HOUSTON, Feb. 25, 2020 – Comp-Tac Victory Gear® recently received three product recommendations in the National Tactical Officers Association’s “Member Tested and Recommended” program.
Select law enforcement officers thoroughly tested the Kydex® Tourniquet TACO® (4.74), Kydex Handcuff TACO (4.45), and the Warrior Holster (4.46) and rated them in the MTR’s two highest tiers. Each product was evaluated by four officers and graded on a variety of categories, including design, performance, quality, durability and versatility, with each group of officers’ scores averaged into the ratings listed above.
The MTR program ranks products as “standard” (rating from 3.00 to 3.99), “silver” (from 4.00 to 4.49) and “gold” (from 4.50 to 5.00). NTOA members can view the full reviews and scores in the Member Tested and Recommended database.
“To start off, I have to say that I love the Handcuff TACO Kydex Pouch. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this,” stated one officer who gave the Kydex Handcuff TACO a perfect 5.00 rating. “First, I love the fact that it has the hard Kydex shell, which allows me to easily place and remove my handcuffs with ease and not have to fumble with them. Anyone who has had to handcuff someone when they are actively resisting by themselves knows that being able to use one hand, pull your handcuffs easily, and quickly is a huge benefit. I choose to not use the safety snap over the top and my handcuffs and they have yet to break loose from the pouch unintended. I have used Smith and Wesson, and Peerless brand handcuffs in the pouch with no issues. The pouch also mounts to any platform you want making it easy to switch from duty belt, vest, or even your bag. I trust using this every day and so far I have yet to find anything wrong with this.”
“I generally do not find Kydex holsters comfortable due to them not flexing, but this one is designed to be more narrow with the belt loops more underneath it instead of on the side. It is much more comfortable to wear than any other Kydex holster if have used,” said another officer who rated the Warrior an overall 4.83. “The gun fits in it perfectly and draws well from it. It rides in a neutral position and is fairly concealable. It rides snugly and is very comfortable. It held up well to impact testing by hitting into walls with it. Overall this is a well-made product and comfortable to wear.”
Every Comp-Tac product submitted to the MTR for review not only passed for recommendation but also ranked highly. Additionally, HSGI®, the parent company of Comp-Tac, also received several product recommendations from the MTR program, which were recently announced.
“We’re very excited that these officers responded so positively to our products,” said Randi Rogers, Comp-Tac director of brand management. “We pride ourselves on making gear you can rely on and it is so rewarding to hear that our men and women in uniform agree.”
While I’m not passing judgment on the merits of this particular product, NTOA member tested and approved always makes me laugh. There is no “testing” protocol and while the member could be LAPD D platoon, he’s more likely from a tiny municipality or backwoods county sheriff’s department part time team that has not seen legitimate outside training in years if ever. The gear on this guy’s rifle weighs more than the Bushmaster rifle itself and there is no empty Molle anywhere in his over or under sized Safariland Entry vest. His agency buys whatever the local copshop salesman foists upon them as “used by delta”. I’ve seen some seriously substandard gear when measured across the industry offerings advertised in the back of the NTOA magazine. Snake oil and unnecessary junk. Things that delegitimize the NTOA itself. What I’d really love to see is what free kit sent out for “Testing” has ever been rejected as not approved. The list of Not Approved products would actually be more if a public service. Whenever I see this member tested and approved moniker I always have to see with a grin what they are “testing” today.
That’s an awful lot of assumptions. The article also says that the recommendation is based on an average of four officer’s ratings, not one. Not to mention, these items didn’t just pass, they rated high enough to get silver and gold.
They are assumptions, but if you look at the list of items that are NTOA tested and approved you’ll see quite the list of products which are known to be of low quality. Go to their website and look, NTOA has a dozen products from Sightmark on their tested and approved list. Those are made in China optics, flashlights, etc…. that are widely known to be junk. NTOA tested and approved is just a marketing gimmick, that’s why companies have to pay them $250 to get their product on the list.
But were they standard, silver or gold?
That I don’t know. Apparently you have to be an NTOA member to login and see scores. However, they only have 3 tiers on their rating scale. Ray makes an excellent point above that publishing any product that was rejected on the program might serve to legitimize their rating scale.
This guy gets it
Again my first line passes no judgement on these products from Comptac. I’m commenting on the system in this case. Those are actually probably pretty decent bits of kit. Unfortunately silver and gold mean that these are better than the other junk we have approved.