Metal wallets are the perfect way to carry your cash and cards if you’re looking for a slim, modern improvement on the pocket-stretching leather bifold. Even calling these futuristic EDC companions wallets may be stretch because of their minimalist design. Sleek, smooth, and ultra-durable, metal wallets may be the way of the future, but do they really offer more protection than a classic wallet? Let’s find out.
Metal Wallet Styles
Metal wallets are available in a range of styles, materials, and colors. Some brands offer more futuristic designs while others stick to a classic wallet feel. Though metal wallets can come in many styles, they tend to be slimmer than other wallets and have modern features, like fast-card access.
Metal wallets are made from a variety of different materials such as carbon fiber, titanium, or aluminum. Generally, carbon fiber and aluminum are the most commonly used because of these metals unique properties. Both are very lightweight for their large tensile strength, making them ideal for small but sturdy accessories.
Protection For Cards
Metal wallets offer more protection in general than leather or fabric wallets, but because their shape is fixed and rigid they can offer less versatility in what they are able to carry. Fabric and leather wallets can be stretched to accommodate more. However, the upside of their fixed shape is that cards are less likely to fall out, get lost, or end up in-between pockets, making the contents of your wallet more secure.
RFID Protection
But there is one thing that a leather or fabric wallet can never do and that is protect from wireless theft. RFID-enabled cards, any card with a contactless chip that can be used to pay, can also be read by certain machines. It is possible for card readers to be used to steal the information off of cards that aren’t properly protected, and from a distance so you never know it's happening. Certain metals act as a faraday cage and block radio signals from passing through. If you’ve ever tried to make a phone call in an elevator then you have already experienced this phenomenon.
Potential Drawback of Metal Wallets
While metal wallets may offer more protection to the contents inside of the wallet, they also tend to have sharper edges that could cause damage to the inside of pockets or bags if you aren’t careful. That being said, metal wallets are obviously very smooth, so the chances of getting a corner snagged are present, but minimal.
Other Metal Wallet Features
Besides the protection they offer, there are a few other things about metal wallets you should know. First off, they are much easier to clean than leather or fabric wallets. If you’ve ever tried to get a stain out of leather, you know it's an arduous process that requires an expert hand. Metal wallets only require a bit of soap and a damp cloth to look good as new.
Second, metal wallets are much more durable than leather or fabric wallets and will last for a much longer time. Depending on how well you care for it, a metal wallet bought today could last you a lifetime and save you a lot of strife.
If you’re looking to upgrade to a metal wallet, think about which material would be best for you. Ekster offers sleek metal cardholder designs in space-grade aluminum and 3K carbon fiber. Both are built to last a lifetime and can be paired with a tracker for maximum security. To find out where you can get the best metal wallets, wallet expert Nikolas Hoffman lays bare the real pros and cons of two of the biggest brands here.
