Ford had the Model T, Atari had the 2600, and Holdster has the Model 01. The brainchild of Marsh Gooding, whose main goal in life is to win the Arctic Man Classic, Holdster grew out of the idea for the perfect koozie for a Ball or Mason jar to hold his coffee from the neighborhood bakery. One thing led to another, and now everyone can reap the rewards of a man chasing his dream (albeit his secondary dream).
CONSTRUCTION
The Holdster Model 01 is a single piece of thick full-grain vegetable-tanned leather from Hermann Oak or Chahin Tannery designed to fit perfectly around a Mason jar. Sounds easy right? Well, Marsh taught me that Ball and Mason jars are not truly cylindrical. Instead, they are truncated cones so that the geometry of the leather cut has to be absolutely perfect to fit a jar snugly with no gaps. It took him over 40 iterations before making the final pattern that works. The leather is thin stitched together with heavy duty nylon 138 thread in a cross stitch pattern giving the koozie a smooth surface all the way around. The edges of the leather are then slicked with gum tragacanth. Finally the handle is another firm strip of leather curved and secured into place using hand-tapped copper rivets which are bombproof. That’s right. Bombproof. The brand logo is subtly debossed at the bottom of the koozie and is cleverly designed off of an old-school electric company. Everything is manufactured in Ohio and each Holdster is checked before they are shipped out to its next happy owner.
FUNCTION
The Holdster is actually two products in one. You get a koozie and a genuine 16oz. Ball Jar. Because of that, you know this is quality glass made for people who know their coffee, beer, tea, and whisky and aren’t afraid to drink out of a jar as long as they can drink. Heck, this Holdster can literally hold anything. Use it for Jello. Make a salad and bring it to work. Hang a few on your workbench to hold nails, nuts, or screws. Hang them in your kitchen to hold spices. Use it on your office desk for your pens and pencils. Grow a plant. If you grow tired of the koozie, take it off and use the jar!
The leather does provide a good amount of protection from both heat and cold – much better than the corrugated cardboard koozies at the coffee shop. To top it off, having a reusable cup is environmentally friendly! Just a precaution for hot drinks – although Ball jars are particularly heat-resistant, any extremely cold glass can potentially shatter if extremely hot water is suddenly introduced so make sure the jar is at least room temperature or warmer and your drink isn’t too hot before you just pour it in!
AESTHETIC
The Holdster will turn heads no matter where you go, just because it’s so unique and well made. Personally the cross stitch is my favorite design of the Holdster styles because it allows the koozie to sit flush on the jar. Maybe it’s because I operate on people all day, but I just like the look of the stitching, I can tell its some mighty fine work.
BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION
The Holdster Model 01: Cross Stitch is $33.49 or $139.99 for a four-pack WITH coasters. For people who are always enjoying a nice drink, it’s well worth it. At the very least, it’s an awesome gift for a friend, groomsmen, or a loved one.
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