PHLster Just Changed The Concealed Carry Game With Their Newest Offering: Enigma

Every once in a while, a product comes along for concealed carry that really changes things for the better. They’re rare, for sure, but when they happen we should be paying attention.

Holster company PHLster has come up with a solution for numerous problems, all with one product. Think of it as concealed carry for literally anything that you may be wearing.

I’ll let their press release speak for itself, as well as the video from their live unveiling the other night.

Enigma isn’t a holster. Or a belt. Or a belly band. Or any other device you’ve encountered. 

It’s so different, in fact, it’s in a whole new category of its own. Enigma is the world’s first concealment chassis, giving you unparalleled concealment, stability, and performance. Using high tech materials, it turns your favorite Kydex holster into an ultra-low-profile concealment system that’s completely independent of your clothing. 

Enigma’s chassis means you can train hard, fight hard, and live how you want, with confidence that your gun will stay put. Every part of Enigma was designed with performance in mind. Made from an ultra-light, high-strength woven polymer laminate, the heart of Enigma is the winged faceplate.  It stabilizes your gun while adding zero bulk to the front of the holster. 

Train safely with Enigma’s secure retention and stable platform.  It stays in place during repeated draw/reholster cycles, thanks to its unobtrusive adjustable leg-leash.  And your kydex holster shell stays open, allowing for safe one-handed reholstering.

While it’s optimized for the PHLster Pro Series, Enigma is modular.  It will also fit other AIWB holsters that use a Modwing, Darkwing, Raven Concealment wing, or other IWB concealment wing with a 5/8ths on center hole spacing. 

Enigma is unmatched in concealment and performance. 

We’re all used to hearing advice like, “dress around the gun,” or, “get a better belt,” or, “try a smaller gun” when dealing with the challenges of concealed carry. Bellybands and other alternative carry methods don’t conceal well, aren’t secure, and require constant adjustment.

Enigma is a no-compromise concealed carry solution.  Its 12-point adjustable platform allows you to fine-tune concealment in ways that aren’t possible with conventional carry methods.  Once you adjust Enigma for optimum concealment on your unique frame, you simply set-it-and-forget it with the quick-latch Fidlock magnetic buckle.  Just click and go.

From the gym, to the team room, to the board room, Enigma stays put and stays with you.

Fine tune your concealment by adjusting grip tuck and grip rotation.

Set a natural grip angle.

Eliminate muzzle poking and printing.

Grab and go with the secure magnetic-assisted buckle.

Train safely with Enigma’s secure retention and easy reholstering.

Stay cool and comfortable all day with Enigma’s low profile, lightweight, minimalist platform.

Enigma Tech 

Using the latest in high tech materials and manufacturing, the heart of Enigma is the winged face-plate. Made from an ultra-light, high-strength woven polymer laminate, it stabilizes your gun while adding zero bulk to the front of the holster. Enigma’s chassis is stronger and stiffer than any comparable textile, yet it’s ultra-thin and unobtrusive. It holds up to high stress applications and can withstand repeated flexing without cracking, fraying, or breaking. And we’ve laser-cut it to be more flexible where it needs to be, while still providing structural support and stability where required. 

The Enigma concealment system is modular and will attach to non-light-bearing, AIWB holster shells that use a ModWing, DarkWing, Raven Concealment wing, or other IWB concealment wing using a 5/8ths inch hole spacing. 

The Enigma belt is comfortable and durable, made from mil-spec 17337 webbing. Once you’ve sized the belt to fit your waist, you can set it and forget it. Don and doff the Enigma quickly and easily using the included Fidlock magnet-assisted buckle, which provides both security and convenience. There’s no need to thread and adjust the belt every time you put it on.  Securing the latch is easy and intuitive, even if your garments obscure your view of the buckle, or if you have limited mobility or hand strength. The Fidlock buckle basically locks itself, and unlatches with an easy-to-grip fob.

The buckle attachment to the face-plate is lined to help prevent direct contact between the buckle and the body. The buckle attachment also allows you to hot-swap the Fidlock for your choice of buckle and will accommodate any 1.5 inch buckle you prefer, including Cobra buckles. 

Enigma Story 

Dive deep enough into high-level concealed carry and you’ll find Runcible Works. Known for their experimental and obsessively innovative holster systems, Runcible Works creates bespoke, self-contained concealment systems for carrying in any attire.  They combine high tech materials with sophisticated, ergonomic design principles to build deep concealment gear with the lowest possible signature.  Runcible Works pioneered the concept of building the belt, holster, and accessory carriers into a single platform that functions in any environment from yoga class to entangled ground-fighting and grappling. 

After years of operating in the same circles, we reached out to Runcible Works to help bring their concepts and expertise out of the mad-science laboratory and to the masses.  Together, we developed a streamlined and minimalist execution of their renowned, yet often difficult to obtain, systems. 

For two years, we explored materials, strategies, and executions, going back to the drawing board several times and starting from scratch. Enigma is the result of an intense and relentless collaborative process, the output of which is a unique and unprecedented piece of concealment technology and a patent pending. 

With our final drafts in hand by the summer of 2020, we knew that the Enigma required a special manufacturing partnership. Known for their materials and process expertise and innovation in the tactical equipment space, AXL Advanced was the obvious choice to help us get over the finish line and make the Enigma a reality. Their capability to produce durable, low-profile equipment for hard use applications, using the advanced materials required makes them the ideal candidate for the job.

www.phlsterholsters.com