(+6 rating, 6 votes)
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During SHOT ’25, Blade-Tech announced a new purpose-built duty holster – the VALOR. They designed and built it to compete with accepted offerings from several companies making holsters on- and offshore. When I spoke with them back then, I was pleasantly surprised to hear there would be left-hand models and that it would fit more options than just GLOCK and Sig products.
So, Blade-Tech has been around for decades. I think I bought my first holster from them in ’95? That original holster and magazine pouch are still in my inventory. Their gear has carried 1911s, GLOCKs, Berettas, S&W, and STI pistols, magazines, and lights for me. For a while, my duty holster for a 1911A1 with a Surefire Nitrolon light was a one-off from them.
A close-in look at the teeth on both the disk and the receiver.
Being Attached
Early on, Blade-Tech developed an attachment clip with a distinct mounting hole pattern that easily adjusted to a variety of belt widths. Known as the Tek-Lock, it is still in widespread service.
They have evolved since then, and a few years back, they released a new system.
There are two options for attaching these to MOLLE webbing.
Tek-Mount
The system includes large and small mounts – female, disks – male, one adapter for attaching to the Safariland/US Duty Gear hole pattern, and another for Alien Gear’s holster. Their version of a duty belt attachment piece, the VALOR Duty Drop, also includes a leg strap. You can use the large mounts for holsters (kind of obvious) and rifle magazine pouches. Their small mounts will work with pistol magazine pouches and tourniquet holders.
Both the disk and the receiver have teeth that lock together. Those go all the way around the disk and take up about the lower third of the receiver. To adjust or remove the disk, you depress a lever at the bottom of the receiver. Once the disk has been seated and set to the angle you want, there is a locking piece that you move left or right to secure it.
The front of the review holster has a small receiver for a tourniquet holder or similar item.
The benefit of both mounts is that they provide 360 degrees of rotation. And rather than relying on a manufacturer’s preference, I can tune the angle of the holster and pouches to a cant that works best for me.
While I have not done destructive retention testing, I have more than a year of use with holsters from three different manufacturers. From that perspective, I am very happy with the mount.
Mine sits on a Bang Hanger from Guardian Warrior Solutions, which is attached to a Wilder Tactical reinforced belt.
The VALOR holster ships in this packaging, with all specifications listed on the box.
VALOR
Late last year, I received the package I had been waiting for – a left-handed VALOR holster in range green for a M&P pistol. I spec’d it for a large pistol-mounted light and a full-size optic. The holster already had one Tek-Mount disk and a receiver on it. The receiver is for a tourniquet holder on the holster’s front. The disk fit the receiver on my gun belt like others did.
My VALOR holster has two (2) retention devices that must be defeated when drawing the pistol. The first releases the bale, while the second removes a lock from the ejection port. A molded-in block prevents the bale from being inadvertently released.
The full-size receiver has a locking mechanism that rotates either left or right. When unlocked, it points downward.
The bottom of the holster is open. It has stops molded into it to keep the lower face of the slide, by the recoil spring hole, from being inserted too far. Where the pistol light would be is open as well, allowing for lights with deeper, longer bezels in the future.
Additionally, the side of the holster nearest your body has an opening that allows agencies to mount Axon’s Signal system.
There might be jokes about having it in any color you want as long as it’s black, attributed to Henry Ford. You can get it in matte black or a basket-weave finish. What is nice, from an end-user perspective, is that Blade-Tech offers it already wrapped in one of four options – Crye’s Multi-Cam, Border Patrol green, coyote, or ranger green.
With the bale in the upright, locked position your thumb’s first move releases it. A directional change unlocks the holster’s internals.
Fit
The bale accepts both Aimpoint and RMR-like full-size optics just fine. In terms of pistol lights, it took a SureFire X300U-Turbo and a Streamlight TLR-1 HL-X equally well. I will note that it does not accept Surefire’s DG switch, and it could not without significant modification.
Two versions of the Tek-Mount disks – the standard version (l) and one with an adapter for the Safariland hole pattern.
Use
I have been using this in dry- and live-fire practice, during a class, and in a match over the last month and a half. Aside from the remote switch issue, I am quite happy with it.
Like any other operating system, you need to practice to get the mechanics down. Once you have the downward and rearward movements ingrained, the process is as seamless as any other using a rotating bale for retention. Re-holstering does require you to be just a bit more deliberate because of the angles and faces inside the holster.
Mine is worn just ahead of the left front pocket with a muzzle forward cant (orientation). That location has proven to be viable for a duty holster. Why? Because it prevents you from unlocking your wrist to grip the holstered pistol. I would have no concern or issue using it on duty in any of the uniformed roles I held.
If you have questions about muzzle forward cant, see this article: Holster Cant
The triangle screw pattern is how the full-size receiver mounts on a Guardian Warrior Solutions bang hanger. With Alien Gear’s integrated tourniquet/leg strap.
Final Thoughts
It was very nice to find Blade-Tech bringing a solid duty holster to the market. Doubly so, since it took left-hand end users into consideration. And that is as big a deal as them making it for the M&P. So, if you carry and use the M&P, GLOCK, or another duty pistol, I’d strongly suggest considering the VALOR for both individual and agency needs. I hope that we will see a version for Staccato’s HD-P offerings.
