Occidental Leather2500LH Stronghold SuspendaVest - Left Handed

Hats off to occidental leather on this one. It’s not too often that a product exceeds my expectations. I’ve been researching vests and suspender type hand tool systems for nearly a year. I finally decided this is where I was spending my money. First of all. 100% American made. And very well-made. I initially just ordered this set up with no accessory bags. But I was worried the suspend a vest itself would not carry enough. I was wrong. After Putting it on and adjusting to myself I placed all my tools in and it hands-down exceeded my expectations. As a full-time custom homebuilder Ilike to avoid nails. I run a lot of screws. So, for accessory options. I ordered the drill holster, the high mount tape holder, and the trim bag. We stick frame everything. So I needed something that was compact and close to my body. For my personal set up. I have the drill holster on the left side. And on the For my personal set up. I have the drill holster on the left side. And on the right side I put my trim bag and the tape holster. I did have to shave about a quarter inch off of the backside of the tape holster to get them both to fit on the strap. Which was not a problem whatsoever. I can’t say enough good things about it. I can bend over without losing tools. I can slip through 12 O.C. rafters. I have zero complaints. The only very minor issues I have encountered are as follows. The drill holster tends to slide forward on the leather strap. But this is due to my personal set up and is not a fault of the product. I’ve also read on the questions about there being no speed square slot. This is a half truth. On each side there are two slip pockets I’ll call them. They’re basically slots in the canvas. Very similar to Jean pockets one access is from the side and one from the top. I slip my speed square into the pocket that is accessed from the top and it works great. I do see the potential for wearing the canvas. But I don’t see that happening for a long time. And if it does I’ll have some leather sewn in. Because the drill holster is the only accessory I have on my left side it does have a tendency to slip towards the front if I’m leaned over a lot. But this is minor and can be addressed with a simple solution. If you’re questioning this product. Just buy it. You’ll probably be glad you did. I oiled all the weather before use. Heavily. I recommend Obenhaufs. It’s an excellent leather product

the vest arrived as noted. on opening the shipping box i notice the plastic bag the vest was package in was open. and the pocket shield #2006 was broken.

This item is great. Very versatile and comfortable for a tool belt.

I purchased the left handed 2500 Stronghold and am pleased with it. I'm using it the capacity of a Film Set Lighting Technician, and it works very well in that regards.I am 5'7" with fairly long legs, so my torso is probably on the smaller side, but I was able to adjust it to fit me. It was comfortable to wear while working and did not chafe or bind on me. However, I probably will not be wearing this outside on hot summer days. Also the weight hanging off your shoulders may not work for some. I'm sufficiently built in my shoulders (and purposely do not carry tool I can stuff into it - work smarter, not harder) that the weight was not a problem.Build quality is excellent.Easiest belt I own to take on and off, and I thoroughly enjoyed my tools being close to my body and not hanging from my hips.

Initially I did not like this vest. I came from a full blaklader vest which distributed the weight across a wider section of the shoulders. But there was just a break in period. I pushed through the first month or two of adjusting and shoulder soreness. Now I frequently wear this for 12-14 hours, often 6 or 7 days a week...basically I live in this thing and only take it off to eat, sleep, or drive. This thing lets you swap bags pretty quick, and as a carpenter that wears many hats, I now have many bags, and I can slide them on and off without even taking the vest off. Everything stays in place and with zero bruising on my hips. Highly recommend for anybody tired of traditional waisted bags that drag you down over the course of the day.