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I have tested A LOT of wallets over the years and have had a chance to try out all different types of form factors! One more rarely used version is the sandwich design wallet, where you pull the cards out vertically using a pull strap! We saw it previously on the Aviator Slide Wallet (which we retail now), but it stopped there.
That is until we got our hands on this Proof Wallet (which was gifted to us by the brand)! So, after quite a while of testing this leather version out, it is time for me to let you know what I like about it, what I don’t like about it, and exactly who it is for!
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What is the Proof Wallet?
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- The leather is high quality and feels great
- The pull tab works extremely well, and is held in place
- It seems to be very durable
- Fantastic card capacity
- It’s very compact
- It doesn’t fan out your cards
While we may have another review coming out soon for the carbon fiber version of this wallet (done by a different reviewer at Gear43), the one I have here is their top-grain leather version! This means the face of the wallet is finished in top-grain leather, which wraps around partially to the back, where it meets an aluminum plate on the rear. While I kept seven cards throughout my testing, you can keep up to 25 in this wallet.
The wallet is held together by an elastic strap that doubles its duty as a cash strap. The cash strap also has a top-grain leather cover that holds up to 20 bills. Its stand-out feature is its pull strap, which ends in a leather tab. You pull up on the strap, and cards are ejected out the top of the wallet, and when you push the cards back down, the strap goes with it. If you are already convinced, you can always buy it here (Paid Link)!
What do I like about this minimalist wallet?
1. The leather is high quality and feels great
I used to be completely against leather in my wallets, thinking that aluminum was hands down the best option. However, my opinion has been swaying back the other way recently, especially since some of these wallets are starting to use top-grain leather. This leather feels fantastic!
It’s smooth to the touch, patinas extremely well after even just brief usage, and looks awesome. If you are someone who is hoping to switch away from a standard bifold to a minimalist wallet, you’ll likely find yourself feeling more at home with this wallet than other metallic wallets.
I have absolutely no complaints when it comes to the leatherwork on this wallet at all!
2. The pull tab works extremely well, and is held in place
The Proof Wallet’s main competitor in this form factor space is the Aviator Wallet (as we’ve mentioned a couple of times already). While the Aviator may have some things going for it over this wallet, one thing they have fixed that annoyed me with its competitor is the pull strap.
With the Aviator, its metallic tipped strap tends to rattle around in your pocket against the wallet. Proof fixed that with a leather tip. The other issue? I kept running into where the strap would slump to the side of the wallet and get hung up on the wallet; Proof fixed that with a tiny little railing that kept the strap perfectly in place all the time.
I can’t think of a way that Proof could have handled the strap better, unless, of course, they figured out how to fan the cards out for easier access.
3. It seems to be very durable
While I try to spend as much time with a wallet before reviewing it, durability is always difficult to show unless you spend years with the thing. However, after a few weeks of usage, you can generally get a good idea of if something is going to hold up (for example, the Ekster Aluminum started scratching after just a couple of days).
Anyway, after a few weeks of using this thing, I have seen little to no wear on the wallet, no frayed stitches, no bad damage to the aluminum panel, and everything seems to be in tip-top shape. That is, of course, for the scratches in the leather, but those are supposed to be there and are a major upside of top-grain leather.
4. Fantastic card capacity
One of the major issues with most minimalist wallets is the card capacity! Most of the major brands top out at 12 cards. While most people may be wondering why in the world you would need that many cards, there are some people who need to have that capability. Well, the Proof Wallet offers a capacity of up to 25 cards (Paid Link).
Should you have that many cards in this wallet? Probably not; you are going to wear it out prematurely. But can it handle that many? Technically yes. If your goal is to have a ton of cards in your “minimalist wallet,” this is one of the few that can handle that many.
5. It’s very compact
The Ridge Wallet has done something fantastic: it allows you to keep quite a few cards in a wallet that is just as small as the cards themselves. However, if you have veered away from that sandwich form factor, you usually have to give up on the compact sizing as well. If you want an ejector button like in these wallets here, you gain quite a bit in height.
However, the Proof Wallet has done a fantastic job of being somewhere in the middle. It’s barely bigger than a Ridge Wallet, but it offers easier access and better leather materials. It still keeps a size that is just slightly larger than the Ridge. I was impressed, and it was a big reason why this wallet has climbed the ranks as one of my favorites.
What do I NOT like about the proof wallet?
1. It doesn’t fan out your cards
What’s one of the best things about minimalist wallets? Ease of access to your cards! I believe that Ekster may have one of the best ejector mechanisms in their Pro version of their wallet, and that is because it ejects the cards out the top but also fans them out, so you can access any of the cards in the stack quickly and easily.
While the Proof wallet does this as well with the pull strap, it lacks the fanning of the cards. It basically pulls all of the cards out the top in one big stack, and it leaves it to you to fan them out yourself. While it’s a small thing, it is something you notice is lacking after testing out 40+ wallets so far.
Keep in mind though, the pull strap doesn’t have any true moving parts, which theoretically should give you much better reliability.
Who is the Proof Wallet for?
I was pleasantly surprised by this leather Proof wallet! It does about 95% of everything perfectly! In fact, that is why it is beginning to be one of my all-time favorites. If you are someone who is looking to go minimalist but wishes you had a bit of leather in your pocket, you can’t go wrong with this one.
If you can stomach the $100+ price tag, you’ll get a well-made wallet with a fantastic warranty and easy access to your cards and cash (even if it doesn’t fan them out).
The only person I can think of who would not do well with this wallet is if you want tracking capabilities (which then you should just get a tracker card) or if you are in the camp of needing a fully metal cardholder with an ejector! Otherwise, I would have no regrets about getting this wallet myself.
Where should you buy the leather Proof wallet?
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
- The leather is high quality and feels great
- The pull tab works extremely well, and is held in place
- It seems to be very durable
- Fantastic card capacity
- It’s very compact
- It doesn’t fan out your cards
