The Leatherology Thin Bifold Wallet is the platonic ideal of the leather wallet. It doesn’t have any gimmicks such as technically advanced materials or innovative pockets—it’s basically what older generations might think of when they hear “slim leather wallet.”
It’s very thin and subtle. It has a low profile (a little less than 0.75 inch when filled with six cards), and it’s devoid of any logos beyond the debossed Leatherology name on the interior.
It feels high-quality. It’s made of extremely supple full-grain leather—which has been processed less and is higher quality than cheaper, corrected-grain leathers—and the stitching along the outside edges is tight and precise, especially compared with the widely spaced and somewhat amateurish stitches we saw on wallets from Thirteen50.
It’s a pleasure to use. Cards slide in and out with ease, but the slots aren’t so wide that you might worry about them slipping out. You could easily fit eight cards in the Leatherology wallet (six in the slots, plus two in the extra interior pockets).
It’s customizable. Leatherology also offers a personalized monogram option for up to four characters (in any of two fonts and four colors) on either the exterior or interior of the wallet. (We didn’t try it, though.)
It has almost no distinguishing factors, to the point that you might have difficulty coming up with any notable descriptive details if you were to lose it.
Specs
The Slimfold Micro Soft Shell Wallet is made of a waterproof soft-shell material—it comes from the same mill that produces fabric for Gore-Tex—that’s almost as thin as a piece of paper, yet surprisingly durable. It keeps the contents of your wallet securely in place, but is stretchy enough to make card-removal easy.
It holds a lot. This wallet sports three card sleeves and has two additional hidden pockets behind the cash sleeve, which in our testing comfortably held up to three cards each. It handily accommodated 13 cards without becoming uncomfortably snug.
It’s under warranty and waterproof. We tested Slimfold’s claim that the material is waterproof by spilling some water on it; the water did indeed bead on top and leave the interior dry. One Wirecutter staffer reports that they used their Slimfold wallet (the Nano Soft Shell) for over three years, and accidentally washed it in the laundry “many, many times”; the wallet stayed intact (contents included, with the exception of a soggy vaccine card).
We also love the brand’s extremely generous five-year warranty.
You have the option of RFID. The Slimfold Micro Soft Shell in black is available both with and without RFID protection, an extra feature meant to help shield the wallet from being “skimmed” by hackers. We don’t think RFID offers any substantive safety or improvements over going without, but for $4 more, it won’t cause you any harm if you opt to have it. At this writing, all other available colors of this wallet automatically include RFID protection.
Specs
The Dun Wallet is billed as the world’s thinnest wallet. Though we’re not able to verify that claim, it certainly is the thinnest wallet that we tested.
It’s extremely thin. The whole wallet is barely thicker than half an inch when full, and unlike traditional bifolds, it lacks a cash sleeve, so it has no extra layer of leather—just a triangular piece of leather overlaying the card slot that you’re meant to slide your bills through.
It’s cool-looking. The Dun Wallet certainly has some wow factor, and not in an obnoxious way—it’s discreet enough to look like a regular wallet, but if someone were to examine it closely, they would notice that it definitely isn’t one.
Specs
Note: The Allett Sport Wallet Leather Edition now comes with RFID-blocking technology, which protects cards from being scanned electromagnetically by thieves. We have not yet tested the updated version.
The Allett Sport Wallet Leather Edition is a great leather wallet that’s actually affordable, a bit unusual-looking, and capable of stowing a tiny pen in a pinch.
It has leather only on the exterior. While Allett uses soft leather outside, inside it uses a moisture-wicking nylon. The wallet has just two card pockets, both of which are lined with rubber for maximum grip; Allett claims that you can fit five in each, for a total of 10 cards.
It’s surprisingly small. For a leather bifold, this wallet is extremely compact—not just thin but also both shorter and narrower than the Leatherology wallet (and shorter than the Dun wallet).
Specs
The Slimfold Micro Tyvek Wallet is a great choice if you want a truly compact Tyvek wallet with a subtly sophisticated design—and you don’t mind having to replace it annually.
It’s terrific looking. I’ve been carrying this Slimfold wallet almost every day since working on this guide. When we first tested it, it was offered in chic prints—like a cubic design, and a repeating Monyou wave (a traditional Japanese pattern)—that were far more stylish than the ones generally found on Tyvek wallets. At the time of this update, it’s available in only one color (white). We’ve noticed frequent stock issues in the other prints and colors.
It holds a bunch of cards. The wallet is a delight to use, as cards slide easily into any slot. We could easily slip five cards into the left slot and two cards each into the two on the right—with each of the back hidden pockets holding three cards, the wallet can accommodate 15 cards easily.
It has RFID protection. This feature may not be truly necessary, though, because we don’t think RFID protection offers any substantive safety or improvements.
Because the Tyvek material that holds this wallet together is basically a very durable paper, we weren’t expecting the wallet to last an especially long time. But after just two months of use, the edges of our wallet started to fray and lose their color.
Specs
If you’re looking for a more durable Tyvek wallet with fun designs that keep the tongue firmly in cheek, consider a Mighty Wallet.
You get lots of slots. With two expandable card pockets, two cash pockets, and two hidden pockets along the edges of the wallet, the Mighty Wallet isn’t short on storage. Cards fit neatly and snugly in the pockets, though we wish the wallet offered a few more interior slot options.
It offers cheeky designs. The Mighty Wallet comes in a plethora of fun designs, and that’s where it really shines: You can get one that looks like an airmail envelope (a nod to the material that’s usually used for such shipments), a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or even a New York City subway map—you’ll find nearly 40 designs in all. They’re not entirely to everyone’s taste, but even if you’re looking for something simple, the Mighty Wallet line has it.
Specs
Leave a comment