Minimum Squared has brought us some of the most cleverly designed wallets we’ve had the privilege of reviewing here at BestLeather. Today we’re going to show you the last item in their 2017 lineup. The Cardholder is a much simpler design than Minimum Squared’s other offerings. It competes with the best ultra-light wallets out there, and is reasonably priced.
About Minimum Squared
Minimum Squared is the product of a couple, Adrian and Sanela, who were seeking to fill a need of their own. This attempt was so successful that it became a commercial success. It began with their Red Dot Design Award-winning Slim Wallet Elastic, which we had the pleasure of reviewing a few years ago (check it out here for even more about Minimum Squared), and has evolved to a collection of four wallets. Today we’ll visit the last of these new models, the Cardholder.
Leather and Construction
Like its brothers at Minimum Squared, the Cardholder is made with the famous Horween Chromexcel leather. Chromexcel is soft, beautiful, and feels great in your hand. If you’re not familiar with this leather, make sure to check out our overview here.
As with all their products, Minimum Squared makes the Cardholder with a single piece of leather. It’s precisely cut, folded, and stitched together to create the product you see. All aspects of creation are expertly done. This may be a simple product, but these fine details make it great.
Function
A minimal product has minimal functionality. In these situations, it’s all the more important that the execution is well done. I’d say the shining aspect of the Cardholder’s functionality is its size. The dimensions are 89x55mm. The dimensions of a credit card? 86x54mm! In other words, the Cardholder is an exact fit. What I love about this is that even with a single card, the wallet keeps it securely in place. More often than not, I need at least 2-3 cards in a cardholder in order to achieve a secure feel.
Day to day, the Cardholder performs well. When it first arrives you’ll likely need to exercise the leather a bit. A new Cardholder comfortably holds around three cards before becoming difficult to use. Over time, the leather stretches out and holds about five.
Cards are secured well at the bottom and easy to grab at the top.
Aesthetic
Chromexcel is a beautiful leather. The tones tend to be very earthy due to the tanning process. Staying true to their name, Minimum Squared lets this beauty shine with little distraction. Besides a very discrete logo, there’s nothing here but well defined lines and curves.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have your own personal touch. Minimum Squared lets you pick the thread color to make your Cardholder match your own tastes.
Conclusion
Pros: Construction, leather, look, precise minimalism, price.
Cons: None.
Minimum Squared has another winner here with the Cardholder. It may not be their most fancy design, but it certainly embodies their company name the most. This well designed and crafted wallet would be a welcome addition to any lover of minimalism. In addition, the price is very reasonable. I highly recommend the Cardholder!
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