LOWRIDER HK45 HOLSTER | KHNLD

Hey everyone! 

Welcome back to the blog! You’ve guessed it, I have another review for you! This time we’re looking at my new Kydex HK45 holster - the Lowrider HK45 holster by KHNLD. 


The Lowrider holster is a holster made from the thermoplastic material Kydex. This holster, in particular, is designed to ride a little lower on your belt line so that it clears any tactical gear you may be wearing such as plate carriers, chest rigs and backpacks. The Kydex itself is 2.5mm thick, making it a more robust holster for tactical applications. As the Kydex is thicker, it gives the holster more retention on the weapon it holds, which you can still adjust using the two retention screws, that are located on the outside of the holster if you need to. The mounting holes on the back are designed to work with Safariland, Blackhawk, G-Code and Blade Tech hardware - with my Lowrider I’m using the UBL and leg strap from Safariland that KHNLD also sell on their website. It is worth noting that the mounting hardware doesn’t come with the holster - it is purchased separately. 



I chose a grey colour to go with my MultiCam Black loadout, and also as grey is a great accent colour for other camouflage patterns I think this will go great on my MultiCam and green loadouts too. It is available on the KHNLD website in different colours including black, coyote, OD and MultiCam. It can be totally customised from what side the holster sits on, what weapon system it holds, whether it has space for a torch and of course, what colour it is. 

Upon receiving the holster, the first thing I noticed was the thickness of the Kydex - it feels sturdy, durable and there’s only a little bit of give when put under pressure. My HK45 slides in easily and makes a positive click when in place. The retention is spot on - it’s not unusual to adjust the retention on Kydex holsters but my HK is kept in place firmly and requires a swift tug to release. As it’s designed to ride lower on the belt line, I have got it caught on door frames, people and other obstacles as I’ve been running around airsoft sites - I think this is because I’m used to running a holster that sits on my belt and is closer to my body. This isn’t a design or manufacturing fault, I’ve put this down to me being clumsy and forgetting my profile with gear on. The more I’ve used the holster though, the more used to the profile I’ve become. It has taken a few knocks and bangs but has barely scuffed - so I’m hopeful for its longevity. The leg strap secures the holster to my leg so that it doesn’t move when storing or releasing the pistol. Overall, I am happy with the design and functionality. 


What about the price? The holster starts at €75 and have a lead time of 1-2 weeks as they are made to order, the Safariland retails at €28 and the leg strap €25 so the whole set-up cost a total of €128 (around £110 at the current exchange rate) so it is a little pricier than other Kydex holsters on the market but with KHNLD products, you definitely get what you pay for. The craftsmanship is impeccable and the materials are really high quality - all their holsters are CNC machined to ensure tight tolerances on the final products,

Thank you Lenn at KHNLD for sending me the product to review!
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LBX ARMATUS II REVIEW!

Hey friends!

Welcome back to the blog!
Today I have another gear review for you - on the LBX Tactical Armatus II plate carrier! I originally came across this plate carrier completely by accident - on my second visit to the US! I needed a MultiCam Black plate carrier for the very first Desert Fox Events: Battle for Lost Angeles so my friend Josh came to the rescue and lent me his MCB Armatus II for the event, and in November last year I got my very own Armatus II. After putting it through its paces during multiple game days, I’m ready to give you guys and girls my thoughts!


The LBX Tactical Armatus II is a low profile plate carrier made of 500D Cordura. As standard, the carrier has a fast clip front panel and comes with a Triple M4 Panel from LBX and also a removable back modular panel that is compatible with MAP components (I’ve accessorised my MAS Grey Armatus II with the Banger Back Panel). Other features of the carrier include removable padded shoulder straps, removable adjustable modular mesh rib cage cummerbund, it has a reinforced drag handle and a front zipper admin pocket (that is a great fit for my iPhone XS).

The construction is sound - with clean, straight stitching and the materials feel sturdy, even the mesh in the cummerbund. As for size/fit, I chose the medium size and once adjusted (as the carrier is fully adjustable) it fits my body well and still has a little room to allow me to wear thicker layers underneath. The padded shoulders allow you to have the carrier loaded and wear it for extended periods of time without your shoulders becoming sore - it would be cool for these to have a fabric cover though. The M4 mag pouch included is really handy for those of us who run M4 platforms, but needless to say, if you want to run the Armatus II with any other platform, another front panel would be needed.


My only complaint towards the Armatus II, as is with the 0300S, is that it doesn’t come with foam plates as standard like some other carriers on the market do. This means that the carrier as standard doesn’t stand up or hold its shape too well. In both of my Armatus II carriers, I have added the PTS Syndicate foam plates to give it more stability and keep the shape when not in use.

Priced at $249.99 from the LBX website and comes in MultiCam, MC Arid, MC Black, Coyote, Ranger Green, Wolf Grey, Black and MAS Grey. The carrier also comes in 2 sizes - medium and large (to fit the corresponding plates). I have the Armatus II in both MAS Grey and MCB, and I switch these carriers in and out of a number of different loadouts - from MCB, RG and even M81 (US Woodland), the colours work for me. At the current exchange rate, $250 is around about £191 (this doesn’t include customs and shipping, so be sure to budget extra to accommodate those!).


Overall, it is a comfy carrier, has sound construction and does the job intended. The range of colour/camo options is varied enough for there to be an option for most loadouts.

Photography thanks to Stuart Manks
Patron: AirsoftPanda
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6MM ACTUAL

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the blog! If you follow me on social media you will have seen that last week I launched 6MM ACTUAL.

6MM ACTUAL is all about giving you - the readers of FFA - more value from Femme Fatale Airsoft. I've designed 6MM ACTUAL so you can read the best of the monthly blogs and also get bonus content exclusive to our monthly downloadable. Online or offline, and for free! Whilst I love writing the blog, creating IG & YouTube content and writing for publications, I felt like something was missing and this is where our monthly downloadable bridges the gap. Truly International airsoft, from guns to gear, to events, it’s in 6MM ACTUAL.


You can check out the first issue here!
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