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PRODUCT REVIEW: Uncle Mike's Sidekick Profesional (Holster)

7K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  AZXD40 
#1 ·
Product: Uncle Mike's Sidekick Professional (holster)
Type: IWB
Model #: 8915-1
Other Info: Size 15

So I had been faced with a real problem recently. I had come to the conclusion that my XD service model was too big to be practical for everyday conceal carry with teh holsters I had (a tactical thigh rig, a Don Hume JIT, or an XD gear paddle holster). I don't have the money for a sub-compact XD nor for a smaller sized pistol to carry comfortably. A lot of people suggested that a good IWB holster would solve my problem. But the prices made them unattainable. I ended up taking a friend of mine shopping for the gun i wanted. He walked out of the store with a Bersa .380, the gun I wanted for comfortable conceal carry. But on a lark, I asked the guy behind the counter what he had in a IWB holster that would fit my XD.

Ussually he pulls every product off thee shelf that could be ORDERED for my XD to show me, but this time he just showed me the Sidekick Professional holster, size 15, by Uncle Mike's. This holster is made to fit a variety of guns. It was priced at $13.29, so I figured, what the hell, why not. I was struck by how flimsy it felt at first, but I really liked the way it didn't add much thickness ot the whole carry package. It doesn't add much to cause any printing or buldging through my pants (hahaha). It feels like it is sweat proof and claims to be a "four layer laminate". I assume this is to stop moisture from reaching the gun. The clip feels a bit cheap (its just a simple plastic clip), but it holds onto my belt very tight. The gun rides pretty low on my waist but still just high enough to make drawing easy. Re-holstering does require 2 hands though because of the flimsy nature of the holster. I have read though that with practice, one can reholster one handed. The only other problem I am have right now when using this holster is that the rubber grip I added to my XD chafes my skin when i am really moving, like when putting together and moving furniture.

After I purchsed this holster, I realized that it had been suggested to me on a thread where I enquired about a sub-$30 IWB holster. To those that suggested it, thank you. Here you can read that thread and see pics of me carrying with a Clip-draw: http://www.hs2000talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=25209

After a week of carrying with this thing, and considering the plusses and minuses I have mentioned, and price, I would rate this product an 8.5 out of 10.







Just an added note:
I eventually wabt to get a tac-light for my XD, and I am thinking about making one of these holsters (with the help of a female friend who can sew!) to work with the tac-light. If and when this happens, I will let everyone know the results.
 
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#2 ·
I dig mine as well. I can carry all day and not really notice it too much.

Mine made it into the second picture in the thread here:

http://www.hs2000talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=25497

The only negative is that it folds flat as a pancake when you take the gun out, so one-hand reholstering is hard. It's not impossible though, thanks to the generous extension on the back that keeps the gun from contacting the skin. I'd say it's the best $6 holster I've ever bought. :)
 
#3 ·
Did you get that at Locums in Auburn. The ass behind the counter when I first bought my HS2000 gen one like 4 yrs ago gave me the same holster. It worked for a long time......in fact I still have it and can use it but in 4yrs I got fat......stupid fraternity and parties.
 
#4 ·
Being the salty old veteran that I am, I picked up a habit or two in the military. One was that I ALWAYS fold my shirts and underwear how I was taught in basic, second is that I HAVE to wear a white undershirt. Anything else just feels wierd to me now. I cannot wear a regular shirt w/out a Hanes white t-shirt underneath it. I guess the purpose of my story is that you were saying that the holster irritated your skin. If you had a white undershirt on, it would probably alleviate that problem. A less intrusive way would be to get some moleskin at walmart(foot section next to dr. scholes:"are you gelling" pads. I'm not sure how well they would adhere to your holster but I know they work fine for kydex holsters. The moleskin would act as a nice soft barrier between you and the holster.
 
#5 ·
jkswiss. it wasn't so much the holster that was irrating my skin as it was the pachmyer grip on the frame of my XD. The grip was working well, sticking to my skin. After an hour of building and moving some furniture, my skin hated it!
 
#7 ·
ditch the plastic clip assembly. your pistol will slip out of that holster before the holster slips out of your waistband.

i have identical holsters for three pistols that i CCW with the clip removed. this makes it even lower profile, no less secure and allows for more options for cant and the depth of the pistol in your pants.

they are cheap enough you can buy and mutilate them without any huge loss :D .

frye
 
#8 ·
ajamesp51 said:
Did you get that at Locums in Auburn. The ass behind the counter when I first bought my HS2000 gen one like 4 yrs ago gave me the same holster. It worked for a long time......in fact I still have it and can use it but in 4yrs I got fat......stupid fraternity and parties.
Hey man! I missed this post! I didn't get it at Locums. I find their selection lacking and their prices way too high. I ended up getting it from Andy at Story's in Opelika. Andy has alway s been very helpful. HE even was the one that turned me onto the XD in the first place. I was looking for a Glock, but was concerned about price. He told me to start with the XD and go from there. He is always quick to order what I want too.

I too am recovering from the frat parties and beer (I wasn't in a frat though). I know you have seen how skinny i am, but damn, I have to finish working off his little beer gut.
 
#9 ·
I picked one of these up over the weekend at Gander Mountain in Janesville, Wisconsin. I was travelling there over the weekend and found myself bored half to death on Saturday, so I thought I'd explore the town and see what I could find.

I carried for the first time with my shiny new CCW permit on Tuesday, and I used this holster to carry my XD40 Service. Since I spent less than an hour carrying at the local department store, I really can't pass judgement, but I do have some reservations. It is quite thin and flexible, which makes it very comfortable, but it also means the holster "closes" on itself meaning that reholstering is very difficult once the firearm has been removed. 99% of the time this wouldn't be a problem, but I'd like to be able to reholster my pistol a bit easier.

Essentially, I'll echo most of your sentiments. This is a great holster for the price (I think I paid $11.95 or so), but it certainly does have some drawbacks. I'll post a more conclusive review tonight.

-James
 
#10 ·
I have the same holster, which I bought so I would have something to carry my XD-9 service when I first purchased the pistol.

It's a half decent holster and you can't beat the price. It's fairly comfortable and does a fine job of concealing the weapon. However, it has a couple issues. The big one, which Meta4 mentioned, is that it collapses as soon as you draw your pistol.

The bigger issue is that the neoprene-like material will grab and hold sweat for a long period of time, absolutely bathing your slide in nice salty sweat. Long after you have stopped sweating, the holster still feels wet. As I live in Florida, this is not a good thing. Despite the fact that I take anal care of my pistol, I have gotten light coatings of rust along the side of holster where the sweaty holster touches the pistol. This is the only

I recommend the Hume leather IWB holster sold at pistol-gear.com. It's fairly inexpensive, fairly comfortable, sweat resistant, and does not collapse when you draw your weapon. There are probably better options out there, but its great for the price.
 
#11 ·
wow.... i haven't seen that holster in a long time. Before i got my xd, the friend who introduced me to the xd was using that. I still recall him telling me that it was actually pretty comfortable. too bad ccw in LA county is harder than winning the lotto for a non LEO.
 
#12 ·
An old thread, but I just picked one of these up as well. Seems to fit the 4" XD like a glove. I'll post more feedback once I have worn it for a few days.
 
#13 ·
Slightly off topic, but I carried my HS2K for 4 years in the Sidekick Pro Level II security holster. I found this to be one of the best duty holsters I've found for this particular gun.
 
#15 ·
Just saw this thread - I love the price and comfort of this holster, but am used to either kydex or hard leather, so was kind of uneasy carrying in thin layer of felt. I am afraid that I will somehow disengage both passive safeties while bending or squatting. Is this my newbieness coming out? I don't see anyone worried about that on this thread
"If your scared, just say your scared."
 
#16 ·
I've only worn mine for a couple of days but the trigger guard is completely enclosed. If I push on the side of the holster, it takes quite a bit of effort for me to even feel the trigger, let alone the trigger safety. The grip safety is exposed but even when bending down to touch my toes, my skin doesn't contact it. I plan to wear it around the house for a couple weeks, unloaded but cocked, to assure myself that nothing I do will make the pistol discharge on its own.
 
#17 ·
I'll admit to having one of those holsters, I attach it inside an old non-gun fanny pack so it doesn't scream gun.

The biggest problem with those holsters is the lack of ability to re-holster the gun.

Some folks seem to think this is a non-issue, but consider this. To reholster my gun using one of those holsters, I have to unbuckle my belt, unzip my pants, place the gun in the holster, then zip/buckle back up.

If you read John Lott's statistics the vst majority of defensive gun uses require no shot to be fired. A couple million times a year someone pulls out a gun to defend themselves and the BG just runs off. Only a couple thousand times a year do BG's actually get shot by GG's. So you are about a thousand times more likely to pull your gun, then have to re-holster it. Now what happens if that BG runs off, grabs his cell phone and calls in "Man with a gun" next thing you know you are standing there with you pants unbuckled trying to stuff your gun into your $10 Uncle Mikes foldable holster as the cops show up. Now try explaining your way out of that one.

Me I'll spend the extra $30-$40 to get a half way decent IWB holster that will allow me to quickly and discreetly put my gun away.
 
#18 ·
I really can't seeing reholstering being an issue in unless you're in a combat situation and it's your sidearm. If you, for some silly reason, just absolutely HAVE to have it concealed again once you've pulled it out, you can just forget the holster and stuff the gun in your waistband temporarily until you can holster it properly.

I just bought one of these today. There is nothing molded about it (besides the clip) so of course it will fall flat, but it seems to me like it would be easy to reholster with two hands. I'll have to see tonight when I get home and get my XD45 stuffed into it.

EDIT:

Just realized this is a really old post. My apologies.
 
#19 ·
I have had an UM IWB for every large frame auto I have ever owned.. They do a great job of doing what they need to do.. Nothing to fancy.. I generally only use them when I know I will be carrying intermittently. Also Makes a great holster for Glove box storage.. :) For the price you cant go wrong..
 
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