I’ve been looking at wallets.
The one I have been using for 10 – 12 years is still more or less in good shape.
It’s a bit of a traditional wallet style that I’ve been finding more uncomfortable to sit on.
I started looking at a variety of wallets, some traditional, and some of the new non-traditional versions.
My previous leather wallet was made by BelRoy and it’s a great wallet.
Unfortunately, they’re not making that version anymore, or anything like it.
After searching and mulling it over for months, I noticed I kept coming back to the Ridge wallets.
www.ridge.com
For the record, I’ve not been paid, or compensated in any way by them.
I ordered one of their RFID blocking wallets in “Burnt Damascus”.
They upsold me with a Valentines day special, to their “daily driver kit”, which includes their key case.
I thought okay, why the heck not? I’m worth it. At check out they made me a great deal on a pen.
Awww, why the hell not? This is my Valentines present to myself.
To this order I added their AirTag Holders for both the wallet and the key case.
I’m not going to go through all the florid unpacking details.
The packaging is nice, direct, and sturdy.
In the wallet box are spare screws, a fairly decent Torx T-5 screwdriver and two replacement elastic straps.
One strap is used to keep tension on the plates that hold credit cards. The other strap is to act as a money strap, holding a small selection of bills.
In the wallet AirTag holder box, in addition to the AirTag holder, is a screwdriver, a couple of extra screws and two more replacement elastic straps.
In the Pen box, is just the pen.
In the key case box there is the key case, a flat bladed tool to open the case, two metal rings, (typical spiral loops) one large, one small.
The AirTag holder for the key case is just flexible plastic, requiring no tools but also comes with the two metal rings.
From a presentation standpoint the packaging is really nice. It appeals to my sense of aesthetics.
So, here’s where we are, 3 days after getting the package.
First, I like the wallet. It’s solid. The Damascus is a simulation of Damascus steel and it’s got texture. I like that because since my wallet lives in my front pocket now, it’s nice to have something to grip.
I wasn’t sure I would like the wallet. It’s a very radical departure from what I’ve carried all my life. I thought I’d be testing out their return policy. Oh, about their return policy, it’s very generous and impacted my purchasing decision.
I did not however, like the AirTag attached to the wallet.
This is not a problem with Ridge, the build quality of the wallet and the AirTag holder is good. They both have heft and the metals are solid.
The problem was that I wanted a thinner wallet and the AirTag adds thickness that defeated my goal in getting a new wallet..
I went back to the original wallet design. I’m planning to purchase a different device that is shaped like a credit card and supports Apple’s FindMy functionality. Due to the shape it will not significantly increase the thickness of the wallet.
The thing I really like is that the wallet is clean, simple, and fits easily in my front pocket.
The key case is also nicely built, but a touch awkward with my front door key. The awkwardness is that the key is not round, or hexagonal in shape. The door key is this weird trapezoid shape.
That being said, it’s nice to have the keys all contained and silent. The containment is accomplished with a simple compression plate made of spring steel.
The key case is not suitable for keys like the larger car key fobs common with BMW, Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes, and others.
It’s only going to hold onto the traditional flat keys like house keys. The picture shows the scale of my car key with the key case.
There is a pocket clip on the back of the key case. I found that I don’t like it. The bent end is somewhat sharp, and getting in & out of the car that clip catches on the seat.
It could scratch leather or possibly tear your seat getting in or out of the vehicle. Since I had the handy T-5 I removed the clip. In doing so I discovered that the clip was secured in place by the spring clip that holds the keys in place. It only took a moment to fix.
I added the carabiner to tie everything together for the moment, I’m probably going to be revisiting the arrangement several times over the next few weeks.
Thus far I’m pleased. This has forced me to carry only what I need, and I expect that as time goes on, I’ll be thinning it out even more.
Why the change?
Part of this came about after using Apple’s MagSafe wallet.
I found that I didn’t need to always carry a big lump in my back pocket.
The problem with the MagSafe wallet was its 3 card limit. I also didn’t like having to remove it from the phone to access the cards. They say 3 credit cards. That’s BS it’s 2 cards because one slot is taken by your ID.
So my combo when using the Apple MagSafe wallet was ID, Debit Card, & Credit Card. Then I was off to have drinks with friends.
Since most credit card purchases can be accomplished using tap to pay, from the Apple digital Wallet in my phone or from my watch, I don’t need to carry a wad of credit or debit cards. The exception seems to be gas pumps. In my area they almost never have the tap to pay system operational.
My proof of insurance cards, also live in the Apple wallet, so I don’t need to carry them either.
I like having cash on me. It doesn’t have to be much, but it’s a little security blanket. In that regard, the Apple MagSafe wallet wasn’t cutting it.
Originally I was looking for a MagSafe compatible wallet from another vendor than Apple. That led me down several unproductive rabbit holes. Ridge makes a few MagSafe compatible wallets but none of the available colors struck my fancy.
Eventually, I thought maybe MagSafe wasn’t that big an issue. I use wireless charging so I’d have to take the wallet off to use wireless charging or MagSafe mounting.
The more I thought about it, the more I concluded that a straight up wallet was probably better. I can grab the phone, wallet, and keys, on my way out the door.
The pen is great. It’s simple, well balanced, a bit thicker than some of my other pens and is comfortable to write with. It uses a standard Parker refill so when I need to replace the cartridge it’s not going to be a hassle.
Parker cartridges are easy to find in a variety colors, and fine, or medium line thicknesses.
For comparison, pen is what Ridge calls “Burnt Titanium” it’s more of a matte finish. I was strongly considering the Wallet, and Key Case in this color.
The “Burnt Damascus” is a little more shiny and reflective than I thought it would be. But I like it.
So here’s some closing thoughts.
I feel like Ridge has designed these products to be customized. You can mix & match, add & remove features and attachments easily.
It’s like they send you the basic model and invite you to make it your own.
I’m still fiddling but I’m mostly comfortable with what I’ve gotten to now.