Even with mobile apps like Apple Pay meant to store your cards digitally, you’d be hard-pressed to find a person not carrying a good old-fashioned wallet in their pocket. At the very least you still need to carry your ID and a credit card (or debit card) just in case, like when digital payments aren’t accepted at your favorite lunch spot. And though full-grain leather wallets and those made of fabric are still the go-to favorites for many, a slim-profile metal wallet might be the rugged solution you need.
Not only do you get the obvious durability and unique design of metal protecting your essentials, but some of them also come with a few extra useful features like quick access, RFID-blocking, or discreet tools that add more functionality to your carry. A few of the wallets on this list also sport lifetime warranty service, giving you confidence that they’ll last through the years. Steel wallets are surprisingly lightweight, and there are always aluminum wallets if weight is your biggest concern.
Whether you’re tired of replacing top-grain leather wallets that won’t stand up to everyday wear and tear or want to slim down for front-pocket carry, these are some of the best metal wallets around.
The Best Metal Wallets – 2024 edition
The Best Overall Metal Wallet🏆: Ridge Wallet [Buy]
The Best Metal Wallet on a Budget: Hayvenhurst Metal Wallet [Buy]
The Best Enthusiast Metal Wallet: Machine Era Co. Ti5 Slim [Buy]
The Most Rugged Metal Wallet: Trayvax Contour [Buy]
The Metal Wallet With the Most Options: AVIATOR Slide Slim [Buy]
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The Best Overall Metal Wallet 🏆
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The Best Metal Wallet on a Budget
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The Best Enthusiast Metal Wallet
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The Most Rugged Metal Wallet
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The Metal Wallet With the Most Options
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$99.00
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$18.97
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$65
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$132.60
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$94+
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Capacity:
12 cards
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Capacity:
5-6 cards
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Capacity:
7 cards
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Capacity:
13 cards + cash
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Capacity:
Up to 20 cards
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Key Features:
Premium materials and construction
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Key Features:
Thumb slot/bottle opener
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Key Features:
Thumb slot / bottle opener
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Key Features:
Overbuilt metal and leather design
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Key Features:
RFID-blocking
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The Best Overall Metal Wallet 🏆: Ridge Wallet
If you’re after a high-quality metal wallet for a minimal profile and durable build, check out the Ridge Wallet. These come in a few different materials, so whether you want the lightweight properties of carbon fiber or the durability of a titanium wallet, the Ridge has you covered. All the offerings also provide RFID blocking for that added peace of mind and an elastic strap or a metal money clip for a few folded bills. They also hold up to 12 cards, so if there are some cards you can’t justify leaving behind, you should be able to fit them.
The Best Metal Wallet on a Budget: Hayvenhurst Metal Wallet
Have your card essentials instantly on hand at the push of a button with the Hayvenhurst Pop Up Metal Wallet, a sleek, minimalist option able to hold 4-5 easy access cards while taking up next to no space in your pocket. The aluminum wallet construction with a carbon fiber pattern lets it stealthily fit in with the rest of your carry while providing RFID protection. A multi-purpose cash strap can hang on to folded bills, notes, and other items without bulking up its slim front-pocket design. And any time you need your credit cards, one push of its signature button fans them out, ready for use at a moment’s notice.
The Best Enthusiast Metal Wallet: Machine Era Co. Ti5 Slim
The Machine Era Ti5 is a titanium wallet that features a bottle opener directly in its body. The elastic band holds everything in place in this slim card protector wallet but it also lets you hold folded bills without them falling out during use. Because it’s made out of titanium, it’s lighter than if it was made out of steel, and it’s also immune against corrosion.
The Most Rugged Metal Wallet: Trayvax Contour
The Trayvax Contour is one of the EDC community’s first and finest tactical wallets made of metal. This made-in-the-USA front-pocket wallet features a leather and metal chassis that gives easy access to the contents. The skeletonized design also helps it operate as an ID window if you carry your driver’s license at the edge.
The Metal Wallet With the Most Options: AVIATOR Slide Slim
The Aviator Slide Slim Metal Wallet features a unique design that centers around an easy-access pull strap that allows credit cards to be fanned out of the Slim Wallet in seconds. You pick the size of the wallet based on the number of cards you need and slim down to the required number of cards. An external elastic band lets you carry a limited number of folded bills on the side. And if you prefer a lot of material options and capacity sizes, AVIATOR has you covered with dozens of styles and colorways to choose from.
Our other recommendations
The Dango D03 Lite Dapper Rail is a minimalist take on the metal wallet design featuring 6061 aerospace-grade aluminum and an elastic band that helps keep the debit cards secure inside but also allows for secure carry of folded bills. It features Dango’s signature overbuilt design language in its most minimal form, keeping your essentials light but secure and protected.
If you have an eye for design, then the award-winning Secrid card protector might be for you. This aluminum cardholder has a spring-loaded quick access lever on the bottom that, when deployed, fans out up to 6 debit cards for easy pickings. When you're done, just push it back inside the RFID blocking case, and the cards stay hidden from view, electrical or otherwise. The Secrid Cardprotector is one part of a system, so cash carriers can opt for an extra elastic band, while EDC minimalism aficionados will find it useful as is.
The XSTO is a highly structured credit card holder that fits 8 payment and debit cards into its aluminum and carbon fiber body. Unlike a lot of other slim wallets in this list, the XSTO wallet requires you to carry the maximum capacity in order to make it secure, but XSTO offers variations to fit your exact carry needs. The quick access fan of cards works very well, and the carbon fiber portion allows for some of your most frequently-used cards to be quickly found.
Are metal wallets good? Pros and Cons
Like any other EDC product, metal card wallets have both positives and negatives that you should consider when making your choice to convert to slim metal card holders or not.
Pros
Metal card holder wallets are the perfect front pocket EDC choice for anyone into minimalism. Until traditional top-grain leather bifold wallets, these wallets handle card slots by slimming things down to the essentials. Gone are the ID windows and bulky cash pockets. In their place are the money clip wallets and aerospace-grade metal wallets that provide RFID blocking for your metal cards.
Cons
Slim front pocket steel wallets and other metal card holders might not be the best option if you carry a lot of cash. While a lot of these quick access card holders allow for some folded bills, if you deal mostly in cash instead of credit cards or debit cards, picking a metal wallet isn’t the best option for you.
Choose the Best Metal Wallet Material For You
When it comes to picking the best metal wallet for your EDC, there are a lot of options out there, and a bunch of different materials to choose from.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel wallets have enough durability to provide a slim front pocket wallet experience while being strong enough to pull double duty with multi-tools and other useful features built into the wallet itself. The density of the metal also helps with RFID protection.
Aluminum
Aluminum wallets typically feature aircraft-grade alloys that provide high-quality durability while being lighter in weight compared to steel wallets. The aluminum plates also help keep your credit cards organized in a sturdy and structured area.
Titanium
Titanium wallets are one of the most premium metal wallet offerings, giving you a slim and lightweight front pocket wallet. Unlike stainless steel wallets, titanium wallets are impervious to corrosion, and cardholder wallets made out of this material are some of the best metal wallets you can EDC today.
Carbon Fiber
Obviously, carbon fiber is not a metal, but lots of slim credit card holders feature this material. This lightweight and stylish material pairs well with a stealthier EDC, reducing the overall weight and making it better for front-pocket carry.
Metal Wallet FAQ
Are metal wallets good?
Unlike traditional bifold wallets made of top-grain leather, metal wallets are more durable and tend to be slimmer. They carry all the access cards, business cards, and credit cards you need to get through your day.
Where do you buy metal wallets?
You can buy any of the metal wallets on this list by clicking the links in this guide and buying one today. There’s a slim metal wallet for everyone, and you should take a look.
How we picked
Decades of experience and deep connections in the everyday carry industry give us a unique viewpoint on the market to inform our product recommendations. We have a depth of information for thousands of products that have come before and an extensive eye on the market to see what’s new and trending for each piece of gear. The result is a buying guide that we feel is informative and useful for EDCers of every trade, industry, and budget.
What is Everyday Carry?
Everyday Carry is both the concept of what people carry in their pockets and the process of picking out gear that thoughtfully considers what one wants or needs in their daily lives. It encompasses everything from style to preparedness to utility, meaning an entire industry full of valuable tools and essentials to choose from.
Why you should trust us
Our team has decades of combined experience in all aspects of everyday men’s essentials, from wallets to pens to bags and everything in between, and we know where to find great gear ideas that you may not come across at your local stores or when shopping online. Our expertise in the industry and familiarity with design, materials, and usability help you make more informed choices when it comes to picking up your next piece of gear.
