Secrid Slim Wallet Review

An Award-Winning Design

Although Secrid offers several variations of this wallet, at its core, it isn’t so much of a wallet at all. It’s essentially a sophisticated cardholder, crafted from aluminum to tight tolerances. It holds a modest 5-6 cards (it varies depending on how many of your cards are embossed or have raised lettering) with a footprint not much bulkier than the deck itself. They load from the top of the cartridge and sit flush and secure once inserted.

Flipping the wallet upside down and giving it a good shake isn’t enough to cause the cards to fall out, even with just a single card inside. The Secrid’s unique deployment mechanism is its main attraction—a sturdy spring-loaded lever made from plastic at the bottom of the wallet that cascades the cards out from the top as you push on it. Overall, it’s a sleek package that deserves its Red Dot award.

Getting to Your Cards

Using the lever is fairly intuitive, but best suited for right handers. In my use, I’ve found holding it in my right hand and using my ring finger gave me the best purchase and control needed to deploy the cards. It does have an angle to it, as well as some slight clearance from the body of the wallet to give you a better grip. It’s fairly smooth, however, and I think it would benefit from jimping. While the force needed for you to push the cards out is enough to be deliberate, it isn’t as comfortable to do with using just your finger tip. I’d rather take that over having a weak lever or ejecting my cards on accident, though.

There’s some fine control over the lever when advancing your cards, too. I was pleased to find it doesn’t forcefully eject cards—you can push them out slowly and carefully if you’d like, but I find snapping them out quickly is more impressive and fun.

When deployed, they cascade out so you can easily sort through your cards at a glance. This only works in the right handed orientation, unfortunately. Sliding your cards out is intuitive too—just push out with your thumb or pinch and pull.

The aluminum housing also shields your cards from RFID skimming. When you actually want to scan those cards, you can slide them out partially without having to fully remove them from the wallet. It’s a convenient and secure design feature.

Carrying Cash and Other Features

If you’re like me and you prefer to carry cash on you just in case, Secrid gives you a few options. The sample wallet I have here is their snap-button closure variation of the higher capacity leather wallet (there’s a less secure, but easier to operate version without the closure). The closure hardware opens with the right amount of effort and closes with a satisfying snap.

The wallet opens into thirds, revealing an additional card slot, a central slot better positioned for cards or loose coins, and a flexible piece of plastic designed as a cash fold. If you carry more than six cards or would rather keep certain cards more secure and stashed in these inner pockets, you’ll find the wallet can get bulky. While its overall footprint remains close to credit-card sized, the triple folding over of the wallet compounds even the smallest added thickness from whatever you’re putting inside it. This is especially true with the cashfold.

One thing to note is that Secrid is based out of The Netherlands, and they haven’t made a major break into the North American markets yet. With that in mind, the coin pocket and billfold size catering to the European markets makes more sense. While the cashfold probably wasn’t designed specifically for a US dollar, bills fit fine—but there’s a catch. It’s another classic case of choosing between having a few bills in a slim wallet, or a plenty of bills in a much bulkier wallet.

You’ll have to find a folding method that you like best for your cash. Personally, I liked folding them in half, putting the entire wad behind the flap, then closing the wallet up. Another tip: you can keep a couple of standard-sized business cards in this section if you stash them vertically.

Between the aluminum card protector, plastic cash fold, and leather wallet, you’re dealing with three materials that don’t necessarily attach to each other well. Secrid opts for some kind of adhesive backing on either side of the card protector, but over time I’d be concerned with its durability and integrity.

Pros, Cons, and Other Considerations

Pros:

• Push lever works like a dream. Deployment is smooth, effortless, and secure.

• Very slim and pocketable

• Card concealment and RFID shielding for security

• Plenty of configurations

Cons:

• Carrying cash comes with a ton of extra bulk. Bummer.

• The card holder portion doesn’t play well with overly thin or thick cards

• Moving plastic parts are more prone to break, add complexity

Other Things:

On its own, the Secrid Wallet card holder portion does a fine job. The leather wallet add-on in general makes less than elegant compromises all around, putting it in an awkward position between traditional leather wallet and minimalist metal cardholder. In trying to add more functionality, the leather wallet just comes with its own set of faults. It’s harder to get your cards out of the inner pockets (especially after being spoiled by the lever mechanism), cash carrying disappoints, and the construction is questionable as well.

Should You Get This Wallet?

I would recommend this wallet if…

• You rarely carry cash (Sorry, cash carriers. You should check this wallet roundup for all that paper.)

• You only need a modest 5-6 cards

• You front pocket carry your wallet

• You value security features

• You love the feel of metal and unique operation mechanisms in all your gear

If the Secrid slim wallet piques your interest, you can choose from a wide variety of options fine tuned to your carry needs. They come in various colors, with different leather wallet options, or a more minimalist elastic band for strapping on cash. Learn more at Secrid to find a retailer near you.

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Disclosure: I received these products at no charge courtesy of the manufacturer for editorial consideration. That doesn’t, however, affect my opinion of the product as stated in this review.