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Product Reviews
23 Mar 2024
I have Alpha-X holster for my Shadow 2 and I love it. So I decided to give my STP 2011 pistol an aluminum upgrade to Flex .. alas it didn't quite go as smoothly as I had hoped...
The insert crew holes didn't quite align with the aluminum assembly, which was a bit surprising for a product of this price.
The new locking lever isn't quite as handy as it is in the Alpha-X holster. Unlocking is easy, but to lock the gun, it needs a little extra effort.
The holster and the insert is a bit of a pain to adjust correctly. In general all of the holster's adjustments are a bit tricky, since you need to tighten everything quite hard with a constant fear of something breaking. Leave something loose, and it will come off.
The teeth holding the trigger guard seem to move unless tightened like a madman. If you don't get them _just_ right, the pull is sticky and unreliable. With plastic parts, you don't really want to tighten the screws a lot. And I tried to be careful. The 10mm spacer survived two attempts. On the third adjustment round I felt the screw give in and I thought the threads gave in. I was a bit worried, but thought to give the holster a try, since I was sure that this time I got the teeth adjusted correctly.
[Response from DAA]
Dear Jarmo
Thank you for your review and comments. Let us respond to a few points: First, you must expect and accept that an adjustable holster takes more time to setup than a holster which offers no gun fitment adjustments. And I can understand that coming from the Alpha-X which is a “drop in and use as supplied”, that setting up the Flex insert block can feel like more work. But, that’s exactly what it was designed for – to solve the problem that the Alpha-X had, of not being adjustable. A problem more significant for some gun types than others. Allowing users to get a perfect to THEIR gun, despite variances between the guns.
The safety lever in the flex is indeed different and flatter when closed than that of the Alpha-X. That change was deliberately done in order to ensure the safety does not interfere with the draw motion. Out thinking is better to design for the draw performance, than for the convenience of holstering. Afterall, our draw is on the clock, but the reholstering can and should be done slowly and deliberately. Those who transition from the Alpha-X’s safety, which protrudes further out, may find this one a little more difficult to engage at first. BTW, if you remove a little plastic from the back of the insert block, just behind the tip of the safety lever, that will make it easier to engage.
Screw tightening: yes – the slide lock blocks need to be tightened well. That is why we use top quality torx screws, steel nuts, an aluminum slide lock and solid plastic blocks. You can tighten those screws A LOT. However, the side spacers are under no pressure at all in fact, they would stay in place without screws, or with a single screws. Those small self-tapping screws Cleary need to be lightly tightened.
If you need replacement screws or spacers, let us know and we will send you those free of charge. Thank you for your feedback Your DAA team Pulling the gun from the holster felt just as smooth and good as it did from my Alpha-X holster, but after few pulls, the gun got stuck in the holster, and I thought that one of the teeth had moved. When I unassembled the holster to see what was wrong, I noticed that the 10mm spacer screw post had completely come off. So, I'm not quite sure if it's the misaligned teeth, the broken spacer or combination of both that made the gun stuck. So, I had to order some spare spacers, but I fear I probably end up having to order another insert before this ordeal is over, since I'm not quite confident in rest of the plastic parts holding up enough tries and to be honest I'm not quite sure if I'll ever get this working. It is a shame for a product this expensive and because I really did like the Alpha-X and the few successful pulls I got from this holster were just as nice and smooth. I do hope I get this working and didn't spend over 300€ (and counting) on a paper weight ;P Luckily I have a Maxx holster to go out at the range with..
The teeth holding the trigger guard seem to move unless tightened like a madman. If you don't get them _just_ right, the pull is sticky and unreliable. With plastic parts, you don't really want to tighten the screws a lot. And I tried to be careful. The 10mm spacer survived two attempts. On the third adjustment round I felt the screw give in and I thought the threads gave in. I was a bit worried, but thought to give the holster a try, since I was sure that this time I got the teeth adjusted correctly.
[Response from DAA]
Dear Jarmo
Thank you for your review and comments. Let us respond to a few points: First, you must expect and accept that an adjustable holster takes more time to setup than a holster which offers no gun fitment adjustments. And I can understand that coming from the Alpha-X which is a “drop in and use as supplied”, that setting up the Flex insert block can feel like more work. But, that’s exactly what it was designed for – to solve the problem that the Alpha-X had, of not being adjustable. A problem more significant for some gun types than others. Allowing users to get a perfect to THEIR gun, despite variances between the guns.
The safety lever in the flex is indeed different and flatter when closed than that of the Alpha-X. That change was deliberately done in order to ensure the safety does not interfere with the draw motion. Out thinking is better to design for the draw performance, than for the convenience of holstering. Afterall, our draw is on the clock, but the reholstering can and should be done slowly and deliberately. Those who transition from the Alpha-X’s safety, which protrudes further out, may find this one a little more difficult to engage at first. BTW, if you remove a little plastic from the back of the insert block, just behind the tip of the safety lever, that will make it easier to engage.
Screw tightening: yes – the slide lock blocks need to be tightened well. That is why we use top quality torx screws, steel nuts, an aluminum slide lock and solid plastic blocks. You can tighten those screws A LOT. However, the side spacers are under no pressure at all in fact, they would stay in place without screws, or with a single screws. Those small self-tapping screws Cleary need to be lightly tightened.
If you need replacement screws or spacers, let us know and we will send you those free of charge. Thank you for your feedback Your DAA team Pulling the gun from the holster felt just as smooth and good as it did from my Alpha-X holster, but after few pulls, the gun got stuck in the holster, and I thought that one of the teeth had moved. When I unassembled the holster to see what was wrong, I noticed that the 10mm spacer screw post had completely come off. So, I'm not quite sure if it's the misaligned teeth, the broken spacer or combination of both that made the gun stuck. So, I had to order some spare spacers, but I fear I probably end up having to order another insert before this ordeal is over, since I'm not quite confident in rest of the plastic parts holding up enough tries and to be honest I'm not quite sure if I'll ever get this working. It is a shame for a product this expensive and because I really did like the Alpha-X and the few successful pulls I got from this holster were just as nice and smooth. I do hope I get this working and didn't spend over 300€ (and counting) on a paper weight ;P Luckily I have a Maxx holster to go out at the range with..
22 Mar 2024
Have Gen 1 Mr Bulletfeeder and this little tool was so easy to set up and so far, it has been flawless in delivering 9mm HBRN 115 gn. It is much easier to set up than the old shims and setting the ledge with the slot and screw.
22 Mar 2024
Yet another brilliant tool from DAA - easy to set up, reliable, dependable, and consistent - between this and the powder level alarm, powder worries are pretty much eliminated on my press.
22 Mar 2024
Didn’t focus too much on this aspect of things, thinking my eagle eye missed nothing - then I got a squib…. This is a brilliant, easy to set up, dependable and consistent tool that adds tremendous peace of mind to my reloading.
22 Mar 2024
I got one for all my droppers. I get it not being included with the dropper to save a buck but double feeds are truly maddening and it should be included with the dropper.
