Blade-Tech WRS Level 2 Duty Holster with Tac-Light

Hello, today the Charlie Mike Project shares its review of the WRS Level 2 Duty Holster with Tac-Light.  I have been a long time user of Blade-Tech and was really looking forward to trying out the WRS Level 2 Holster.

The WRS Level 2 Duty Holster with Tac-Light is a black thermoplastic molded duty holster.  The one I received was level 2 retention with spring-loaded thumb release for a Glock-17.  It included a drop down leg shroud for tactical use and included a quick attachment system to a duty belt or leg shroud.  The holster retails for $124.99 from Blade-Tech.  The price is comparable with other tac-holsters on the market.

Like most things Blade-Tech makes, this holster is very attractive.  It has clean lines, a satin black finish and all edges are finished nicely.  The WRS has a satin, slightly smooth finish that allows a good grip when donning and doffing the holster.  The holster material is light weight, while being structurally strong and does not feel flimsy.  The edges are finished and matched nicely with no rough edges. The thumb release is firm with a crisp fast release.  I like this thumb break!  It is fast, very fast and locking the weapon in simply requires rotating the hood back in place.  The Thermoplastic is very durable and resists rough wear, scratches, the environment and chemicals easily.  It was easily cleaned with water, dish soap and a rag.

I found the WRS holster to be comfortable, even on long days at the range and on duty.  The adjustment system was easy and fast.  The leg shroud was somewhat rigid and would benefit from molding or shaping to better fit the leg.  The straps were not as strong as I expected but were adequate for the occasional user.

The draw and re-holster was easy.   The thumb release was easy to operate and very quick.  The WRS is much faster than the traditional releases used by other manufacturers (ie. press down and rotate forward).  The WRS system is intuitive and quick.  Locking the weapon in the holster was easy.  This is where I began to notice a problem.  I will explain more below (see Retention).

The WRS holster is user friendly when adjusting the tension and position on your leg.  WRS was easy to adjust and put on.  Once positioned correctly the draw is natural.  The included leg shroud was too ridged and did not conform to the shape of the leg.  Adjusting the retention of the holster was causing another issue.  I will explain more below (see Retention).

Retention on the WRS is a molded adjustable pressure system that holds the light with an aditional thumb release strap.  Tension is adjustable by two tensioning screw located near the light and trigger guard.  Tension adjustment was adequate and allowed for varying degrees of retention.  However, retention was only on the light and not on the weapon.  There is no actual retention on the weapon.  This allowed the pistol to rock forward in the holster if the tension was not tight enough.  If the tension was set tight enough to prevent rocking, the weapon became difficult to draw and holster and caused problems with the WRS mechanism releasing.

If the tension is set tight enough to prevent rocking, the WRS system lags.  I found that I had almost a three second delay on some draws.  That is a serious officer safety concern!  If I pressed the weapon down impractically hard when holstering and drawing the lag decreased but did not go away.  The problem was caused by the tension on the light preventing me from holstering the weapon all the way into the holster.  I could not find a happy medium that allowed for a good seat of the weapon and prevented the thumb break lag.

Another problem I found was that you simply cannot holster your weapon without the light on it.  If you try the weapon will simply flop around and fall out.  When I first received the holster and noticed this problem I thought that Blade-Tech had accidently sent me the wrong holster.  I had received the holster for the Glock-17, but my Glock -21 fit perfectly. I spoke with my contact at Blade-Tech and was told I had received the correct holster and that the WRS is designed not to touch the weapon.

Officer Safety and Agency policy:

My agency police precludes using this holster.  Retention must be on the weapon system and not only on an accessory attached to the weapon.  Blade-Tech has added a retention strap and made this a “level 2” holster.  Check your agency police if you are using this holster.

The thumb break over the weapon would lag and stall after the thumb release was pressed.  No upward pressure was being applied to the weapon.  The weapon itself was not being toughed at all.  This happened several times and will cause a safety issue.

Overall the WRS was light and comfortable.  The leg shroud sits on the thigh but is very rigid and does not flex easily.  The straps feel flimsy and do not have enough heft to pull the shroud snuggly around the leg.  The holster   material and finish is top notch and of a quality expected from Blade-Tech.  As a long time user of Blade-Tech products, I am pleased with the performance of the Eclipse OWB despite some issues and agency police limitations.

Honestly, unless Blade-Tech makes some serious design changes to the WRS, I would not recommend the WRS Level 2 Duty Holster with Tac-light to officers.

The retention system causes too many safety concerns for me.  And if my light breaks or comes off for some reason I cannot holster my pistol.  If that happens, I now have a useless brick on my hip and no place to holster my weapon.

I would recommend this holster to the casual and sports user but not for LE or Military applications.

I sent my suggestions and concerns to the Blade-Tech, but I have not seen a change in the  WRS Level 2 Duty Holster with Tac-light.

If you like the WRS Level 2 check out my other reviews.  Don’t forget to Visit Blade-Tech online at www.blade-tech.com