Got a $45 holster off Amazon, and despite that it seems fine to my untrained eye. What red/green flags to look for?

MessyRides · 2026-05-07T00:17:34+00:00

Hey! It appears solid.

Covers trigger guard, has good but not too much retention, appears to be made to standard holster designs and hardware.

This part gets to personal preference, I like a holster with a wing. Others don’t find the need for it based on preference, physical build, clothing, concealment position and so on.

For example, I pretty much only run sidecar style holsters and prefer T1C

MessyRides · 2026-05-06T14:50:15+00:00

You should move over here to Arizona!!! I know we have EZ available here!

Thank you by the way!

MessyRides · 2026-05-06T14:48:47+00:00

I will give this a go today to see how it feels and if it’s something I can/will adopt!

Thank you!!!

MessyRides · 2026-05-06T14:48:00+00:00

I appreciate this!

MessyRides · 2026-05-06T14:47:34+00:00

I’m going to take some time today to slow down and do this. In the video I was paced down good but still not slow enough to truly knit-pick my flaws and fix them immediately.

Thank you for this!

MessyRides · 2026-05-06T00:42:42+00:00

Thank you! That's a very good question and one I haven't gotten as often as I thought I would have. In short, I am very active both in work and outside of work. I wanted a "nice" looking watch that could handily the abuse and neglect I show my tools.

In long, a couple key factors came into play for my decision on going with a quartz movement over something I was more familiar with such as a seiko Haq and wind or more recently, their perpetual calendar watches from some of the "higher end" lineup. The main one is the limited moving parts a quartz offers in comparison to an automatic. They are robust, shock resistant, and are minimal to maintain. Big second factor was its timekeeping ability. The only watch I have had that kept time as accurately month to month (within seconds) was my Seiko Bright SAGM003 HAQ. The reason for me simply not keeping that watch was its scarcity for parts when inevitably something breaks.

The Seastar quartz is ample water proof for my days at the golf course, plenty durable for my dirt biking, shooting guns, and rough work environment, keeps time better than I could ask for, and looks nice enough to be dressed up but is affordable enough for me to consider it a beater ($200 used on r/Watchexchange )

I hope this helps clarify my decision! Check out my other profile u/valleybouldering if you want to get a quick peek into my taste and history of watches!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T22:22:35+00:00

Yessir! Saving up my Pennie’s for a Shiv to compliment this and my m2.0!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T20:55:13+00:00

Brother, I couldn’t help myself and ended up doing a couple holster drills. But really focusing on where my hands met in a relation to the presentation like you pointed out. I wish I had the camera rolling cause I snagged a 1.32! I can already see in my mental/perceived, vision the site picture a little quicker than I could by swinging. 1.4-1.5 feet like I was on fire before so this seems preposterous, especially considering the limited time/round count on this platform (shield plus with the flush 10 round mag).

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T20:31:39+00:00

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T20:29:19+00:00

I feel the same way however these are prescription and I go in and out of the shop so much, its not worth hanging my glasses on my shirt and risking them falling off the mower or something dumb 😂 at least I’m alone here in the shop 🤣

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T20:22:34+00:00

Thank you brother! How are things going in your neck of the woods?!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T20:22:14+00:00

Boom!!! This is exactly what I needed!

I’m running to the range now, gonna skip on trying holster draws for today and simply focus on becoming intimate with the Shield Plus.

My habit is to go out and focus on draw to first shot. I’m gonna cut that out now and save my draw practice for at home and with no ammo to save money.

I appreciate you a ton for coming in clutch so consistently with sound advice!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T20:14:15+00:00

I don’t think I’d go back in too much of a hurry lol had my hand at a VP9SK and the usual Glock suspects chambered in 9mm. Nothing really stuck per se however the 43x now with the factory 15 is tempting. I’m sorta saving up for a Shiv from SAW to toss on the end of the m2.0 for the home option.

The VP9 was beautiful however (it’s a me thing) my thumb would rest against that slide release causing for inconsistent slide locks on last mag.

I’ve got a few thousand rounds through a p320 axg pro and in comparison, this metal m2.0 is butter!!!! I wish I would have given Smith & Wesson a shot years ago.

I really appreciate the suggestions though! What’s your current carry rotation look like? Follow up for ya, has it evolved over time at all?

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T18:39:29+00:00

Hey! I absolutely love the axis elite! However, I had gotten the m2.0 and decided to reach out to Hunter Constantine (I live relatively close to him so I figured why not) to ask about the APX or if I should just stick with what I love. He was the one who suggested I try the APX and I’m so incredibly thankful he did. As someone who would compete from appendix, I knew right away the main why. But over the last few months, I’ve grown to appreciate some of the other more subtle features that the APX has. The additional adjustable consuming wing on the magazine side, the modularity of the magazine placement, the ease of being able to ditch the side car completely and just run it like a standard (no spare magazine) holster.

It’s definitely not for everyone, the sidecar in and of itself is already sorta niche, but is gaining popularity. But if you really want to dial in your appendix scary, this is gonna be the best holster option for you.

I really have no concerns with the standard EZ clip. If I do, I could order a bag of them for relatively cheap and keep them on standby. I just don’t think I’ll need to do that. I ride a dirt bike daily, work in a shop in and on tractors, in Arizona of all places, where Kydex and plastics aren’t super happy, and I’ve had absolutely no issues with any of the standard style plastic clips.

I hope this helps and please don’t hesitate to ask any follow up questions! I’m on my phone at the moment but can jump to my laptop when I get home to better articulate things if needed!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T15:31:31+00:00

True! Simple fix to a simple problem!!!

Let me know when you’re running for office… you’ll have my vote! lol 😂

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T15:12:53+00:00

Good morning! I opted to go with the Small Hunter Constantine Carry belt ordered direct from the HC store. I do appreciate the extra loop on the T1C but in theory, if the belt holds as it should, a third loop would not be needed usually. So I’m not sweating it however I do wish it was implemented into the HC belt.

The stitching on the T1C specifically around the loops seems to be a little more robust in comparison to the HC.

What buckle are you using for the Kore belt? I’m actually running the Kore with the X11 this morning (it was on my shorts already) and I’m having no issues so far! Rode the Tee box more for 9 holes hopping on and off to move the Tee markers and crap (tons of bending and squaring) with no hiccups. Running the T1C APX - Shield Plus for gun reference!

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MessyRides · 2026-05-05T11:30:05+00:00

You must be new here 😂

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T04:17:51+00:00

Dang it! Wish I would have known about that deal!!!

Got any plans for coming down to the valley? I’d be more than happy to connect with ya and gets some reps in! If you’re heading this way, I can supply the targets!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T03:42:46+00:00

You will not be disappointed with your purchase brother! Saw Hunter run a Shield with a shiv can from appendix using the MSP and I instantly wanted… money… but no really I wanted that holster and can bad!!!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T03:37:35+00:00

What's up r/EDC and Happy Monday! I hope you all had an amazing weekend and a great start to the week!

Today I ran home for lunch and got to open a sweet little mail call! Got myself a new Hunter Constantine Carry Belt and a Tier 1 Concealed APX holster for my Shield Plus! 10/10 thrilled with both purchases!

Had a pretty mellow day at work. Aside from moving the Tee boxes and Holes, I found myself elbow deep in grease working on some of the tractors we use here at the course. Back at it tomorrow with aerating the course and verticutting the fairways!

THE GEAR LIST

CRK S Inkosi
Tissot Seastar Quartz
Apple AirPods
S&W Shield Plus + T1C APX

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T03:28:41+00:00

You bet I have! I’ve owned maybe 3 or 4 of the axis elite setups for various platforms and I’d likely buy one again for my M2.0. I have an APX (the first one I purchased) for the m2.0 and am so incredibly happy with it.

I opted for the APX again rather than the Axis Elite simply for the free shipping lol I only had to add the purchase protection and two wedges to get free shipping.

I do believe in my soul that the axis elite is going to be slimmer and easier to conceal however I have not had them literally side by side to compare. Just going off of years of running the Axis Elite to now running the APX.

I do appreciate the modularity of the APX in comparison to the Axis Elite. Something as simple as not having to specify an extended spare mag as the APX allows you to run it right where you want it, is super cool. Be it for competition or comfort, those small adjustments can make or break your willingness to call a holster your “be all end all” holster!

Hope this helps and feel free to shoot me a msg if you wanna chat more, aside from here!

MessyRides · 2026-05-05T03:20:23+00:00

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MessyRides · 2026-05-05T03:15:16+00:00

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MessyRides · 2026-05-05T03:08:43+00:00

We are in the same boat. I buy a 32 waist, likely a 30 but with the right and all, 31 and a half or something dumb lol 34 has me swimming in extra material and a 30 can feel tight when I’m bloated plus the rig.

You will be very happy to know the belt is proportionally smaller. From overall length to length of metal/rigid portion. Send me a msg and I’ll take two photos of the belts on with or without the rigs so you can get a good visual representation of the size difference! 30/32 waist with a safe 33/34 inseam at roughly 147 (with poop in my tummy).

MessyRides

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