I figure I would post something a little different for once! Today I wanted to take a look at a two holsters I have been playing with over the last few months! I am not gonna say this is a "vs" or a "which one is better" write up, just my personal impressions on the companies as well as the two holsters at hand.
The first is the Inside Burton Scabbard (IBS) by 5 Shot Leather!
This holster is a collaboration between John Ralston (owner of 5 shot) and Jason Burton! When 5 Shot approached Jason, he wanted something that differed a bit from what was currently available. This design features sewn belt loops with a pant loop slot to allow for secure placement on the belt. This design gives you more options for placement, yet provides a very secure platform for carrying a full size 1911 all day.
The second is the Exodus Inside Scabbard (EIS) by Exodus Leather!
This holster was designed to be a deep concealing IWB holster that features a wrap-around body with mouth trim that is reinforced to aid in one handed re-holstering. It is a very compact holster making it extremely comfortable to wear all day. Carl designed this holster to come standard with a molded sight channel, minimal sweat shield, and IWB strap with one-directional snaps to fit a 1.5" belt look.
I want to talk a bit more about the companies....
5 Shot leather! I personally look at 5 Shot Leather was one of the premier leather holster makes in the market today! John is quick to return emails and phone calls and it seems as though he is willing accommodate customers on an as needed basis! He has a variety of leather and offers shark and elephant as his primary exotic skins... I am willing to bet if you wanted something else, he would be willing to make that happen! From what I can tell wait times and back logs typically roll in at about 6 months to 1 year on a wait list. I have had a chance to carry the IBS and the SME holsters now and can tell you they are worth the wait!
Exodus is a bit different... Although I 100% think Carl makes one heck of a holster, he is nowhere near as responsive to calls or emails (which can be a turn off). Emails can go weeks or even months without being answered, and that can also get a bit frustrating. I can not tell you what the exact current wait time is at this point because I was quoted about a year... That was a year and a half ago and sadly I can not get a reply email back. With that said, Carls holsters come using one of 5 standard colors of horse hide or can be upgraded to a higher grain horse hide which is limited to 4 colors. Just as John offers exotic coverage and hides, Carl does as well... He will try almost anything from small lizard skins to shark to anything out there! Again, both companies offer a variety of holsters with some of the finest materials out there!
When looking at both holsters you will immediately notice that the 5 Shot is the traditional leather while the Exodus is full coverage Shark. This will obviously sway pricing, however looking at base model prices the 5 Shot comes in at $175 dollars while the Exodus typically comes in at $165 in standard hide.
The two holsters have a very similar shape! And for all intents and purposes resembled one another in a variety of ways. Outside of the sweat guard and obviously the belt buckles the two holsters could be brother and sister. One thing that that sticks out in person though is the way the holsters are stitched together. The Exodus leather looks clean from a far, however it has clear cut stitching all the way around it... The 5 Shot although able to see the stitching near the trigger gard and near the underside of the frame, becomes much more seamless than the Exodus. It almost looks as though its truly once piece of leather with no stitching when examining the muzzle, all the way up the top side of the pistol (its not). The Exodus leather is a bit more "curvy" as well however the 5 Shot seems smaller in person. The 5 shot is certainly "thinner" than the Exodus, but as mentioned below the Exodus holster is much more rigid. I see benefits in both!
Here you will see how each looks with a CCP WMG single stack
Although there are a lot of similarities in these two beautiful holsters, there are some obvious difference! Below you will see the two side by side as well as how each one carries using a Full Sized Chambers Custom WMG.
This is the 5 Shot Leather holster sitting at the 4 O'clock position. The leather is sturdy yet feels soft! It also sits very close to the body and conceals almost perfectly! It's extremely comfortable, and the leather makes it feel as though you don't even have a holster on.
This is the Exodus Leather holster sitting in the same 4 O'clock position. You will notice that this holster pushes away from the body in the slightest way. It's equally as comfortable, however the full coverage shark is a bit more stiff. This stiffness gives the holster a bit more retention than the 5 Shot.
All in all, I really like both of the holsters... At this time though I think I like the 5 shot just a bit more! That, and John will call you back! Carl... cant tell you at this point!!
Hope you all enjoyed the write up!
The first is the Inside Burton Scabbard (IBS) by 5 Shot Leather!
This holster is a collaboration between John Ralston (owner of 5 shot) and Jason Burton! When 5 Shot approached Jason, he wanted something that differed a bit from what was currently available. This design features sewn belt loops with a pant loop slot to allow for secure placement on the belt. This design gives you more options for placement, yet provides a very secure platform for carrying a full size 1911 all day.
The second is the Exodus Inside Scabbard (EIS) by Exodus Leather!
This holster was designed to be a deep concealing IWB holster that features a wrap-around body with mouth trim that is reinforced to aid in one handed re-holstering. It is a very compact holster making it extremely comfortable to wear all day. Carl designed this holster to come standard with a molded sight channel, minimal sweat shield, and IWB strap with one-directional snaps to fit a 1.5" belt look.
I want to talk a bit more about the companies....
5 Shot leather! I personally look at 5 Shot Leather was one of the premier leather holster makes in the market today! John is quick to return emails and phone calls and it seems as though he is willing accommodate customers on an as needed basis! He has a variety of leather and offers shark and elephant as his primary exotic skins... I am willing to bet if you wanted something else, he would be willing to make that happen! From what I can tell wait times and back logs typically roll in at about 6 months to 1 year on a wait list. I have had a chance to carry the IBS and the SME holsters now and can tell you they are worth the wait!
Exodus is a bit different... Although I 100% think Carl makes one heck of a holster, he is nowhere near as responsive to calls or emails (which can be a turn off). Emails can go weeks or even months without being answered, and that can also get a bit frustrating. I can not tell you what the exact current wait time is at this point because I was quoted about a year... That was a year and a half ago and sadly I can not get a reply email back. With that said, Carls holsters come using one of 5 standard colors of horse hide or can be upgraded to a higher grain horse hide which is limited to 4 colors. Just as John offers exotic coverage and hides, Carl does as well... He will try almost anything from small lizard skins to shark to anything out there! Again, both companies offer a variety of holsters with some of the finest materials out there!
When looking at both holsters you will immediately notice that the 5 Shot is the traditional leather while the Exodus is full coverage Shark. This will obviously sway pricing, however looking at base model prices the 5 Shot comes in at $175 dollars while the Exodus typically comes in at $165 in standard hide.
The two holsters have a very similar shape! And for all intents and purposes resembled one another in a variety of ways. Outside of the sweat guard and obviously the belt buckles the two holsters could be brother and sister. One thing that that sticks out in person though is the way the holsters are stitched together. The Exodus leather looks clean from a far, however it has clear cut stitching all the way around it... The 5 Shot although able to see the stitching near the trigger gard and near the underside of the frame, becomes much more seamless than the Exodus. It almost looks as though its truly once piece of leather with no stitching when examining the muzzle, all the way up the top side of the pistol (its not). The Exodus leather is a bit more "curvy" as well however the 5 Shot seems smaller in person. The 5 shot is certainly "thinner" than the Exodus, but as mentioned below the Exodus holster is much more rigid. I see benefits in both!
Here you will see how each looks with a CCP WMG single stack
Although there are a lot of similarities in these two beautiful holsters, there are some obvious difference! Below you will see the two side by side as well as how each one carries using a Full Sized Chambers Custom WMG.
This is the 5 Shot Leather holster sitting at the 4 O'clock position. The leather is sturdy yet feels soft! It also sits very close to the body and conceals almost perfectly! It's extremely comfortable, and the leather makes it feel as though you don't even have a holster on.
This is the Exodus Leather holster sitting in the same 4 O'clock position. You will notice that this holster pushes away from the body in the slightest way. It's equally as comfortable, however the full coverage shark is a bit more stiff. This stiffness gives the holster a bit more retention than the 5 Shot.
All in all, I really like both of the holsters... At this time though I think I like the 5 shot just a bit more! That, and John will call you back! Carl... cant tell you at this point!!
Hope you all enjoyed the write up!
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