The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Aker Nightguard Holster (Beltslide Version)

Vireye · December 24, 2012, 09:17 AM

Hello all,

Here is my review of the Aker Nightguard Holster. This is Aker's answer to the conundrum of carrying a sidearm with a mounted light.

For this review, I used my Glock 21 w/ Streamlight TLR-1S light attached.

The Nightguard varies in price from place to place, but typically runs from about $70-$80 USD.

The holster itself is well-constructed. The leather is of a good quality, but is VERY stiff out-of-the-box. It took considerable effort to get the thumb break to secure over my Glock. I've had this issue with many holsters for full-size glocks (DeSantis' products, usually), and its usually simply a matter of breaking in.

I wore my holster around the house for about two days working on the break-in, and came to a very unfortunate conclusion that this holster simply isn't for me.

To adequately conceal a full-size G21 with a light attached, this is a VERY high-ride holster. It made it nearly impossible for me to draw. I unfortunately have a body type consisting of long legs and a shorter torso, which meant the grip of my pistol came to just a few inches below my armpit, resulting in an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable "Chicken Wing" look to my draw.
Also, due to the design of the holster, it MUST be drawn STRAIGHT out of the holster. If you tilt the weapon forward AT ALL, it will get stuck. I think its the light itself thats getting stuck on the holster. I'm used to a more forward cant than this offers, so this, in addition with the above chicken-wing, meant that I simply cannot draw my weapon effectively with any kind of speed. Out of thirty attempts, I successfully drew and presented twice without fighting the holster, and even then it took 1-2 seconds to do so. For many, I imagine this is a matter of training, but I prefer a more intuitive holster for my EDC.

Another issue I had is the placement of the belt loop. This may just be an issue for me, but looping my belt through the holster, and still being able to get it through the loops of my pants, meant my holster placement was VERY limited. I simply could not secure it where I wanted it...I had to put it at 3:00 when I prefer to carry closer to 4:00. For some this may be a huge issue, for some it may not matter.

In the end, I am returning my Nightguard to Gall's.

Aker took an ambitious idea and did the best they could with it IMO. I'm sure for some of you the Nightguard will work perfectly and allow you to carry your pistol with your favorite light attached, but for me I found the extremely high-ride, combine with the uncomfortable holster placement on my hip and unforgiving draw angle to be a recipe for disaster.

As always, YMMV.

Do svidaniya.

December 24, 2012, 09:17 AM	#1
Vireye Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 202	Aker Nightguard Holster (Beltslide Version) - A Review Hello all, Here is my review of the Aker Nightguard Holster. This is Aker's answer to the conundrum of carrying a sidearm with a mounted light. For this review, I used my Glock 21 w/ Streamlight TLR-1S light attached. The Nightguard varies in price from place to place, but typically runs from about $70-$80 USD. The holster itself is well-constructed. The leather is of a good quality, but is VERY stiff out-of-the-box. It took considerable effort to get the thumb break to secure over my Glock. I've had this issue with many holsters for full-size glocks (DeSantis' products, usually), and its usually simply a matter of breaking in. I wore my holster around the house for about two days working on the break-in, and came to a very unfortunate conclusion that this holster simply isn't for me. To adequately conceal a full-size G21 with a light attached, this is a VERY high-ride holster. It made it nearly impossible for me to draw. I unfortunately have a body type consisting of long legs and a shorter torso, which meant the grip of my pistol came to just a few inches below my armpit, resulting in an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable "Chicken Wing" look to my draw. Also, due to the design of the holster, it MUST be drawn STRAIGHT out of the holster. If you tilt the weapon forward AT ALL, it will get stuck. I think its the light itself thats getting stuck on the holster. I'm used to a more forward cant than this offers, so this, in addition with the above chicken-wing, meant that I simply cannot draw my weapon effectively with any kind of speed. Out of thirty attempts, I successfully drew and presented twice without fighting the holster, and even then it took 1-2 seconds to do so. For many, I imagine this is a matter of training, but I prefer a more intuitive holster for my EDC. Another issue I had is the placement of the belt loop. This may just be an issue for me, but looping my belt through the holster, and still being able to get it through the loops of my pants, meant my holster placement was VERY limited. I simply could not secure it where I wanted it...I had to put it at 3:00 when I prefer to carry closer to 4:00. For some this may be a huge issue, for some it may not matter. In the end, I am returning my Nightguard to Gall's. Aker took an ambitious idea and did the best they could with it IMO. I'm sure for some of you the Nightguard will work perfectly and allow you to carry your pistol with your favorite light attached, but for me I found the extremely high-ride, combine with the uncomfortable holster placement on my hip and unforgiving draw angle to be a recipe for disaster. As always, YMMV. Do svidaniya.