I’ve had a Blackhawk Omnivore holster ever since it premiered years ago. It’s likely the holster I’ve used more than any other, just due to the nature of reviewing firearms. The Blackhawk Omnivore is a quasi-universal holster design made from polymer and requires your pistol to have some form of rail. The Omnivore is an interesting design and one I’ve used extensively. This might be one of the more long-term reviews I’ve ever written.
The Omnivore comes in three variants, two light-bearing and one standard. The two light-bearing designs work with either the TLR-1 or 2 or the Surefire X300U. The non-light-bearing model requires you to use a small block that attaches to your Picatinny rail. Your light or that small block is what locks into the holster and activates the Omnivore’s active retention system.
This system works with compact and full-sized firearms as long as they have a rail and the appropriate attachment. Blackhawk maintains a list of over 150 handguns that are compatible with the Omnivore. Plenty of other guns seem to work perfectly fine, and I haven’t had an issue with anything in the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP varieties.
The Omnivore In Action
The Omnivore uses an active retention system that is released via a thumb lever. Press the lever down, and the gun is released. It’s not complicated and much safer than the SERPA series holsters.
A very audible click makes it obvious when the weapon has been seated properly. The Omnivore comes with three different-sized levers to make reaching the lever more ergonomic. I installed the right one for me and promptly lost the others years ago.
While the SERPA wasn’t a great holster design, it had a huge aftermarket, and part of that aftermarket means there’s a wide variety of holsters, holster mounts, etc. That’s good because the Omnivore is compatible with those rigs. You can make it a belt rig, a shoulder holster, a thigh rig, mount it to MOLLE, and more. The Omnivore comes with both a traditional belt loop and a paddle attachment.
Drawing from the Omnivore is super easy. Grip, press the lever down with your thumb, and pull the gun up. The lever is big and wide enough to be easy to use and hard to miss with a proper grip. It’s designed like a duty holster, so it rides fairly far from your body. That means your thumb lever is never compromised and the release lever is easy to access.
It’s Not Perfect
While the Omnivore is easy to use 99% of the time, I did find there was some room for error when drawing. When you press the lever down and pull the gun upward, you can reach a snag point. If the button isn’t fully depressed as you begin to pull the firearm upward, it can catch.
To fix the snag and draw your gun, you’ll need to release the button, press the button again, and draw the gun. This only occurred when I played Quick Draw McGraw, and it only happened to me rarely. It’s something that will go away with practice and repetition.
Doing Work
I’ve used the Omnivore an hundreds of times. If I’m reviewing a modern handgun, I will likely use the Omnivore as part of that process. I pop my TLR-1 on the gun and drop the gun in the Omnivore.
Buying holsters for all the review guns I get would get quite expensive, and not being able to get real training while I review guns makes no sense. So the Omnivore gets broken out over and over again.
I’ve drawn from it, carried it, and trained with it since 2016, and in the last seven years, I’ve only run into the above snag a handful of times. The Omnivore has held together exceptionally well, especially for a holster that costs less than $50. I’ve used the holster with guns as small as the GLOCK 19 and as large as the FN LS Edge long slide. The Omnivore does a fantastic job of covering the trigger and carrying an impressively wide range of handguns.
The Omnivore’s retention is top-notch, and the gun locks in with ease. Once it’s seated, it’s staying put, and you won’t lose your gun when bumping, hiking, jumping, or whatever you’re doing. I’ve never had a gun come loose when using the Omnivore.
Finding Purpose
The main problem with the Omnivore for many people may be finding a use case for it. It’s way too big and bulky for concealed carry. The instructions advise that it’s not a duty holster, and you probably would want a dedicated holster for a duty rig anyway. That limits the Omnivore to the range or for open carry. It’s great for hiking with its active retention device. It wouldn’t be terrible for competition at lower levels.
The handiest aspect of the Omnivore is being able to use it with “atypical” guns that don’t have a ton of holster support. It works great with guns like the Arex Delta Gen.2, the CZ P09, and many more good, though less popular handguns. Sadly, that seems to be a fairly small market for the Omnivore.
Do you want to review guns or be a gun writer? If you do, buy an Omnivore. It will be extremely handy in your pursuits. I’m not sure Blackhawk had us as writers in mind, but the Omnivore comes in exceptionally handy for this line of work. I love the Omnivore and think it’s a great design and works very well for my purposes. It’s surprisingly nice for it’s amazingly low price and is certainly a functional option, even if its use case seems limited.
