Saddleback is tough as nails; I have other hand made “fancy” wallets, but the saddleback is tough and has aged the best of them all.

Highly recommended you don’t get anything with horween leather, or even veg tan leather, given your line of work and how tough you likely are on leather. I can dig my fingernails into horween leather with ease.

Im in to see what comes of this.

I have used a coach card wallet for a decade + & just got a new one. I just leave my wallet out of work. Ive seen metal card wallets with intricate mechanisms born to fail. I've sat on 5" thick buffalo nuts.

I just leave my wallet out of my work.

Buffalo Billfold Company makes great wallets- also made in the US. All top grain leather, no genuine leather bs.

I’ve used a Slimmy brand wallet for about 12 years now. Leather, holds a few cards and a few notes, low enough profile to keep in a front pocket. The only hard part of the transition is downscaling from a pocket brick, and it sounds like you’ve already done that.

My first one had a plastic window for ID - the window plastic eventually split, but the rest of the wallet was intact. Replaced it with an all leather one, can’t see why I wouldn’t still be using it in 20 years.

Horween is a company not a leather type. So it really just depends on what kind of leather you bought from them.

They make football leather, and that’s anything but soft. Their cordovan is amazing and very durable, considering it’s horse leather.

Sorry, I meant chromexcel, which is the majority of what you’ll find in wallets from them.

Edit: I’ve also found their Dublin/derby to be very soft and susceptible to damage also

Kangaroo full grain is about as durable and thin as it gets for leather, but honestly you’d be better off will a “shell” wallet that’s got a waterproof gasket. That’ll keep the dust out.

Lots of good leatherworkers on etsy! Handmade and using full grain leather

So you're recommending against veg tan and chromexcel? What does that leave? I was under the impression veg tan and chrome tan were the main types of leather available.

Regular chrome tan. Chromexcel is a combination.

Look up Craft and Lore, which is just a couple of guys in Idaho. I backed a Kickstarter of theirs in 2018 for a slim leather wallet, and it has been one of my best purchases from Kickstarter. You choose the type of leather you want when ordering.

Vegtan leather is really tough. Most high quality leather boots are made out of it.

Got it. Thanks for clarifying.

Veg tan is rigid, but highly susceptible to oil and water. And if you scratch it, it is harder to get out/reduce the appearance, since it’s less oily.

What are you talking about? It’s impregnated with vegetable oils and is water resistant.

If you are getting motor oil on something it’s obviously going to absorb that oil and stain unless you use a proper pretreat.

Vegetable tanned leather is supple and flexible, and most scratches are superficial and buff out or can be repaired with regular leather care.

How does oak bark tan fare? Or does it fall under the same category as veg tan?

No, this is wrong on both counts. Veg tan leather is much more rigid - that’s precisely why it is used in shoes.

Furthermore, veg tan is much much more susceptible to staining both from water and oils.

Veg tan is good when you need thicker leather, harder/more rigid leather, or leather that cannot stretch (belts).

https://www.leathercraftmasterclass.com/amp/vegetable-tanned-leather-vs-chrome-tanned-leather

I have no experience with it, so can’t comment

I'm really enjoying my ridge wallet. No room for cards aka bullshit. Just some cards and cash.

Dooney and Bourke

Men are pickier than women when it comes to a wallet. But each of us has our own preferences. I’ve had this wallet for a number of years after seeing one similar to it that my wife has. One of the best wallets I’ve ever had, never thought I would adjust so well to a zippered one. I even bought a second one as my experience has taught me good things go away when you are ready for a new one. I will probably gift it to my son or grandson as the wear has been minimal on the one I am using. The more I use it, the better it looks! Good luck in your search.

https://www.dooney.com/florentine-small-zip-around-wallet-9Y329RD.html

Correct me if I’m wrong but ridge wallet has lifetime warranty I believe.

Flowfold

Trayvax wallets they’re rock solid. My Trayvax axis looks brand new almost 8 years later… I have a ridge wallet also but I don’t like the mechanism for using it. I still may switch to it a while tho… one day….

Wallets come up in this sub every once in a while and there’s ALWAYS somebody repping trayvax. They’re fantastic.

I've got a 12 year.old horween chromexcel wallet and work in construction, I suppose it should be destroyed by this point then?

All depends how much you baby it, of course.

Mine gets scratched up by my keys - it’s that soft.

Gave in and got a trayvax. I wanted a slim wallet to help with back pain as I have nerve issues. It's the metal one (aluminium?) with the Paracord holding the two pieces together. I LOVE this wallet, holds my cards, has a money clip on one side, and the money clip can be used as a bottle opener.

I will use this wallet until it can't go anymore then I will get another. This is my forever wallet.

All leather gets scratched by keys, that's how hardness works. Surface Scratches don't make something less durable

I’m new to leather working but I’d be happy to try and make you something for free dude. I need the practice anyways. It’ll last forever jist might have some amateur touches lol

Tumi passport wallet. I’ve had it for 7 years of traveling, still looks almost new.

That would be hardcore! If you let me know beforehand how much it would cost, I can pay for the materials at the very least. Ill shoot a pm with my email so we can talk about it more

https://rainbowofcalifornia.com/

I have the orange tri fold and it’s been awesome.

The depth and appearance is much much more dramatic than my other wallets. Chromexcel is very soft - that’s one of the objectives of the tanning process for it. Definitely one of the least durable leathers. It is stretchy and soft by design.

Which isn't bad in a wallet, chromexcel wallets can easily last a lifetime, and who wants a big thick bulky wallet that isn't plyable?

My saddleback and veg tan wallets are not substantially thicker but all look much better as they’ve aged. And I baby my chromexcel one.

I wouldn’t buy chromexcel for a wallet again.

And yeah, pretty much any full grain leather can last a lifetime: the question is how it looks and whether it stretches/warps. Chromexcel doesn’t fare well versus the alternatives.

I’ve used a Saddleback ID wallet for 10ish years. Still in great condition, but it can only hold so much, especially cash. I recently switched to an Osprey small Arcane zip pouch because it can hold more cards/crap than the saddleback.

Big Skinny.

Best value in wallets IMO. The leather hybrid is $33, good quality materials, very thin and low profile. Mine is 6 years old with no damage whatsoever. I'm seeing people recommend $100+ ones and I really dont see how you'd justify paying over triple the price.

Just ordered a Renegade last week. I was looking at the element also.

I’ve had my saddleback wallet for close to 10 years now, it just looks better with age.

I would like to make a case for the saddleback bifold

While the wallet is 5.5” x 4.25” the area allows you to carry more cards with less thickness. I keep the wallet in my back pocket and find the larger area makes it more comfortably by dispersing the pressure when sitting.

As for durability it is pretty much bombproof.

I keep 2 or 3 cards or id’s in each of the four slots. Enough room for cc’s, DL, insurance cards, and a couple necessary other cards.

My vaccine card fits in the pouch behind the cards without folding and the bills pocket is super secure.

After 12 years of hard use it still looks great and makes me feel like an adult every time I pull it out

saddleback large billfold

Mine fell apart after 8 years or so

Another vote for Craft and Lore. I’ve had their port wallet since 2014, and that was after cycling through many other wallets in my quest to find “the” wallet. The wallet is as good as the day I got it, my groomsmen all got one, and my wife uses one now too. Top notch.

Owned a Trayvax for more than 6 years. Looks great and it’s definitely a BIFL

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