BLACKHAWK EPOCH Level 3 Light Bearing Duty Holster- Matte Finish

I work armed Security and needed a weapon mounted light for my duty weapon, the Safariland line are great holsters but out of my price range. The Epoch seemed really bulky at first but after a few weeks it seemed to shrink and not really as noticable. In my opinion I prefer not to use the included spacer, it seems to extend the holster profile more than I’d like and it did tend to bump into things. As for weapon fit, I carry a Gen3 Glock 17 with a TLR1, the weapon fits just fine with the included adapters. BUT, there is some play in the vertical axis, I plan on super gluing a small piece of rubber on the bottom to remedy that. Weight wise, the holster is not much more than a Blackhawk Serpa lvl2, which I used previously. For those who have not used a thumb driven holster, it took me personally 15 minutes to get aquainted and not much difference in the draw. All around great holster, I would suggest the Epoch to anyone looking to add a light bearing holster to their rig and not break the bank.

I picked up this holster last week for duty use. I have a Glock 22 with a Streamlight TLR1-HL. I used the spacer it came with to give me a bit more room to draw it while wearing a jacket. Once I had it situated properly on my duty belt (Bianchi Accumold Elite), I spent a fair bit of time practicing with it to get used to it before I took it out to the range. This holster is built like a tank – solid and tough.My pistol locks into the holster with a nice, solid “CLICK.” There is a tiny bit of vertical play when the gun is holstered, but it is barely noticeable. Drawing the pistol is simple and intuitive – push down the thumb release and the butt of the pistol at the same time, then pull straight up. Reholstering is easy, and the hood can be secured with one hand by pushing down on the thumb button and pushing the hood back with your fingers. The hood cannot be locked back into place without pushing the thumb button down, which is a minor inconvenience but not a deal-breaker. The pistol stays locked in the holster even if the hood is open – you must push the thumb release to draw the weapon.Pros – Built like a tank, locks in pistol solidly, easy to draw and re-holster.Cons – Tiny bit of vertical play while holstered, can’t secure the hood without pushing the thumb release.