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Men’s Wallet – a straightforward buying guide

By Phil/Kords | Published 2 January 2021 | No Comments

Word Count: 886
Time to read: 3 min 32 sec

The wallet is an essential accessory for most men. You can keep your debit credit cards, cash, change and visiting cards handy. The market has a good assortment when it comes to wallets. Be it the material, the number of slots, compartments and even a dedicated coin pouch – wallet designs are sorted for all.

I will give you a comprehensive guide on how you can choose a wallet based on your requirements. 

Let me first take you through a ‘requirement’ with my example. I am not fond of accumulating nor flaunting accessories. The material, too, does not interest me. So what did I look for in a wallet before buying one?

I want my wallet to be thin after folding it. But, this is where I misjudged and bought a wrong wallet online. I do not carry much cash and reduce my coin pouch as and when my wallet gets heavy to carry. That is of little use one I put it in my trouser pocket – it still looks fat! One this to remember – wallets are also available with 2 and 3 folds. More the number of folds, bulkier it will look.  

The ugly bulge in my pocket, although, discernible the wallet looks bad to the third person. No, it’s not that bad. And, don’t stray your thoughts.

Material:

Whether the accessory’s core material is of leather, faux leather or any other should be secondary. Then why did I include it as the first sub-heading? That’s because most of you guys would check on the material first. 

What material suits wallet best? It is a matter of preference. I don’t look at the material when buying one. What you should know is that genuine leather and branded products are pricey as compared to other materials. If you are not brand conscious, then buying genuine leather and branded products should not bother you. However, one unique feature of the leather material is its durability. It can last for years to come. 

In a country like India, exposure to rains or moisture during the monsoon may degrade the wallet. Some of us men tend to wrap the wallet in a plastic bag or pouch or tuck it in our shoulder bags. That isn’t the reason why I do not look at the material when buying a wallet.

What I look for in a wallet: Compartments and a coin pouch. A single compartment for keeping cash and coins is important when you need change. There may be a single or double compartment to separate higher to lower denominations of notes. 

In India, the general populace still uses cash in transactions even when there is an upsurge in electronic cash transfers. Besides, keeping some hard cash is required for any eventuality. For instance, I am travelling by bike to work. Suddenly one of my bike tyres is punctured. Since I need to get it fixed, its always better to transact the service in cash, than by electronic payment. If electronic payment is accepted, then that’s better. But, you cannot count on it. 

Colour?:

Men aren’t that picky when it comes to colours. A simple reason is that most of the time, the wallet is concealed in the back pocket. It is not something that is flaunted openly, unlike women’s purse. The most common colours are black and brown. 

Coin pouch: 

I was surprised to know that there are wallet designs that come without a coin pouch. My close friend and office colleague had ordered one online. He told me that he does not use coins in any of his transactions. That was understandable and surprising at the same time. 

If you guys are like him then for obvious reasons you will not need one. My friend was confident of not using coins in the future.

I prefer to keep coins collectively worth up to 30 INR. 

RFID protection: 

It is very subjective to prevent your debit and credit cards from cloning. Online fraud is a worry for everyone. However, the threat of someone cloning your card via this method is rare in India. 

I do not know how it works in the west but here, for every transaction you make – online or offline – you receive an SMS notification from your bank about the said transaction. 

If you have not made the said transaction, then you can call your bank about it. There are times when the bank pro-actively calls to check on any suspicious transactions as well.

This feature does not impact the price in any way. It is an in-built feature, so whether you choose to buy such wallets or not is up to you. 

You might as well read this article which explores RFID crime and why you don’t need a blocking feature for your wallet. This article that I read is old but sheds some light. 

With this post, your choice of buying wallets should narrow down drastically. Men usually do not expect a feature-rich wallet. It is rarely found in men’s accessory. Material is likely to be the first thing. The number of pockets or compartments inclusive or exclusive of a coin pouch is next. Colour – the last thing – according to me.

Whether buying it for self or when gifting for that special someone you know what to look.

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