Kydex holsters have clear advantages over older designs made of nylon or leather. They have better retention, they are easier to draw from, and they’re more durable. The drawback is that they’re built around a single pistol. A kydex holster for a Glock 17 won’t fit a M1911 for example. Want to add a light to your gun? You’ll need a new holster.
The Blackhawk Omnivore solves this issue with a unique locking system. While traditional kydex holsters lock by holding on to the pistol itself, the Omnivore latches onto a light you have mounted on the gun. According to Blackhawk, this allows you to use this holster for over 150 different handguns. Currently, there is support for the Surefire X300 flashlight or the Streamlight TLR-1. Blackhawk also has a version of the holster that use a block you mount to your pistol’s rail instead of a weapon mounted light if you don’t have one.
The holster uses level two retention, requiring you to depress the thumb activated retention system to release the handgun. A few different size rubber plates are included with this to accommodate different sized hands and for large or smaller pistols which was a nice touch. To adjust retention, there is a Philips head screw on the outside of the holster which can be adjusted for whatever level of retention you like. The holster uses standard Serpa hardware from Blackhawk, which means a variety of mounting platforms for this holster are already widely available.
I really like this holster because I own many pistols, some of which aren’t true 1:1 replicas with their real handgun counterparts. This has made finding holsters difficult in the past, and the Omnivore a great option for those of you with unique pistols. Blackhawk advertises their holster can hold over 150 different handguns but that doesn’t even begin to include airsoft pistols that are not real firearms.
The main disadvantage of this holster is that it’s larger than a typical kydex holster. After all, this holster can hold a Desert Eagle. While it has a larger profile than other holsters I tend to like this because it makes it easier to reholster your handgun. It’s also important to mention that if you’re using a replica of either the Surefire X300 or Streamlight TLR1 it could effect your retention. I own a replica of the X300 from Element, and it holds the pistol in the holster looser than a real X300 that I tried. I was able to remedy this with the retention adjustment screw mentioned earlier, but I thought this was something worth mentioning.
Overall, if you have multiple airsoft pistols or a unique model I would highly recommend the Blackhawk Omnivore holster. The Omnivore is a much needed improvement over the Serpa series from Blackhawk, yet it retains the same hardware and mounting system from that series. It’s incredibly convenient to have one holster than I can use with any of my pistols just by swapping my weapon light. The Omnivore serves a great utility by being compatible with many different pistols, and is a great way to save money over buying a new holster for every pistol you have in your arsenal.
Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us earning a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Learn more here.
Want to stay updated when we post new airsoft content? Sign up for email notifications!
