PLEASE READ:

As of 02/18/2021, four years to the day I originally published this review, there have been over 8100 visits and reads of this piece alone. It has proven to continually be the all-time, most popular post I have done. So, a BIG thank you to every one who has read this review!

Since you are searching the web about guns and concealed holsters, it is probably safe to assume that you have a larger interest in self-defense, both armed and unarmed. It is one thing to be armed and quite another to be able to fight to your weapon and fight to retain your weapon. I encourage you to click here and check out my journey learning Jiu-jitsu.

(**10/13/21 edit** I recently started a podcast for those who are wanting to know more about Jiu Jitsu, you can take a listen here, or just search “Tom Writes and Rolls” in your preferred podcast provider.)

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~Tom

This review is a few months in the making, okay…truth be told, its more like four months in the making. Maybe this should be considered more “informative” since I don’t go through holsters fairly quick and I’m not keen on wanting to review every holster under the sun. So, maybe a little back story?

I like making connections with and supporting local businesses. Granted this means my immediate city, county and surrounding areas, but I personally like to expand that boundary to a reasonable drive time, say within 6-7 hours. Tier 1 falls into the latter category. In late June 2016, I took a road trip just south of Salt Lake City and had the privilege of meeting Jared, the founder of Tier 1 Concealed, during the second day of Baret Fawbush’s Two Day CCW Fundamental Course. As luck would have it, I was able to be on the firing line with him and witness first hand the skill that he has developed through consistent hard work and discipline. Seriously, check out his Instagram account (@t1cs).

I made a small connection with him that day at the range and have been following him on IG ever since. I was definitely interested in purchasing his product and I planned on checking the product out once I returned home. We spoke a few times through DMing on Instagram regarding his holsters and he is really good at responding, especially when you consider he has 38,000+ followers and must receive a deluge of DMs.

Anyways, I have said all that to say this:

I have not been compensated in any way for this review, nor has Jared asked me to do it.

I purchased my holster at full price and told Jared via DM that I would be writing a review after I worked with the holster for a while. His holsters speak for themselves and I could end this “informative” review with just this: They are worth it.

First Impressions

Up until the time I received the Custom Tier 1 Concealed AGIS, a few months after meeting Jared, I had been shooting the Springfield X D .45, 4″ service model, using Alien Gear’s Tuck 3.0 IWB holster (a “local” Idaho company) for a few years.

As a quick aside, Alien Gear’s “Free Shell Trades For Life” deal is the real thing. About a month prior to ordering the AGIS, I traded in my Springfield for the Gen4 Glock19 in 9mm and I sent my worn 2.0 back, requesting a shell for the Glock. They delivered and actually upgraded my holster to the 3.0 at no cost. They keep their word and their service is on point. I’ve got to give them major props for that.

Now, back to the AGIS.

I’d never used an appendix carry holster before and was excited to see how this holster worked for me compared to carrying on my strong side. I decided to order a custom AGIS instead of the Quick Ship model because I wanted to choose the color scheme and there are a TON of options!

I chose a “Spartan-esque” color scheme: blood-red and dark grey. I completely geeked out at this piece of hardware upon receiving it.

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Wearing an appendix carry holster was definitely different from what I was used to, so after playing with the retention a bit (more on that below) my next step was to break it apart and compare/contrast the AGIS’s versatility.

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I thought Jared’s idea was pretty awesome. A two-in-one holster, having break-away snaps to change the AGIS from an Appendix Carry holster to a “strong side” holster with a spare mag located elsewhere. The snaps secured fairly well but they are easy enough to break apart when you want to change it up.

I wore the AGIS for the first couple weeks broken apart and having been satisfied with how it felt, I put the pieces back together and went full Appendix carry.

I haven’t looked back.

I’ve never had the snaps break-away while carrying Appendix. I still like the idea of having the option of switching to strong side with the AGIS. After using the holster in both configurations, I would purchase an extra clip to attach to the holster – thankfully it can be modified like that, so win-win! For me, one clip doesn’t offer up enough stability when the holster is broke apart. That’s just a personal preference. The AGIS performed well with just one clip.

Durability & Retention

Back to the first day I received it. After playing around with it for a bit, I took the holster over to my bed and held it upside down with the Glock in the holster, fully loaded plus the spare mag and shook it hard. Relax, the chamber in the Glock was empty… It took some considerable effort before I was able to get the thing to release the Glock by shaking it!

“Out of the box” retention: Damn!

Over the months of use, I’ve played with the retention to find just the right bit of give that I like. It’s slightly looser than how it came from Tier 1, but not by much. The retention is awesome, and with the custom molding specific to my Glock… I love it.

Seriously.

I’ve tripped, tumbled and even wrestled with my young son on the lawn, all while carrying. This holster handles like a champ. Seriously, the thing that impressed me the most about it’s retention and even concealment was how it handled at a school function where I took a good tumble. Ok, gravity is one of my mortal enemies… been like that since I was a kid, but I think this small story is worth it.

It was the Fall Celebration at my children’s school, our youngest one was playing in one of those big bouncy houses and it was time to go. He’s four, so, four-year olds don’t want to go when its time. When I finally got my son out of the bouncy house, I got caught up on something, don’t know what or how, but long-story-short we both tumbled backwards and as I am holding him, we did a weird back somersault. Firearm stayed perfectly secure the whole time. Nobody was the wiser of me carrying.

Concealment

For concealment, I think pictures are worth more here than what I could say. I work in a corporate finance environment where you dress professionally and guns are a “no-no”… you get the idea.

From professional attire to regular “street” wear, I can easily and confidently carry in any environment with this holster. 

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Driving

I really like the accessibility that the AGIS provides for my Glock while driving, well, once I learned the smart way to set things up. I learned this little trick from Baret Fawbush’s IG account and having done it myself, I’m convinced. See the pics below and note where the seatbelt is located.

If you look closely at the top image, the seat belt is secured behind the AGIS. This keeps my body secured properly in the vehicle, with the chest harness coming appropriately across my chest and over my shoulder, while allowing me easy access to my firearm. It is way more effective than what I was doing – just putting on my seatbelt across the front of the AGIS – which actually pushes it further into my belly making purchasing the firearm that much harder in the event of actually needing to get a hold of it should the need arise.

Jeans and T-Shirt

So, to be fair, the pics I’ve shown thus far were all taken over the late Fall and Winter. So I have on multiple layers, etc. What about just jeans and a t-shirt?

These pics were taken today, 02/18/17. The undershirt I am wearing is a black Hanes “a-frame” tank top.

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Just shy of 1500 words, I’m sure you can tell that I really enjoy this holster from Tier 1 Concealed.

If you look on the website, they have a KOPIS design which is a lower profile appendix carry holster without the break-away snaps. I plan on getting that one too but for now, I am highly satisfied with my AGIS and will be using it for a long time to come.

There are things you will have to figure out for yourself, like going to the bathroom at home or in public, but I assume that if you’ve made it this far down the page, you are a “big boy” or “big girl” and you’ll figure that out on your own.

Check out Tier 1 Concealed Holsters HERE  Tier 1 Concealed can be found on Instagram at @tier1concealed and you can check out Jared at @t1cs

Baret Fawbush can be found HERE as well as Instagram at @truexodus

Thanks for reading.

Pursue Mastery.

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