Texas Action Gear Whip Holder Review

IndyFrench · Post by **IndyFrench** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:42 am

Hey all,

Today I received a nice little bundle from Texas Action Gear. Inside were two brown pants belts and one of the whip holders Richard makes. The package was nicely bundled and arrived very rapidly!

As an avid whipcracker for 11 years now and an Indiana Jones fan, I have been on the hunt for a whip holder that can pass muster. I own the Noel Howard Raiders gunbelt with attached whip holder, and while it is built like a tank in the leatherwork, the loop is WAY too big and the snap is pathetic. I have replaced the snap twice without any real luck and also had the holder recut on one occasion to more snugly accomodate my 10' David Morgan.

I have seen and played with the Keppler, and it's biggest drawback is not only it's lack of adjustability as well, but also while the "hooked snap" is great from most angles, I found that one wrong brush of the arm or swish of the shoulder bag along the top of the holder and the hook diengages and down goes the whip. The Keppler is also a victim of "whip slip" like the Noel Howard.

In other words, the TAG holder was meeting a very scrutinous customer. First things first - my initial impression out of the box was that the leatherwork, while precise, utilized leather I felt was too thin and felt rather, well, brittle. Luckily, after an obligatory Pecarding, the leather regained its life and was much more pliable.

First test was a trip onto a gunbelt and a trial with the Morgan. The pivoting snap works GREAT. I ran, I jumped, I SPUN FROM SIDE TO SIDE, THREW KICKS AND FULL FORCE PUNCHES. That whip wasn't going anywhere from a snap standpoint. Officially, this was a first for me after three previous whipholders.

Next up was the adjuster, which works on a principle similar to the way the brass buckle attaches to the end of your Indy web belt. I noticed immediately that one section of the whip holder, the section with the adjuster clip, was thicker than the section intended to be slid through the adjusting cinch. What concerned me was that the metal teeth that bite into the leather via the cinch to hold the adjustment dug some fine holes, which would have been fine with the leather used in the NH or Keppler. My concern was that over time, the TAG leather might have real holes worked into it from constant friction. I can't confirm this without a long range study of course.

The teeth in mine were also rather imprecise as one of the teeth was shorter than the other and could not "grip" the leather like its companion. Hence, it tends to slip a little on that tooth. I wonder if this is specific to mine or a regular issue with all of the holders.

All in all, I feel that if a more substantial leather is used akin to the Noel Howard for assured longterm durability and the teeth for the adjusting buckle were more uniform in size, this will be a real winner. As it stands now, it truly is the PERFECT holder for occasional use like costume parties and convention appearances. In these limited capacities, I doubt the adjuster could fail or leather rip. For the kind of use I need, I think the search is still on for a better snap for the NH for now. Wish I could get an unused TAG snap! Those are really cool and well made.

Richard's service is excellent, akin to Steve Delk, and his continual willingness to hear from Indyfans and improve his work has him poised to become a successful and important gear resource as the old guard begins to retire.

Mike

Bogie1943 · Post by **Bogie1943** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:26 am

Great review French, hey anyone else have pieces of TAG? How about a review? Gunbelts? Holsters?

Post by **Ken** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:13 am

What about the one by whipartist? I REALLY need one for filming and have tried emailing this guy!

http://hometown.aol.com/whipartist/Holster.html

Ken

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 8:35 am

I have both the gunbelt and the whip holder and like both very much, as I have posted elsewhere on several ocassions. I agree that Richard has excellent customer service and is a true fan with a passion for this stuff.

I wore my whip at a Halloween party and suffered very little slip.

Like French, I wish the leather was of a somewhat higher quality. I think this is the only drawback. I still recommend them very much.

Texas Jones · Post by **Texas Jones** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:04 am

French, thanks for the kudos and the input. I have received much feedback on the whipholder and I notice that the stiffness issue comes up often. As I am continually trying to improve my products, I realize that the stiffness is a result of the waterproof brown sealer I use on the the inside of the leather (the suede side). I also think this hinders the grip the holder has on a whip, and therefore I am going to start making them without the sealer and leave the leather naked. The leather will then be able to "breathe" better, remain pliable, and be able to absorb a leather dressing easier.

The metal mechanism that clamps the two pieces of leather (the one you compared to the web belt adjuster) is called a "leg ratchet," and it does have two prongs that pierce the leather in order to hold. On future holders, I will be using a leg ratchet that uses 3 prongs that span the width of the leather. This proved to have a tighter hold in my tests. The design will still leave small holes in the leather, as this is a basis for the strength of the holder, but will not comprimise the strength of the leather itself.

I chose not to change the thickness of the leather. When I started out, I was using a thicker leather, and it hindered the adjuster too much. I also liked the way it has a very slight elasticity, much like my bagstrap. As the bagstrap will drape perfectly over the shoulder, the holder will grip the bullwhip much better that a thicker leather.

Like I said, I am constantly working to improve my products. I would like to thank French for the review, as it proves most helpful to my efforts.

Regards,
Rich
(Texas Jones)

Post by **Ken** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:28 pm

Rich

I just ordered one from your site today. I am curious how well does the snap stay closed as my 2 problems are:

1) The whip staying coiled inside the holder
2) The holder popping open and the coiled (or in my case semi coiled) whip falling out

Ken

Texas Jones · Post by **Texas Jones** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:49 pm

Ken,

It holds well enough to keep it from slipping and the snap pivots allowing the holder to grab the whip. It all works very well. I suppose there are limits, but I believe it holds better than any out there.

Thanks,
Rich

Post by **Ken** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:02 pm

Excellent - cant wait to test it in person!

Ken

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:49 pm

Indiana Ken wrote:What about the one by whipartist? I REALLY need one for filming and have tried emailing this guy!

http://hometown.aol.com/whipartist/Holster.html

Ken

The Whipartist one holds well, but it's not screen accurate, but very functional.

Hunter57 · Post by **Hunter57** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 8:15 am

I prefer the whipartist model as well. It holds beautifully, and I'm not overly concerned about screen accuracy for that bit of kit. The TAG holder looks good, but it simply won't hold my Morgan at all, no matter what I do with it.

Post by **Ken** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:52 am

Really? does anyone know of a way to get in touch with whip artist? I emailed him but got no response.

Hopefully the TAG whip holder will work fine.

Ken

IndyFrench · Post by **IndyFrench** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 12:12 pm

The TAG holder grips my DM just fine, though mine is a 10'. Is yours an 8'? I can see how it might not be able to adjust tightly enough for an 8', but then again, it appears that it could...

Anyone wanna send me their 8' whip to test with????

Hunter57 · Post by **Hunter57** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:50 pm

I bought mine about ten years ago, so I do not recall precisely, but it seems to me I bought the ten footer. It slides about like mad, and will not grip.

Off to the gear locker...

The_Edge · Post by **The_Edge** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:19 pm

What about the possibility of the "leg ratchet" biting into the whip and actually gouging and/or cutting roo strands? Seems like a very real danger with that set up.

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:23 pm

Indiana Ken wrote:Really? does anyone know of a way to get in touch with whip artist? I emailed him but got no response.

Hopefully the TAG whip holder will work fine.

Ken

It's been several years since I've emailed with Ben Scott but last I talked to him I think he mentioned slowing his business down (but don't quote me on that) but he did say he was going to continue making the nonslip whipholder. But I'm sure the TAG one will hold just fine too since it's adjustable. Anyone have experience with how Todd's Costume's velcro holder holds? I'm just curious how the TAG and TC compare.

IndyFrench · Post by **IndyFrench** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:04 pm

The way it's configured, Edge, the leg ratchet bites away from the whip and the whip only makes contact with a smooth, wide facing "plate" that covered the area where the teeth might bite through, though this is highly unlikely I think, given how the holder has responded in my tests.

In other words, the teeth are biting on the other side of the leather and a metal shield is between them and the whip if the leather layer fails.

Mike

McFly · Post by **McFly** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:51 am

I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, because I really am grateful, but with the one I got at the Christmas exchange, I find that I have to coil the whip a certain way to make it hold correctly. I get 3 coils, placing the thickest one above the whip's handle (closer to the belt), and then place the fall between the 2 strips of leather on the belt, towards the bottom of the "U" in the shape of the holder. This puts pressure on the holder, pushing the leather against my whip, thus keeping it tight. Also, I do keep the handle/thong joint and the Turk's head on opposite sides of the holder, so that it doesn't slide out. I hope this all makes sense, and I look forward to the next version. I DO love this whipholder though!

In Christ,
Shane

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:42 am

Pagey, his current website still states he isn't taking orders. Too bad, huh? He has some nice looking whips on his page. Nice guy too.
www.whipartist.com

Post by **Ken** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:46 pm

Well I got the TAG whipholder today.

First of all, credit to Texas Jones his customer service is excellent and the speed with which arrived from the US to UK is incredible!! Well done.

However I must admit being a little disappointed.

The whip holder is excellent at staying shut/snapped. On this point it excells and really is the best I have ever seen.

However in terms of it keeping the whip coiled it does not work for me - I have an 8 ft Joe Strain and even if I put the handle through the holder there is still a gap with the holder tightened on the tightest adjustment. For this reason it will not be sufficient to hold the whip coiled in the holder and the whip will constantly begin to uncoil.

I havent tested this in the field yet in the course of filming but I know within seconds of running or fighting the whip would be uncoiled.

However like I said the snap on the holder is excellent and that thing will not pop open unless you want it to so in that respect top marks.

It is certainly better than the NH holder I have at the minute which is 1) Far too big and 2) Snaps open every time you breath.

Ken

IndyFrench · Post by **IndyFrench** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:48 pm

Ken,

Is it possible that with a good pair of pliers and some measuring you can take the piece with the leg ratchet and trim the end and reattach the ratchet to the end.

After studying mine, this would allow you to make the holder adjust more tightly. My only concern would be getting the leg ratchet to sufficiently reattach tightly enough - though I think the pliers if properly applied would be able to accomplish this.

Mike

Texas Jones · Post by **Texas Jones** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:52 pm

Ken,

Thanks for the information. I am rather suprised that it is loose on your 8 footer in the tightened position. On my future whipholders, do I need to shorten the leather so that it can wrap around a smaller circumference? If that is so, I can definately do that. Also, if you would like me to make the adjustment, you can send it back and I will get another one out to you ASAP. You may of course also return it for a refund as well if you wish. I don't like to hear about disappointed customers - whatever I can do just let me know.

texasactiongear@sbcglobal.net

Regards,
TJ

Post by **Ken** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:59 pm

I would really appreciate that actually - like I say the product itself seems really well made and all but it just simply isnt tight enough to keep the whip coiled - it wont go any tighter becasue the inner bit of leather gets in between the two parts of the snap at one end, and I cant adjust the buckle any tighter as that is where the other snap is and the leather is doubled over if that makes sense.

Ken