Wallet recommendations

[ashenone@lemmy.ml]

I got a wallet from Hanks Belts a few years back and it’s still going strong with minimal wear. Hoping it’ll be the last wallet I own

[cerement@slrpnk.net]

Flowfold - made from recycled sailcloth

[satansbartender@lemmy.world]

I’ve been rocking a leather wallet from Open Sea Leather. They have some interesting designs that work really well for me and the leather patinas nicely.

[swordgeek@lemmy.ca]

Adrian Kliss makes Bison leather wallets. Not quite bifl, but my my last one lasted 22 years of daily use.

[davel23@fedia.io]

Based on a previous BIFL thread I picked up a Flipside V4 wallet a few years back, it’s great. Apparently there is a V5 now which I don’t have so I can’t recommend one way or another, but the V4 is solid.

https://www.flipsidewallet.com/

[rhythmisaprancer@quokk.au]

I second this. I have a nice shirt pocket wallet I use in my back pants pocket that was hand made. Thicker leather, heavy stitching. I’ve had it for about ten years. I bought it in a used hat store that also had custom leather goods from various local folks. Not sure if the photo will work as I haven’t done that yet.

[fondots@lemmy.world]

For solid recommendations you’ll probably need to give some additional details about what kind of wallet you prefer, how many cards and such you carry in it, and which pocket you carry it in.

Bifold vs trifold vs zipper vs money clip etc, front or back pocket, etc.

In general, if you’re looking for leather goods, try to avoid “genuine leather” that’s basically the lowest grade, and about the only nice thing that can be said about it is that it’s not fake.

Basically all leather goods benefit from a bit of care now and then, like cleaning with some saddle soap and some sort of leather conditioner. Over time all leather goods will tend to develop some creases and wear. In some cases that just adds to the character, in other cases it might look kind of grungy, and that’s kind of up to personal taste.

Personally I’m a back pocket wallet guy, and after using thicker leather wallets for most of my life that started to give me a little bit of back pain from sitting on it, so I switched to a thinner nylon wallet (I use a Chums surf short wall for my EDC) and that’s held up probably as well as any leather wallet I’ve personally used (not that I bought particularly great leather wallets) and a simple metal money clip for dressier occasions

But I also don’t carry very much with me. ID, a couple cards, and maybe a little bit of cash.

[oneser@lemmy.zip]

Bought one from German producer Feuerwear**, who make then out of old fire fighter’s hose. Had mine for 2+ years and it just doesn’t scratch/ruin. A friend has had theirs for 5+ years and it’s is only slightly faded but otherwise still in perfect condition (incl. zips etc.)

https://www.feuerwear.de/portemonnaies-aus-feuerwehrschlauch/

[sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz]

I have the V4 too. Those V5s look nice, but my V4 looks almost brand new after a couple of years. I’ll look into the V9 when the V4 finally kicks the bucket. I bought a bag of silicon rubber bands to replace the OEM one, but that’s the only thing that’s shown any wear.

[big_boss_77@fedinsfw.app]

How do the seams hold up? It always seems like my card slots are blowing out

[just_another_person@lemmy.world]

I’ve had the same one of these for almost a decade now, and it still looks brand new: MyWalit

Low profile, fantastic stitching, and great leather.

[robottoaster@mander.xyz]

Try to get one hand sewn with veg tan leather. It’s a traditionally made leather that’s better quality.

[armoredthirteen@lemmy.zip]

Interesting about genuine leather. I decided to check the wallet I’ve had with me for going on 20 years now the only mark I see on it says “genuine leather”. I never do any kind of care to it, it’s gone through all manner of weather from tropical rain to -30c, zero signs of damage. It’s perhaps the longest lasting most reliable thing I’ve ever owned and it sees daily abuse

[lemmysir@lemmy.zip]

That seems like a great idea, I didn’t know anyone made something like this, thank you!

[fondots@lemmy.world]

I will admit that I’m simplifying leather quality terminology quite a lot with that.

Really that’s only part of the grading. There’s different layers to leather like there is to our skin

Full grain leather is basically what you probably think leather is- a slab of animal hide with flesh removed that’s been tanned

Top grain leather has basically had the very top layer sanded down to remove any imperfections.

Split gain leather has had ever more of the top layers removed (suede is a type of split grain) to

And genuine leather has had even more layers removed and usually needs a lot of processing done to it to make it look decent

The topmost layers are the most durable, and so genuine leather tends to not hold up as well as other grades, but it does have some valid uses, full grain leather can be stiff, and genuine leather tends to be pretty soft and flexible, and the other layers in between have their own properties that may or may not be desirable to preserve depending on the intended use.

And within those categories there are still other ways of grading quality- the quality of the hide you started with, different types of treatments and processing, etc. so there is genuine leather out there that is pretty nice, and trash full grain leather.

But as a genuine rule of thumb, if you’re looking for a sturdy leather thing, genuine leather usually isn’t the way to go

And then a step down you have stuff like bonded leather which is basically shredded up leather that’s been mixed with rubber and such and formed into a sheet.

[brewery@lemmy.world]

I am enjoying my Secrid wallet if you’re looking for a thinner card holder with room for some notes but not coins. They come in leather but also different materials. It’s made in the Netherlands and reviews say they last a long time.

[zier@fedia.io]

A wallet made of Ballistic Cordura. It’s heavily durable, washable and will last for decades.
The thing that will fail first on these are the zippers or velcro that may be part of the design.
Sorry I don’t have name brands to recommend.

[actionjbone@sh.itjust.works]

Just as solid as the day I got the thing.

It helps that there aren’t excessive seams.

[modem_down@thebrainbin.org]

Ballistic Cordura is just a brand name for heavy-duty nylon manufactured by Koch Industries, which has spent millions of dollars on climate change denialism, the Tea Party, anti-vaxx-related campaigns, etc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_the_Koch_brothers

So, you might want to look for wallets made of generic heavy duty nylon rather than Cordura-branded nylon. The fabric will be functionally similar, without bankrolling Charles Koch.

[evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world]

Well, time to stop using cordura on my projects, lol. There are many fabrics that perform better and weigh less now, anyway.

Let’s hope the Avient corporation (dyneema) and Bainbridge international (challenge sailcloth) are better than Koch (it would be hard to be worse).