I like Blade-tech holsters.  They are well made, fit the weapon like a glove, ride comfortably, don’t shift around, and are durable.  So it should come as no surprise that I decided to buy one for my Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight.  As popular as the Smith & Wesson snub nose revolvers are, I’ve had a heck of a time finding holsters in the local stores.  These days the retail money is in semi-auto pistols and assault rifles, so I guess it is no surprise that most stores focus their inventory on tacticool weapons and gear.  Still, as hard as the counter clerks push snubbies, you’d think they’d carry a decent selection of holsters.

Finding a good holster can be a challenge.  Many of the stock holsters just don’t carry well, even when they are supposedly “fit” for the gun, often due to material selection and attachment design, so I find myself favoring a handful of manufacturers that I know and trust.  Blade-tech is one of those that I trust.  I love their Phantom line for my semi-autos, unfortunately they don’t make the Phantom for revolvers so I decided to go with their standard Nano IWB Holster.

As expected, the weapon fit perfectly with a distinctive snap to let you know it’s seated.  Two tension adjustment screws let you adjust the holster if you like it a bit more or less snug.  I especially like Bladetech’s belt loops.  These can be adjusted to fit different belt sizes and to provide a forward cant, and they are fitted with Press-the-Dot snaps that will not pop open unexpectedly.  Also the loops are made of a high friction rubber so they will not shift and slide on your belt.  In short, the holster insures that the weapon is secure and is exactly where you want it to be when you need it.

There isn’t much to complain about with this holster.  One of the snaps was difficult to release when I purchased the holster, but has smoothed out with use.  Beyond that, my only complaint is that it took over a month to receive the holster.  I understand long wait times for custom leather, but waiting a month for a plastic, machine made holster seems a bit excessive.  I’m sure Bladetech has to retool their machines for different holsters and doesn’t keep a lot of excess inventory on hand, but still a month is much longer than I expected.

All holsters will rub the finish and leave marks on your gun, and plastic holsters will do so faster than leather.  This is the only reason I might advise against this holster.  However, my weapons are tools and I don’t expect to keep them in pristine conditions; dings and scratches are to be expected if you carry and use your pistol daily.  For me, holster wear is not a factor and the Bladetech IWB Holster is an outstanding choice for those of us that carry snub nose revolvers.