DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster Review

The DeSantis Nemesis is a synthetic holster designed to carry a wide range of compact handguns in a pants pocket. Compared to many holsters on the market, the Nemesis is relatively inexpensive option to carry a concealed firearm. During my review, I found the Nemesis to be a quality holster, but with two small problems that I explain below.

I purchased a Nemesis holster to carry my S&W 642 revolver. The 642 is my “everywhere, all-the-time” kind of gun. Light enough to go everywhere, yet still chambered in a respectable caliber (.38 Special).

The Nemesis did a good job of hiding the outline of the revolver in a loose fitting pocket. In a pair of cargo shorts, it would be highly unlikely anyone would notice the gun, much less identify it as such. In a regular pair of jeans, the Desantis holster still did a respectable job, though the naturally closer fitting cut of the jeans made the gun a little more obvious than I would have liked. With a pair of relaxed casual pants like Dockers, the gun was well concealed.

I found the Nemesis was a comfortable way to carry the J-framed Smith & Wesson. The Nemesis holster is sturdy, but very soft. The material of the holster was very good at cushioning the edges of the revolver, and I never felt any pokes or jabs from the gun.

The outside of the Nemesis holster is covered with Neoprene, a kind of rubber material. It is designed to stick to the inside of the pocket, so the holster stays in place while worn and when the firearm is drawn. I found that the holster did tend to stay in place when worn. However, I did not find the same to be true when drawing the firearm.

I found that when drawing the gun, the holster would frequently come out of the pocket with the revolver.  The holster did not come out with the gun every time, but often enough that I had to develop a slightly modified method of drawing the gun.  To draw my Smith, but not the holster, I had to obtain a grip, and then hook my trigger finger under the lip of the holster to “flick” the holster off. It was not ideal, but in all fairness, it did work.

Using the Nemesis, I was not able to get a full grip on the 642 in my pocket. When drawing, I had to slightly readjust my grip to get my preferred hand position. This is probably not an issue for everybody, but for me it was somewhat annoying.

I used the Nemesis daily for six months, and other than the two issues I mentioned above, it performed well. As I previously wrote, the holster was very comfortable. It was easy to carry my J-frame all day.

The holster proved to be very durable, and showed very little signs of wear.

Based on the quality of construction, level of comfort, and ability to conceal a firearm, I can recommend the DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. However, based on the two areas of concern I had, I would encourage you to try to find one to test before buying. Many people seem to like this holster a lot, so my issues may be isolated to me and my sample. Regardless, try to find one to test before you buy if you can.

The DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster can be found for $22.89 at Amazon and only $16.99 at Impact Guns.