How Kobra started
Kobra began in early 2012 as Kobra Kydex. Coley Grantham was 20 and wanted a Kydex holster, and the company he asked quoted him a four-month wait. So he decided to make his own.
He searched YouTube for "How to make a Kydex holster" and found a two-part video by PhillyEDC. He watched it on repeat, bought the tools on Jon's list, and ordered his first materials from Knife Kits, which, like Kobra, is in Georgia. That was the start of the business.
More than 11,000 orders later
Kobra Holsters went on to ship more than 11,000 orders from its own shop. Making holsters for that many guns and lights takes a lot of groundwork, and over the years the shop built up a library of 3D scans and solid models of the pistol and light combinations customers carried, along with what it learned about forming, fit and retention.
What Kobra is now
Kobra no longer builds holsters to order. We now sell what sits behind them, as downloads for other makers:
- 3D gun scans as STL files, many with the weapon light mounted, from Olight, Streamlight, Surefire and Inforce.
- Solid CAD models exported as STL, so you can skip the scan cleanup and start on your mold.
- Four how-to guides covering Kydex holster crafting, appendix carry design, running a holster business, and photographing and marketing your work. They were rewritten in October 2026, with forming temperatures taken from the material maker's own data sheets.
Every scan and CAD file comes with a license for personal and commercial holster making, so you can sell the holsters you make. If you are just starting out, read the free sample of The Kydex Holster Crafting Guide.