Introduction
All wallets are not equal.
It used to be easy to choose a new wallet. You picked one made of premium leather, or you saved a few bucks by buying one made of fabric. And that was pretty much all there was too it.
But times have changed.
Only 15% of Americans carry cash nowadays. That’s only 3 out of every 20 people.
It’s not just because of credit and debit cards, either. Mobile payment services like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo mean that fewer people than ever are carrying cash.
And with smartphones being able to exchange information wirelessly, almost no one is carrying paper business cards anymore.
Without the need to carry business cards or large sums of cash, wallets have gotten much slimmer and sleeker in recent years.
Thick, bulky wallets have been banished to the bottom of your dad’s dresser drawer, along with the clip-on ties and the pocket calculator.
Meanwhile new, sleek wallets, bursting with new features, have become the norm.
So to help you to make the best possible decision in buying a new wallet, we’ve written this easy-to-understand guide to buying a modern carbon fiber wallet.
What is a Carbon Fiber Wallet?
Many of today’s compact wallets are built from a material called Carbon Fiber.
Carbon fiber is five times stronger than steel, but at just 1/5th of the weight. This makes it incredibly strong, while still lightweight enough to carry with you easily.
Designed to offer incredible strength at a surprisingly low weight, carbon fiber is used to build Indy race cars, passenger jets like the Boeing 787 — even military jet fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-35!
Carbon fiber is also waterproof, resistant to chemicals, and can survive heat up to 500° Fahrenheit (260° Celsius) or more. Its light weight makes carbon fiber the go-to material for items that require incredible strength without being excessively heavy.
Because of all these factors, carbon fiber is the perfect material for the modern wallet.
What to Look for in a Carbon Fiber Wallet
There’s a ton of marketing techno-babble out there with all the different companies trying to jump onboard the carbon fiber bandwagon.
They want to convince the general public that they are using something special by using technical terms that have little real-world meaning. But the actual differences are fairly simple.
When looking for a carbon fiber wallet, you want a solid piece of carbon fiber. Only true carbon fiber provides you with the durability and strength you require.
What you don’t want is anything labeled as carbon fiber coating, carbon fiber finish, or any other weasel words. If their product really was made of true carbon fiber, they would just say so outright.
And so, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at the Top 7 Carbon Fiber wallets on the market.
The Top 7 Carbon Fiber Wallets Compared
Tough enough to last for years, small enough to fit in any pocket, and with all the modern design features that make it a joy to use, Karben Wallet truly is the perfect marriage of style and function.
Crafted from genuine, High Modulus Carbon Fiber and stainless steel, Karben Wallet is waterproof, virtually indestructible, and pleasingly lightweight.
Karben Wallet also blocks RFID readers, preventing thieves from being able to steal your identity or credit card numbers. It holds a dozen cards at once, features an elastic money clip, and includes an integrated lanyard loop.
A simple press makes your cards fan out from the wallet.
Karben Wallet also has a feature that NONE of the other wallets in this article have: the ability to wirelessly share your data with just a tap of your phone via an NFC chip.
Share your social media, websites, videos, and other links with friends and business associates – all it takes is a tap. No cables, no connectors – and better yet: it works even if the other person does NOT have the Karben app installed on their phone!
But perhaps best of all is Karben Wallet’s price. It costs less than half of the price of the Ekster; a third of the price of the Ridge; half the price of the Dango; less than half the price of the Zuboot; and around a third the price of the Frenchie.
With Karben having all of the features of the competition, with none of the downsides, we can’t come to understand why anyone would pay three times as much for another brand.
The Ekster carbon fiber cardholder is a carbon fiber wallet for all of your card-carrying needs.
The smart access system allows you to carry multiple cards in a small space while still having easy access to them. Simply press the button on the bottom of the wallet, and the cards will pop out.
Unlike the Karben Wallet, which can hold up to a dozen credit cards, the Ekster wallet can only carry six. While you can attach more cards to the exterior of the wallet, this card will not be protected from RFID readers.
The Ekster also costs twice as much as the Karben Wallet, while lacking the ability to share your data over NFC. Because of this, we consider the Karben Wallet to be a much better value for your money.
The Ridge carbon fiber wallet holds up to 12 debit or credit cards. The elastic strap makes sure that everything is held in place and still allows you to retrieve a card without it being stuck inside.
The Ridge wallet’s RFID-blocking technology stops any of your card information from being stolen.
Great features, yes, but the main problem with the Ridge wallet is its price. Costing nearly three times what the Karben Wallet costs, the Ridge wallet strikes us as being extremely expensive.
Toss in the fact that the Ridge Wallet lacks Karben Wallet’s ability to wirelessly transfer your data over NFC, and we’re left wondering once again: Why is this wallet so expensive?
The Dango M1 R-SPEC wallet certainly looks elegant and stylish, while still remaining strong and tough.
The main case is built from aluminum with a carbon fiber backing plate. This aluminum is powder-coated for a bright and durable finish.
One downside is that the Dango wallet is partially made of leather. While this can give an attractive appearance, it also makes the wallet far less durable and more susceptible to water damage.
While the Karben Wallet can securely hold up to 12 credit or debit cards, the Dango can only hold a maximum of 10 cards. It also lacks the data-sharing NFC feature included with Karben Wallet.
The Dango Wallet also costs three times as much as the Karben Wallet. Considering that the Karben Wallet offers the same protection but with more features, we find ourselves unable to justify the Dango wallet’s high price.
The Zuboot wallet comes with a separate, carbon fiber key holder. It also comes with a small pocket knife, as well as a tiny multi-tool card.
While these things are nice, they’re accessories, not features of the wallet.
As for the actual wallet, the Zuboot carbon fiber wallet is built from durable and lightweight carbon fiber. It features RFID-blocking technology that prevents your card data from being stolen.
You can fit up to 12 cards in the wallet.
Unfortunately, the Zuboot lacks the NFC data-sharing feature of the Karben Wallet, a feature we grew very fond of during our testing period.
And while the added tools are nice, are they really worth an additional 50 bucks?
Honestly, these are the kind of items you receive as promotional gifts, not something you’d ever consider selling out for $50.
However, at a price “only” $50 higher than the price of the Karben Wallet, the Zuboot is pretty much a bargain compared with the other wallets in this list.
Let’s begin this review with a quote taken directly from the Hell-Bent website regarding this product:
“This is NOT a carbon fiber wallet.”
So what is the Hell-Bent Wallet made of?
Plastic.
That’s right, plastic. With a carbon fiber “finish”. At this point, it seems totally unfair to compare it to the other wallets in this list, but here goes.
Without being built from carbon fiber, all of carbon fiber’s strength, heat-resistance, and durability go straight out the window. Is the Hell-Bent wallet waterproof, or even water-resistant? Who knows!
On the bright side, the Hell-Bent wallet features RFID protection. It can also hold up to 8 credit or debit cards (Karben holds 12), but doesn’t come with any clip or pocket for holding cash.
Almost needless to say, the Hell-Bent wallet lacks the NFC data-sharing chip that comes with Karben Wallet.
About the best thing we can say here is that the Hell-Bent wallet only costs $40, making it the cheapest wallet on our list.
Just remember, though, the Hell-Bent is NOT a carbon fiber wallet.
The Frenchie Carbon Speed Wallet Mini falls kind of in-between the Hell-Bent wallet and the rest of the wallets on this list.
To begin with, it’s not constructed of solid carbon fiber. Instead, it uses a fabric-based, carbon fiber weave.
So once again, we’re left with a wallet with any of the strength, water-resistance, and durability of true, solid carbon fiber.
Additionally, half of the wallet is made from conventional leather. While it may look pretty, this too lacks any of the protections of true carbon fiber. Try leaving this leather wallet underwater for a week and see what happens to it.
The Frenchie Carbon Speed Wallet Mini does, however, claim to block RFID readers. It’s also great for carrying cash.
Of course, the Frenchie wallet lacks the NFC data-sharing capabilities of the Karben Wallet.
And while the Frenchie wallet features a pleasing, magnet-based clasp, it comes in costing two-and-a-half times more than Karben Wallet.
The Karben Wallet Advantage: Why Karben Wallet Beats the Competition
Simply put, Karben Wallet delivers all the strengths and features you want in a carbon fiber wallet, all at an unmatched low price.
The Karben wallet is tough enough to last a lifetime. It’s completely waterproof and provides ample protection for up to a dozen of your credit cards.
Weighing only 60 grams, Karben Wallet is far lighter than its toughness would suggest.
It’s built from beautiful yet durable carbon fiber that weighs just a fifth of what steel weighs. And with its dimensions of only 8mm x 61mm x 86 mm, it’s small enough to fit in any pocket.
Additionally, Karben Wallet is built from carbon fiber that stops identity theft dead in its tracks! It blocks RFID readers, preventing thieves from stealing your personal info.
And lastly, there’s a feature that we came to love while testing these wallets – a feature that only Karben Wallet provides! Karben Wallet includes an NFC chip that lets you share whatever info you choose – just use the Karben app to enter whatever information you wish to share.
Share your social media, websites, videos, and other links with friends and business associates, all with just a tap of Karben Wallet against the other person’s phone. It even works if the other person does NOT have the Karben app installed on their phone!
Every wallet on this list took away your ability to carry business cards – but only Karben Wallet gives you this feature back – in digital form that’s a thousand times better than any paper business card!
And when you consider the fact that the Karben Wallet costs a third of the price of the other wallets on this list, it’s a total no-brainer – Karben Wallet is the best carbon fiber wallet you can buy…. Period!
To see more reviews like this, please visit our website at https://www.getgadgetcrate.com/
