front pocket,or my LC9 IWB, and don't need to chinch my belt tight to hold my pants up.
You won't believe how much more comforable you will be during the day wearing them.You can actually leave you belt loose, which feels great!

[Spats McGee]

I've been using a horsehide Theis IWB to carry a full-sized steel pistol for, umm, probably a year and a half now. I, too, have to cinch my belt down pretty snug, but I've never had a problem with the Kydex shell collapsing when the gun's unholstered. I think mine squeaked at first, too. Either the squeak went away, or I quit noticing it. Not sure which.

[Skadoosh]

Looks a lot like CBH SuperTuck holsters...I would really like to have seen a $40-$45 price point though.

[Cheapshooter]

Looks a lot like CBH SuperTuck holsters...I would really like to have seen a $40-$45 price point though.

LOL!!!
I'd like to buy a new Ford Super Duty 4X4 diesel truck for $18,000 too! Isn't $20 less than a CB and free shipping good enough?

[Mrgunsngear]

I have a Theis for my CM9 as well. Great holster at a great price.

[Cheapshooter]

Thanks for posting the pic. I wanted to in my OP, but I don't get quality close-ups with my camera. that is the exact same set up as I reviewed!

[Skadoosh]

LOL!!!
I'd like to buy a new Ford Super Duty 4X4 diesel truck for $18,000 too! Isn't $20 less than a CB and free shipping good enough?

$20? I can buy a CrossBreed SuperTuck for $69+$9 shipping/handling. That's $78 to my door. The CB mini-tuck is almost $2 less. A Theis Concealed Carry Horsehide Holster is $65 shipped. That's a lot less than $20.

Getting back to the cost analysis issue....both the CB and the Theis holsters are over-priced. How so? Let's break down the cost point of the less expensive Theis Concealed Carry Horsehide Holster ($65/shipped):

Lets assume these Theis holsters are made with the thicker and more expensive 0.093 Kydex instead of the more common 0.080 or 0.060 thickness. If one considers the actual cost of all the materials (Kydex, leather, clips, screws and hardware) that go into making leather-backed Kydex holsters to include the time/labor that goes into them, total actual cost to produce these holsters still doesn't break $35.

A full up and running operation should easily take less than 30 minutes to fully assemble a holster. A laborer getting paid $5/holster is making more than minimum wage. Minus reasonable shipping & handling ($5.35 for USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate and $3 for handling), that's a $22-$25 profit per holster.

That's a profit margin of 34-38% per holster.

Now, according to the most readily available national accounting data for small businesses, the HIGHEST average profit margin for small businesses is around 16%...while a middle of the road small business is seeing more like 8%.

Using that data, for a holster that costs $35 to produce, a profit of 16% is $5.60. A profit of 8% would be $2.80. Which puts the "average profit" cost of this small business product at about $37.80-$40.60 per unit.

Hence my statement that I would like to have seen a $40-$45 cost point. Heck, I even added a $5-$7 "bonus" when I made that statement!

So, all we have left to think about is the warranty. Both the Theis and the CB holsters come with a lifetime guarantee. In the case of the one-man-operation that is Theis holsters, who's "lifetime"? My bet is that the CB warranty will actually be in effect a lot longer than the Theis warranty.

[Cheapshooter]

Possibly my comparison price at the time I bought the Theis holster was closer to the $20 difference because Crossbreed is made in the same stat I live in, and they added sales tax. Without the tax the difference would be about $13. Plus delivery time for these hand made holsters, made by the owner of the company alone is listed as 2-3 weeks, and it actually was delivered via USPS in only 8 days. I think that is great service for a product that is hand made, and in my opinion well worth the money!

[Skadoosh]

Still doesnt explain the exorbitant cost.

You could have saved yourself a lot of money with one of these:


https://oldfaithfulholsters.com/shop.../hip-holsters/

[AH.74]

Skadoosh, it's his business, he can charge what he feels is appropriate for his own product. He does not have to justify it to anyone, least of all to you.

If you don't want to buy it, then don't. But don't criticize his business decision based upon your own bias.

Bad-mouthing a product in a post created to praise the product, and then making alternate recommendations, is very poor form.

[Skadoosh]

Ummm, who are you talking about? The OP....or the business owner?

And "bad form"? The op asked why I thought $40-$45 was a more realistic price point. I answered.

[sigcurious]

How is that saving money Skadoosh? Looks like for the similar finished product it's more expensive than Theis or CBH. Seems like no matter the seller they all seem to have a similar value of their time and work that goes into a completed product. So even if the end user assembles it themselves, to "save money" you're not counting what that individuals time is worth to them. What you value your time at might not be the same as another person.

More on topic, another Theis user here, also still in the little squeaky stage, which from either the website or one of the pieces of paper that came with it a bit of baby powder on the contact areas between the kydex and leather should help until it goes away. I haven't tried it cause it's just a little squeak. But I am happy so far, and even it conceals well even under a t-shirt for me.

[Skadoosh]

What you value your time at might not be the same as another person.

So you value someone else's time more than your own? Because at $39 vs $65 for 15 minutes of your time, it seems so.

[sigcurious]

Skadoosh you're making an interesting leap, to assume you know what I value my time at to make that statement.

[AH.74]

Ummm, who are you talking about? The OP....or the business owner?

And "bad form"? The op asked why I thought $40-$45 was a more realistic price point. I answered.

You know very well who I was talking about.

Yes, bad form. Very much so.

[Skadoosh]

You know very well who I was talking about.

No, I don't actually. It's why I asked the question.

Skadoosh you're making an interesting leap, to assume you know what I value my time at to make that statement.

I dont. Its why I asked you as well.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Very bad form to hijack a thread to argue over labor costs and profit, especially without an understanding of "gross" profit versus "net" profit.

End it gentlemen, it has nothing to do with the OP.

[Cheapshooter]

You could have saved yourself a lot of money with one of these:


https://oldfaithfulholsters.com/shop.../hip-holsters/

Not to continue the OT discussion of business practices, and pricing policies, but just my own personal choice. I did not want an "erector set" to build my own holster. I wanted, and got a good quality, comfortable complete holster for a decent price. I am satisfied that I found just that in my Theis IWB holster.


Please, no more argument about an opinion of overpricing. Let this thread stay open for those who may be helped in finding a product they are looking for.

[Pukindog12]

http://shieldedholsters.com/inventory/item.php?id=7

I have no experience with Theis holsters but have read and heard good things about them. I do own a CB for my CW9 and it is a good holster. But I also have two holsters from the aforementioned site and IMO can't be beat, especially at their price point. They are my favorite IWB holsters. I am just not sure why they haven't got the traction Theis has.

[Cheapshooter]

Pukindog12, that holster does look like a very good choice as well. Also an even more affordable price. You're right, it doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves. When I did a search for IWB hybrid holsters before I bought the theis I can't remember even seeing it come up. Now, thanks to TFL it may get more attention. Thanks.