7.23.2013

Old Faithful Holster: Initial Thoughts

After I picked up my CZ P-07, I needed a new IWB holster. After hearing about Old Faithful Holsters from Reddit and a couple forums, I decided to give them a whirl.

Old Faithful allows you to order their holsters in different stages: "U-Mold-It" which included unmolded, uncut Kydex and cut leather, "Quick-Assemble-Kit", which has the Kydex molded and both leather and Kydex drilled, and fully assembled.

Since I haven't molded Kydex before but am cost conscious, I opted for the middle of the road "Quick-Assemble-Kit". (tl;dr: don't.)

First things first, unpacking:



(CZ, obviously, not included). The kit came with everything it was supposed to - Kydex, leather (which is face down in the photo), hardware, clips, and a couple random pieces of leather.

The hardware is a mix of different length screws, rubber spacers, washers, t-nuts, and a small Allen key.

So... now what?

Here's issue #1: instructions. The paper that comes with the kit really isn't instructions on how to build the holster - just general instructions of use. There's a URL on the page, http://oldfaithfulholsters.com/category/holster-tutorials/, that I grudgingly typed into the computer. The last third of the instructions pertains to assembly. There's no written instructions on the page, just a video to watch.

In the video you're instructed to use a mallet to hammer the t-nuts into the back leather on a smooth, flat surface so as not to harm the face of the leather. But as I discovered, there's an issue with that - how do you hammer something into leather on a flat surface when the t-nut is actually longer than the leather is wide?


Note how the t-nut isn't flush with the leather.

 I watched the video again. No mention of this issue. On a hunch, I went to the main page and clicked on "tutorials" - lo and behold, the first video on this page was a year newer - and explained that the pieces of leather included were designed to sit underneath the t-nuts do give you the clearance to drive them in. This worked just fine.

At this point I'd add that you're given enough t-nuts to cover the extra holes for the adjustable clips - but I didn't put them in. There's no barbs on the ends of the t-nut that bite into the leather, and it seems to me even if you hammer them in with Mjolnir, unless you've a screw holding them from the other side, nothing will really prevent them from working back out.

Next I had to install the medium screws and spacers to mount the Kydex. This was the next issue - the screws use a very small Allen key, and the spacers aren't exactly uniform. This means you'll really have to press down with a little Allen key to get the screw to bite into the t-nut. A pain, but doable.

Finally, it's on!

Unfortunately at this point I found that the medium spacers were too narrow - the gun was causing the leather to bulge, and it wouldn't seat correctly in the holster. So I pulled it out, and saw something odd on my slide:

Well, that's not wear - at least on the other side...


So what's the culprit? This.

The silver marker that was used on the Kydex for my order rubbed off on my slide at top, and the "966" at bottom rubbed off on my trigger guard. Fortunately a little water and paper towel got it all off the polymer frame, but not off the slide. If you're not sure it's marker by looking at the pictures above, let me say I bought this gun NIB, have only put about 100 rounds through it, and it's never been in another holster before. Wear is minimal, if existent.

I went to try to install the larger spacers and screws, but even though it looks in the picture like there's plenty of room for the long screws to bite, that's definitely not the case. The screw has a very tapered head, and it sits on a washer and through the Kydex before the spacer. If I want to try the long spacers I will have to trim the ones provided because the screw simply isn't long enough to reach the t-nut, even with a good degree of force. So I'm calling it a night.

I'm rather surprised a company with a "50-year-warranty" and a "if you don't like it, we'll refund your money and you keep the holster" return policy would have issues like these. Honestly, I'd take a 5-year warranty and a "no refunds, we'll exchange" policy if it was a more easy assembly.

What would really make it easier/better?
  • The correct link on the instructions. Better yet, how about printed visual instructions? Yes, some people don't like watching YouTube videos for instructions, especially when pausing is required to go back and forth. Heck, if adding pics/drawings is too difficult, at least write the steps down.
    • I know that being in a business and selling a product for so long, you tend to think every install is intuitive, even when it's not. I've done the same thing in my business. Assume the purchaser has the ability, but doesn't know the process. Customers don't want to make mistakes and ruin their investment before they can enjoy it.
  • Switch to a larger Allen key screw so we can exert more force to compress the spacers. Even a Philips or flat-head. I've used flat heads in other hybrid holsters with very solid results.
    • If they don't want to do that, they could get the tolerances lower with the size of the spacers - make sure they're not too big. But that's a question of fractions of a millimeter, and they look hand-cut, so changing the screws would be easier.
  • DROP THE SHARPIE, or at least mark the Kydex in a location the gun won't rub against it - what about that lower right-hand corner? 
    • The worst part about the marker is that you can tell it'll continue to rub off over time. It's permanent but I will see if I can use a solvent to clean it off, if I have the time.
Overall, it's a good concept - save money by letting the customer assemble - but man, it's a pain in the ass. At a minimum, it's certainly not "quick".

I'll be contacting Old Faithful to see what they say and I'll update this when we resolve some of these concerns.

7.09.2013

Process Lasso [quick review]

Lately I've been playing with a unique little program called Process Lasso. It's not a complicated task manager, nor is it just another a priority booster. It's much more special than that - it uses a proprietary algorithm ("called ProBalance") to manage all the processes on a PC to provide a consistently smooth user experience.

Process Lasso follows the logic that it's more effective to reduce the priority of offending processes, rather than boost the priority of the foreground process. Run any kind of stress-test software, and you can see that your consumption will remain at 100%, but your overall UI experience will still be relatively smooth, not just the program you're currently working with.

There's a free version with an impressive amount of features which should be satisfactory for most users. It's very tweakable as well, for those so inclined. I've been playing with the ProBalance settings, but usually going back to default. You can also restrict/disallow certain processes from ever starting - a very desired, but hard to find, feature for these types of programs!

So is it any good in casual applications? I'm using it in 3 circumstances, and as of right now I'm inconclusive:

6.23.2011

Windows 7 64-bit Distortion and Audio Bug is Major Problem

What's going on with this Windows 7 64bit bug that I and thousands of others are experiencing with little or no solution to be found?

If you're running the OS, you know what I'm talking about. The staccato audio distortions with a laggy mouse and peripherals. You play with the sound settings, check to see if you're running out of available RAM, but your DPC Latency Checker is showing MASSIVE spikes nonetheless.

3.31.2011

ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 - the little nettop that could

After working off of a Lenovo S10 for the past year, I got sick of the mediocre Atom performance. I yearned for a desktop computer again, so I started budgeting a new system for myself.  I wanted a powerful desktop that could handle all common programs out there, do some video editing, HD viewing and even a little casual gaming.

After quite a bit of research, I found a rather unlikely candidate: the Zotac ZBOX HD-ND22. Somehow I wound up going back to the netbook/nettop architecture. What gives?