Review of Technaclip – possibly the smallest “holster” ever

By Robert Nordby
Gear, Guns and Knives

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Technaclip / Glock22

 

I must admit when it comes to firearms, especially those of the daily carry variety, I am a bit of a traditionalist. I have nothing against Kydex, but I like leather and I like steel. Although I can shoot both, I often times shoot Isosceles rather than Weaver but I know that both have their place in the tactical tool box. Although I have moved on to “bigger and better things”, I was reared on a S&W Model 15-4 .38 Spcl and I still hold a soft spot for revolvers. Safety is also a sticking point with me and considering I do live in a state that respects my innate right to self-defense, my sidearm is my American Express; that is, like my wallet, truck keys or credit card, I never leave home without it. Although I am willing to try new products and a great deal of the time I am pleasantly surprised, I still tend to gravitate toward the tried and true, the old standby. I maintain that new, does not always mean better.

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One such relative new comer to the every growing firearm tacticool shed is the Technaclip. I am presuming most of you reading my ranting here are familiar with this product, or are at least considering the purchase. For those of you who are not savvy, the Technaclip is essentially an external metal clip that installs on the slide of your handgun with the expressed purpose of allowing you to forgo holstered carry.

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I was recently presented with the idea of installing the Technaclip on a relatively new addition to my daily carry stable, a Glock 22. The idea was to run the Technaclip through its paces and give an honest review of the product. My immediate reaction to the idea, to an impartial onlooker, was probably something akin to the presumed reaction of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she was implored to activate a nearby SF QRF to respond to our besieged embassy in Benghazi. I did not relish the idea of allowing a handgun with exposed trigger to house itself precariously in my pants with readied striker cocked over the primer of live round nestled quietly in the chamber. However, all preconceived notions aside; I was willing to undertake the task setting aside my admitted biased against most things new.

“To find out your real opinion of someone, judge the impression you have when you first see a letter from them.” ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

 

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Upon receiving the package, I immediately took note of the disclaimer printed boldly on the back: “WARNING: This clip is NOT intended to be used when live ammo is in the firing chamber, doing this may cause accidental discharge, and is not a recommended as a safe method carry.“ Its presence did little to belay my initial concerns over this product and left me immediately thinking “Then what damn good is it?”

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The product came packaged with an aluminum replacement rear cover plate drilled and tapped for the installation of the Technaclip, two hex screws, an allen wrench, and of course the Technaclip itself. The Technaclip itself is manufactured out of what appears to be blued steel. Its construction is sturdy. Installation instructions were printed plainly on the package and were for the most part, pretty straight forward. It was easily installed in less than 10 minutes using nothing but the Allen wrench included in the package.

Once installed, I took note of the positioning of the Technaclip along the slide. Its placement appeared to slightly obscure the ejection port on the slide and left me concerned that it may impede the ejection of spent brass. This concern was allayed once I took it to the range for a function test. The first stop following the easy installation of the Technaclip was the range.

Prior to carrying the gun for defense, I felt the need to function test the Glock with its new jewelry. I visited a local indoor range for some static lane shooting. I ran 200 rounds through the Glock without a hiccup. The Technaclip proved itself relatively carry worthy by not impeding the operation of the handgun in any way shape or form. This range allowed draw from strong side muzzle down holsters and therefore afforded me the opportunity to shoot from the draw. The Technaclip passed this test as well.

I carried the Glock everyday for a week using nothing but the Technaclip. I carried it in various garments including blue jeans, cargo pants and shorts. I most often used a loose fitting button down shirt as a cover garment. Although I still held concern over an exposed trigger floating inside of my pants over a loaded chamber, I found myself pleased with the physical comfort of carrying sans holster afforded by the use of the Technaclip. It allowed the full size Glock to virtually disappear under a loose fitting t-shirt, and completely disappear under the button down.
I was pleasantly surprised by the secure nature in which the clip held the Glock in my waistband at the 4 o’clock position. I jogged, climbed stairs, lifted and carried boxes and bags of groceries, bent over and stooped, and climbed in and out of both a car and a truck throughout the normal course of daily activities and the Glock did not move.
I did find that after about 100 rounds, the screws securing the clip began to back out of the holes in the rear cover plate where the clip was secured. I quickly tightened them and ran the second hundred rounds through the gun. Once I got home, I backed the screws out and replaced them using Locktite. Although I have not returned to the range as of the time of this writing, I am confident the addition of the Locktite will solve the loose screw issue. Technaclip LLC may benefit from including a thread lock in the packaging of this product. Would I recommend this product? Yes, and no. Yes, the product is well constructed, functions as designed and advertised, and is a unique idea. I will likely leave it on my Glock for just such a time as its emergency use may not afford the time to don a holster. I did like the fact that the presence of Technaclip did not preclude the use of my favorite holster. However, I could not get past the fact that I was carrying with an exposed trigger. Granted, with a gun such as a Glock with its relatively long hard trigger pull, this may not be that big of an issue. I would however, never attempt to carry a 1911, some CZ’s or a Browing High Power variant in this manner. That would be a recipe for disaster. I will not likely continue to carry daily using the Technaclip. I will undoubtedly revert to holster carry on the safety concern alone.

[Rating: 1 through 5 Stars] = Overall Rating: ????
Overall I would rate the Technaclip 4/5. For what it is, its not a bad product. My only complaint was one of potential safety related to the lack of a secured trigger over a loaded chamber. The legal department at Technaclip must feel this concern as well as evidenced by the inclusion of the aforementioned disclaimer on the packaging. Give it a whirl, you may like it. Just be wary of the trigger.
– Stay alert, stay alive.

 

 

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