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I recently found a Texas company making holsters similar to Crossbreed, and after reading a little about them I decided to give them a try and thought I would write a short review for you guys since there are a lot of CHL holders in here.
The two holsters I will be comparing are the Crossbreed Mini Tuck for a Kahr CW9, and the Butscher's Double Clip Hybrid holster for a Glock 19, both in horsehide.
http://www.butschersleather.com/products/ordering
http://crossbreedholsters.com/SuperT...me,ProductName
If both Holsters were purchased for a Glock 19 with horsehide(that would need a Crossbreed Supertuck), the Crossbreed would run you $85 plus shipping. The Butschers was about $55 shipped. Crossbreed times vary 4 weeks plus, but I ordered the Butscher's holster on a Saturday and it was in my mailbox on Wednesday. Also of note, Butscher's is a Texas company and located in the DFW area, so you will be saving money, time, and buying locally, which are all three big pluses to me.
I have several months wear on my Crossbreed, and even at close to $100 it has been an excellent holster which has given me ZERO issues; I would still recommend this company to anyone shopping for a holster. However, when compared side by side I am forced to give the upper hand to the Butscher's holster for now.
For the pictures below, Crossbreed is on the left, Butscher's is on the right.
Leather and Kydex thickness is about the same. Butscher's has a bit more leather behind the gun, but the Crossbreed's kydex covers a bit more surface area. If either get the upper hand in this area it would be the Butscher's just for having slightly more leather between my skin and the gun. Both holsters about about the same total size.
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The major difference I noticed was the mounting hardware. The Crossbreed belt clips are longer and look like they will allow your gun to sit lower inside your pants, but the Butscher's uses recessed screws and I prefer that option. When I first received my Crossbreed one of the screw heads had been damaged during assembly and had a piece of metal that would pull at my pants; a file fixed it but it seems like the Butscher's recessed screws would help prevent that if you were to slip when screwing them down.
The other difference you will notice is the Crossbreed uses larger rivets to mount the kydex to the leather; this may mean a longer life but I won't be sure of that until I wear them both until one breaks.
When I received the Crossbreed it had a very loose retention; crossbreed gives you instructions on how to tighten it up and I was able to follow them easily and tighten it. When I ordered the Butscher's holster, I specifically asked for tight retention, and they listened well. My Bustcher's holster has a tighter retention than my Crossbreed ever thought about having, which I prefer. This, of course, is all personal preference and some of you may prefer a looser retention.
It is important to know that I have yet to wear the Butscher's holster since I just received it today. I plan to update this review after I have time to compare the two fairly. However, at this point I must give the edge and recommendation to the Butscher's holster. It is local, has faster production and shipping, costs approximately half as much as the Crossbreed, and craftsmanship so far appears to be on par with the Crossbreed. Make no mistake; the Crossbreed is still an excellent holster and I am sure it will serve me for many years, but all things considered, the Butscher's appears to be a better deal when all things are considered.
The two holsters I will be comparing are the Crossbreed Mini Tuck for a Kahr CW9, and the Butscher's Double Clip Hybrid holster for a Glock 19, both in horsehide.
http://www.butschersleather.com/products/ordering
http://crossbreedholsters.com/SuperT...me,ProductName
If both Holsters were purchased for a Glock 19 with horsehide(that would need a Crossbreed Supertuck), the Crossbreed would run you $85 plus shipping. The Butschers was about $55 shipped. Crossbreed times vary 4 weeks plus, but I ordered the Butscher's holster on a Saturday and it was in my mailbox on Wednesday. Also of note, Butscher's is a Texas company and located in the DFW area, so you will be saving money, time, and buying locally, which are all three big pluses to me.
I have several months wear on my Crossbreed, and even at close to $100 it has been an excellent holster which has given me ZERO issues; I would still recommend this company to anyone shopping for a holster. However, when compared side by side I am forced to give the upper hand to the Butscher's holster for now.
For the pictures below, Crossbreed is on the left, Butscher's is on the right.
Leather and Kydex thickness is about the same. Butscher's has a bit more leather behind the gun, but the Crossbreed's kydex covers a bit more surface area. If either get the upper hand in this area it would be the Butscher's just for having slightly more leather between my skin and the gun. Both holsters about about the same total size.
[IMG]
[/IMG][IMG]
[/IMG]The major difference I noticed was the mounting hardware. The Crossbreed belt clips are longer and look like they will allow your gun to sit lower inside your pants, but the Butscher's uses recessed screws and I prefer that option. When I first received my Crossbreed one of the screw heads had been damaged during assembly and had a piece of metal that would pull at my pants; a file fixed it but it seems like the Butscher's recessed screws would help prevent that if you were to slip when screwing them down.
The other difference you will notice is the Crossbreed uses larger rivets to mount the kydex to the leather; this may mean a longer life but I won't be sure of that until I wear them both until one breaks.
When I received the Crossbreed it had a very loose retention; crossbreed gives you instructions on how to tighten it up and I was able to follow them easily and tighten it. When I ordered the Butscher's holster, I specifically asked for tight retention, and they listened well. My Bustcher's holster has a tighter retention than my Crossbreed ever thought about having, which I prefer. This, of course, is all personal preference and some of you may prefer a looser retention.
It is important to know that I have yet to wear the Butscher's holster since I just received it today. I plan to update this review after I have time to compare the two fairly. However, at this point I must give the edge and recommendation to the Butscher's holster. It is local, has faster production and shipping, costs approximately half as much as the Crossbreed, and craftsmanship so far appears to be on par with the Crossbreed. Make no mistake; the Crossbreed is still an excellent holster and I am sure it will serve me for many years, but all things considered, the Butscher's appears to be a better deal when all things are considered.
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