Raven Concealment Durability Issues?

[Jackson]

Has anyone else had durability issues with their Raven gear?

I have a Raven Concealment holster and matching magazine holder. Both are OWB.

I like everything else about them. I like the way they fit my gun and mags. I like the way they ride on my belt. I like the design of their gear. Their customer services is excellent. But I have broken one belt loop on the mag pouch, one belt loop on the holster and now there is a small crack developing on my holster beside one of the screws.

Raven was very quick to replace the two belt clips. I have not brought the issue of the crack to them yet. I plan to go to the gun show next weekend and ask if they can make the same holster out of thicker Kydex. I really like their stuff. I'd hate to have to move to another holster maker because of these not holding up.

 

[VUPDblue]

I would suggest that you either post something in their INGO Advertiser forum or send Tom Fineis a PM before you hit them up at the show. You may have better luck getting your problem fixed if you give them a heads-up ahead of time......


....on second thought, I'll just move this thread for you....

 

[Jackson]

I would suggest that you either post something in their INGO Advertiser forum or send Tom Fineis a PM before you hit them up at the show. You may have better luck getting your problem fixed if you give them a heads-up ahead of time......


....on second thought, I'll just move this thread for you....

Thanks for getting this moved to the right spot. I didn't realize they had their own forum.

I'm not trying to bash their gear or anything. I just wanted to see if anyone else was having these problems, or if I'm just screwing it up. :-)

I will send them an e-mail about the crack. I'm not as concerned about just getting a new holster as I am about getting one made of thicker/different material that will be less prone to cracking again.

 

[VUPDblue]

I completely understand your concerns and I have 100% faith that Raven will work with you to resolve the issue. They be good folks....except for the red-head...he's kinda shady...

 

[downzero]

I've never actually had something made from Kydex that broke. I would think something is seriously amiss with their product if it keeps breaking.

It might be as simple as their product is made from a thinner Kydex than what else is on the market. And if so, that's a tradeoff one would have to make. That said, I have dozens of holsters and mag pouches made from Kydex sheets, and none have ever broken.

 

[VUPDblue]

I've never actually had something made from Kydex that broke. I would think something is seriously amiss with their product if it keeps breaking.

It might be as simple as their product is made from a thinner Kydex than what else is on the market. And if so, that's a tradeoff one would have to make. That said, I have dozens of holsters and mag pouches made from Kydex sheets, and none have ever broken.

Hold on there downzero. When dealing with Kydex, there are a myriad of reasons that could possibly lead to failure. Some guys run their gear (much) harder than others...things break. Some guys leave their gear in (very) hot cars...things break. Don't immediately think that a product is inferior because you see one example of it's failure. I've seen very expensive, and well-known, pieces of equipment give up the ghost after a very short time in service.

 

[Jackson]

Hold on there downzero. When dealing with Kydex, there are a myriad of reasons that could possibly lead to failure. Some guys run their gear (much) harder than others...things break. Some guys leave their gear in (very) hot cars...things break. Don't immediately think that a product is inferior because you see one example of it's failure. I've seen very expensive, and well-known, pieces of equipment give up the ghost after a very short time in service.

This may be the case. In both cases of the loops breaking I was doing some moving range drills. One was shooting prone in a rifle class and rolling from one side of a piece of cover to the other side while contorting my body somewhat. I'm not sure where the crack started, but it may have been something similar. I don't run my gear as hard as some guys, but probably harder than most average shooters. I just don't want to be concerned about my gear when I drop to prone or go to the ground or whatever.

 

[VUPDblue]

This may be the case. In both cases of the loops breaking I was doing some moving range drills. One was shooting prone in a rifle class and rolling from one side of a piece of cover to the other side while contorting my body somewhat. I'm not sure where the crack started, but it may have been something similar. I don't run my gear as hard as some guys, but probably harder than most average shooters. I just don't want to be concerned about my gear when I drop to prone or go to the ground or whatever.

This is what I figured. When doing dynamic movement and transition drills, things will get jacked around pretty good....things happen

 

[bwframe]

I have had nearly the same problems. I've been fortunate not to break any belt loops, but I've cracked a holster and mag carrier.

Raven was great. They asked if the breakage might be the result of training (yes) and suggested that they could make the replacement from thicker Kydex. No charge.

At the 1500, I would suggest getting there when the doors open and allow for at least 3-4 hours of build time.

 

[VUPDblue]

OP: you have a PM.

 

[Tom Fineis]

Hi guys, I'd like to provide some input here.

While not common, we have seen some cracking issues with our older holsters. We have tested multiple thicknesses and grades of Kydex (there is a lot of different kydex on the market) and have come to a solution that we believe is the best mix of concealability and durability.

In January of this year, we switched the thickness of our holsters and belt loops to a slightly thicker material. We are also ordering from a different supplier, giving us better quality control on the grade of kydex coming through our doors, and ultimately going out to you.

I have been wearing Raven gear for four years now, much longer than I've been employed by RCS. I still have my original items and they are still going strong. Those who know me personally know that I run my gear hard, and this stuff gets a workout three to four times a month at the range, and is worn daily as my carry gear. The cracking issues we've seen have come from a relatively short time period of when they were built. We haven't been able to track down whether is was a material issue or just a coincidence, but there is certainly a trend that we've identified.

We offer the best warranty in the industry - an unconditional lifetime warranty that follows the gear, not the original purchaser. There is no fine print or red tape - if you have an issue, we'll fix it.

We have effectively solved the cracking issues, and have some big plans in place for our ever-evolving product line. I ask our customers and followers to stay tuned, and if they have an issue with their gear, to contact me directly and I will get you squared away.

The law of averages says that if you do something enough, eventually a mistake will be made. Given the volume of holsters that we put out, it is a very small amount that are ever sent back in. This image is sometimes skewed with the use of internet forums, because the 'bad news' can travel so quickly and reach so many people. Rest assured, our gear is durable. We have guys from all walks of life on every continent but Antarctica wearing our stuff every day to carry out their respective missions, be it an armed citizen, a federal agent, a Special Forces solider, or a private contractor on a security detail.

To the OP- I am going to send you an email right after this and get you squared away.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Hi guys, I'd like to provide some input here.

While not common, we have seen some cracking issues with our older holsters. We have tested multiple thicknesses and grades of Kydex (there is a lot of different kydex on the market) and have come to a solution that we believe is the best mix of concealability and durability.

In January of this year, we switched the thickness of our holsters and belt loops to a slightly thicker material. We are also ordering from a different supplier, giving us better quality control on the grade of kydex coming through our doors, and ultimately going out to you.

I have been wearing Raven gear for four years now, much longer than I've been employed by RCS. I still have my original items and they are still going strong. Those who know me personally know that I run my gear hard, and this stuff gets a workout three to four times a month at the range, and is worn daily as my carry gear. The cracking issues we've seen have come from a relatively short time period of when they were built. We haven't been able to track down whether is was a material issue or just a coincidence, but there is certainly a trend that we've identified.

We offer the best warranty in the industry - an unconditional lifetime warranty that follows the gear, not the original purchaser. There is no fine print or red tape - if you have an issue, we'll fix it.

We have effectively solved the cracking issues, and have some big plans in place for our ever-evolving product line. I ask our customers and followers to stay tuned, and if they have an issue with their gear, to contact me directly and I will get you squared away.

The law of averages says that if you do something enough, eventually a mistake will be made. Given the volume of holsters that we put out, it is a very small amount that are ever sent back in. This image is sometimes skewed with the use of internet forums, because the 'bad news' can travel so quickly and reach so many people. Rest assured, our gear is durable. We have guys from all walks of life on every continent but Antarctica wearing our stuff every day to carry out their respective missions, be it an armed citizen, a federal agent, a Special Forces solider, or a private contractor on a security detail.

To the OP- I am going to send you an email right after this and get you squared away.

This is why I like RCS and their products.

 

[Jackson]

To the OP- I am going to send you an email right after this and get you squared away.

He contacted me as promised and is going to replace my holster with the thicker model.

As I said above: I like the gear and the company. Customer service is excellent. And if they have gotten the durability issue straightened out, their gear is just what I'm looking for.

Thanks Tom for getting this straightened out and VUPDBlue for putting me in contact with the right person.