All posts in Blackhawk

A place to walk into and walk out with the stuff you want

Now that so many people do their shopping on Cyber Monday or just order things from Amazon and Ebay, many small business have been put out of business.  One thing that hasn’t changed though are returns and exchanges.  Sometimes people mis ready technical details about the size of a product or they order a wrong color.  When it comes to buying shoes and certain types of clothing, people really want to walk in a shop, hold it in their hands and then walk out the same day.  We’ve had several people tell us that we should stock certain products and many of our nearest competitors do now.   Nobody wants to walk in a retail store, order something online and then go back in and pick it up when you can easily go home and look it  up on google and get it in a couple days.

With holster sizes, flashlight and laser accessories its very hard to know what you are getting with a gun holster.    In the area we are in we draw a lot of customers looking for Philadelphia Law Enforcement supplies that are willing to drive several hours just to try it on and get it right the first time.  You can be one size in on line of tactical apparel but another size or in between sizes with another and  only when  you are standing in front of a mirror will you know if it’s for you.   Whether you’re looking for a gun holster for your Glock 21 with a TLR-1S light or a new pair of boots, we stock most of what local law enforcement personnel are looking for.

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Everyone is different, that’s why diversity works

Nobody eats the same food every day unless you have a bad diet or are just a down right boring person.   There are different seasons and different lines of work and every ones tolerances are different.  Yesterday we had a few more guys walk in here and tell us they heard that Woolrich is now making tactical pants just like the ones they had when they were in Vietnam.   The funny thing is Woolrich has been making them for almost 7yrs.   I have no idea what other companies are making anything like this but the demand for something other than 35/65 poly cotton blend tactical pants is definitely there.   I am a big fan of the material but there are some improvements Woolrich should have done to the tactical pant and some of our customers have asked for it.  Re-enforced ripstop pockets and a gussett crotch would be a good idea.

I personally where mostly Tru Spec tactical pants because they are very comfortable and in all honesty I’ve been wearing these pants for almost 9 months to test them out.   I have seen absolutely zero abnormal shrinkage and for these lightweight tactical pants I am very happy with them.   Most Tru Spec pants are priced under $40 and that’s not something we see across the market.  Blackhawk, Vertx and a few others come to mind and are you getting that much more performance for $10 more?  Well, it will depend on your line of work,  but for utility purposes and every day use, I will have to say that Tru Spec tactical pants are hands down the best lightweight tactical pant for the money.

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The diffferences between 5.11, TruSpec and Blackhawk Poly/Cotton Ripstop

We’ve been in this business for so long we’ve seen Companies come and go, products have come and gone and in the end, only the best product lines hold up in this tough market.   We know our customers and the differences between their needs and that not all of our customers are going to want the same thing.   I found  out the hard way after trying on several 5.11 tactical pants and finding out that the stories about shrinkage we’re true.   Some tactical pants don’t hold your wallet as well as others and I’ve had some pants fail on the firing line where as soon as I knelt down my wallet immediately would fall out.   Tactical clothing like the Woolrich Elite and the Eotac lines were very similiar but the differences between getting your wallet out while pulling into a toll booth with one over the other, were considerable.  I hated those times I couldn’t get my wallet out and got tired of wearing them on the road.

Some tactical pants come with knee pad inserts but not everyone feels these are practical.  They don’t necessarily work on all tactical pants but Blackhawk tactical pants have a special teflon coating that makes them more water resistant that the TruSpec or 5.11 tac lite pro pants.   I have heard from numerous customers that there is a big difference between the breathability of these pants in hot weather.   Some of our 3 gun customers only want the 100% ripstop pants because the slight differences between polyester cotton blends and 100% cotton ripstop are considerable if you are running and jumping.

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