OK, we admit it, we have a favorite. But in our Secrid Wallet Review we’ll jump in and examine the entire line to help you decide for yourself!
A Comprehensive Overview Of Secrid Wallets (And Our Favorite)
We’re just going to come right out and say it, the best overall Secrid wallet is their Slimwallet.
It’s the one that best combines the ever-elusive slim factor with functionality more so than any of their other wallets.
That said, while it is for most… it’s not for everyone. We’ll jump in and examine the entire Secrid line of wallets to help you decide for yourself which one you need to carry.
“A Better World Starts In Your Pocket”
Secrid Wallets are made in Holland and claim to have the perfect balance in both industrial design and fashion when it comes to their production. The process of making these is also friendly to the people and the environment involved in its design, with a strong commitment to sustainable production.
The company has been going for over 3 decades now having started the company in 1990 however it was in 2009 when the first wallet, the card protector, was launched.
Previous to this they were mainly a design agency – this was before creating a minimal wallet called the Secrid Bodycard in 2007. They’ve come a long way since then with their products being found in almost 5,000 stores worldwide and the team growing to over 100 colleagues in an industrial warehouse.
The Choices
Let’s go through the range, looking at features, dimensions, and durability. We’ll list color options as well to give you an idea, though these do change all the time.
Card Protector
First up is the Card Protector. This is Secrid’s true minimalist offering, the one that started it all, and the building block all the other offerings are based on.
It consists of a simple aluminum shell that holds credit cards only, with a cool “ejector” that kicks the cards out in a satisfying (and practical) fan so you can grab just the card you want and push the rest back in.
This is a great little wallet, but its likely to be too minimalist for most. To give a really specific example, I like to carry a limited number of cards, but always tuck a $20 and maybe a single into my wallet in case of emergencies, or I find myself somewhere with a credit card minimum.
This wallet is simply a credit card holder. It can’t really hold business cards (they tend to jam the mechanism) and there is nowhere to tuck cash at all.
Dimensions: 4.72 x 2.48 x 0.31 inches (120 x 63 x 8 mm)
Weight: 1.7oz (48 grams)
Capacity: 4-6 cards (depending on whether they are embossed or not).
Durability: The shell is a pretty tough aluminum and sturdy enough to take a beating while protecting your cards. The ejector mechanism is simple and as robust as you’re likely to find on any ejector wallet. Having said that, moving parts are the ones that will break on any gadget and wallets are no exception. The card ejector mechanism on my card protector jams sometimes.
So far, this hasn’t been a big deal – after manually extracting the cards its continued to work fine.
Colors: Black/ Blue/ Bordeaux/ Brown/ Brushed Silver/ Gold/ Red/ Rust/ Silver/ Titanium Color/ Violet/ Laser Magnolia Black/ Laser Magnolia Bordeaux/ Laser Tartan Brown/ Laser Tartan Rust/ Laser Zigzag Black/ Laser Zigzag titanium.
RFID Protection: Yes (the aluminum shell provides this)
Moneyband
So what’s a guy to do if he wants a slim, cool gadget like the Card Protector, but also needs a little bit of cash? Well, there’s always this solution:
But let’s face it, adding a random strap/rubber band feels a bit downmarket, no? So there is an ‘official’ version – the Moneyband:
OK, this is just a cooler-looking version of the jury-rigged strap above, isn’t it? Its tough elastic and stainless-steel, so it won’t look out of place. If you only sometimes need the extra carrying option then the card protector and band might be the answer for you.
It also comes in lots of color choices so you can mix and match.
The Cardslide
OK, so if you’re really keen on the card protector, but you need that little extra capacity and the cash-carrying that the Moneyband adds, you could also go for this intriguing little combo.
The Cardslide consists of a card protector like the one earlier, but fits it into a slide (essentially a shallow U-shaped tray that the Cardprotector drops into). This tray gives a hidden extra space alongside the protector so you can drop in a business card or two, some cash, receipts, etc.
For good measure, they also throw in throw in a Moneyband to wrap around and hold everything together.
Dimensions: The slide is shorter but wider than the Cardprotector at 4.06 x 2.68 x 0.75 inches (103 x 68 x 19 mm)
Weight: The slide weighs 3.46 oz (98 grams)
Capacity: 4-6 cards in the Cardprotector, 2 more in the slide
Durability: Similar comments here as to the Cardprotector, since the major part of this is exactly that – an aluminum Cardprotector. The slide is very simple and sturdy, so we think this scores about the same for durability overall.
Colors: Desert / Black & Black / White & Bordeaux / Black & White / Electric Blue and Lime / Forest Green, and so on…. you get the idea. Lots of choices and options to pair different color slides and moneybands with the Protector.
RFID Protection: Yes (the aluminum shell provides this)
Miniwallet
Moving up the scale a bit, we get to the Miniwallet. This feels a little more “businesslike” than the Cardslide to me. It’s a simple enough concept – take the Cardprotector and put it in a slim leather wallet.
This bifold wallet comes in a nice antique-look leather, and holds the Cardprotector on one side, while adding some extra pockets on the other to hold up to four extra cards. The wallet clicks together with a firm clasp on the front of the wallet.
Dimensions: 4.02 x 2.56 x 0.83 inches (102 x 65 x 21 mm)
Weight: 2.54 oz(72 grams)
Capacity: 4-6 cards in the Cardprotector, 4 more in the wallet
Durability: The Cardprotector is of course, as durable as it ever was. The leather wallet should last for years if taken care of like any leather product.
Colors: OK, this is a little crazy, but here goes – Original Black/ Original Bordeaux/ Original Cognac-Brown/ Original Dark Brown/ Original Navy-Blue, Original Red-Red, Vintage Black/ Vintage Blue/ Vintage Brown/ Vintage Chocolate/ Vintage Cognac-Rust/ Vintage Grey-Black/ Vintage Olive-Black/ Matte Black/ Matte Blue/ Matte Brick-Black/ Matte Green-Black/ Mate Grey-Black / Matte Petrol/ Matte Pink/ Matte Purple & many more.
RFID Protection: Yes for the cards inside the Cardprotector (the aluminum shell provides this), not for the ones in the wallet pockets.
Slimwallet
This is our favorite of the range. The Slimwallet continues to build on the Cardprotector base, adding more capacity with a vintage-style wallet. This version doesn’t have the clasp of the Miniwallet, giving a sleeker appearance.
Dimensions: 4.02 x 2.68 x 0.63 inches (102 x 68 x 16 mm)
Weight: 2.54 oz (72 grams)
Capacity: 4-6 cards in the Cardprotector, 6 more in the wallet
Durability: As before, the Cardprotector is as durable as it ever was. The leather wallet should last for years if taken care of. The lack of a clasp may even mean there is one less weak point to wear out.
Colors: There’s a theme developing here, isn’t there? Original Black/ Original Bordeaux/ Original Cognac-Brown/ Vintage Black/ Vintage Brown/ Vintage Chocolate/ Vintage Cognac-Rust/ Vintage Grey-Black/ Matte Black/ Matte Green-Black/ Matte Grey-Black/ Crisple Black/Crisple Black-Gold, Rango Blue Titanium and many more.
RFID Protection: Yes for the cards inside the Cardprotector (the aluminum shell provides this), not for the ones in the wallet pockets.
Twinwallet
OK, now this is the point where we can’t decide if this is in “genius” or “jumped the shark” territory.
The Twinwallet is exactly what its name implies. It’s two Cardprotectors slapped together, wrapped in a larger version of the Miniwallet leather-wallet-with-a-clasp solution.
Some people love this and regard it as the Cadillac of the range, but the double-trigger of the two Cardprotectors feels to us like an awkward set-up and annoying when one inevitably gets stuck.
Dimensions: 4.02 x 2.76 x 0.98 inches (102 x 70 x 25mm)
Weight: 4.59 ounces (130 grams)
Capacity: 16 total – 4-6 cards in each Cardprotector, 4 more in the wallet
Durability: Each Cardprotector is as durable as before, the leather should be as durable as any good leather wallet. We do feel that the double-stacking is likely to make jamming more likely as you are likely to pull one trigger a little when you meant to pull the other – the excess use may “age” the mechanism somewhat faster.
Colors: Original Black/ Original Cognac-Brown/ Original Red-Red/ Vintage Black/Vintage Chocolate/Matte Blue/ Matte Purple and oh, we give up already, there’s too many options…
RFID Protection: As before, yes for the cards inside the Cardprotectors, not for the ones in the wallet pockets.
That’s a Wrap
So when we look at the whole collection, its an impressive range and cleverly modular system. You can mix and match components, add extra capacity as needed, and oh, did we mention the crazy range of colors?
When it comes to the functionality of the wallets in the Secrid collection, it all depends on what you are looking for.
If you only have a few cards the Card Protector is fine. However if you need a wallet that can accommodate more cards and things such as cash, receipts and business cards, the Miniwallet, the Slim or even the Twinwallet might be a bit more suited to your needs.
Our favorite, as we’ve said before, is the Slimwallet:
- We feel this is the best balance of minimalist Cardprotector with a little extra storage
- And that extra capacity added in style!
Before You Go…
Still on the fence about Secrid wallets? Why not compare them to some of the alternatives? We’ve got a whole article covering some great card ejector wallets that compare very well. Check out our next article:
Related Articles
- Dango vs. Ridge vs Trayvax – The showdown!
- Is An Expensive Wallet Worth It? (This High-End Newspaper Thinks So!)
- How To Tell If A Wallet Is Good Quality
All product names, logos, brands, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners
Last update on 2024-04-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
