Holster Review: JS Tuckable Absolute Minimum (T.A.M.)

[Atomic Dog]

JS holsters T.A.M. (Tuckable Absolute Minimum)


The company

I first heard of JS holsters about 2 months before my order. My brother apparently found their website and forwarded it to me knowing that I am a fan of simple, effective solutions. I immediately liked the idea of the T.A.M. because I use an OWB holster 95% of the time and only needed a tuckable option for getting dressed up. I liked other holsters on the market (minotaur spartan/mtac) but could not spend that much money on something that would see little use.

I had JS at the back of my mind when Jason (CEO?) posted and offered support for SFN’s legal defense, and offered the training class. He struck me as a class act kind of guy so I looked a little more into his products. The only firearm he listed that I currently owned was the XD service. I wanted this holster for deeper concealment and there is no way I would pick my largest handgun for that role. I PM’d Jason who gave me Mike’s number. Mike is the main holster maker and an all-around cool guy. We chatted for a while about all kinds of things gun related or not, I was actually sad to get off the phone with him.

I asked him if he had a way of making a holster for my Kahr K9, my main carry piece. Knowing most holster manufactures use a dummy gun to mould from I didn’t think there was any way to do it, at least not fast and easy. To my surprise Mike brought his own firearm from home, a P9 to mould from. He offered to change the standard design of the TAM if I wanted (lower or higher cut, different belt size, ext...) and could mould magazine pouches if I needed them. He went out of his way to get me something that worked and was happy to do it. Fantastic customer service!

I knew I would buy it, I was completely sold. I had signed up for the email alerts ans was shocked to see that Jason was offering a 10% discount for the month of October, the month he joined the Marines. I made sure to let him know that 10% didn’t seem like much, but it made the difference between ordering it then and waiting 2 weeks. His response: “We want to reward people for doing business with us”.

The warranty

As if it couldn’t get any better, Mike wanted to be sure I would like the holster as a custom order and provided me with an option at checkout. After inputting the info I was to email him with the order number and he would send the holster out to me for free. If it worked I could pay for it after I tried it.

I was speechless! Seriously, I didn’t know what to say.


In the end I took the traditional route and paid at checkout. Mike AND Jason assured me that if I wasn’t happy with the holster They will fix it and make it right, covering shipping both ways and getting it exactly how I wanted. And if it just wasn’t working they would buy it back no questions asked. They truly care about customers and want to do business the right way.



The product

The TAM is moulded from a single piece of Kydex and is designed to slip under the belt. The weight of the firearm rides on the pants and is taken up by the tension of the belt. The hook is shimmed during forming to leave room to tuck in a shirt, otherwise it functions as a standard IWB.

And they do mean minimal. I can’t find too many places I would trim that wouldn’t hurt the function. It is an ugly, square block of Kydex. The retention is set via an adjustment screw and ranges from “loose enough to rattle” to “I can’t pull the damn thing out”. I set mine lose because the belt ads tension to the rig.

The draw is smooth and the holster releases well even with tension. It seemed hard to get a grip on the gun as it was closer to the body. Tradeoffs of concealment I guess. Re-holstering can be done one handed, however a caveat. If there are any tactical intimacy attachment points (love handles) they can get pinched between the slide release and holster. Bending the body seemed to allow more clearance and it never happened again. But it hurt like heck!

Comfort is about what can be expected from an IWB. I still hate them, it feels like i have a hunk of metal shoved in my pants. The TAM wasn’t horrible, but after a few hours I wasn’t fond it having it there. For people used to IWB carry or those who are not royal pansies it might not be a problem. And for occasional use I’m fine with it but it’s never replacing my OWB.

Tucking worked fine and it hides well enough. The “lip” on the bottom of the arm was designed for a 1 3/4” belt at my request (because I’m an idiot and didn’t realize that I would only wear it with a dress belt) and sticks out a little bit. I am very confident that Jason would fix this for me if I sent it back but I won’t do that to him. He made the product fine, it was my mistake ordering it. I am considering sanding down the hook or bending it to make it shorter. Option 3 was to turn it into a “V” hook with heavy-duty velcro but I won’t do that until I’m sure it won’t move when I draw.

To wrap it up, the holster works well for it’s job; a basic, no-frills tuckable for people who just want something that works...

[KnightZero]

This looks like a really good option - I wonder if their XD holsters will fit a Taurus PT140, like some others.

[Atomic Dog]

Just wanted to add to the review.



I have worn the holster 3 times so far and was impressed with the concealment. On two occasions I was deep in enemy territory surrounded by hardcore anti's. I was very humorous to imagine their reactions if they knew I was armed. I know it's not hard to hide a gun from someone uneducated, however the best test was when my wife asked why I wasn't carrying those two days. She knows exactly how I carry and knows what to look for and didn't notice. Not too bad.



However, I am beginning to understand why minimal can be a pain in the thigh. Seriously, the Kahr has some sharp edges and it gets rather uncomfortable after a few hours. The TAM does not extend to the end of the muzzle and I'm kicking myself for not jumping on that option when Mike offered. I added a strip of folded over duct tape to the bottom which should prevent the gun from cutting into my side.



The other modification I just did was with the hook. They shim the hook when bending the holster to leave more room for tucking. Great idea and makes donning the holster easier but the tradeoff is thickness. I got a thin single stack for a reason.
So I turned the blowtorch to low and heated the holster slowly to bend the hook in. I quenched it in water to speed the cooling and set the kydex. I still want to dremel the belt hook to make it lower-profile but I thinned the profile out quite a bit

Before:

After:

[Lucas]

double tap...see next post

[Lucas]

As if it couldn’t get any better, Mike wanted to be sure I would like the holster as a custom order and provided me with an option at checkout. After inputting the info I was to email him with the order number and he would send the holster out to me for free. If it worked I could pay for it after I tried it.

I was speechless! Seriously, I didn’t know what to say.


In the end I took the traditional route and paid at checkout. Mike AND Jason assured me that if I wasn’t happy with the holster They will fix it and make it right, covering shipping both ways and getting it exactly how I wanted. And if it just wasn’t working they would buy it back no questions asked. They truly care about customers and want to do business the right way.

That says a lot about a company. +1 to them.



Good call on bending the hook in. Looks like a good holster, should serve you well.

[Atomic Dog]

That says a lot about a company. +1 to them.



Good call on bending the hook in. Looks like a good holster, should serve you well.

Kydex is just plain uncomfortable. I'm looking around for a source of leather because I want to try a few ideas out....

[Lucas]

Kydex is just plain uncomfortable. I'm looking around for a source of leather because I want to try a few ideas out....

Tandy leather co.

Or you can order direct from a tannery. I like Wickett & Craig, great leather, good prices and they're from PA.

I like 8-10 oz for material stiffness, you could probably use 4-6oz and still be more than stiff enough.


I'm talking stiffness with one of the kinky twins, this won't end well.

[Glockman]

JS holsters are outstanding. I carry 2 inch j frame or a Glock 19 all day in total comfort. The paddle with the forward cant fits my round body best.
I have reccomended them to my pistol students and all have given a positive review. You will like this holster or you will get all of your money back.

[fingers80002]

Time for me to re-animate a thread.......

Just recieved my TAM today.
For a Sig P239.

Very impressed.Conceals very well.

Fast service, also. Placed the order 12-14, shipped 12-21, recv'd today.

Can't beat the warranty, either.

Never met Mike, but Jason is a stand up guy, with a beautiful family.

Anyone looking for function, consider JSHolsters.

[Geronimo509]

I use their IWB holster just about all day every day and it is great. I ordered one for my brother too. If he doesn't I will just keep it for a spare. Awesome company and awesome products!!