Rounded Gear Holster Review: The Click Is the Best Thing About It
If you need a holster that’s secure and doesn’t break the bank, then the Rounded Gear by Concealment Express holster might be for you. After testing for more than a year, it works, but we’re not sure it’s the best out there.
The best thing about Rounded Gear holsters is the click, telling you the gun is seated. The cant is limited but stays put. And the same dent that makes the click makes the draw stiff. For big guys, the sweat guard offers no flex and digs into your gut when you sit, and the clip needs a real gun belt. My Hidden Hybrid is still my go-to.
Reasons to Buy
- A click you can feel when the gun seats, no second-guessing at 5 o'clock
- Cant stays where you set it, unlike leather-backed holsters
- Small and tight, not a lot to it
- Made in Jacksonville, Florida, with an unconditional lifetime warranty
- $44.95, and 20% off if you sign up for their emails
Reasons to Skip
- The draw is not smooth: you pull past the retention dent every time
- The sweat guard juts into your gut when you sit
- Clip popped off a regular belt with the gun; it needs a real gun belt
- A decent bit of printing at appendix and 5 o'clock
- Thumb has nowhere to land on the draw
This Rounded Gear holster review comes after a little over a year of carrying one on and off with my Glock 19 Gen 5: I’ve worn it dozens of time, some for long stretches and some for just going into Walmart to pick something up. For me, I’m usually at the 5 o’clock position under a t-shirt.
Rounded Gear was formally known as Concealment Express. The name change can be confusing, sometimes we just refer to it as the Rounded Express holster, but that’s just us.
It’s 100% made in the USA, in Jacksonville, and sells for $44.95 (but you can pay less with the email coupon). It’s backed with an unconditional lifetime warranty. And it also holds the Best IWB Kydex Holster spot in our best Glock holsters guide.
So what do we like about this $45 Kydex holster? And why do we still prefer Hidden Hybrid over it? Keep reading to find out!
Rounded Gear Glock 19 IWB Holster Specs & Features
Specs
- Model: IWB Holster fits Glock 19, 19X, 32, 45 (optic ready), carbon fiber, right hand
- Price: $44.95 black, $49.95 carbon fiber
- Material: .08-inch Kydex
- Weight: 3 oz
- Clip: 1.5-inch fiber-reinforced belt clip
- Cant: -5 to +20 degrees, adjustable
- Retention: adjustable Posi-Click
- Sweat guard: full length, with a rear sight shield
- Hardware: black oxide steel with threadlock
- Made in: Jacksonville, Florida
- Warranty: unconditional lifetime
Features
- A click you can feel when the gun seats
- Open muzzle, so threaded barrels and suppressor-height sights clear
- Cut for a red dot
- Claw compatible (claw kit sold separately, $15.95)
- 20% off when you sign up for their emails
- Plus Line version ($64.95) adds the claw and a spring steel clip
Source: Rounded Gear. Weight, thickness and cant range are Rounded’s numbers.
Why You Can Trust This Review
First, how we got it. We ordered this holster and the claw kit from Rounded in July 2025 with an industry discount and paid $16.55 for both. Yes, it was discounted, but we’ve told them flat out the review is our own and we’ll say what we want to say about it. Rounded emailed me after the order, asked for nothing, and has not asked to see this review. The Hidden Hybrid holster I compare it to was also sent to me free of charge in April 2025.
- Product Tested: Rounded by Concealment Express IWB holster for the Glock 19, carbon fiber, right hand, plus the claw kit
- Price Paid: $16.55 for both with an industry discount; the holster is $44.95 to $49.95 at full price
- Gun: Glock 19 Gen 5, no optic, no light
- Belts: a KORE Essentials gun belt and my everyday black belt
Here’s what I like and don’t like about it.
Rounded Gear Holster Backstory
Rounded Gear by Concealment Express is based in Jacksonville. Most people still call it Concealment Express. In my opinion, there was nothing wrong with the previous name, but you do you, I guess.
Everything from them is Kydex, made in the USA, with an unconditional lifetime warranty.
We list them as the Best IWB Kydex Holster pick in our best Glock holsters guide. My leather-backed Hidden Hybrid holster still takes the top spot for me. That runs about $90, and it is the bar that I compare all other holsters against.
How We Tested the Rounded Gear Holster
As I already mentioned, I’ve used this holster on and off over the course of a little over a year, with my Glock 19 Gen 5, no optic and no light. About a few dozen wears, some of them eight-hour stretches, almost all under a t-shirt.
Most of that time was at the 5 o’clock position. I carried appendix too, standing and seated, and I wore it at 3 o’clock for the photos.
I regularly practice drawing, especially when I have a new holster. At first, I just used my everyday black leather black belt, but every time I did that the holster would come out with the pistol. Despite the big clip, it couldn’t grasp my broken in belt.
Lesson learned – I could only use this with a KORE Essentials gun belt. A proper gun belt is stiff and strong enough to keep it clipped so the holster doesn’t slide out on drawing. That would not be good in a split second situation.
The Click Is the Best Thing About It
The thing I liked most about this was the tactile click is assuring that the gun is secured in the holster. If I’m carrying at the 5 o’clock position, sometimes I’m unsure if my pistol is actually seated – that’s my one big flaw of the Hidden Hybrid holster. I have to twist back and look, I second guess myself a lot. With this holster, I’m more certain because of the click.
That click is achieved because the molding dents inward around the trigger guard. Pushing the gun into the holster widens the mold until it passes the dent inward, then clicking into place.
But, that dent also creates some challenges and difficulties with the functionality of the holster…
The Draw Is Not Smooth
It’s difficult to draw the pistol because you now have to move past the molded inward dent in order to draw. It’s not smooth. The benefit is the security of the pistol, knowing that it’s not going to drop out of the holster, but you have to be more intentional about retrieving it.
The amount of resistance now makes it harder and less convenient to draw. Not ideal if your life depends on a smooth draw.
I will say, you can loosen the screw a little bit so the dent doesn’t wrap around the trigger guard so tightly. I did this and it make the draw a little easier.
If I used my everyday black belt (not designed for concealed carry), most often the holster popped out with it. It wasn’t until I switched to my KORE Essentials gun belt, where the clip had a much more secure grip on the belt and kept my holster from popping out, that I was able to draw the gun straight out of my holster.
I still felt more upward tug and carry on the holster, whereas my Hidden Hybrid holster is a much smoother draw.
For me, when I’m drawing from a holster, I find my thumb tends to push down on the sweat guard as a sort of opposite push against the holster. It just allows a more sure draw and prevents snagging. With this, it’s difficult to get my thumb against that piece of plastic. It’s much thinner than the leather sweat guard of the Hidden Hybrid.
My thumb struggles to know where to land and if I’m drawing quickly, I don’t have the time to mess around. So, the draw feels awkward and unnatural. Perhaps more practice is in order, but the Hidden Hybrid holster feelts much more natural to me.
Printing: A Decent Bit of It
Whether I carried appendix or at my 5 o’clock, there was a decent bit of printing. Blame that, perhaps, on the bulkiness of the Glock 19, but nonetheless, brands like Tier 1 Concealed and T.Rex Arms offer that little wing piece of plastic that pull some of the printing back inward.
Rounded sells that wing too, as a $15.95 claw kit that bolts to the two holes by the trigger guard, and the Plus Line version of this holster ships with one.
Comfort: Not Much of It If You’re Seated
I didn’t find this very comfortable at all. It’s a small, tight holster, so in that regard, there’s not a lot to it. But the plastic sweat guard juts into my gut without any flexibility or relief. Call it fat guy problems, but appendix carry is a no for me if I’m seated at a restaurant or work.
If I’m standing on my feet all day it probably wouldn’t be a problem. It’s just that carrying appendix while seated is incredibly uncomfortable. Again, I’m going to come back to the Hidden Hybrid holster. The leather backing offer much more flex. I don’t normally carry appendix with Hidden Hybrid, but it’s still a heck of a lot more comfortable.
Adjustability: One Screw Moves, and the Cant Stays Put
Adjustability-wise, there’s limited options. Basically, one of the screws stays put, and the other can adjust up or down, shifting the angle by about 30 degrees.
A positive I found with this holster is that the cant doesn’t shift much. That’s a problem I’ve had with the leather backed holsters. The soft material offers some give to the screws and shifts the cant. I like that once I locked this into the angle I prefer that it stayed at that angle.
What It Costs
The holster runs $44.95 on the site, but you can get a 20% off coupon if you sign up for their emails. The price is usually the same on Amazon, but when I checked prices they’d increase their price to $49.95 for the Prime Day deals. Sort of the opposite intention for what Amazon’s trying to do there with that promotion, but I won’t hold it against them that they tried to make a little more profit on the Prime Day craziness.
The carbon fiber finish on mine is $49.95 on Rounded’s site; plain black is the $44.95 one. The Plus Line version, with the claw and a spring steel clip, is $64.95.
Improvements I’d Like To See
Put some relief in the sweat guard. A rounded top edge or a little flex up there would go a long way when I sit.
I’d say give my thumb somewhere to land, but it’s hard to do with a Kydex holster. The thin plastic makes my draw feel less fluid.
Ship it with the claw instead of charging more for it. Rounded already has one, but this should be included with the standard option.
Who It’s For (and Who It’s Not For)
Buy it if you carry once in a while and you’ll be on your feet, like at the grocery store. If you want a tighter, more concealed holster for appendix carry this works great and is reasonably priced.
Skip it if you sit for long stretches with it on, carry every day, or don’t want to invest in a proper gun belt. The sweat guard digs in when you sit, the draw takes more effort than it should, and the clip pulled off my everyday belt with the gun.
Rounded Gear Glock 19 IWB Holster
A $45 Kydex holster with a click you can trust and a draw you have to work for.
Our Verdict on the Rounded Gear Holster
Would I use this as my go-to holster? No. I prefer the Hidden Hybrid holster. It’s more comfortable. But, it still has a lot to offer at half the price of the HH holster.
It might be worth saving the $45 to you. It really depends on you. I carry more often and so I’ll pay the extra $45 for more comfort.
So, in summary, the click is the best thing about it, and the dent that makes the click is where the draw goes stiff.
Where it lost points:
- The draw: you pull past the retention dent every time, and it is not smooth
- The sweat guard juts into your gut when you sit
- The clip popped off a regular belt with the gun; it needs a real gun belt
- A decent bit of printing at appendix and 5 o’clock
- Thumb has nowhere to land on the draw
Final Score: 6.2/10
Great click. Bring a gun belt, and don’t plan on sitting.
What holster is on your belt, and has a click ever saved you a second guess? Let us know in the comments below! Shopping for one? Start with our best Glock holsters guide.
FAQ
Is Rounded Gear the same company as Concealment Express?
Yes. Rounded by Concealment Express is the Jacksonville, Florida holster maker that sold as Concealment Express for years, and the Amazon listings still carry the old name. Same Kydex holsters, same unconditional lifetime warranty.
Does the Rounded Gear Glock 19 holster fit a Gen 5?
Yes. Mine is a Glock 19 Gen 5 with no optic and no light. Rounded lists it for the Glock 19, 19X, 32 and 45, and the optic-ready cut clears a red dot.
Is the retention on the Rounded Gear holster adjustable?
Rounded lists the Posi-Click retention as adjustable. The click itself comes from the dent molded around the trigger guard, and that dent is what you pull past on the draw.
Does the Rounded Gear holster come with a claw?
No. The claw kit is $15.95 and bolts to the two holes by the trigger guard. The Plus Line version of the same holster ($64.95) includes the claw and a spring steel clip.
Will the Rounded Gear holster clip hold on a regular belt?
Not for me. On an everyday black belt the holster came out with the gun on most draws. On a KORE Essentials gun belt it stayed put.
Is the Rounded Gear holster comfortable for appendix carry?
Standing, it is small and tight and there is not a lot to it. Seated, the full-height sweat guard juts into your gut with no flex, and that made appendix carry while sitting incredibly uncomfortable for me.
Where is the Rounded Gear holster made, and what is the warranty?
Jacksonville, Florida, with an unconditional lifetime warranty.
Is the Rounded Gear holster worth it?
For occasional carry on your feet, at $44.95 (less with the 20% email signup coupon), it is okay. For carrying every day, I pay about $90 for a Hidden Hybrid and get more comfort.
Justin Trump is the managing editor and owner of CAT Outdoors. The son of a Vietnam veteran, he’s a Certified Glock Armorer, an avid gun enthusiast and 2A advocate. He holds two firearm patents for the CAT M4 and Talon tools. When not managing CAT Outdoors, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, rooting for Michigan sports teams, and serving his church.
