Texas Action Gear Whip Holder Review
Posted: 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
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
