Well, the birthday hints worked! I received a Ricochet and have been wearing it daily at my family medicine office (I generally wear a bowling or Hawaiin style shirt, open, with a t-shirt underneath). I made a few adjustments to the straps and it feels very comfortable - I don't notice it while I'm working. I perform spinal manipulation, as well (I'm a D.O.) and the holster does not get in the way nor does anything fall out from it.

Thanks for making such a fine item, Joel.

jeff in san diego
Specializing in Funology

I have been in contact with Joel at HCM regarding purchasing a HCM Ricochet holster and some customization I need. He asked great questions, listened to my suggestions and then made some suggestions once he knew what kind of performing I would be doing. It really felt like it was a team effort. Joel didn't rush me, he answered all my questions and provided professional, friendly and applicable suggestions regarding the customization I required.

Once we settled on the customization, Joel kept in contact with me via phone and e-mail and sent me a 'blueprint' of what the holster would look like for me to approve. I did, in fact, approve it and sent the payment. I am very excited about getting the holster, (I had an all-day gig performing street magic yesterday where that holster would've come in very handy).

I'll post a review once I receive it and use it; but I have to say that if the quality of the holster is a fraction of the quality of service and professionalism I've received so far, I expect to be very pleased.

Thanx Joel, for the journey so far. Looking forward to putting your craftmanship to work!

...More to come...

I have to chime in here again. I had Joel modify my original holster to one of the "second generation" holsters and all I have to say is "wow!" My first holster was great; I had Joel make some modifications for my walk-around set (one less card holder, and in its place, another pocket for coins and a couple more packet tricks (I do a lot of coin stuff and pretty much just use one deck of cards). Customer service was outstanding-Joel is a great guy. The work was superb, as usual. My initial holster was a bit bulky, but this new generation is fantastic. I strongly recommend talking to Joel about what you want, as Bendy did-have a list of what items you want to carry. He works with you to give you what you want; but you need to know what you want. If you have specific questions or want some tips about how to use the holster (or how I use it) before you buy, PM me (I may not make it back to this thread).
John

So I got a super revised version of the holster somewhere downgraded from the ricochet to an upgrade of the derringer. Totally custom and totally worth it. WOW! I even got owned for 87$ at the door customs because ups + canada are not a good mix, but to be honest, it was even worth the customs fees!

I love this thing! I want to wear it around when Im not even doing any shows! Top notch, worth every penny, joel is great, the holster is great.

p:m

It's sort of hard to take this company seriously given the nearly-naked women they're using to advertise in Genii. (But not on their website, interestingly enough.) It's nice to read the comments from actual customers tho, as it makes them seem more legit than their ads make them appear.

Are you saying, Don't Judge a book by its cover? LOL

Is there a problem with their website? I've been trying all evening, but kept getting error messages.

Brian

I've been trying to get there all day, too. I know of two others who are also unable to connect. Apparently, the site is down; however, the reason as to why or how long it will remain so, I do not know.

I recently received my custom-made High Caliber Magic holster, ("Ricochet" model). Though I have it stuffed full of magical accessories and have it adjusted to a comfortable fit, I have only practiced with it on and have not yet performed with it. However, I don't foresee any problems using it in performance. In fact, I anticipate that it will greatly improve the accessibility of many of my items during walk-around performances and will certainly assist in overall pocket management. So, though I'm a week and a half away from performing with the apparatus, I am impressed enough that I thought I'd post an initial review here.

To start, I think it sufficient to state: Wow!

Let's start at the beginning: The work Joel Broock put into the ordering process long before I actually paid for the holster was a journey into customer service and commitment that I don't see very often these days. Joel spoke with me about my professional needs, answered all my questions about the product, and provided practical, knowledgeable suggestions regarding the customization I required. He returned my phone calls, provided blueprints of what my specific holster was going to look like for my approval and did everything within his power to ensure that I was comfortable in my purchase and that I would receive a quality item that would work best for ME. Joel was friendly, professional and understood my needs as a magician. You cannot, in my opinion, put a price on that kind of customer service.

So, I approved the blueprints and provided payment. About three weeks later, I received notification that the holster had shipped. Only three days after the shipment notification, it arrived.

Wow. Did I say that already?!
The elegant and artistic means by which it was packaged was unexpected and a hint as to what kind of quality item was contained within. Within the package were the blueprints for the custom work, the invoice for my purchase and a booklet on care, adjustment and use of the holster. Additional adjustment screws were even provided! I was compelled to e-mail Joel to let him know that all of the care and attention to detail was noticed, enjoyed and appreciated before I even saw the holster! I don't think I have ever seen such class, elegance and care given to the packaging of any other item I've ever puchased - on any scale. Much attention was paid to the details in packaging, presentation and providing information.

Regarding the holster itself, let me state the obvious: It is a brilliant utility apparatus that is much-needed and long overdue for the working magician. Now that the obvious has been stated, I want to thank Joel publicly for providing such an item and for the thought, creativity and work that has gone into it. Beyond all that, (which makes it worth its price alone), it is a beautifully crafted work of art! Words do not do it justice and I don't know what else to say except that it is a quality product that Joel should be very, very proud of having brought to the magic community. ...Not only in its practicality of use, but also for its quality of materials and workmanship.

The customer care, the beautiful craftmanship and even the packaging of the item speak volumes about Joel's strength of character.

If you perform walk-around or street magic in any fashion, you will get a lot of milage out of one of HCM's holsters. They are a practical, durable, quality item that is beautifully hand-crafted from fine leather. Well worth their price in so many ways.

This may be too little info, too late; but the answer to your question is: yes.
I don't do much card work at all and had my holster custom-made without the card holing pockets. Howevr, I ocassionally use an Invisible Deck or a Brainwave Deck. I can keep a deck in one of the 4 inch pockets with no problem whatsoever. It's not snug; but it isn't falling out of there and isn't hard to retrieve.

Contact Joel at HCM. He will get information from you regarding the type of magic you do, the accessories and supplies you utilize, your personal style, your size, etc. He is very thorough and knowledgeable. Before you commit to purchasing a holster, he will send you an actual-size blueprint of your specific holster. He wants to make sure you get exactly the right holster for YOU. I don't know of his return policy; but you won't need it. He can shorten up the holster or whatever you need to get the right fit, feel and look you require.

I agree about it paying for itself. The practicality of use and the quality craftmanship of the holster far excees the price. I also concur that it separates the professional performers from the hobbyists.

The quality of this holster is top-notch. It's nothing short of a work of art.

As a Christian, I also object to the advertisement in the magazines. However, it was during a string of posts discussing the Street Magic Magazine "Page 69 Girl" that included discussion on the HCM ads that first got me in touch with Joel. I started looking at the practicality of the product despite the ad. Then I conversed with Joel from HCM via PM, then e-mail and then over the phone. He is a true professional, a nice guy and a skilled craftsman. The attention to detail regarding his customers' needs, his adherence to quality, his customer service, his professionalism and his product are a better reflection of the product than the ad. Don't judge this particular book by the back of the dust jacket. Judge it based on the merits of its content. ...And I can tell you first-hand that Joel Broocks, High Caliber Magic and the holsters are absolutely first class.

The girl is a marketing gimmick, and Joel will likely have ANOTHER marketing gimmick next year, and then another the year after that.

Maybe the next ad gimmicks will feature Yellow Lab Retrievers, or perhaps Volkswagens......it doesn't matter in the end.

A tip......I loaded my HCH up with the stuff I put in it and took it down to my local mens suit shop and had a jacket tailored to me while I was wearing the HCH.
This gives me a jacket that fits PERFECTLY while wearing the HCH, and doesn't flash the HCH if the jacket is unbuttoned, which it always is.

Bendy.

Thank you very much for posting the review of your new holster. I'm glad it met all of your expectations. Thank you for all the posts!

Just wanted to update everyone about the website. We are experiencing some technical difficulties with our server, and hope to have the problem resolved in the next 48 hours.

Since the whole server is down, our email is down too. So, if you need to get in touch with me about an order or with any questions, please PM me here or call me at (818)312-2736. I will check PMs frequently while the site is down.

Completely unrelated to the technical problems....we do have a few new products that will be going up on the site this week. So while the site is down, I am working behind the scenes to get the new products up on the site when we are back live. So please check back soon to see our new products!


Thanks again for the feedback Bendy. Break a leg at your upcoming gig, and let me know how it goes!

Silverking- Glad your holster is working well too! I'm thinking about the yellow labs....it just might work. LOL

Joel Broock
High Caliber Magic

That is a great idea!!!

In reading through the numerous reviews on the holsters offered by highcalibermagic, I'm giving some serious consideration into purchasing one. My only problem currently is the pricing on the item. As a student, it's not exactly the most manageable price, but I'm definitely considering indulging myself into something nice ;-).

Just a quick update.

The site has been back up and running for awhile, with one change. We have moved our website to http://www.hcmagic.com

If you go to http://www.highcalibermagic.com, you should be redirected to the new site. Just in case anyone is having any trouble getting to the site, make note of the change, please.

We have new products coming online very soon, I'll keep you posted as we make the changes on the site.


Thanks for the patience while we work on the site, I appreciate it!

Joel Broock
High Caliber Magic

I just wanted to chime in and ad my 2 cents regarding my recent “High Caliber Holster” purchase. (Original)

I was on the fence, deciding if this was something I really needed. My typical coat has 2 pen holders, Ticket pockets, extra pockets in the front pockets as well as a double pocket in one of the inside pockets. So space isn’t usually an issue. Bulging is, perhaps just a bit. But having to wear a coat all the time is. (Not anymore!) I would usually carry a brief case type of case with more than enough props and material (Just in case)

Well after reading about many positive experiences about people’s dealings with Mr. Joel Broock and his holsters, I had emailed him with some simple questions. He got right back to me with everything I needed to know and more. I was still on the fence. “Do I really need this? I can get by without it.” “Am I already carrying too much stuff?” Etc.

Well I finally decided it was a wise investment for me, mainly to get excited about performing close-up again. And what a better way than to “secretly” carry/manage props and have fun imagining what I’ll fill up the holster with.

Well I finally ordered one from Joel. He was very prompt and courteous
Firstly, (is that even a word?) I was very impressed with his packaging and presentation.

The holster itself looks very nice! Quality through and through! I immediately tried it on and loaded… I’m not a very big guy, 5’8” ish 165lbs. I felt it was a bit too high, at the setting it was shipped at. The instructions state that it conceals better as high as comfortable. So I tried to get used to it as it was.
I then lowered one side just a bit to compare… Much better for me! I adjusted both sides. (It now angles slightly forward at the bottom) It feels, and fits much better. While the slight angle makes it easier to reach. Still conceals nicely.

The only issue I had was the sharpie holder! I was kind of tacky to the touch (perhaps the leather dye? Humidity?) When I first put the sharpie in, it was smooth and a perfect fit. However after a few minutes when I went to remove it, it was STUCK! Once I got it out, it didn’t want to go back in! There was an awful lot of friction and “tackiness”. I left it in over night thinking it would stretch the leather out. Still sticky and was a pain getting the sharpie in and out.

So all I did to fix the issue was put some talcum powder inside the loop using a cotton swab.
Success! That took care of it! The tackiness is gone and that thing (sharpie) is in and out of there,
like… well, like it was meant to hold a sharpie! :o) Smooth and zero drag! You may want to do that to your card holders as well?

I have had a lot fun playing around with some old effects and trying to figure out just where I want to put everything. I have worn it while on some long drives, just to practice removing and re-holstering…
(I’m one who can multitask pretty well…) Card fans and coin rolls are a regular for me while I’m driving.

At any rate, I am very pleased with this holster! The only thing I would have changed at this point would be to have a sharpie holder installed on both sides, (For ditching and retrieval flexibility Right or left.) However I do have a pocket on each side of my jacket and two special Pen holders built into the coat on the left any way!

While this may not be for everybody, I think you will know if it’s for you just by your own experience and performing style. For Instance, I showed it to Dave Cressey and he said “What If I only carry a deck of cards, a coin and a sponge ball? LOL. Well if that’s the case obviously you could probably do without!

However, if you’re on the fence, but want to have a great holder that frees up your pockets for any number of reason, I say go for it! It really is a cool, versatile item. You can keep it loaded around the house, and no one will get hurt!

So that’s it… Thanks again, to Joel who obviously takes great pride in his work! As he should; it really is a great item and wise investment in your performance career. Good luck to all, and great success to you!

Sincerely,

Jason