Jones Tactical Cobra 1.5" EDB

Ive had my Jones Tactical Cobra 1.5" Every Day Belt for a couple of months now and I honestly don't believe that there's a better everyday belt system on the market.

The EDB is constructed from a single strip of 1.5" SCUBA webbing which has been folded at its midpoint and stitched to itself. An AustriAlpin black FC24B quick release buckle is used to attach one end to the other, so no worries about the buckle ever failing. The fold point of the SCUBA webbing is shown on the top in the picture below. The two ends of the webbing which, when stitched together, constitute the complete other end of the belt are melted into each other and pictured below the fold point. I need to have my girlfriend vacuum:

This SCUBA webbing will never rot, crack or wear out in any of the ways common to traditional, leather belts. It won't exactly be easy on your holster's attachment system either, so if you're using some fuddy Galco with leather snap loops, don't. Select from the myriad of pancake Kydex holsters on the market and benefit from the durability of polymer snap loops among many other features. I can't speak as to rubber snap loops' durability, haven't used em.

A single 1" wide strip of 17337 webbing is sewn around the SCUBA webbing and is used to facilitate adjustment and buckle attachment.

 Loop Velcro is sewn on top of this webbing on the belt's right side. It extends halfway around the belt, to the middle of the back. It is stitched straight through the SCUBA webbing on all of its sides. This Velcro is used to secure the tail of the adjustment strap coming out of the male Cobra buckle and is a nice feature that is not found on competing and similarly-designed belts such as Ares Gear's Ranger Belt. 3 inches of hook Velcro is provided on the inside of the tail of the adjustment strap for securing it to the belt and this is more than enough to keep it retained even under extreme stress.

When the belt showed up, I initially thought that the 17337 webbing was too flimsy and that it would fall apart on me after mild abrasion and loading. It's hung in there and proven itself a valuable asset. Despite its apparent delicacy, the 17337 can be fed through the male Cobra buckle very easily and thus it makes the belt extremely easy to adjust, another nice feature for adapting the belt's size for IWB or OWB carry, or the use of various IWB accessories, or simply leaving the gun in the car if you're going some place where carry is not legally permitted.

The SCUBA webbing is incredibly stiff. According to Jones Tactical's website, EDBs are now offered with some type of Tan 1.5" webbing, however it is not as stiff as the black SCUBA webbing. For those who carry IWB, I imagine that this won't matter. The stiff platform has been great when used with my OWB Blade-Tech holster. The weapon stays put and doesn't roll outward, flop around or rotate around the belt as much as with any other belt I have tried.

On the other end of the belt, the female Cobra buckle is secured with the same strip of 17337 which is then box stitched to itself. The box stitch is a little over 2" long and features double stitching on the buckle side. It is stitched straight through the SCUBA webbing on all of its sides and the double stitching does continue through the SCUBA webbing. I noticed one slightly loose thread on mine and a somewhat less than perfect "X" in the box stitch, but I honestly don't think it's anything to worry about. Just want to report accurately. The box stitch is clearly longer than the Ares Gear Ranger's, as well, which looks to be about 1" long.

I've been playing around with FC24B buckles in a couple different slings for a while but I didn't try to open a beer with one until I got this belt for some reason. Unfortunately, while a beer bottle's cap will fit well into the female buckle, you just dont have the leverage necessary to pry it off. Clearly, some redesigning on AustriAlpin's part is necessary.

When worn, the ends of the SCUBA webbing are not directly connected to each other, and so they often end up a bit diagonally opposed to each other, like so:

The above picture is a slight exaggeration. I do not believe that the lack of any direct connection between the ends of the SCUBA webbing matters and in fact it probably just makes the belt more comfortable, as it can bend and conform to the beer belly when seated.

If you plan on appendix carrying anything, you'll have to experiment with your particular holster's belt attachment system, (loops, J/C hooks, etc.), and see if they fit and work better when worn over the 17337 webbing or under it.

All in all a god damned awesome everyday belt. I probably wouldn't want it when on mission, I'd prefer some type of rigger's belt. But for all the other days... A great and, as far as I can tell, indestructible belt.

UPDATE (3/31/11): Subtle enough to not be noticed when worn with formal attire, especially considering as the buckle was concealed by my vest/tie most of the time. After extended periods, the belts stiffness can cause a bit of pain on my right hip when carrying IWB, but that may just be due to my body size/shape, holster choice, etc. And the pain wasn't exactly unbearable, just a slight annoyance, (as could be expected when tucking a handgun in your belt). Still no issues to report with respect to durability and quality of build. An excellent daily belt that's easy to transfer between different pants/shorts, unlike many other Cobra belts.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this or other equipment, feel free to ask away. I'll respond to the best of my ability. Cheers.

EssTac Double KYWIs

Stu over at EssTac was kind enough to hook me up with 4 of his soon-to-be released Double Kydex Wedge Inserts, (KYWIs), for the HSGI Wasatch/Weesatch series of plate carriers. I had been looking for a way to adapt KYWIs for use in my Weesatch ever since I found out that standard KYWIs, (already available through SKD), were not wide enough to engage the Velcro on the inside of the Weesatch's internal mag pouches. Luckily, before I took a knife and needle to anything, Stu contacted me and offered up some of his amazing new KYWIs.

The new Double KYWIs are largely similar to the standard KYWIs. The main difference in terms of design is that the strip of Kydex used for the KYWI is doubly as long as a standard KYWI, and simply folded over onto itself at its midpoint. The Doubles also feature an elastic strap sandwiched in between the middle fold of the Kydex for additional mag retention after the other mag in the KYWI has been drawn. Like so:

Just like standard KYWIs, the Doubles are made from 0.092" Black Kydex and they feature hook Velcro adhered to the outsides. Also like the singles, they apply the most pressure to the inserted mag directly above the mag catch bump so that mags lock into place and require a good pull to release. For comparison, here are a bunch of single KYWIs and a banana:

In order to test the Double KYWIs retention, I jump tested the living hell out of them and performed a couple inverted rappels with Pmags, Lancer L5s and USGIs.

Using unloaded mags and no elastic strap for added retention, Pmags were easily retained, USGI mags slipped a bit during the rappel and Lancer L5s came out quite a bit. Using loaded mags and the elastic strap for added retention, effectively no slippage was noticed. I doubt that anyone will need to rappel with these things; just wanted to test the KYWI's retention without the elastic. The elastic strap is removable and even if it accidentally gets shoved down into the KYWI by inserting a mag, it will just fold under the mag and it will not be damaged. The KYWI is also easy to remove, so if your elastic does fall down and you like to use it, removing the KYWI and pulling the strap back up will take no more than a few seconds. Here is the slippage I noticed after the rappel:

 Not surprisingly, USGI mags are also the easiest, (that I have tested), to insert into the KYWIs and more importantly draw out of them. This is not to say that Pmags and L5s require any sort of great effort to draw, just that USGIs are noticeably smoother. I somehow doubt you'd notice the difference on a two-way range, so not that big of a deal.

I tried to dirty up the KYWIs to see if a sand and dirt-filled KYWI would effect the speed of the draw, but I noticed no difference. Under stress, such small things tend not to matter. The stupid-simple KYWIs performed flawlessly regardless of their cleanliness:

I also admittedly tried to break them by belly-flopping on the ground. It did not go well. The KYWIs proved themselves rugged as hell and I just looked like an idiot.

As with any mag pouch, I experienced difficulty drawing from various prone positions. The human wrist just doesn't bend that way. This is something that must be accepted and eliminated through training as much as is possible.

I caused an occasional inconsistency in my grip on the mag, demonstrated below, however this is also simply an issue to be dealt with through extensive training. Do it enough, and your beer can grip will be a beer can grip. Every time. Not this half-assed crap:

If you run Pmags with their dust covers installed on their baseplates, (don't), and you draw your mags out of order, (that is, draw the L5 pictured below before drawing the Pmag next to it), the Pmag's dust cover may trap the mag under it like a hook and prevent the draw. So. Simple fix: Dont run dust covers and draw your damned mags in order. Don't let the stress of a situation dictate which mag you go for. Always know where your next reload is coming from.

Part of what I love about all the KYWIs is the ease with which mags are reinserted. It's just like running Kydex AR mag holsters, but they're incorporated into your plate carrier. EssTac will soon be releasing dedicated mag pouches for the double KYWIs as well, just as they did with the singles. They'll look something like this, (note the drainage holes on the KYWIs and MOLLE webbing on the pouch):

All in all, just a great product. Brutally simple, utterly rugged and nothing is more high speed for you operational operators out there. Stu says the Double KYWIs should also be available through SKD "soon." For now, if you'd like some, contact him.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this or other equipment, feel free to ask away. I'll respond to the best of my ability. Cheers.