A few evenings ago, I attended one of PHLster’s Enigma Tune-Up Webinars. It was hosted by PHLster employees Dakota Adelphia and Tessah Booth—who also designed this course. Their level of knowledge and aptitude towards helping others was quite impressive, even for someone like myself who has “been around the block” in the gun-space, so to speak.
Before going over my experience during the webinar, I’d like to share some background and context about the PHLster Enigma concealment system. It has been on the market for nearly four years now and has been validated and approved by the community at large.
The PHLster Enigma System
When I first started writing, the PHLster Enigma system was one of the very few gun-related accessories, if not the first one I ever reviewed. The gist of this concealment system is that it allows virtually anyone, man or woman, regardless of body type, to conceal most types of defensive carry pistols or revolvers on their person independently of wearing pants and a traditional gun belt.
The system works by tethering AIWB-style holsters to a bracket and a low-profile minimalistic belt that cinches down directly to the body. Because the system does not rely on the external belt, belt loops, pants or any of the other traditional garments needed to successfully support a concealed handgun, wearers are free to carry their gun independently from their wardrobe choices.
This allows both men and women to dress and conceal in ways that weren’t as feasible in the past due to the limitations of clothing needed to support handguns.
For example, a man wearing professional business attire wearing an Enigma system can keep a concealed pistol in his waistband while also tucking in his shirt. This is something that would be impossible with a standard IWB (inside the waistband) or AIWB (appendix inside the waistband).
In the past, a man wanting to conceal in business attire would have been constrained to wearing a sports coat or some other cover garment. That isn’t always practical or necessary—especially in warmer climes.
Likewise, with the PHLster Enigma Concealment system, a woman can wear a dress, tunic, skirt, or any other free-flowing form-fitting garment that doesn’t involve belt loops and a belt. Historically, it has been especially challenging for women to maintain some semblance of fashion while trying to successfully carry on their persons.
The Enigma Learning Curve
I loathe to use the term “catch” here, but there is somewhat of a catch to successfully concealing with the Enigma system. Since the system is designed to provide a unique concealment solution for literally “every” “body,” the catch is that successful execution does require a little effort and some level of understanding behind the principles of concealment to properly use.
There’s a bit of a learning curve, but rest assured, this is far from a true drawback. Successfully understanding the Enigma isn’t so complex that it requires an advanced engineering degree to understand. Furthermore, as a company, PHLster goes above and beyond to educate the public on the basics of concealment.
The company has spent a good amount of time and treasure on tutorials, guides, and how-to videos while also actively curating an educational page on Facebook. Best of all, all of this information is freely available to anyone.
The Live Tune-Up Webinars
Going one step beyond their educational resources and support group on social media, PHLster escalates its educational efforts with the Enigma Tune-Up webinar. Tune-Ups are hosted bi-monthly by Dakota and Tessah and hosted through Zoom.
Attendees can view Tune-Ups either as audience members (with access to a live chat for any questions) or live participants. With a few caveats, live participants need to register ahead of time and wait for the green light to sit in on the Zoom session directly. They also have the opportunity to receive in-depth attention in real-time from both Tessah and Dakota regarding concealment tweaks or tips.
For live participants, the Tune-Up turns into both a lecture and a real-time consultation, free of charge. The added benefit is that other live-participants and the rest of the members of the audience are free to follow along and glean relevant information from each spotlight.
The start of the webinar begins with a presentation and lecture on some key basics for the Enigma system to help. At the end of the day, PHLster invests the time and effort it does into its educational and informational material because one of its core missions is to make the knowledge of proper concealment as widely understood as the topic of gun safety itself.
The Takeaway
Personally, I don’t use the Enigma system too often due to my typical dress and routine. However, whenever it’s time to don a button-down collared shirt and slacks, my Enigma Express with a Glock 48 is indispensable.
I’m quite comfortable with my Enigma Express, along with carrying concealed handguns in general. However, I wouldn’t consider myself an expert-level user either, and I was able to pick up some bits of knowledge during this webinar. Aside from the few pages of notes I took, Tessah properly showed me the correct application of the system’s “leg-leash” in real-time with a concise explanation about it, for example. I also loved the real-time demo with concealment wedges, because that’s actually something I’m not up to speed on (Enigma or not).
Even though the Enigma system can appear daunting at first, the fundamental issue is that users need to understand how to attune it to their specific body and manner of dress. Ultimately, this is why Dakota and Tessah are there to help.
