Tried searching but no luck. Best Wallet Recommendations?

[Worf]

My hoary old Sharkskin wallet is fast giving up the ghost. Not the outer shell but everything inside is disintegrating. I'm asking if anyone has any recommendations for a good, strong, durable wallet that'll last me till I shuffle off this mortal coil. I've done some research... learned about RFID (?) I think. But I'm a noob at this but a long time member and poster. All other wallets were gifts save the Sharkskin and all others have gone the way of the world.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Worf

 

[Just Jim]

Kinda depends on what you're looking for, and to some extent, your tolerance for marketing. After carrying a nylon-and-velcro tri-fold mugger's special while dithering for about 20 years, I made the switch. . . probably. . . to a bifold. I went with a goatskin wallet made by Hank's Belts.

As such things go, it seems about as well made as my favorite holster--one my dad purchased in '68. Unless a problem surfaces with the leather, it should be good for 20-30 years.

 

[robrinay]

Check out Rowallan Wallets on Amazon. They’re made in Scotland are reasonable in price are well made and last. I’ve had a zip around version for five years.

 

[EmergencyIan]

Not sure if they are the “best” but Red Wing makes some very nice and durable wallets. Same leather and stitching as their boots.

- Ian

 

[GHT]

Before you go shopping around, check the cards in your wallet, do any of them have a symbol on them that looks like this:

That symbol denotes a technology called, tap & go. It's very convenient but it does have drawbacks. Anyone smart enough to have, and use a reader, can read your card details simply by being close enough to you. So whether you choose a pocket wallet, or a taller inside pocket wallet, check to see if there's a security safeguard stitched into the wallet. It might be different elsewhere but in the UK we look for the acronym: RFID/NFC. The safeguard simply blocks the signal that the embedded chip omits.
A quick search found a departmental store selling ox blood leather wallets with such security for about £28.

 

[Edward]

For the last few yeas, I've been using a couple of Saddleback's small ID wallets. Lovely things - one for bank card and cash, the other for work ID/transport card. One in lack, the other in a mid-brown that aged from a matte to a darker, smooth and shiny finish. Now that I've taken to carrying my driving licence in the one with my work ID (a fortunately only feared loss - it was in my other trousers - made me realise that it was a bad idea to have id including my home address in the same wallet as the bank card!), I'm switching to a small money-clip type wallet with the clip in the middle and a space for cards on either side. I have a Mitchell money-clip wallet in Horween, which is nice; https://mitchell-leather.com/collections/money-clip-wallets I also use a couple of small coin purses and other wallets (including one designed to hold a passport, airmiles cards and pens) that I bought from various Etsy sellers - there's so much nice (and readily affordable) handmade stuff on there, you could go blind....

FWIW, my dad uses a Saddleback small bifold wallet I bought him a few Christmasses ago, and he's found it to be superb as well. I'm a big fan of smaller wallets myself; for years, I carried a larger bifold and it was always full of stuff, bulky, a pain. Before that I had two biker / chain wallets (as well as a separate travelcard carrier), one each for cards and cash. Now I adore the simplicity of being able to slip a small wallet in my front pocket. Especially great at the worst of the Summer when I can't even wear a jacket. Small wallets really forced me to think bout the amount of unnecessary bumph I was always carrying - lifechanging!

RFID is the technology that enables 'contactless' payment cards. If you don't have any of these, there's no real advantage to a shielded wallet. (Personally, I refuse to have any such cards; I fought the bank over this and won when I threatened to take my business elsewhere; if ever it gets to a point where I have no other choice but to take one, it'll be a matter of figuring out where the 'aeriel' is for that (it's separate from the regular chip) and drilling a small hole to disable it).

 

[GHT]

RFID is the technology that enables 'contactless' payment cards. If you don't have any of these, there's no real advantage to a shielded wallet. (Personally, I refuse to have any such cards; I fought the bank over this and won when I threatened to take my business elsewhere; if ever it gets to a point where I have no other choice but to take one, it'll be a matter of figuring out where the 'aeriel' is for that (it's separate from the regular chip) and drilling a small hole to disable it).

I'm with you on contactless cards, Barclaycard refused to issue me a card without it, so after 50 years we parted company. Drilling that hole is an excellent tip, I'll make a note of that, although I'm hoping that it won't come to that.

 

[Edward]

I'm with you on contactless cards, Barclaycard refused to issue me a card without it, so after 50 years we parted company. Drilling that hole is an excellent tip, I'll make a note of that, although I'm hoping that it won't come to that.

I do offer the proviso that I've yet to try it myself, but I'm assured that it does work if you get the right spot. I moved credit cards away from BC in part over this. When Santander issued me with one, I was planning to, but then before I could make the switch (for a couple of months I carried the card with a note saying "Please do not use contactless" affixed to it for the benefit of serving staff), they relented. I can only assume enough people objected that they had to rethink. It shocks me just how many people are so willing to play along with it, given the complete lack of security. (My bank insist it is secure, but that's an absurd claim to make when it only very rarely and at random asks for a pin.)

 

[Worf]

Thanks for the love guys and or girls. I really appreciate the information. I'm currently using a bifold wallet but it's so stuffed that I can't sit on it without causing nerve damage! So it sits in my front pocket. I'll have to really think about what to carry when I switch wallets!

Worf

 

[Edward]

Thanks for the love guys and or girls. I really appreciate the information. I'm currently using a bifold wallet but it's so stuffed that I can't sit on it without causing nerve damage! So it sits in my front pocket. I'll have to really think about what to carry when I switch wallets!

Worf

That's exactly where I was at (that and, y'know, back pocket not being secure from thieving fingers!). Try something small that only accommodates what cash and cards you really need in it. You'll be pleasantly surprised, I think, at how much easier it makes life!

 

[robrinay]

That's exactly where I was at (that and, y'know, back pocket not being secure from thieving fingers!). Try something small that only accommodates what cash and cards you really need in it. You'll be pleasantly surprised, I think, at how much easier it makes life!

Agreed- this is my go to ‘wallet for evenings’ - takes a couple of cards a small amount of change and a few big notes. It’s by Hidesign

 

[Edward]

I stopped keeping coins in a wallet some years back as that's what always wore them out inside. Used to just have come ns loose in my pocket, but a simple leather coin purse makes all the difference. I like that if I need change on the street, I'm not exposing my msin wallet too.

 

[Bfd70]

Disclosure, it’s a friend

https://currierandbeamhouse.com/collections/wallets

 

[steve u]

http://leathergoodsconnection.com/...I own three belts and one wallet from here.....steve

 

[TheOldFashioned]

That's exactly where I was at (that and, y'know, back pocket not being secure from thieving fingers!). Try something small that only accommodates what cash and cards you really need in it. You'll be pleasantly surprised, I think, at how much easier it makes life!

+1 to this.

Not sure if it's the "best" for your needs, but after years of traditional tri-fold and bi-fold wallets I made the switch to a slim profile wallet and it's one of the best decisions I've made. A couple slots on front and back for cards with an edge slot for some cash. Dimensions as currently filled 3.25" x 4" x 0.5" (and only that wide because I'm trying to use up some gift cards). It really does force you to only keep what you need. While it may be a figurative pain in the ass initially, it won't be a literal pain in the ass later.

 

[alanfgag]

I have gone in the same minimalist direction as others above. After years of using Coach wallets when they were made in a factory in NYC I tried a money clip wallet made by Mitchell Leather in Milwaukee (referred by a long time FL friend who lives there). I currently have a small production run sharkskin wallet which I admire for the durability of the material, but all are handsome and very nicely made. You can decline the company embossment which is shown in many of their photos. The wallet is very slim. I carry a few bills (I almost never use cash), three credit cards, driver's license, health insurance card and a museum membership card which gets me in to most art museums around the country. I stow anything else (gift cards, store credit cards, etc.) that I might possibly need in a separate wallet that I keep in a pocket of my daily carry bag. My wallet has everything I need 99% of the time.

 

[tropicalbob]

http://leathergoodsconnection.com/...I own three belts and one wallet from here.....steve

I'll second that. I also have several belts from them and the tan wallet, which has aged nicely. Great operation.

 

[53Effie]

Tanner Goods has some very nice wallets. I've had one for several years and really like it. Several different styles are available.

 

[Colin G]

Tanner Goods has some very nice wallets. I've had one for several years and really like it. Several different styles are available.

I was just about to mention Tanner Goods. Nice stuff and I own a few different ones.

https://www.tannergoods.com/collections/wallets

 

[regius]

Try RRL wallets, I love them all


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