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I had seen Andar’s brand quite a few times over the years as I have expanded my knowledge base of minimalist wallets; however, I had never had a chance to reach out to them to see if they’d send me out a unit to check out! However, recently, I did just that! Thankfully, they obliged and gifted me their Pilot wallet to check out (while it’s gifted, I’m more than happy to share the upsides and downsides, as coverage isn’t even guaranteed when a brand sends me units).
Andar is held in high esteem in the minimalist wallet space, as they use full-grain leather and seem to market to a higher-end audience. So, does the Pilot stand up to what you would expect? That’s what we’ll be talking about in this article. I’ll go over what it is, everything I like and I don’t like, and exactly who this ejector-style wallet is for.
What is the Andar Pilot Wallet?
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- The top-grain leather is incredibly nice.
- I appreciate the quick access card slot.
- It’s a reasonable price for the quality
- The cash strap is one of the best yet
- I wish it had a metal ejector button and mechanism
- An additional card in its capacity would be awesome
The Andar Pilot is the brand’s ejector style wallet! While they primarily tend to make bi-fold and standard leather wallets, this is the one exception. It’s has a top-ejection-style aluminum cardholder (with a plastic button), which is wrapped in full grain leather (in 12 colors as of this writing).
As for capacity, you can fit up to six cards inside of the cardholder (which fans out the cards), along with one to two cards on an external quick access card slot. You can also carry some cash on the opposite side of the wallet via a diagonal leather strap, of which you slide the cash behind.
What do I like about this minimalist wallet?
1. The top-grain leather is incredibly nice.
While in the past, I used to gravitate heavily toward metal minimalist wallets, I have recently found an appreciation for leather-wrapped cardholders (thanks in part to this wallet here). Because of that, I was stoked when I received this Andar and found its top-grain leather stands up to everything they have marketed it as. It feels incredibly nice, patina’s with usage, and helps keep it from poking you in the leg when it’s in your pocket.
The leather is wrapped around their aluminum cardholder (which it is affixed to by glue) and then is stitched together on either side of the wallet. It feels nice, looks nice, and screams quality, which I appreciate in a sub-$100 wallet (Paid Link).
2. I appreciate the quick access card slot.
Not every wallet does a quick access slot well (some are just a bit too tight to be considered quick access). However, Andar seems to have done a fantastic job with theirs! You can easily pull a card out of the wallet in a pinch (however it might still be faster to eject one out), and does a fantastic job at keeping an additional card or two to add to its capacity.
The slot is a part of the outer leather portion of the wallet, meaning it doesn’t add any bulk to the wallet, and it keeps the wallet looking sleek.
3. It’s a reasonable price for the quality
With most quality minimalist wallets having prices over $100 nowadays, finding a wallet that has top-grain leather in the $80 range is fantastic! The only drawback quality-wise is the plastic ejector button (we’ll talk about that shortly). The quality, I would say, is on par or better than many other wallets in its price bracket (with many being more expensive). I would have no problem saying it’s well worth the price they asked for it, which is nice.
4. The cash strap is one of the best yet
Much like the quick access slot, having an easy to use cash strap can be a pain (even worse, it could be a money clip). With Ridge and Ekster being the only other brands where I feel like the cash strap was done well, it’s a big deal for me to say this.
The Pilot utilizes a leather strap that keeps multiple bills (folded once or twice) on the opposite side of the card slot. It works extremely well, keeps the aesthetics of the wallet (even when it is not in use), and adds very little bulk to the wallet. I have no complaints, and it does its job well (Paid Link).
What do I NOT like about the Andar Pilot?
1. I wish it had a metal ejector button and mechanism
The ONLY thing that keeps this wallet back from being one of the best-of-the best wallets is its ejector mechanism. Sure, I can get away from the internal mechanism being plastic (most are anyways, except for wallets like this one), however the button itself feels cheaper than it should. Even when compared to some other plastic buttoned alternatives, I have found this one just does’t feel great. Sure, it works well, but the feel isn’t quite there!
I should say, though, the ejector DOES work well, is reliable (I don’t have any noticeable issues), and has a lifetime warranty on it if an issue does arise. I just wish for “feel” reasons; it was a metal mechanism.
2. An additional card in its capacity would be awesome
For quite a long time, minimalist wallets were offered with a six-card capacity. Most ejector-style wallets essentially use the same cardholder design (if not just a modified one that is shared across brands); however, with brands like Double Oak (and now Ekster with their Pro Cardholder), we are starting to see seven card capacities (which is a bigger deal than it seems). I, of course, now wish that this Andar had the same capacity, as it now lacks the capacity that others are able to do.
Who is this wallet for?
The Andar “The” Pilot is well suited for someone who doesn’t need a large capacity of cards and is likely in a professional setting. The leather outer looks fantastic and should impress in the line at Starbucks for your boss’s coffee (sorry, I don’t miss working in an office life).
On the other hand, if you are looking for capacity alone and a top ejector wallet, there might be better options for you (something like this wallet here). This wallet maxes out at 7-8 cards, meaning if you need to carry more than that, you are out of luck.
Where should you buy it
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
- The top-grain leather is incredibly nice.
- I appreciate the quick access card slot.
- It’s a reasonable price for the quality
- The cash strap is one of the best yet
- I wish it had a metal ejector button and mechanism
- An additional card in its capacity would be awesome
