DAA Max First Impressions

Sooner or later somebody had to figure out that one can combine the retention mechanism of a “space-gun” race holster with a full body for a more conventional, yet still super smooth, closed-body holster. To be honest, Ghost Holsters were first on the scene with their Hydra but, as we found in our review, by starting with a race holster chassis and adding a body, the result is still pretty much race-oriented.

By starting with an injection moulded body and adding an advanced retention mechanism, Double Alpha Academy produced a more versatile design. This allowed them to offer two versions: The Max, an IPSC-focused holster featuring an adjustable hanger made of aluminium and steel, and the Max IDPA with a more conventional hanger.

I focused on the Max for this review.

Assembly is quick and painless. (Included in the deal is a neat storage case which will definitely find its way into many range bags as a spares- or other case.) You also get two Torx Keys; the first is to attach the body to the hanger, and the second is to bolt the holster to your belt. Use the long side of the wrench to turn the bolt … I didn’t at first and struggled to get the belt bit tight enough.

You can adjust the central ball joint assembly to move the body of the holster up and down. This joint also allows you to change the angle of the holster and have the grip of your handgun sit closer or further away from the hip. The holster body can also be adjusted for tilt. My personal preference is to have the body sit at its lowest point on the hanger. After some drawing exercises, I loosened the ball-joint assembly and adjusted the holster to allow the grip to sit further away from my body. This allowed me to easily find the grip of the firearm when drawing. 

Drawing is smoother for me, with the roller clipper that keeps the firearm in place, releasing the firearm smoothly when enough force is applied. Adjusting the retention was also easy … turning the large lock-up bolt adjusts the tension of the clippers that keep the firearm in place.

When compared to other competition holsters, this adjustment mechanism can provide a lot more retention. It is also easier to reholster. This makes it ideal for 3-gun events which may require holstering on the clock and running.