A week later and now Echelon fans have multiple choices on how they can customize their Echelons. Since factory poly frames are readily available they can be stippled and coated.
Icarus Precision: offers an anodized aluminum frame thats available in black, fde and OD Green. Note when I bought mine on preorder, I did not want to wait two more weeks, especially since I was going to coat it anyway. It was more important for me to get it asap. So they sent one in the raw.
Initial impressions: this thing is grippy like no one will be able to complain that the frame slips when shooting. It is angular and in your face custom looking. No one will mistake it for a factory gun. It feels great in your hand, your hand just melts into it. It does add some weight and my wife complained that it seems bulky. The aluminum frame is full length and matches the factory frame as far as grip length. Weirdly it looks like there will be an option in the future to add a magwell, it will attach with a screw and insert. Don’t know how that will work with factory magazines.
Complaints: Icarus Precision included a milled in “gas peddle” on the left side.
1. Not every one needs a crutch no one teaches the finger hook style of pulling the frame down to overcome recoil anymore. The late 80’s early 90’s want their shooting style back. The gas pedal is the same concept except you use your thumb to push the frame down.
2. It’s right handed only left-hand shooters can’t use it. On the factory frame there are ledges, but it’s on both sides and they don’t stick out so much. This is important see 3. on the factory frame they’re there in unobtrusive so if you want to use them right hand or left hand, you can it’s your choice.
3. The gas pedal on the Icarus frame sticks out so much that it really doesn’t fit any of my holsters that I have for the echelon. I have seen social media from Icarus that they do show. It works with some holsters but out of the 10 that I have it doesn’t work with any of them. My plan is to actually mail mine off to match sort of what the factory one looks like.
4. The gas pedal is so far forward my weekend doesn’t reach it unless I change my natural grip to handed shooting. Speaking of which you basically are using a crutch to hand shooting that you can’t use when you’re single-handed shooting again so again it’s useless and just in the way.
Sharps Bros: offers a black only aluminum frame for the echelon, that includes wood side panels for a classic metal on wood look. This grip looks more like a factory grip and could be mistaken for a factory option in my opinion. The grip feels great in your hand and is smooth very few angular areas. It could be described as a frame that has had a “melt job”. I can’t wait to see more side panels maybe offered in G10 for a more custom look. The size of the grip is actually smaller front to back and top to bottom then the factory frame. I think I kind of like how the slide overhangs slightly over the frame. And then the interesting thing is that the group is so short that the factory echelon mag hangs out, the bottom. This is my design because Sharps Bro made the echelon frame compatible with the Sig factory Magwell. And I don’t know if this is gonna be permanent but when I bought mine, I didn’t know that Sharps actually included one for free. I don’t know how long they’ll do this for. Now what’s interesting? Is that when you install the Maxwell it fills in the gap of the difference between the base plate of the echelon magazine and the frame, so it looks like it was made proper length to fit it. If they make shorter magazines though, and you don’t use the well it’s sort of the difference between a G17 and a G19 in Grip length. Sharps Bros basically matched the factory echelon frame as far as the thumb rests so it pretty much fits all the Echelon holsters that I already have. As a bonus they’re both the same size right and left-handed like the factory frame so if you want to use them, you can if you don’t, you could forget that they’re there because they don’t stick out that far.
Criticisms on both frames since the same thing happened with both frames:
Cog install is a pain and if I am saying that….then novices will have trouble. That said the Cog is locked rock solid in both the frames no movement whatsoever. The problem is that the factory polymer frame has some give to it so when you put the cog in the frame flexes enough for the front lock and the back to Lock relatively easy. With the Icarus frame particularly I could get it 90% of the way there but the back in lugs I had to use my fingers to force them down into the frame and get my wife to push the Cog backwards to lock it back. So it took two people to get it in. To get it back out with slightly easier, but I had to force the damn thing forward. On the Sharps Bro frame I was able to get it 99% of the way in with no help both the front and rear locking lugs locked relatively easy. But I had that last one percent that I had to force the cog unit back into the frame and had to use a small rubber mallet to fully seat it. And even then, I had a hell of a time trying to get the takedown lever back in because the unit was off just so slightly that the takedown lever holes on both sides of the frame were not 100% in line. With the Icarus frame, it was also hard to put the takedown lever in, but I didn’t need the rubber hammer to help. I just had to force it like hell with my fingers. With both frames I have to use a plastic punch to move the takedown lever up and back. I’ve thought about it and the reason this is happening with both frames is that there’s no give on those frames because they’re aluminum and the cog unit skeleton is metal. So I’m gonna exaggerate a little bit, but imagine the cog unit is in the shape of a banana sort of a U so as you lock the rear lugs in place it slightly pushes the front of the cog unit up. With both frames there’s enough clearance to lock both the front and the rear in place. But then you have to put that takedown lever in and without no give in the frame. It’s hard as hell to put that takedown lover back in and also rotate the takedown lever to use it without a tool.
Final thoughts: I actually love both frames and I’m having a hard time deciding which one I like better than the other. Each frame does things that are great so one is not better than the other they just do things slightly differently. If you wanted a custom more, Gucci look, the Icarus frame is the way to go. If you’re the type of person with sweaty hands that needs to be able to grip their pistol no matter what again the Icarus frame is the way to go because there’s no comparison between the two as far as grip is concerned. But I also love the classic look of the sharps frame with it being smooth and comfortable all over. It makes a great carry frame. I also like that I am able to use a magwell. I’m thinking in the future that when Springfield comes out with different sized slides or maybe someone like Apex tactical, it might come in handy to have a frame that could transform from full-size to a more compact size. Overall, I’m extremely happy with both options from both companies, but now it forces me to buy another echelon so I don’t have to move the cog from one unit to the other. I called it a year ago when the echelon first came out that this was going to spark other companies to create new items outside the direct Springfield atmosphere. Springfield so far has wisely chose the Sig game plan to basically create the base unit and allow other companies to create some pretty cool aftermarket accessories. This is just the beginning mark my words that more items like slides and even more frames are gonna come out in the future.
Icarus Precision: offers an anodized aluminum frame thats available in black, fde and OD Green. Note when I bought mine on preorder, I did not want to wait two more weeks, especially since I was going to coat it anyway. It was more important for me to get it asap. So they sent one in the raw.
Initial impressions: this thing is grippy like no one will be able to complain that the frame slips when shooting. It is angular and in your face custom looking. No one will mistake it for a factory gun. It feels great in your hand, your hand just melts into it. It does add some weight and my wife complained that it seems bulky. The aluminum frame is full length and matches the factory frame as far as grip length. Weirdly it looks like there will be an option in the future to add a magwell, it will attach with a screw and insert. Don’t know how that will work with factory magazines.
Complaints: Icarus Precision included a milled in “gas peddle” on the left side.
1. Not every one needs a crutch no one teaches the finger hook style of pulling the frame down to overcome recoil anymore. The late 80’s early 90’s want their shooting style back. The gas pedal is the same concept except you use your thumb to push the frame down.
2. It’s right handed only left-hand shooters can’t use it. On the factory frame there are ledges, but it’s on both sides and they don’t stick out so much. This is important see 3. on the factory frame they’re there in unobtrusive so if you want to use them right hand or left hand, you can it’s your choice.
3. The gas pedal on the Icarus frame sticks out so much that it really doesn’t fit any of my holsters that I have for the echelon. I have seen social media from Icarus that they do show. It works with some holsters but out of the 10 that I have it doesn’t work with any of them. My plan is to actually mail mine off to match sort of what the factory one looks like.
4. The gas pedal is so far forward my weekend doesn’t reach it unless I change my natural grip to handed shooting. Speaking of which you basically are using a crutch to hand shooting that you can’t use when you’re single-handed shooting again so again it’s useless and just in the way.
Sharps Bros: offers a black only aluminum frame for the echelon, that includes wood side panels for a classic metal on wood look. This grip looks more like a factory grip and could be mistaken for a factory option in my opinion. The grip feels great in your hand and is smooth very few angular areas. It could be described as a frame that has had a “melt job”. I can’t wait to see more side panels maybe offered in G10 for a more custom look. The size of the grip is actually smaller front to back and top to bottom then the factory frame. I think I kind of like how the slide overhangs slightly over the frame. And then the interesting thing is that the group is so short that the factory echelon mag hangs out, the bottom. This is my design because Sharps Bro made the echelon frame compatible with the Sig factory Magwell. And I don’t know if this is gonna be permanent but when I bought mine, I didn’t know that Sharps actually included one for free. I don’t know how long they’ll do this for. Now what’s interesting? Is that when you install the Maxwell it fills in the gap of the difference between the base plate of the echelon magazine and the frame, so it looks like it was made proper length to fit it. If they make shorter magazines though, and you don’t use the well it’s sort of the difference between a G17 and a G19 in Grip length. Sharps Bros basically matched the factory echelon frame as far as the thumb rests so it pretty much fits all the Echelon holsters that I already have. As a bonus they’re both the same size right and left-handed like the factory frame so if you want to use them, you can if you don’t, you could forget that they’re there because they don’t stick out that far.
Criticisms on both frames since the same thing happened with both frames:
Cog install is a pain and if I am saying that….then novices will have trouble. That said the Cog is locked rock solid in both the frames no movement whatsoever. The problem is that the factory polymer frame has some give to it so when you put the cog in the frame flexes enough for the front lock and the back to Lock relatively easy. With the Icarus frame particularly I could get it 90% of the way there but the back in lugs I had to use my fingers to force them down into the frame and get my wife to push the Cog backwards to lock it back. So it took two people to get it in. To get it back out with slightly easier, but I had to force the damn thing forward. On the Sharps Bro frame I was able to get it 99% of the way in with no help both the front and rear locking lugs locked relatively easy. But I had that last one percent that I had to force the cog unit back into the frame and had to use a small rubber mallet to fully seat it. And even then, I had a hell of a time trying to get the takedown lever back in because the unit was off just so slightly that the takedown lever holes on both sides of the frame were not 100% in line. With the Icarus frame, it was also hard to put the takedown lever in, but I didn’t need the rubber hammer to help. I just had to force it like hell with my fingers. With both frames I have to use a plastic punch to move the takedown lever up and back. I’ve thought about it and the reason this is happening with both frames is that there’s no give on those frames because they’re aluminum and the cog unit skeleton is metal. So I’m gonna exaggerate a little bit, but imagine the cog unit is in the shape of a banana sort of a U so as you lock the rear lugs in place it slightly pushes the front of the cog unit up. With both frames there’s enough clearance to lock both the front and the rear in place. But then you have to put that takedown lever in and without no give in the frame. It’s hard as hell to put that takedown lover back in and also rotate the takedown lever to use it without a tool.
Final thoughts: I actually love both frames and I’m having a hard time deciding which one I like better than the other. Each frame does things that are great so one is not better than the other they just do things slightly differently. If you wanted a custom more, Gucci look, the Icarus frame is the way to go. If you’re the type of person with sweaty hands that needs to be able to grip their pistol no matter what again the Icarus frame is the way to go because there’s no comparison between the two as far as grip is concerned. But I also love the classic look of the sharps frame with it being smooth and comfortable all over. It makes a great carry frame. I also like that I am able to use a magwell. I’m thinking in the future that when Springfield comes out with different sized slides or maybe someone like Apex tactical, it might come in handy to have a frame that could transform from full-size to a more compact size. Overall, I’m extremely happy with both options from both companies, but now it forces me to buy another echelon so I don’t have to move the cog from one unit to the other. I called it a year ago when the echelon first came out that this was going to spark other companies to create new items outside the direct Springfield atmosphere. Springfield so far has wisely chose the Sig game plan to basically create the base unit and allow other companies to create some pretty cool aftermarket accessories. This is just the beginning mark my words that more items like slides and even more frames are gonna come out in the future.
