Hive Design Edwin Wallet review


If you’ve ever used a binder clip as a pseudo-minimalist wallet, then you’ll want to check out this review of the Edwin Wallet from Hive Design. It’s like a binder clip on steroids and it just might become your new favorite wallet. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The Edwin Wallet is a wallet based off a common binder clip.

The edwin wallet is the namesake of Mr. Edwin Baltzley, an avid writer, inventor, and father of Louis Baltzley, the inventor of the binder clip. In 1910 Louis created the binder clip as a more efficient way for his father to secure his manuscripts without damaging them. Fast forward a century and we’re still using the same basic mechanism of his original design.

Design and features

 

The “wallet” above on the left is a regular binder clip and the one on the right is the Edwin Wallet. Both are made of steel and feature a clamp that can hold several cards. But from there, the Edwin Wallet veers off into real wallet territory.

The Edwin Wallet is available in six colors including the shoal bay (aqua blue) shown above. The Edwin Wallet is also available in two styles. A Classic style not shown and the Plus style shown here. The difference between the two versions is that the back plate on the Plus has five hex wrenches, a flat head screwdriver, and a Phillips head screwdriver. The Plus version also has a bottle cap lifter on the edge, while the Classic version is just a solid plate without any built-in tools.

On the back of the Edwin is a quick draw slot for your most used card and a cash stem that is used to hold your paper money.

Like a binder clip, the Edwin Wallet has a spring loaded clamp that can hold from one card up to 10 cards.

Add the quick draw card slot on the back and you can carry a maximum of 11 standard sized plastic credit cards in this wallet.

The clip opens the jaws of the clamp so you can feed it credit cards. It works pretty well, but it’s not quite as easy to open the clamp as it is with a regular binder clip because there’s only one set of clip arms to squeeze instead of two.

One thing that I noticed is that the clip’s arms rub against the edges of the clamp which causes the paint to peel off the edges of the clamp. Click the image above for a closer view.

Here’s the Edwin fully loaded with 10 cards in the clamp and 1 card in the quick draw slot. Although the wallet can hold this many cards, I don’t recommend going full capacity because it makes the quick draw slot tight and not so quick to draw.

I think the sweet spot for the wallet is six cards in the clamp and one card in the quick draw slot for a total of seven cards.

If you’re careful, you can fan the cards to find the one you want without removing them from the clamp.

The main feature that sets the Edwin Wallet apart from an ordinary binder clip is the cash stem on the back. I’ve never liked money clips and the cash stem is a genius alternative to one. To use it, you just slide the bills under the stem and fold them in half.


Then you wrap the bills around the side of the wallet.


And finally, tuck the edges under the clip where they are held in place. The cash stem can hold one bill up to a max of about seven bills.

I like the Edwin Wallet quite a bit because it’s credit card sized. I just wish the clamp didn’t stick up on the edge like it does. If it was flatter, this would be my new favorite.

Final thoughts

I think the Edwin wallet is a cool minimalist wallet because it’s easy to use and well made if you don’t count the paint peeling issue with the clip.

If you’re already a fan of DIY binder clip wallets, the Hive Design Edwin Wallet is a big step up in functionality when you factor in the cash stem, quick draw card slot, and the built-in tools of the Plus version.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Hive Design. Please visit their site for more info and check prices on Amazon.

 

Product Information

Price: $32.95 Classic, $37.95 Plus
Manufacturer: Hive Design
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Holds up to 11 cards
  • Quick draw card slot for most used card
  • Holds cash too
Cons:
  • Clip rubs paint off of clamp edges

Filed in categories: Reviews, Wallets

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Hive Design Edwin Wallet review originally appeared on on March 21, 2017 at 10:38 am.

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Magpul DAKA wallets: tough, waterproof, super slim

A while back, I posted a news item about the Magpul DAKA Pouch. Made in the U.S.A. from polymer-infused, chemical-resistant, non-hygroscopic (will not absorb moisture) textiles with an anti-slip texture that are impenetrably RF-welded on all seams, the DAKA Pouch is one of the toughest gear carrying items you may ever find. 

Not content with just pouches, Magpul has also released two DAKA Wallets: the DAKA Essential Wallet (above left) and the DAKA Micro Wallet (above right). The DAKA Essential Wallet holds 3-7 cards in a combination of 1 pocket in the front and 2 in the back, (check out the video) while the DAKA Micro Wallet holds 1-3 cards in a single pocket. Both are available in Flat Dark Earth (shown above left), Black (shown above right), Stealth Gray or Olive Drab Green colors. The Magpul DAKA Essential Wallet retails for $16.95 and the DAKA Micro Wallet retails for $9.95. I have to say, these look pretty cool; that DAKA Essential Wallet could give my current EDC wallet, the SlimFold Soft Shell wallet, a run for its money. Shoot over to magpul.com for additional info or to order.

Filed in categories: News, Wallets

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Magpul DAKA wallets: tough, waterproof, super slim originally appeared on on March 19, 2017 at 5:03 pm.

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Riveci Olympus – Bowie Pull-up Brown wallet review

I’ve discovered that I have a real affinity for leather wallets. They’re flexible, durable, attractive and they smell great. I’ve also discovered an affinity for those wallets that carry my plastic cards vertically rather than horizontally. The Riveci Olympus – Bowie Pull-up Brown wallet is such a wallet and I was given the opportunity to review it. Will this minimalist leather wallet accommodate all that I need?

The Riveci Olympus – Bowie Pull-up Brown wallet was sent to me in a metal case that contained batting to protect the wallet. I noticed that when I took the wallet out of the case, the wallet’s seams were coated in an oily substance. It took me by surprise because I didn’t notice it before I started handling the wallet and thus my hands were then coated with the same substance. I have well-oiled hands now.

Specifications

  • Handcrafted In the USA
  • Capacity: 6 Cards
  • Cash Slot: Yes – Front
  • Size: 3.8in x 2.8in x.25in
  • Leather: 4oz Veg Tanned
  • Finish: Smooth High Sheen
  • Quick Access Cards: 4
  • Edges: Burnished and Oiled
  • Stitching: Saddle Method

Design & Quality

The Riveci Olympus wallet is a rugged looking full-grain leather wallet made from soft, flexible, pull-up leather. It is handcrafted in the United States using materials “sourced from U.S. vendors”. This wallet is rather small measuring only  3.8″ L x 2.8″ W x.25″ D. It has a money slot in the front (the slit in the front of the wallet) and the front pocket has a curved opening to allow you quick access to your credit cards.

The jagged burnished edges and slightly uneven stitching make the wallet look like it is purposely made to look handmade.

I have never owned anything that was made from pull-up leather before, so this wallet proved to have a very interesting feel to it – smooth with a very slight oily feel to it. According to textileglossary.com, pull-up leather is defined as,

a waxy or oiled-finished leather. These leathers lighten when stretched, bent, or “pulled up”. They are categorized as natural because they do not have a thick top coat. They have a nice hand, and develop a unique distressed look with time.

The leather also felt more “stretchy” than other leather items I have used. The thick thread felt waxed and the stitch length was rather long (I tend to prefer a smaller, tighter stitch), but this seems consistent with its styling.

The back of the wallet shows the last slot. It too has a curved opening to allow quick access to your cards.

It is difficult to tell in the photo above but there was one stitch that was loose – the “tie off” or finishing stitch (located along the right edge of the wallet in the above photo at the corner of the curved edge of the back piece of leather) which makes me question how long the stitching will last. The Riveci wallets only have a two-year warranty on them.

Empty, the wallet is around 0.7 cm. I like that the wallet is made of thicker leather (their specs say it is made from 4 oz leather which is 1.6 mm thick). It makes it feel more robust.



None of the pockets are lined with any material. The interior of the last pocket (the third photo above) shows how only the top portion of the piece of leather that divides the two main pockets is sewn into the seams of the wallet, the lower portion of which is not sewn in – perhaps to avoid adding too much bulk to the edge of the wallet.

Use


I was able to fill the money slot with one $20 bill (I could have put more in there, but that’s all the cash I had at the time), and the front pocket with four plastic cards. The back pocket I filled with one plastic card and four paper cards (which are the size of credit cards). The wallet contains all of these cards perfectly. If, however, I insert a business card into the wallet, the card is slightly taller than all of my other cards, thus it might be beneficial to make the wallet 2 mm longer for those who would like to use this wallet for business/customer appreciation cards.


I don’t tend to like having all my cards inserted into one or two pockets because they are not organized and easily accessible which means that I then have to dig into the wallet to search for the appropriate card when necessary. However, I rather liked how compact the wallet is after being stuffed with all that I deemed necessary to carry. I also liked the cracked distressed appearance and pull-up effect of the leather (lighter color in the stretched areas) after placing my cards into the wallet. Rubbing over the stretched area with your hands or fingers will often rub out the lighter color of the stretched leather if desired.

The thickness of the wallet remained fairly compact (in my opinion) especially with all the cards I placed in it (a little less than 0.75″ thick).

When compared to my Garzini Essenziale Finestra wallet, the Riveci Olympus wallet is small indeed.


It’s even noticeably smaller in my hand.

Final Thoughts

The Riveci Olympus – Bowie Pull-up brown wallet grew on me as I continued to use it, so much so, that I like it almost as much as my current Garzini Essenziale Finestra wallet. I was a little concerned about the one loose “tie off” or finishing stitch and the wide stitch length – wondering if the stitching will last, especially since the wallet only has a two-year warranty. But the fact that the wallet is small and compact yet stretches to fit five plastic cards and four paper cards, as well as a $20 bill, was very appealing. It also has rugged good looks with its cracked distressed appearance and pull-up effects. I’m not sure that I will use it as my everyday wallet, but it seems to function well as my coupon/customer appreciation card (I had to trim these down to fit into the wallet)/bandaid wallet which I use frequently. Time will tell how long this wallet will last and since it is $48.95, which is a little expensive for me, I’m hoping it will last a very long time.

Source: The sample used in this review was provided by Riveci. Please visit their website for more information or to purchase one.

 

Product Information

Price: $48.95
Manufacturer: Riveci
Pros:
  • Rugged, 4 oz (1.6 mm) full-grain leather
  • Small and compact
  • Pull-up effect is attractive
  • Made in the U.S. with material sources from U.S. vendors
Cons:
  • Expensive
  • Loose "tie off" or finishing stitch
  • Long stitch length

Filed in categories: Reviews, Wallets

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Riveci Olympus – Bowie Pull-up Brown wallet review originally appeared on on March 10, 2017 at 9:02 am.

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Axess “Superior” Extended Vegetable Tanned Leather RFID-blocking V-shaped wallet review

I am on a quest for a great leather wallet. I really enjoy using my Garzini Essenziale Finestra wallet, but are there others out there that I might like better? When the Gadgeteer was offered an Axess leather wallet to review, I volunteered to do so. I chose the Axess “Superior” Extended Vegetable Tanned Leather RFID-blocking V-shaped wallet because I need a lot of pockets for the number of cards I carry. How did it measure up to my Garzini wallet?

Design & Quality

The Axess “Superior” Extended RFID-blocking V-shaped wallet came in a very nice black box, wrapped in a black sheet of non-woven polypropylene material (or poly non-woven which is the same material used in reusable grocery bags).

The Axess “Superior” Extended wallet is a professional looking wallet that is handmade using full grain vegetable tanned Tuscany leather and measures 8 cm x 11 cm. The Tuscany leather is supposed to age well and develop a rich patina over time. The leather is smooth and has a wonderful smell and color. It is also very thin to minimize the amount of space the wallet takes up. Even though the wallet appears to be well made, because the leather is so thin, the wallet does not have a very robust feel.

This wallet has three credit card slots on the front with a side slot to the right of them. The thread used in this wallet is a “polyester/cotton corespun thread. The edges are hand cut.”

The back of the Extended version of the “Superior” wallet has another three credit card slots with a side slot as well, whereas, the non-extended version does not have these.


The wallet has two RFID-blocking pockets, one of which is the side slot on the front of the wallet as shown above on the left. The second of the RFID-blocking pockets is the side slot on the back of the wallet (above on the right).

RFID stands for radio frequency identification. According to creditcards.com,

RFID is actually the granddaddy of NFC and a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to identify people or objects. It also refers to the long-range communication technology that’s used in, for example, highway toll payment devices.

But NFC is a type of RFID that requires you to be within inches of the card reader, so fraudsters cannot skim your information easily. Still, as use of NFC-enabled mobile payments grows, contactless payment cards are being phased out.

Thus, if you are using contactless cards that allow you to wave your card over a card reader, then you may want an RFID-blocking wallet. Even though your information may be emitted from the chip on such a card, it usually requires that you be within inches away from the card reader and thus a thief would have to be that close to steal your information.

EMV (stands for Europay, Mastercard & Visa) is the current standard used in credit card chips today and requires direct contact with the card reader (the chip looks like that in the photo above). These cards require you to insert the chip end of your card fully into a card reader and they use tokenization which means that such a card “transmits a unique code for each transaction” thus making “it nearly impossible to counterfeit the card” according to creditcards.com. (Mobile wallets like Android Pay and Apple Pay also use tokenization). When using EMV chipped cards, you would not need to have an RFID-blocking wallet.



Anyway, continuing on with my review. In addition to the four slots on each side of the wallet, there is a V-shaped center pocket that holds paper money. This V-shaped opening allows the user easy access to the bills.

Each of the pockets (the paper money slot, the RFID slots, and the six credit card slots) is lined with a shiny nylon or polyester type of material. The lining of each of the pockets feels like it is covering a thin layer of cardboard to provide rigidity.

The wallet has a slim profile and is about 5 mm thick when empty. The uniformity of every aspect of this wallet makes it look like it is mass produced rather than handmade.

Use


In the front of the wallet, I inserted three plastic cards into the credit card slots and also inserted one plastic card into the RFID-blocking side slot. In the center slot, I had only one $20 bill.

On the back of the wallet, I inserted two plastic cards in the top and bottom credit card slots and three paper cards into the center slot. I also inserted two paper cards into the side slot.

With all of my necessities inserted, the wallet ended up measuring about 7/8″ thick.

Final Thoughts

The Axess “Superior” Extended Vegetable Tanned Leather RFID-blocking V-shaped wallet appears to be a well-made wallet and uses vegetable tanned Tuscany leather which develops a unique patina over time. New, it already has a wonderful color and smell. It is what I would describe as a professional looking businessman’s type of wallet. The wallet, being constructed so uniformly, has the appearance of being a mass produced wallet even though the website says Axess wallets are handmade. It also does not have a very robust feel to it so I cannot say how long it will last.

The V-shaped center opening is useful for easy access to your paper money, however, I found that the wallet expanded freely on the open side and was, therefore, less compact than I would like it to be. This, of course, is a matter of personal preference. Axess offers a handful of different styles of wallets and knowing what I know now about the opening, I may have been happier with the “Smooth” – Extended Vegetable Tanned Leather RFID-blocking compact wallet (caramel).

If you like professional looking leather wallets with the V-shaped style center pocket to hold your paper money, you are sure to enjoy using the Axess “Superior” wallet, however, I personally prefer my Garzini wallet.

Source: The sample used in this review was provided by Axess. Please visit their website for more information or to purchase one. You can also find their wallets on Amazon.

 

Product Information

Price: $45.00
Manufacturer: Axess
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Well-made wallet using full grain vegetable tanned Tuscany leather
  • Beautiful color and wonderful leather smell
  • Has two RFID-blocking pockets
Cons:
  • V-shaped pocket allowed the wallet to expand too much for my taste

Filed in categories: Reviews, Wallets

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Axess “Superior” Extended Vegetable Tanned Leather RFID-blocking V-shaped wallet review originally appeared on on March 5, 2017 at 9:53 am.

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PITAKA carbon fiber magnetic wallet review

Have you been shopping for a new minimalistic wallet but don’t want one with the same old tired style as everyone else’s minimal wallet? Then look no further my friends because I have a wallet that you’ll want to check out. It’s the PITAKA carbon fiber magnetic wallet and it’s definitely unique. But is it the perfect minimalist wallet? Let’s find out.

What is it?

The PITAKA carbon fiber magnetic wallet is a minimal wallet that’s made of carbon fiber, which is RFID blocking. It also features a modular layered design that allows you to customize what it can hold.

Design and features

The PITAKA wallet resembles a deck of playing cards in shape, size and even with the layered “card” design.

Made of carbon fiber, the wallet is lightweight but tough.

The main wallet ships with four layers that include the top and bottom layer end pieces that can hold one card each and two internal layers that each hold two cards. That means that the wallet can hold a maximum of six cards.

PITAKA also sells additional layers that can hold coins, a key, SIM card, micro SD cards, and cash.

There are three magnets embedded in each layer. The larger magnet in the center bottom edge and two smaller magnets on the side edges. The location of the magnets allows for the card fanning effect that you can do with one hand (see video demonstration below).


Each internal PITAKA layer can hold two standard-sized embossed or non-embossed plastic credit cards.

The cards are held in place with very small tabs that you can barely make out in the image above. Look on the straight rails across from the nose in the face cutouts and you will notice that the plastic has a slightly wider section.

See it in action

As you can see in the video above, you just hold the wallet in your hand and fan the “deck” with your thumb which is also used to raise the card. Although I didn’t do a very good job in the video, with a little practice, you can use this wallet with just one hand.

There are two issues/problems with this wallet that that should be discussed.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the orientation of the wallet, If you hold it in your hand so that the larger center magnet is on top, spreading open the wallet will either cause the wallet to fan open upside down or even worse, will cause the magnetic layers to disconnect. I show this towards the end of the video at the 36 second mark. I really think there some be a visual or tactile indicator of how to hold the wallet.

The bigger issue with the PITAKA wallet is not how to hold it, but what types of cards it can hold. The box that the PITAKA is packaged in has a warning (click the image for larger view). Basically, it says that you should not use cards with magnetic strips in this wallet. Why? Because the PITAKA wallet uses magnets to hold the wallet’s layers together and those magnets can demagnetize the cards. I contacted PITAKA to get some clarification on this issue and this is their reply:

Great to receive your email and reply you on demagnetize issue.

Since there are magnets on our carbon fiber wallet, they are enabled with one-hand cool operation, meanwhile bringing another issue of demagnetizing
card with a magnetic strip. But that could be fewer and fewer situations as the RFID chip cards (credit cards, metro cards…) are reported to be the trend.
Most European countries have been used RFID credit cards everywhere and Americans have been on the way. Below are a tech news FYI.
https://www.nfcworld.com/2016/06/23/345759/emv-claims-third-global-card-present-payments/

Also we surely understand it’s still a great trouble if demagnetizes. We tried so much find magnets won’t demagnetize and checked with many material experts, all told us no such magnets exist. If you know some please do inform us for research and resolution. But kindly noted Chip technology is an advanced, and it is more safe than stripe.
As an innovation company, it’s impossible to develop a product that will be conflicted with the trend and technology.

The problem is that my main CitiBank Visa credit card has both a magnetic strip and a chip. I still find stores where I have to swipe instead of use the chip. So that’s a big problem for me and I’m guessing will be an issue for others as well.

Final thoughts

The PITAKA carbon fiber magnetic wallet is a wallet that has a lot going for it. It’s lightweight, has RFID protection, can be customized to add or remove layers and is fun to use. But the main problem with it is the potential to demagnetize cards with magnetic strips. If you don’t use those types of cards anymore, then yay for you! I think you’ll enjoy this unique wallet. But if you use cards with magnetic strips, I don’t think this is the wallet for you.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Pitaka. Please visit their site for more info and to order one.

 

Product Information

Price: $80
Manufacturer: Pitaka
Pros:
  • RFID blocking
  • Modular
  • Lightweight
  • One handed access to cards
Cons:
  • If you don't pay attention to the orientation of the wallet, you might disconnect the layers when fanning the "deck"
  • Can't use with cards that have a magnetic strip

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PITAKA carbon fiber magnetic wallet review originally appeared on on March 1, 2017 at 1:22 pm.

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