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I’m a bit of a car guy, and with that comes the enjoyment of carbon fiber. It’s incredibly strong and lightweight, and you can mold it into all sorts of different shapes – all allowing for some impressive performance. So I was that much more excited to find that carbon fiber was making its way into wallets, which I (and some of my other team members) have had a chance to test quite a few different options out, and I want to let you know my recommendations!
Now, I’ve found the best-of-the-best minimalist wallets right here, but if you JUST HAVE TO HAVE carbon fiber in your wallet, these are going to be your best options.
Quick Note: All of the wallets found on this list were given to us by the brand to test out!
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1. Ridge Wallet Forged Aurora
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- Extremely simple design
- It's quite durable
- Forged carbon with green looks awesome
- Cash strap is one of the best
- Great card capacity
- Comes with both a money clip and cash strap
- Still not the easiest wallet to get cards out of
- It's really expensive, with no additional utility
- Dimensions: 0.24" by 3.39" by 2.13"
- RFID Blocking: Yes
- Card Capacity: 1 to 12
- Cash Organization: Strap or Money Clip (both included)
- Coin Storage: No (accessory available)
- Weight: 45.3 grams
The Ridge Wallet was the first big (metaphorically speaking) minimalist wallet on the scene. Its sandwich (two plates and an elastic band) build was a simple yet great way to store only what you need (cards and cash). Over the years, the brand has released plenty of different variations, including a carbon fiber version (which they gifted me the green-flaked Aurora wallet).
Rather than the 2 ounces that the aluminum version weighs, the carbon fiber sheds .4 ounces (down to 1.6 ounces). I have both versions of the wallet, and you can see a slight difference in weight between the models, but I wouldn’t say you should spend the extra cash just for the weight savings.
That said, when it comes to carbon fiber (especially the forged carbon), Ridge stands out as having the best-looking forged carbon. The flakes of carbon are larger than just about any competitor, making for a dramatic finish that looks great. The green flakes (or whatever color you choose) stand out extremely well and shimmer. It’s a great-looking wallet.
2. Proof Wallet Carbon Fiber
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- It’s incredibly light weight (thanks carbon fiber)
- I very much like the materials used
- The draw tab works well and is smooth
- I appreciate the lifetime warranty
- It isn’t able to lay flat
- There’s some wear and tear on my cards
If you are looking for a more fabric(y) style of carbon fiber minimalist wallet, this is the one to get! Luke tested this wallet (you’ll find his full review here) and came out thoroughly impressed. It’s incredibly lightweight, the materials are high quality, and the draw tab does an awesome job of bringing out the cards (of which it can handle up to 25 of them).
The main downsides that he found were that it doesn’t quite lie flat on a table, and it has caused some wear and tear on his cards. Otherwise, he very much enjoyed the wallet and highly recommends it to anyone who might need a compact but low-tech minimalist wallet.
3. Ekster Forged Carbon Fiber
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- Dimensions: 0.29" by 4.1" by 2.3"
- RFID Blocking: Yes
- Card Capacity: 1 to 15 ( 1-6 in main cardholder, additional 9 in backup storage)
- Cash Organization: Strap
- Coin Storage: No
- Weight: 59 - 87 grams (depending on material)
- Extremely easy to access up to six cards
- High quality build
- Expandable storage
- Easy to access cash
- A bit larger than competition
- Moving parts can wear
The Carbon Fiber Ekster Cardholder was the first carbon fiber wallet I was ever gifted by a brand, and I used it extensively! This cardholder design is impressive, and easily ejects up to six cards out the top of the wallet with ease (after a quick press of the button on the bottom).
This carbon fiber variant (Paid Link) weighs in at 59 grams, as opposed to the 87 grams of the aluminum. Again, the brand has gifted me both versions of this wallet, and there is quite a noticeable difference between the two wallets when it comes to weight. The additional price might be worth it on weight alone.
As for the carbon fiber styling, the flakes in this forged carbon fiber wallet are a bit smaller, and I have found that after it starts to show some wear and tear, the forged carbon starts to look a bit like fingerprints. Because of that, I would recommend the weaved 3K carbon version of this wallet instead.
4. Aviator Slide Wallet
- Extremely high quality
- Great card capacity
- Easy access to card with pull strap
- Comes with coin tray
- Fabric pull strap is loud in your pocket
- Dimensions: 0.41" by 2.12" by 3.37"
- RFID Blocking: Yes
- Card Capacity: Up to 20 Cards (Chosen at Purchase)
- Cash Organization: Cash Strap
- Coin Storage: Yes
- Weight: 42.4 grams
The Aviator Slide comes in quite a few variants, including a full carbon fiber rail version! While I don’t have that variant, I do have the version with a carbon fiber cash clip, which earns it a spot on this list because, let’s be honest, you don’t care about the qualities of carbon; you just want the style, and this has that.
The Aviator Slide is a fantastic Ridge alternative, as it offers a two-plate and a strap style design, but instead of pushing the cards out the side, you pull your cards out the top with a pull strap.
These wallets are incredibly high quality, are built in (and shipped from) Germany, and even come with a coin tray!
That said, the major downside to this wallet is that the pull strap can get caught up behind the cards, which happens more often than you would like. This takes a few moments at the register to fix when it does happen.
