Review: Vega Belt Side Holster from Craft Holsters

Note: I received this holster from Craft Holsters at no charge so that I could do a review, but have received no monetary compensation and I have retained full editorial control.

      Craft Holsters has been very kind in providing a few holsters for me to review over the last 7 or 8 months. The latest I received from them is the belt side holster manufactured by Vega, an Italian holster manufacturer. Unlike my past selections which were in brown, I decided on the black holster on this occasion. And I learned why most holster reviews feature brown leather holsters because the black holster makes it difficult to photograph details. I fiddled with the contrast and brightness on most of the photographs to better bring out the details. But there are many more photographs at the website. Also, there are some variation in the construction of the holster depending on the specific make and model of the handgun, and you can see this also if you look through the photographs at the website.

       This holster is, once again, for my standard carry gun, a Beretta 84. Mine is the BB model with the rounded trigger guard. Although the holster is molded for the newer Beretta 84F models with the squared trigger guard, I had no problems with fit. 

       The leather on this particular model is fairly thick. The molded portion of the holster is beyond stiff to the point of hard: it is not going to collapse on you. Areas that need to reinforced, such as the thumb break portion of the retention strap, are a double leather thickness. There were no blemishes in the leather. And, as these photographs were taken after using the holster over a period of approximately 5 weeks, there was no noticeable wear, no stitching that came loose, and no evidence of excessive stretching of the holster.

Outside of holster (each square is one inch)

Backside of holster (each square is one inch)

     As you can see from the photograph above, the holster is carried on your belt. The leather back piece to the holster is stitched on to allow a tunnel through which the belt can be pushed. If you simply pass your belt through the tunnel there is a forward (i.e., FBI) cant to the holster to allow easier strong-side carry. There is also a slot cut in the leather, slightly offset, that allows carrying the weapon at a backward cant for cross-draw. The slot is 1 - 3/4 inch, allowing the holster to accommodate a belt up to 1-1/2 inches wide. The openings to the tunnel are slightly longer--I measure 2 inches--so you potentially could use a 1-3/4 inch wide belt, but I think it would be too tight a fit. The belt I used was 1-1/2 inch wide, and I used it through the slot to achieve a cant, and that seemed to be the right size of belt for this holster. 

Mouth of holster

     As you can see from the photograph above, the mouth of the holster does an excellent job of keeping its shape. There is a screw through a rubber spacer which can tightened down for more tension if you so desire, although that is probably unnecessary as the holster uses a thumb-break retention strap to keep the firearm secured.

Muzzle end of holster

     Although technically an open muzzle holster, you can see that the muzzle is folded over providing some protection to the barrel, which I liked. The leather is three layers thick at the bottom of the holster, making it very sturdy.

     In fact, the quality of the holster was excellent in my opinion. The stitching was even with good tension, and no flaws I could find. Fit and finish of the holster was excellent. 

View of the retention strap

      The holster is, obviously, an outside-the-waistband (OWB) holster, and can be worn on the strong side or positioned for cross-body carry. I decided to use it for cross-body carry, which seemed to work very well with this holster. 

      If you read some of my other holster reviews, you may remember that I typically carry using a shoulder holster. I can conceal this under a suit coat or jacket when I go into work, and it is easily removed if I am going to remove my jacket. But there are times when the shoulder holster is not called for. For instance, since it is summer, when I am not at work I prefer wearing a loose, untucked, casual button up shirt. I can wear the shoulder holster under a suitably loose shirt like that, either leaving the shirt unbuttoned, or just tearing the shirt open if I needed to access the firearm (I even have some shirts with snaps instead of buttons so I can practice this). But when wearing a shirt like that, it makes sense to wear a belt holster. 

      So, for a little over a month I have used this holster after getting home from work (my office never completely closed due to COVID-19 so I've still been going into work), on weekends, and over a short vacation. It worked very well during that time. 

      I have another belt holster for this pistol that I can use for strong-side carry. But, since this holster works for cross-draw, I decided to give that carry method a try, and was pleased. For those of you unfamiliar with it, cross-draw is carrying the firearm on you weak side. If you need to carry the weapon, you reach across your body with your strong hand and draw the weapon. This method was popular for a long while, back when men actually wore their belts around their waists, because a strong-side carry with the holster that high on the torso is extremely slow and difficult to draw. But for several decades, the waistband on men's slacks have been moved lower. With the belt-line down on or around the hips, strong side carry has become the norm. 

      Nevertheless, there are some advantages to cross-draw carry which keep it around. For one, if you position the holster just forward of the hip bone, as I did, it keeps it closer to the center-line of your body and can help your comfort if you suffer from low back pain. It is also easier to draw from a sitting position, whether at a table, desk or in the car. And, if your primary hand is injured, you can still get to the handgun with your off-hand. The downsides are that with having to bring your arm across your body, it will be easier for an attacker to block your draw if they are close enough to do so (although I think this is somewhat offset by the fact that the draw can be made more discretely than strong-side carry); and there is the potential to muzzle someone else or yourself during the draw. So, like every other method of carry, there are some trade-offs. 

     In short, the holster was well made and I liked being able to carry for cross-draw. If you are looking for a belt holster, I have no problem recommending this model. The holster retails for $65 from Craft Holsters. As I've mentioned in other reviews, the shipping is fast, and via DHL, a well-established commercial shipping company. So, even though Craft Holsters is located overseas, you will get your holster in about the same time as it takes from a company that is state side. 

Update (8/10/2020): FYI--If you are like me and use the Beretta 84, Craft Holsters carries a wide variety of holsters and magazine carriers for the 84, which you can review here.