0.7 Wallet ultra thin minimalist card holder & wallet

We talked about how size matters when we looked at ZeroMouse. Another trend we have been seeing when it comes to shrinking products are wallets. Ultra thin minimalist card holder and wallets have been the rage in recent years. This reminds me of the smartphone industry that kept chasing thinner phones before the market started moving towards larger screen sizes as well.

Today, we’ll have a look at the 0.7 Wallet. Named so because it is only 0.7 mm thick thin. That is razor thin, but there’s a big caveat I’ll go into later.

What is it

The 0.7 Wallet touts itself to be an ultra thin minimalist card holder and wallet made from premium Italian leather. As the name alludes, it is 0.7 mm thick, I mean the leather it uses is 0.7 mm thick. I see what you did there, marketing and copywriting team. The design of the wallet makes it thin, but there are wallets with thinner designs.

I’m not sure about being misleading with the name. Yes, I get that the leather is thinner than the usual 1.0 to 2.5 mm used to make wallets. Leather that is 0.7mm is generally used to for clothing. This helps to keep the overall form factor slimmer, but I wonder how it affects the durability of the product.

The brand says the wallet fully utilises RFID technology by dealing with the interference caused when you stack RFID-capable cards together. It does so by using RFID shielding to block off the signal from other cards, so only the card that isn’t blocked would be scannable. This is a selling point of this product, but it isn’t something that is new. Many other wallets do the same.

What problem does it solve

Wallets have been shedding weight in recent years as we continue our incessant march towards a cashless world. Well, for most of you anyway. For me, it is more of the lack of money to put in my wallet.

This has happened even before the recent adoption of mobile payments. The world had been moving towards having less cash with the advent of debit and credit cards. Remember the days when it was flashy to have a stack of credit cards in your wallet? Well, our smartphones and smart gadgets have taken over that role now, just like how they now carrying our money.

Instead, we try to impress people with sleek wallets that go well with our minimalist smartphones. For starters, they do away with the awkward bulges in your pockets. And they are not a pain to remove from your pants pocket while you’re sitting down.

Besides being minimalist in its design, 0.7 Wallet also wants to extend zen experience to your daily life. If you commute and are faced with having to scan your card when using public transport, it’s got you covered. You can place two cards, one on each side of the wallet, that are not protected by the RFID blocking material. This allows you to easily access the cards you need to swipe.

You can still keep your 8 other cards within the compartment that has RFID shielding, so your cards won’t get scanned by potential scammers.

Who is it for

If you carry coins, this is definitely not for you. Or even if you carry a lot of cash, or need to put more than 10 cards in the wallet. Well, if you fall within these categories, you probably won’t even be in the market for minimalist wallets. What are you doing here then?

Have only skinny jeans in your wardrobe? This is perfect for you too! People with not-so-skinny jeans can still benefit from this wallet. So don’t feel left out.

The 0.7 Wallet targets people who have a streamlined wallet setup, or those who want to slim down their fat wallets. That said, the wallet is still designed with a cards-first approach.

Taking cash out of the wallet is still going to be a bit of a hassle, depending on the currency you primarily use. The fact that it is credit-card sized is a double-edged sword. Being smaller means less space to shove your cash in. Those who have to deal with wider or longer notes might struggle to slot the cash in after folding them in half. So, if you need to access your cash often, this might not be for you.

Is it innovative

As I’ve mentioned above, the design of the 0.7 Wallet brings nothing new to the market. One thing that some might consider innovative is its seamless design. It lowers its footprint by using adhesive instead of stitching. It lowers the cost of producing the wallet too, at the expense of the durability of the wallet.

I’m not sure how much testing the wallet has undergone. If you live somewhere with extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, the adhesive might give way. Of course, poor stitching also results in the seams opening up if it is a shoddy job.

Of course, we can’t shy away from marketing gimmicks, as usual. Notice in the image below where the brand uses an embossing of the word “pleasant” to try to create the association that the leather you see is pleasant to hold. It’s leather from Tuscany, so that’s probably true.

Or so your brain might think subconsciously. We’re not a fan of such psychological tricks. You might like it as a consumer, maybe because you find it’s a nice touch. But, hey, that’s your prerogative.

Is it worth it

The 0.7 Wallet retails for $99. That is a reasonable price for a leather wallet handcrafted with premium Italian leather. They have done their research. This price point sits in a comfortable range: well within the budget working of adults looking for an artisanal leather wallet, and has a decent margin for them.

It’s a win-win and there’s nothing much to elaborate on.

What are the alternatives

Wallets are one of the few accessories most men would indulge in, besides watches, pens, and bags. There are many wallets in the market. There are tons of choices on Amazon. Our favourite places to browse for wallets are AllTheWallets and Gallantry. You’ll be spilt for choices for ultra thin minimalist card holders and wallets. You might also get distracted by all that shiny EDC.

Like watches, pens, and bags, wallets are also a way that men use to express their personality. This is also why there’s such a wide variety of wallets and designs. We are not here to talk about personal taste. RFID shielding used to be a differentiating factor but it has since become an industry standard for the most part.

Conclusion

All in all, the 0.7 Wallet is a well-made minimalist wallet. It uses good leather and keeps its footprint down to increase pocket-ability. While I have some concerns over the lack of stitching and the use of such thin leather, it is something we can’t judge now. Only time will tell.

Good news is, over four hundred people have backed the campaign on Kickstarter. Give them some time to test it out and we should start to hear from people’s feedback about their 0.7 Wallets.

You get a sleek, ultra thin minimalist card holder and wallet that doesn’t hurt you, uh… wallet.

Hi, I’m Big Cat.

I’m a young lion that identifies as a bear. Not a brave lion. No cat jokes.