Why We Use Kydex to Make Holsters

[@michaelstein127]

Those closing 30 seconds did it for me. Thanks for the continued quality content. Go Team.

[@thecocooreo]

Thanks Isaac, Your hieroglyph photo would make an awesome kydex print!

[@GhostDaTactical]

YES. In color, or imo, just using the pattern of the hieroglyphs as a “camo pattern”

[@jefforymerten9613]

T-Rex Arms: come for Lucas Bot-shooting. Stay for Isaac's Comms & Labs content. Freaking brilliant.

[@richardblackhart]

Bro, that flashback sequence and sudden mystery lore at the end was amazing. I already love T-REX arms, (I'm not an American (YET) so I'm not a customer (YET)), but the new channels add so much more to my learning experience.

[@directorDex]

Isaac is such a freaking nerd and I love it

[@isaacbotkintrex]

Yep, I'm afraid so.

[@Nate-vi4ft]

Same!

[@yummyyumsum]

is this guy Lucas brother? they talk and look similar

[@ZombiePanda1776]

I actually like Isaac's content more than the main channel. Us nerds have to stick together.

[@nono-jj9rr]

​@@yummyyumsum Yup

[@modernhereticnw]

Holy crap. That wall at the end… 😱😳😮

[@isaacbotkintrex]

Pretty impressive in real life.

[@Osprey1994]

I have an old Sidecar 1.0 that refuses to break, and I have a 2.0 that I used consistently for about 1 year that broke right near the claw (it was the thinner kydex). I contacted TREX, they responded extremely quickly, had me set up so that I could choose a different color if I wanted, and after expressing my interest in the new adjustable claw they sent me a prototype with my holster. The new holster is holding up well, and I'm confident that if something happens, Trex will have another holster in my mailbox in short order. There are lots of good holster companies out there. But I will continue to support Trex as long as they are a force for good.

[@isaacbotkintrex]

How you liking the new claw?

[@theKashConnoisseur]

@@isaacbotkintrex I still have to get back to the CS department with my feedback, but the prototype claw solved my issues with fine tuning the holster fit. I had to max out the adjustability with it, so perhaps it could be slightly more extended. And it did end up cracking into 2 pieces after ~8 weeks of daily use. However, I think that's more due to material than design.

[@True_Patriotx]

Was not expecting that ending.

[@aaronakiyama]

The amount of development you guys are doing is fantastic. Having worked for a larger holster company some years ago, what you're doing compared to what we were doing is like comparing space flight to a conestoga wagon.

[@JohnShaw26.2]

I wish we were neighbors 😂 I’d learn so much cool stuff from you.

[@TheMrpunisher77]

The future of this channel is looking great. Cant wait for more of this.

[@andrewm6393]

That 2009 hair was the pinnacle of former homeschooler hair. I’d say it takes one to know one but let’s be real sometimes people can spot us from a mile away. On another note it was cool to hear what you said about watchers of this channel+podcast listeners in the episode introducing this channel. Looking forward to the more technical videos and more history content on the podcast. Keep up the good work.

[@directorDex]

Were those light towers in the room talking about the chemical engineer a call back to Jurrasic Park? Because of so, kudos for that cool Easter egg. Isaac is such an underrated part of this channel. Loving this content.

[@T.REXLabs]

Good eye! That is a replica of the 1993 Jurassic Park computers, which were also replicas of the CM-5s made by Thinking Machine in 1991.

[@directorDex]

@@T.REXLabs it never occurred to me until now, when you said the name of the manufacturer, that's who the little DNA strand was referencing when he says, "Thinking Machines, super computers..." I always thought it was just a generic term. Wow. TIL.

[@kc8omg]

Thank you! As soon as I saw it I thought "I know what that is!" but I was racking my brain and could not place it 😂

[@TREXARMS]

@@directorDex We use them for resequencing holster DNA now.

[@kc8omg]

Loved the preview for the new "T.RexDigs" channel at the end there.

[@jasonmcclish2580]

Great video guys. Especially curious about the ending.

[@AT05-z9h]

These videos keep on getting better and better

[@ebc1f7]

I love that ur heat press’s have tape or webbing so the shorter staff can reach.

[@theKashConnoisseur]

Commenting for the algo. Thanks for everything T-Rex and the Botkin family do to progress the culture of knowledge and training around our 2A rights.

[@bthemedia]

For a title “Why we use Kydex…” this was an AMAZING video! 🤩 I still have goosebumps and am filled with awe/humor after having watched it!

[@johndunbar2393]

I'm so glad y'all started this channel. Thanks, Isaac.

[@dcusator]

Continuous Quality Improvement what all great manufacturers do. Keep it up.

[@calebdoner]

As a gun nut who is also an automation equipment sales engineer, this video tickles me in all the right places. :)

[@tac4bravo]

Amazing work Issac! Including the ending, you never cease to impress

[@newtoncain]

Thank you for that end shot! So awe inspiring.....

[@kalebcantr5241]

I have purchased many sidecars since 2019 and the most recent one feb of 24’ is the thickest kydex i have seen. This makes for a sturdier feeling holster. Iv carried it for a few weeks daily 8+ hrs per day and i must say this iteration is the most comfortable g19 holster iv ever used. Thank you TRexArms for setting the bar of what quality holster should be.

[@T.REXLabs]

Yep, last year we upgraded from 0.080" kydex to 0.093" Kydex, and it made a surprisingly big difference.

[@MurryBallstein]

My sidecar cracked in the same exact spot. T. REX sent me a new one by the end of the week. Thanks guys

[@walkerklopfenstein2693]

Isaac could have his own channel and every single one of us would sub and hit that bell

[@FreedomandBaconHomestead]

Love seeing the continual improvements!

[@mateokins9]

I got my ragnarok early last year, purely for larping purposes. I love it. Thanks for your hard work

[@JoshuaE-BiblePatriot]

Y’all are definitely one of my favorite if not my favorite company all around

[@MrCakers]

That ending was epic.

[@robottwrecks5236]

Thanks for showing your setup! This is very inspirational

[@bradhicks3040]

So impressed with you guys, the pursuit of perfection is honoring to God. Thanks, Isaac!

[@THirstyCamel1023]

AWSOME! Prototype heat press, Your prototype heat press could be used for any plastic in the end game I’m thinking

[@ryanburbridge]

Thanks for posting. Love to see people continuously improving

[@refuztosay9454]

I remember when I worked for R&H back in the 70’s - we invented and made kydex but didn’t know what to do with it. They sold it to someone for pennies. I still have a huge slab of it on my workbench counter top - it was great for that. Never dreamed it would be used for holsters.

[@isaacbotkintrex]

I know it gets used in airplane cabins quite a bit, because it is flame-resistant, FAA certified, and easy to vacuum form into seat backs and dashboard components and other big pieces needed in small quantities.

[@judsoncameron]

Epic ending to an informative video, thank you.

[@TheW3s]

Keep educating the community, keep up the good work Isaac. Give us some more back ground info of those hieroglyphs!

[@blacksmithkid]

2000's homeschoolers know why you have the best documentation of an Egyptian artifact. 😉

[@brandonk8241]

Give us a breakdown. Would love to hear more

[@Spessforce]

A robotic picker that can select the right kydex forms and stack them for a job queue would be a cool way to manage a growing inventory of firearm configuration.

[@Eagle621]

I have four T-Rex holsters… I carry one every day, never had an issue. They are superb 👍

[@MapleHillMunitions]

Excellent video guys.

[@djy0tub3r]

Amazing. I love this channel. Random question. Any chance you would make an orange kydex holster for the Olin/Orion flare guns? It would be handy to carry an analogue signaling device.

[@TREXARMS]

Interesting idea. Where would you mount it?

[@T.REXLabs]

Would it go on a belt, chest rig, bag?

[@djy0tub3r]

@@TREXARMS on a belt or across a chest rig

[@djy0tub3r]

@@T.REXLabs on a belt or across a chest rig

[@apocalypse1175]

Make a Velcro backer for the appendix holsters. Would love that.

[@backcountrythreadworks6608]

Dating myself here, but the LED tower on the server kinda reminded me of Joshua in "War Games"

[@T.REXLabs]

Close! The WOPR in War Games had a prototype vaccum-based display. This is the CM-5 from Jurassic Park.

[@backcountrythreadworks6608]

@@T.REXLabs I just might be having a nerd-gasm 😆

[@texasranger24]

As a chemist myself i have to agree. Since you work with existing plastic sheets there isn't much you can to to thicken high stress areas. So stress relief by very even and slow heating and cooling is the best thing. Annealing / tempering isn't exactly the way to go if your polymer would go back to a rubbery/liquid state. Although annealing slightly below the Tg (glass point) might work, if you make sure that it then stays within tolerances and form factor. That could even be done after all the bending (assuming all other polymer parts mounted at that stage survive that temperature, which they should) to relief that stress and set the polymer chains in their final form. Going for another polymer with thermoset properties (crosslinking) would probably be overkill, kydex should be enough for most holster applications.

[@bare-footjo35]

What about a negative pre-press? Heat the plastic, put it onto a flat base with tight fitting sides, then press with a top plate with grooves. Theoretically, you could thin out the sheet where the top plate is solid and move some of that material into the low pressure area provided by the grooves. It wouldn't be a lot since you don't want to melt the sheet to a liquid, but it might shift thicknesses around a bit? Then reheat and put it on the vacuum former. (Alignment would then be rather important)

[@texasranger24]

@@bare-footjo35 the idea isn't bad, but that would turn a one step process with one press direction into an alignment based two step process. We gain some material, lose control over like 5 other variables and make it more complicated there...

[@T.REXLabs]

If Kydex liked being cold-formed, I'd really want to try something like Roboforming; much more control over wall thickness and stretching at the expense of longer times.

[@bare-footjo35]

@@T.REXLabs I know a custom engineering robotics company not far from Nashville who may be interested in helping out if you want to try it. They don't have any experiance with roboforming, but do other precise motion control operations with 6-DoF arms. If you're interested, I can send you some info.

[@olivedrabmind283]

Another great video- loved the ending

[@shooter.2578]

I already have 2 of your holsters that have served me well for 6 years I’ll be getting another when you make one for the psa rock 5.7

[@sg_isme]

I can say from experience that the warranty coverage is top knotch

[@rollandleeper3810]

The ending was so freaking cool.

[@Matt-po3od]

I love this company. That’s all. 🦖

[@billybarker9129]

Good informative video.

[@prcotango]

Damn! I want more TRex Isaac lore!

[@aaronwilson1666]

Just noticed , and I’m probably wrong, but I love that you seem to always have the same shirt. HOOYAH!

[@gabrielhawk2449]

I really enjoy this channel

[@BlackRifleBear]

Yes, yes, thats very nice and all... but did you ever find the 7 chevrons we need to get back home?

[@shawnstimson239]

Ok, I would like to know more about your digital documentation of Egypt, or other archaeological finds.

[@bendarat]

Loving this channel and this content. Keep it up T.Rex crew.

[@dcusator]

You had me at Snakes, why does it have to be snakes?

[@krazykanuckjr1425]

Do you follow lean principles in your continuous improvement journey? Industrial designer who just loved the look into your shop and detail of the processes.

[@musician445]

Is this from a documentary of sorts? I'd love to know where i can see some of the works you guys have been involved in prior to T.Rex?

[@Blackcloud_Garage]

Great content as always.

[@Nate-vi4ft]

What is it going to take to get silencers unregulated?! The hearing protection act needs passed ASAP as possible.

[@wquon2007]

have you heard of the documentary; Pattern of Evidence: The Exodus?

[@bootlegengineer2367]

Love this content. Keep it coming please.

[@Skees5]

Dude, how young were you when you took those pics!!! So awesome!!

[@stupidityonly478]

Thanks Isaac!

[@jcoolhand5]

Wow... Last 30 seconds made me want to watch some Destination Unknown. Definitely need a T.RexArcheology channel now. Would much rather watch Isaac explaining some history then listen to Josh Gates's endless dad jokes and fake dramatics. Lol

[@hitman4499]

How was cairo while you were there in 09?

[@isaacbotkintrex]

Uneventfully peaceful... until right after we left.

[@hitman4499]

@isaacbotkintrex I'm glad. My now wife was there then, and she was flown out in September just a few days before all flights were suspended. It was scary then, but now it is another reason we don't trust official sources because we remember the color revolution starting in 09.

[@esofhau]

More content like the last bit about Egypt, and make it weirder

[@T.REXLabs]

Oh, he can. He totally can.

[@nathantowe4148]

the ending made my jaw drop to the floor

[@aureycorreia]

Here is my comment showing my support for this channel and it’s content.

[@danielkemp4860]

Turns out, your backstory *can* get cooler… 👌

[@arnoldnemeth8578]

Well I didn't expect to see some Indiana Jones shit but no way I refuse if the opportunity arises.

[@joefeola7770]

Anther great video. Much appreciated..

[@LimaGolfBravo]

Very cool video.

[@f308gtb1977]

Awesome! If those molds are so “easy” to make, get the rest of the H&K line done, chop chop!😉

[@isaacbotkintrex]

I'm not sure that we have room in our building for the MK 23 molds.

[@AppleJack76]

Since we're referencing 80's movies... "Nerds!" ~Ogre (Donald Gibb)

[@Kinny202]

What a badass channel!

[@MrNpc81]

Wait wait wait, can we hear more about the hieroglyphics??

[@TheCivilWarriorProj]

Have you played with Boltaron?

[@cameronpike1513]

Did Isaac just use the T-Rex name and channel reach to promote his own accomplishments? 😂 Very informative video nonetheless and I currently own a Ragnarock and love it so much that now I’m planning to get the Sidecar and ironside for when I turn old enough to concealed carry! Love this new channel and great job Isaac on the editing, much more entertaining than cough, cough someone else’s… 😆

[@T.REXLabs]

Oh, he didn't build this thing. We've got a whole engineering team cranking on projects like this.

[@cameronpike1513]

​@@T.REXLabs Oh, I wasn't talking about the Kydex heater(as fascinating as that is), I was referring to the Egyptian wall at the end! I definitely don't think you would actually promote yourself(I listen to all the T-Rex Talk episodes, I know you better than that!), was just joking. 😁

[@TREXARMS]

There were other T.Rex people on that expedition... the lore deepens.

[@cameronpike1513]

@@TREXARMS Haha, that is does!

[@GrahamBartle]

Comment and share boys comment and share. How can we see a digital copy of that Egyptian wall? God bless.

[@Rickardsson99]

God tier youtube content. Keep it up!

[@dracodraco1982]

This might be some level of idiocy, but do they make they devices akin to immersion circulators/sous vide cookers, but that run closer to 200*C or whatever Kydex requires? Granted, I'm not sure what fluid wouldn't mess with the Kydex, but a nice tank of liquid with ample heating and circulation does wonders for heating things evenly to a specific temperature as all that thermal mass works to your advantage. I don't doubt that a heater/stirrer could be made if one isn't already produced, it's the liquid that stumps me; but, admittedly, I know little of plastics and industrial stuff, it just struck me as an avenue for experimentation. If you don't have to maintain vacuum when cooling, you could have a series of follow on tanks that step down in 10-15 degree increments or whatever the sweet spot is for Kydex. Since the holster is submerged, it'd be inherently even cooling. If you do have to maintain vacuum, well, this is jumping from one rando's theory to wild, uninformed speculation, but I wonder if the liquid used for cooling could be changed. Like, Isopropyl or Acetone evaporate much faster, which might be part of a solution (surely there's other similar stuff that isn't turning your shop into a giant fuel-air disaster). If it's water or nothing, then you might want to see if using those extra fine mist sprayers helps you any. No big drops, so no pockets abruptly cooling (well, unless tiny drops merge, but they're so fine that'd hopefully not be a snag); plus, that extra fine mist is likely to reach areas that get missed given how readily it floats in the air. Pure theory. I would imagine there's reasons they don't do it this way. ..I do wonder if controlling the temperature of the water you're using for cooling would help, too. Say 140-150, so it isn't taking much additional thermal energy to evaporate, but those cheap misters are thin plastic. >.o Similarly, I wonder if adding mass via salt in the cooling water would have an effect. Not sure the juice is worth the squeeze on that, or any of the above, but just a couple thoughts. If not, well, then at least I'm goosing engagement by leaving a comment. :P

[@ZIM964]

That ending 🤌

[@yankey4]

I was like # 1000 sub!! Thanks for sharing. God Bless.

[@Nate-vi4ft]

I enjoy the podcast! Keep doing content. Talk government, politics, gun news. You could even bring guests on and have a segment called “shoot the shit” 😂.

[@JChris143]

Love yous guys stay vigilant ❤

[@lolk4530]

Beretta PX4 Holster When?

[@920WASHBURN]

Because using kydex to make pancakes doesmt turn out so well?

[@kylealancampbell]

Love the ending

[@charles17508]

Cant wait to see what is in the futer for t rex armes .

[@isaacbotkintrex]

And Terx Orms

[@rayban7382]

Did you make this video to have a reason to show us your rock picture?

[@T.REXLabs]

No. We made this video as a reason to use some Indiana Jones clips.

[@leopoldbarnes8655]

Indiana Jones ...😂... This channel is the best!

[@ryanburbridge]

Best Easter egg ever

[@tylerreis7627]

I love everything you guys do and stand for, but could y’all, please, for the love of kydex, redesign the concealment claw? Other more blocky designs are far superior. The issue, and maybe it’s just me, is because it’s thin and the angle of it, your waistband falls below it when sitting and you go to stand up and the holster is crooked and has to be adjusted

[@isaacbotkintrex]

We've been sending a new one out to folks. It's getting real close.

[@udoherrmann178]

Awesome!

[@laurenceb5516]

PLEASE make a snake themed holster 🤣

[@greggullett1272]

A taste of R&D as well as QA/QI