Keep in mind that all webbing will vary a bit in terms of "hand" from production run to production run, some mills more than others, and that is just the mills.
In reality the end user may not even know what mill makes the webbing they are buying.
~10 years ago we were sourcing our webbing from a nationally know textile supplier and initially the webbing was fine. It was 50 mm (vs genuine 2 inch) which means it was almost certainly of foreign origin.
Then we stated having troubles and had to reject many cases. We'd get some that was fine, and another batch that way too soft, etc. We had to order waay ahead to be able to reject it and try again.
Turns out the big name textile company I was buying from didn't make there own webbing, they were just a broker for any number of foreign mills. What we got was a function of which foreign mill was the lowest price the day we ordered. Or more correctly who was the low bidder when the "broker" ordered the last container full.
I finally tracked down a domestic mill. There aren't many left. Good stuff, reasonably consistent, genuine 2 inch vs 1.97" (50 mm) Having said that there is still a bit of variability from batch to batch, but it's within an acceptable range.
As a side note I prefer stiffer webbing. (Shocker I know
) Soft webbing tends to roll on itself when donning.
Our webbing works well with the DSS Glide Harness Adapter as the GHA doesn't rely on the webbing having to bend much as it passes through the GHA. (That BTW is why the DSS GHA works even while standing wearing doubles)
If you are looking for webbing for use with adjustable buckles, or other "slide 'o' matic" systems, DSS webbing is probably not the best choice. The trade off with softer weaves is difficulty is getting your triglides to do their job and keep the drings from moving. The good news is webbing is cheap, the penalty for error is pretty small.
Oh I should add that buy the heaviest gage triglides you can find, and make sure they stay flat. Thin Triglides, as in thinner sheet metal, will distort. The center bar ends up raised above the other two, and the webbing has a straight shot through all three. If that happens they tend to slide around on all webbing.
The quick fix is to hammer them flat again, the longer term fix is a thicker triglide.
Tobin
