One of the earliest articles I wrote for Shooting Illustrated was my original review of the PHLster Enigma concealment system. The Enigma system allows concealed carriers the ability to safely carry a concealed handgun without having to rely on the conventional combination of waistband holsters or traditional gun belts. This opens up more wardrobe choices that would otherwise have been curtailed by the waistband and belt to both men and women, such as carrying in athletic wear when heading to or from the gym. The Enigma also makes it possible to fully conceal a gun behind dress clothes or business attire while having the wearer’s regular button shirt, dress belt and slacks tucked in. Likewise, with this concealment system, women can carry under a dress or any other garment which doesn’t use a waistband.
This holster independence is possible due to the Enigma system’s combination of its faceplate and low-profile internal belt. The faceplate serves as a bracket for the actual firearm’s holster. The belt loops around both ends of this faceplate while being worn around the user’s waist. Without these two components, the system wouldn’t exist. Now PHLster has launched the Enigma Express V2, the second generation of their turnkey concealment package that includes a PHLster Skeleton holster.
PHLster Enigma V2 Faceplate Upgrades
The most notable change to the new PHLster Enigma Express V2 is an upgraded faceplate. Since its original launch nearly five years ago, all original Enigma rigs have been relying on a faceplate manufactured from a material called tegris. Even though tegris may look like carbon fiber, it’s actually a polymer fiber. More specifically, it’s actually a type of “yarn” that’s made from impact-resistant polymers and woven into a fabric, hence its visual resemblance to carbon fiber. The PHLster team decided to switch from tegris to a new proprietary molded polymer faceplate. The new material is smoother and eliminates some of the aberrations around the edges of the tegris faceplates that can scrape the knuckles on the draw. Also, unlike tegris, which was adapted for the Enigma, the new polymer material is purpose-designed for the task of bearing the holstered handgun and supporting the entire system. Finally, the front of the new style polymer faceplate includes wavy ridges that helps prevent garments from sliding over the faceplate.
V2 Peripheral Updates
In addition to updating and tweaking the materials and design of the Enigma Express V2 faceplate, PHLster also includes two different types of leg-leashes and two different E-Mod Wing Inserts. Leg leashes serve to tether the entire system to the body in order to keep the holster securely in place, especially during the draw. The V2 includes the traditional style leg leash that loops around the wearer’s thigh like a garter and connects to its corresponding slot on the faceplate. It also includes another leg leash that skips the garter-style leash and instead connects to the faceplate and routes under the groin and connects to the back of the inner belt for tension. Since the Enigma’s original launch, this “vertical” leg-leash concept has been extremely popular with many of PHLster’s customers and is also the basis for several aftermarket leg-leash alternatives. I noticed that both of the V2’s leg leashes are made from a slightly wider and softer band of material compared to the original. The same is true for the default inner belt. Compared to my older rigs, the material on the new V2 belt feels smoother and suppler.
The addition of the larger E-Mod wing may help to fine-tune concealment for some people, as this wedge is designed to push off the flat surface of the faceplate to tuck the holstered handgun inward and reduce printing. PHLster still installs the traditional garter style leg-leash and standard-width wing by default on all new Enigma Express V2 packages.
Hands-On With The V2
As a write this, the PHLster Enigma V2 has only been out for a little over a week. I haven’t had much time to just walk around with it on a regular basis, but I did spend a few hours wearing the system at The Way Forward Training’s 2-Day Defensive Performance Handgun course. This class is shot exclusively from concealment, which presented a natural opportunity to shoot the P365 FUSE out of the Enigma V2 in a focused manner. Having experience with the previous iterations of the Enigma, the V2 in many ways is business as usual. I didn’t perceive any novelties with the new version. And that’s fine, because it appears that the changes in the V2 version are nuanced to better support the holster system behind the scenes. What changes have been made are in the background, which makes a good system better. MSRP for the PHLster Enigma Express V2 starts at $154, and more information is available at phlsterholsters.com.
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