GunSkins vs Holsters - How Do They Hold Up?

We get a ton of questions about how our vinyl holds up to everyday holster use. That's a tough question to answer because holsters are made from a variety of different products and there's a ton of different styles and designs. These include the common plastic molded retention holsters, such as Kydex, but there are others made from leather, canvas, and nylon for example.

When it comes to holsters, friction is the great enemy. It doesn't matter if it's our vinyl, the factory surface of the gun, spray paint, or some other finish, friction is going to cause signs of wear on whatever your finish is on the gun. Some finishes are more durable than others, but given enough time not one is impervious to the degrading effects of friction.

Realistic Expectations

When it comes to our vinyl specifically, there are a few things to keep in mind. Seldom will we see the vinyl peel completely away. Most often you'll just see small wear spots develop in the high friction areas of the firearm. Now, to combat that, ours is a DIY product. We encourage people to skin their firearm however they want.

Customizable Approach

Some people elect just to skin the grip, some will skin just the slide and they'll avoid those high friction areas that are ultimately going to show signs of wear so they can modify their pistol skin however they so choose. Inspect your EDC carefully and decide where it makes sense to wrap in vinyl and where to leave as is. That way, you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Preservation

Other people note that we advertise our product as a protectant. It's very durable and it's great for protecting and preserving the finish of your firearm. They apply that to their pistol, knowing that they are going to scuff and scratch up their pistol from their holster. They'd rather scuff up and wear out, ultimately, our vinyl than their pistol. And they're protecting and preserving the finish of the firearm.

Value Using Vinyl

Lastly, there is a crowd of people that just love our product and it's a fair trade off for them to have an awesome looking firearm even if they have to put up with some wear spots here and there from their holster. Ultimately it comes down to your preferences, your choice in holster, and the material that it's made out of. Just bear in mind that more friction is going to cause scuffing and scratching regardless of the finish on the firearm than a holster that causes less friction.