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A while back, I was (and I guess I still am) on a minimalist wallet kick. I started off my journey with a white Ridge Wallet (that was gifted to me by my wife), which got me hooked! So, I started reaching out to brands like Dango to try out their products for review (thankfully, Dango gifted me the one to talk about in this article).
So, with that, I am going to be sharing with you a real-world comparison between these two high-quality wallets and let you know exactly which one you should be buying.
TL;DR: Unless you really want the leather or enjoy the styling of the much more out-there design of the Dango D01, then you should just get the Ridge Wallet. The Ridge is considerably more refined, makes it easier to access your cards and cash, and takes up less bulk in your pockets.
Jump to:
What is the Ridge wallet?
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- Easy access to your most-used cards
- It looks awesome
- Extremely durable
- You can't make it bloated.
- Compact sizing
- More difficult to access lesser-used cards
- It could hold a bit more cash.
- Dimensions: 0.24" by 3.39" by 2.13"
- RFID Blocking: Yes
- Card Capacity: 1 to 12
- Cash Organization: Strap or Money Clip
- Coin Storage: No (accessory available)
- Weight: 59 - 87 grams (depending on material)
If you have spent any time shopping for a minimalist wallet, you likely have run into Ridge. This was one of the first big minimalist wallets on the scene and continues to be a dominant force in the space (and for good reason).
It utilizes a simple two-plate design that is held together by an elastic strap, and you can choose either a money clip or a cash strap (at the time of purchase) to hold your non-card style of payment. The Ridge can be purchased in a variety of different colors and materials (including gold and carbon fiber).
What is the Dango D01?
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- Great aesthetics
- Reasonable pricing
- Awesome build quality
- Not as day-to-day usable as competition
- Larger than other minimalist wallets
- Dimensions: 4.375" Wide by 2.625 High
- RFID Blocking: Yes
- Card Capacity: 1 to 12
- Cash Organization: Strap
- Coin Storage: No
- Weight: 71 Grams
Now, Dango Wallets aren’t quite as popular as the Ridge Wallet, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. They follow a similar design to the Ridge in that your cards are held between two plates of metal. However, they built on this concept by including leather in their design to bring over those who enjoyed leather bi-folds to the minimalist wallet revolution.
As for cash storage, they have included a rubber band (not that kind of rubber band) to be utilized as a cash strap. Behind that rubber band is a leather pocket for holding your single most used card for easier access.
1. Build Quality (Winner: Tie)
Both the Ridge and the Dango D01 share similar build qualities, which are quite good. The leather on the Dango is high quality, the metal is by no means cheap, and there is nothing to complain about. On the other side, the Ridge Wallet is as simple as it gets, with nothing to complain about either. Neither wallet has any rough edges, mistakes in manufacturing, or any issues to speak of on the quality end of things.
2. Sizing (Winner: Ridge Wallet)
The Dango is a reasonable amount larger than the Ridge Wallet. Rather than relying on compression (and an additional strap) like the Ridge Wallet, the Dango has some tapered railings on the exterior of the wallet that give it some extra width and height that the Ridge doesn’t have. This means the Ridge Wallet is considerably smaller than the Dango.
3. Card Capacity (Winner: Ridge Wallet)
Both the Ridge Wallet and the Dango D01 offer a 1-12 card capacity. In real-world usage, though, I found that the Dango struggled once you got to the upper end of the spectrum. It’s not that it couldn’t hold that many cards, but rather, it struggled with releasing the cards (in comparison to the Ridge).
I also found that once you added over six cards to the Dango, the railings no longer played a role in keeping the cards in place, as the card stack was higher than the railing, negating the reason for the railing in the first place.
4. Usability (Winner: Ridge Wallet)
I really wanted to like the usability of the Dango; I really did. However, the Ridge does a considerably better job at giving you easy access to your cards and cash.
The Ridge’s cash strap does a better job of letting you get the cash out from behind the strap, while the Dango likes to hang onto the cash a bit too much.
The “easy-access” pocket for a card hiding behind the cash strap on the Dango also likes to hang onto that most used card a bit too much. It also can be a pain to put the card back into the pocket, with it folding over the leather when you push down on the card, meaning you have to pull the card and cash back out of the wallet to straighten it.
The Ridge, on the other hand, may not give you an “easy-access” pocket, but it does a better job of giving you access to all of the cards. I struggled to get my cards out of the main storage area from the Dango (especially if you have more than average cards in it). Meanwhile, the Ridge was a reasonably easy process.
One last note, is that the D01 from Dango does not have tapered edges where you insert the cards. Wheras the Ridge has slightly inward facing tapered edges, which guide the cards into their place, meanwhile you have to pry the plates apart on the Dango to insert cards, rather than just pushing the cards inward.
5. Pricing (Winner: Dango D01)
If you are looking to compare these two wallets on price alone, the Dango wins by a large margin. At up to $30 cheaper than the Ridge Wallet, the Dango is an easy choice for someone wanting a minimalist wallet on the cheaper end of things.
6. Styling (Winner: Dango D01)
Now, I’ve been a bit hard on the Dango D01 throughout this article. However, I have to hand it to the brand; they make an awesome-looking wallet. They did a fantastic job of blending the minimalistic wallet features with a more traditional-style wallet feel. The leather works well with the matte aluminum finish of the rails and plates.
The Ridge by no means is a “bad” looking wallet, though, as it takes minimal to heart by not giving anything additional than what is absolutely necessary.
7. Warranty & Return Policy (Winner: Ridge Wallet)
Ridge Wallets carry a limited lifetime warranty, mixed with a 90-day return policy. This means you have three months to think about if you want to keep the wallet or not!
Meanwhile, Dango has a limited lifetime warranty, but it only takes 30 days to return the wallet from the time of purchase.
Keep in mind, both return policies require the wallet to be in like-new condition, so don’t think you can actually USE the wallets during that return policy without the risk of negating that policy.
Which one do I recommend you get?
While the Dango won out in a couple of categories, the Ridge Wallet easily won, being my favorite wallet of the two. With the usability of the Ridge Wallet being considerably better as a daily driver, it’s hard to say it isn’t worth the extra cost and the aesthetics (which is in the eye of the beholder anyway).
I think that Dango has done a great job on the D01, and there is a possibility that some of their other wallets may be better options; in this comparison, it just can’t quite stand up to the king of the hill, the Ridge.
Regardless of how either of these wallets compared directly, they have both found their way onto my list of best minimalist wallets!
