Are ETS Magazines Better Than Standard Glock Magazines?
When it comes to firearms, reliability is a MUST. You can’t compromise on reliability when your life may be on the line. The last thing you want to hear is a “click” or mushy trigger when you should hear a “bang.” I’ve been a stickler for the good old standard Glock magazines, sometimes dabbling into the Magpul magazines after testing the living hell out of them to ensure they’re reliable. But I saw ETS magazines and decided I wanted to give them a try.
Clearly, for the sake of this article, I’m talking about the ETS magazines specifically made for Glocks. I decided against picking up the AR mags until I thoroughly tested these ETS magazines for the Glock first.
Now, I’m going to give you my opinion on these, your mileage with them may vary, but this is what I’ve found when testing out the ETS magazines in comparison to the standard OEM Glock magazines to carry both in a pistol as well as using them as a spare magazine.
Disclaimer: I purchased the ETS magazines with my own money. This product was not supplied to me by ETS (Elite Tactical Systems), they did not pay me or compensate me to speak about their product, and the opinions on this product are solely mine and my personal experience with their ETS magazines for Glock firearms.
Table of contents
What Made Me Purchased the ETS Magazines for Glock Firearms?
I’m always on the hunt for good gear, and after watching several videos of people reviewing the ETS magazines along with reading blog reviews, I decided to try them for myself. It’s also a massive benefit when the ETS magazines are less expensive than the standard OEM Glock magazines.
The first thing that I liked about the ETS magazines over the standard Glock magazines is that the magazine is translucent. Why would that be important to me? Because I like the ability to drop the magazine out of the firearm to quickly see how much ammo I have left until the gun runs dry. I’ll let you put two-and-two together about why that may be important during a self-defense situation as well as during practice at the range.
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You can purchase the ETS magazine in a translucent (clear) body, a translucent orange body, and a translucent blue body.
The Benefits and Features of ETS Magazines
There are a lot of cool benefits and features when you look at the ETS magazines. To simplify breaking all of this down, I’m going to showcase some of what ETS has on their website when describing their Glock magazines.
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ETS Glock Magazine Features
- Compatible with Gen 1 through Gen 5 Glocks
- Baseplates are interchangeable with the ETS line of 9mm double stack magazines
- Due to the wide variety of extensions for Glock, the ETS mag base is designed to be compatible with Glock extensions
- Easy disassembly with the ETS specially designed base plate
- Ergonomically designed base plate makes it easy to grab from mag pouches
- Lifetime Warranty
ETS Advanced Polymer Benefits
- Extreme Impact Resistance — won’t crack or break when dropped
- Very resistant to harsh chemicals
- Superior heat, cold, and UV resistance — won’t become brittle over time even when exposed to harsh environments or extreme cold
- Translucent body — allowing you to see your ammo count and type
- Creep resistant — the feed lips and body won’t spread when being stored long term even when fully loaded
In addition, just like the standard Glock magazines, they are interchangeable between Glock (double stack) firearms. For instance, if you have a Glock 19, you can insert the ETS magazines that are 15 rounds and up (for example, a Glock 17 magazine will fit in a 19). Even better, if you carry a Glock 26, you can use a Glock 19 and 17 round magazine if you want to carry a spare backup magazine (there are several reasons why you’d want to do this, maybe I’ll cover it in another article at some point).
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If you need a little help loading your magazines or want to simplify and speed up the process, they also have speed loaders that can load your Glock magazines in a matter of seconds.
All ETS magazines are made in the USA, offer a lifetime warranty, and have a 30-day money-back guarantee (all things I think we can appreciate when making a purchase).
My Thoughts on ETS Magazines vs. Standard Glock Magazines
After reading the above, you may be pretty pumped up, but the testing is where the wheels somewhat fall off. I don’t expect my experience to be the same as everyone else, but I think it’s worth being 100% honest and transparent about my feedback using these Glock magazines from ETS.
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I purchased the 10, 15, and 17-round ETS magazines for Glock. The shipping process was fairly quick, and my order arrived at my doorstep without any issues. Upon unboxing the Glock magazines from ETS is where some of the issues started.
ETS Glock Magazine Problems
I hate speaking negatively of a company, but you need to know the issues I had. I can’t lie about my experience and I had a few ETS Glock magazine problems that came up. Are these deal-breakers for you? Maybe not. But for me, I will only carry things I can bet my life on and with the ETS Glock magazine problems I’ve had, I can’t say I’ll ever use these ETS magzines for anything other than the range or dry fire.
Below are some of the ETS Glock magazines problems I’ve had:
1. Cracked Baseplate
The first thing I noticed was that out of the box, my Glock 19 magazine was cracked at the baseplate. I contacted ETS, and they were kind enough to send me a new baseplate to slide on. They claim the baseplate issue appears to have been caused during the manufacturing process. Regardless, not something I want to hear when this could potentially be something I need to rely on during a life-and-death encounter.
2. Loading Problems
Next with the ETS Glock magazine problems came with loading. Loading the 10-round and 17-round ETS magazines was a breeze. Unfortunately, that 15-round magazine was still giving me issues. It would load 14 rounds, but the 15th just didn’t want to go in. Even after running the magazines and reloading several times, that 15th round still didn’t want to go in without a fight.
3. Feed Lip Issue
I understand that ETS wants to make these magazines inexpensively to try to get people to purchase them over the standard OEM Glock magazines. However, several reviews are out there showing that the feed lips create channels where the top edge of the casing pushes against it. What that eventually causes are rounds to simply slide right through the feed lips, causing jams and double-feeds. The standard OEM Glock magazines have metal feed lips that prevent this from happening and allow for consistent feeding while also protecting the feed lips from being damaged by the casing or from being dropped.
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4. Baseplates and Magazine Body Strength
Now, for another of the ETS Glock magazine problems. I’ve had an issue with a cracked baseplate, which already didn’t sit well with me regarding the ETS magazines. And while I’ve had no other issues with baseplates or the body of the magazine breaking, many others have. A quick search online shows that many people would not trust the ETS magazines. They mentioned upon dropping them during reloads on concrete flooring (and many other hard surfaces) that their magazines broke. I haven’t experienced this, but I’m also on the fence that this could be a real issue.
5. Malfunctions
Here may be the biggest of all the ETS Glock magazine problems — reliability. I need to have 100% confidence in the gear I carry. And with the ETS Glock magazine problems I’ve had, the chances of ever carrying the ETS magazines was already slim (but this was the icing on the cake). Just like what many have said in reviews, I’ve experienced way too many malfunctions with the ETS magazines to say that I’d trust my life with them if I ever needed to use my firearm. Heck, even one malfunction is too many, in my opinion. Load up some standard OEM Glock magazines or even the Magpul Glock magazines, and they run flawlessly.
Would I Recommend These Glock Magazines from ETS?
I don’t like to speak poorly of products, but I simply can’t trust ETS magazines with my life. Are they good for range mags? Sure, if you don’t mind a few malfunction clearing drills in the process.
I love the idea of the translucent magazines, but overall, I’m not confident in the ETS magazines and their ability to function properly. Right now, they seem built for Instagram and not defending your life.
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What will I carry? My OEM standard Glock magazines. Will I use the ETS magazines at the range? Absolutely. Would I purchase them again? Not a chance. They’re currently sitting empty in my range bag.
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And as always, go out and get the proper training needed to be proficient with the product you carry as part of your EDC. I am not an instructor, and I don’t pretend to be one on the weekends. I’m simply someone who seeks knowledge, improvement, and proficiency when it comes to self-defense and the ability to protect my family and those around me. You are your own first line of defense, seek the training of a certified and experienced instructor. If you want to support ETS, go ahead and pick up some of their ETS magazines.
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