Wallets

My wallet is about to expire. That's her above, a pretty Poketo I was given by a friend two years ago. Sadly, she's starting to fall apart; the plastic is tearing and the paper inside is getting all smushed. I will keep it as long as it holds together, but soon I'll need a replacement. What should I buy?

The obvious option is another Poketo, which is tempting, because mine has been the recipient of many compliments and plenty of friendly attention from checkout girls. On the other hand, I'm a little disappointed at how quickly it has faded, although given that I wear it every day it's not surprising.

Mighty Wallets look like a bullet-proof Poketo, which is a winning combination. They're constructed from Tyvek®, which makes them "tear-resistant, water-resistant, expandable and, most importantly, recyclable." The Dot Matrix design is printed with the first 3,000 digits of Pi. Geeky!

I love handmade stuff, so I checked Etsy next. Mariforssell has a bunch of fabric billfolds for under $20. The tri-fold snap design looks nice. She claims they are "as small as possible while big enough for credit cards and money."

Minimal is good. The Jimi actually enforces minimalism with its intentionally small, translucent plastic design. You can fit five cards and a little cash and that's all your wallet is for anyway.

Now if I wanted simple and cheap, military supply has got my back. Behold the Raine Pocket Wallet - Black (also available in Blue). Nylon tri-fold construction with credit card pockets and picture holders, all for a lousy four bucks. Bonus: it even comes with a lifetime manufacturer's guarantee.

Even more basic is the classic money clip. There's a very handsome, sterling silver clip on Etsy from seller chrisparry. This is a case where "simple" does not equal "cheap." I'm willing to pay more for quality, however, and at $60 I wouldn't call it overpriced (it may even be a good Father's Day gift, hint hint).

I saved the most bad-assed for last. Also on Etsy, the "1Life2Live" leather wallet is entirely hand tooled and stitched. Priced at $399, this wallet would always be worth more than the sum of what I keep in it. Awesome.

1 comment:

mgorter said...

Dude! These are sweet! So many great choices—you've put together a nice collection of prospects! Let us know which one wins out.