pocket pals: db9. Chisel-jawed devil among a pack of runts

​The lightest thinnest 9mm on the market is the Diamondback DB9. I’ve been wanting to love DB pistols since they debuted in 2009, and now in their Gen 2 iterations we’d sure hope the kinks were worked out. The 380ACP seems so be pretty much there, but, it seems from user reviews and online videos that the 9MM is hit and miss in the reliability department: some pistols run like a clock and others choke, and there’s no telling which one you’ll get when you make your purchase. I think if I was manufacturing such an unpredictable product I’d test-fire every one off the line 100 times and add the cost of ammo to each unit before it went out the door. If it didn’t run 100% it’d go in the “to be fixed” bin, if it ran flawlessly it’d get cleaned and shipped out. I can’t imagine returns are cost effective, with shipping, labor and parts it must just about erase all margins but it’s surprising how many manufacturers (in all industries) let the lemons out with the peaches. You’d think pride alone would mandate that level of pre-sale testing on each unit, plus also concern for user safety. 

Anyway, that bugbear aside, I do really dig the looks and concept of this mighty midget. It’s a true pocket pal in my book. 9MM, super slim, ultralight and thuggish as a hammer, it’s the Glock that Glock never made. And that in fact may be the root of the issues: Glock probably deemed such diminutive proportions as unrealistic for the 9MM -- this is also exemplified by the fact that the Diamondback full-size DB9FS is pretty well liked meaning this isn't manufacturer negligence, it's a matter of power v's weight (we'll give the DB9FS a look at a later date). The 9MM round is stout of recoil and I suspect there’s not enough beef in the DB9’s polymer bones to guarantee it’ll withstand the beating. Yup, sometimes it will, sometimes it wont (which is why they tell owners not to use Plus P ammo). Be that as it may, personally I think it’s worth the gamble for the benefits it offers - at about $200 online it’s a roll of the dice and hey, you may just hit the jackpot. All the same I wouldn’t flog it to death at the range, but if/once you’ve established it’ll run with a particular brand of ammo then keep it as a pocket pal when you want exactly that mix of firepower and discretion. 

I know 11oz is what makes it largely so attractive, but if Diamondback were to use aluminum (or steel) in place of polymer I dare say this’d be a consistently reliable weapon albeit with a whole different price tag too. Even a limited run, say once a year at Christmas - smithed to make them 100% reliable - would be a nice offering for those with slightly fatter wallets and I dare say they’d fly off the shelves even at $500. I do think they’re the coolest lookin’ pocket pistols available amidst a myriad of almost identically ugly subcompacts that remind me of the automobile trend in economy cars. I sometimes imagine pistol and auto designers intentionally create effeminate lines to steer male buyers toward more expensive, sleeker products. With cars and aerodynamics it makes sense, but why pocket pistols have to look like they were squeezed out the rear end of…um…er…a Play-doh Pumpy Barber Shop, beats me. The Diamondback is one handsome little son-of-a-gun and for that it can be forgiven a couple of flaws, as long as they’re not fatal to users of course! Well done Bobby Fleckinger. AH