My history with the Enigma platform:

*disclaimer: since my initial review of the Enigma I have started working with PHLster*

After several months of attaching a holster to my jeans I started to notice the flaws in that carry method. Not only was it insecure, and unreliably concealed, but it didn’t allow me to carry in things like skirts or leggings. I had tried things like the Sticky Holster, and bellybands, but the poor design and safety issues caused me to continue my search for a carry method that allowed me to carry safely in a kydex holster, while also allowing me to carry independently from my pants.

Jon Hauptman started teasing this product called “the Enigma” on the official PHLster Instagram by sharing videos of him and his wife, Sarah, drawing and shooting from this system and getting sub second draws from concealment in workout shorts. At the time they weren’t sharing any pictures or videos of the system, just sharing what it was capable of. This perked mine and my husbands interest, but it was a few more months before the product actually launched.

My first few days with the Standard Enigma were difficult, and frustrating. I had never had to tinker with a concealment system before. My only prior experience with “tinkering” was simply changing out the clips on my holster! With some help it took me about a day and a bit to assemble the Enigma, mind you, absolutely none of the library of information that exists today was available at the time. Upon assembling the Enigma I immediately had issues with size of the standard Fidlock buckle, and mentioned this in my initial review. I also had issues getting the leg leash adjusted small enough, but this was easily solved by threading the attachment point through the hole in the faceplate to take up further slack. Through the entire set up process, Jon was just an IG message away, helping me dial it in.

Since my initial Standard Enigma set up in late November of 2020 I have endlessly tinkered, changed, and customized multiple personal Enigmas, and walked hundreds of others through the process. The Enigma wound up being a tool that ultimately taught, and has continued to teach me about how concealment mechanics actually work. I approached the system with very little knowledge about concealment features and holster mechanics. My idea of concealment mostly revolved around clothing choice, because I didn’t realize that the holster system could make such a difference! I learned that the holster itself is just a starting block that you can and should build off of to create somewhat of a concealment prosthetic.

That said, the Enigma is not for every single person out there. To learn more about who it specifically IS NOT for, scroll all the way to the bottom of this page where you’ll find a post outlining seven reasons NOT to get an Enigma. For me, the Enigma has changed how I approach concealment as a whole, and has allowed me to train to a high standard, while carrying safely, comfortably, and with good concealment.

If you’re approaching this system for the first time, check out the rest of this page, as well as the content available on PHLsters website, and if you need any personal help feel free to shoot me an email or an IG message!

How is this one different from the others? The Express is unlike the other two Enigma models in that it comes FULLY assembled WITH PHLster’s Skeleton holster attached. It also comes with a slightly smaller Fidlock buckle than the other two Enigmas, and two angled eMod wing inserts.

Is it less adjustable than the other two? The Express doesn’t have the same adjustment holes as the Standard or the LBE, yet it doesn’t sacrifice in terms of adjustment. This is because the Standard and the LBE have to have the ability to adjust and adapt to the various different holster brands and models that will inevitably be paired with them, but the Express was designed and optimized around one holster. If your gun doesn’t have a weapon light or laser, and PHLster makes an Enigma Express for your specific gun model, then this is definitely the model I would recommend the most.

This is the Enigma I use! This is my favorite Enigma because of it’s simplistic and minimalist design. Not to mention that it’s ready to use straight out of the mailbox.