There’s no time like the present to take a critical look at the Craft Holsters Lynx IWB holster, which I tested with my Springfield Hellcat. But first, a little background info.
Craft Holsters was formed in 2009 with a vision of offering holsters that are more than just interchangeable pieces of gear. If made with true craftsmanship, they could instead become vital parts of a user’s “daily mission,” whether that be honing one’s shooting ability or standing ready to protect family and community. An insert with my test holster announced “The end of holster drawers,” which is a goal I think most of us can get behind.
My Lynx holster was made in Italy from real leather and German thread. The company boasts that each of its holsters is entirely handmade, both in terms of the mold and dye processes. As a result, its product line is designed to give users a holster that feels truly custom, both in terms of premium materials and with respect to the quality of fitment to the pistol.
First Impressions
The gun industry can at times feel very cold and clinical, so it was nice to see the Lynx positioned as an artisanal product. The holster came nicely packaged: within the outer box the holster was gift-wrapped in tissue and included a thoughtful “thank you” card. This has the warmth of something I might buy from Etsy.
Speaking of warmth, I opted to order my Lynx holster in the mahogany color. I figured I had enough “tactical black” type gear and was eager for a visual change. Out of the box, the Lynx holster impressed on a visual level. The color of this holster is deeply rich and even: it’s evident that someone took the time to get it right, and it looks and feels like it should probably cost more than a C-note.
I was also impressed with the attention to detail spent on the molding of the holster. I’d draw your attention to the recesses that mated perfectly to my gun’s slide serrations, slide stop, and mag release. This provided some “wow” factor and made this feel like a truly custom product rather than something that was vaguely shaped to hold a subcompact pistol.
The Lynx holster is crafted with a medium-height sweat shield. The holster doesn’t come all the way up on the left side of the gun in the holster, but it nevertheless puts a layer of leather between the firearm and where it would be most likely to contact skin. Adding more material would likely serve little benefit; a lot of folks feel full sweat shields do more pinching and poking and aren’t worth the extra material.
Readers will note the extra holes punched through the holster: the IWB loops are secured through snaps that resemble Chicago screws: with an Allen wrench, the snaps can be relocated for users to adjust the “ride height” of the holster with respect to their belt.
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Another small detail: the Lynx holster is an open-ended design. A glance at the front of the gun shows that the bottom of the holster is molded around the contours of the slide, but the pass-through construction means it’s far less likely that the holster will accumulate gunk and lint in the pocket (which, in a lot of cases, is then deposited around the business end of your CCW piece when holstered).
As far as durability goes, the leather is about an eighth of an inch thick, making it durable enough to trust but pliable enough to flex and bend where needed. The central cavity is also double-stitched, which gave me additional confidence the Lynx would hold up to several thousand more repetitions of drawing and reholstering.
Break-In Period
Craft Holsters provides a helpful break-in guide with the included documentation, including a link to both a video tutorial and the option to purchase a dedicated leather care kit. The company is pretty clear that the fit of the firearm into their leather is designed to be tight, and they note that fresh leather can occasionally shrink as it dries out.
Certainly, the fit of my (unloaded) Hellcat into the Lynx holster handily passed the “turn it upside down and shake it real hard” test. Initially, withdrawing it from the holster was quite the task, and in my first hour of taking it out of the box I figured I’d probably need to engage in further break-in. Here, Craft helpfully suggests wrapping one’s carry gun in a plastic bag, which adds a few more layers of thickness all the way around the firearm, then working it into the holster and leaving it overnight.
That said, after holstering and unholstering my Hellcat from the holster a few times, every now and again giving the holster a little stretch and twist, the fitment was just about perfect. Even after several hundred more repetitions, the grip is in that “Goldilocks” zone of being neither too tight nor too loose. No leather softener required! (At least in my case.)
Wear and Comfort
As a guy who settled on the appendix position for most of his needs, I was a little apprehensive about how much I’d enjoy a different form of IWB carry — for right-handed users, the 4 o’clock position is recommended with the Lynx.
Certainly, the old saying applies here: “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Though I initially feared I’d lose speed and dexterity reaching back and around my hip to draw the firearm, I found the difference was bigger in my head than it was in actual practice.
Let’s also talk about discretion. As I mentioned before, the Lynx features some supple leather that allows it to naturally settle around one’s various bones and soft bits. I found that across multiple belts and pairs of pants, the Lynx did an excellent job of canting the gun enough towards my body to aid concealment, but without going so far as to direct any angles or corners of my Hellcat into my back. With a variety of covering garments, and checking a number of angles, it was very hard for me to find evidence of printing.
What really seduced me with this system was the comfort of it all. The Lynx holster earns just about the highest honor one can bestow on a piece of wearable gear: I genuinely forgot I had it on me for hours at a time, either walking around, getting in and out of cars, or sitting at my desk chair. (Naturally, the form factor of the Hellcat has a lot to do with it, but suffice it to say this is a great combo.)
[Be sure to read Mike Humphries’ Springfield Hellcat review for a detailed look at this CCW pistol.]
Now, if you held my feet to the fire, I would admit that AIWB carry is still faster (for me) to deploy the firearm, since everything’s closer to the centerline of my body. But, the 4 o’clock position with the Lynx holster is a hell of a lot more comfortable than what I was accustomed to. I realized that I would cheerfully trade the minor difference in speed for the significant improvement in wearability, especially in the colder months.
The Wrap-Up
Naturally, and as tested, the Lynx is based around the dimensions of the standard Hellcat, which is to say that it won’t accommodate lights, red dot sights, or anything else intended to clip on the accessory rail. That’s all fine with me; I don’t feel under-equipped with the tritium-sighted base gun and I’m very used to wrangling pistols with far fewer amenities.
If, however, these design specs are dealbreakers, Craft Holsters has a great selection tool that will connect users to a product that will work better with their desired kit.
After really getting to know the Lynx, I think it’s a great articulation of what Craft Holsters is all about. I came for the beauty and “luxe” feel of the holster, but I ended up a convert after realizing how comfortable this was with the Hellcat especially.
Certainly, this rig is in no danger of being permanently relegated to the dreaded “holster drawer,” and for less than a hundred bucks, I think you’ll be similarly impressed.
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