Craft & Lore Port Wallet Review – $55

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is a small town in the Panhandle of Northern Idaho, surrounded on all sides by natural beauty. Rugged peaks to the north and east, an enormous lake to the south, another enormous lake the north, another lake north of that, completely and totally surrounded by forest — you get the point. Coeur d’Alene is wild.

It is from this wild, rugged landscape that Chad von Lind draws his inspiration for the products of Craft & Lore. Chad started the company with his own two hands on his kitchen table, after realizing his want for a sheath for a large German hunting knife. What hunting knife is complete without a rugged leather sheath? Chad incorporates the simplicity of the landscape into his products, by designing them with simple, clean functionality in design and long lasting durability in quality and build. Continue reading “Craft & Lore Port Wallet Review – $55”

Bosca Old Leather Wallet Review

The Bosca Old Leather Wallet is a refined, high capacity, supple leather wallet. For those seeking an executive class wallet, this is yours.

construction

The Bosca Continental Wallet is made from 1.2mm full grain leather and single stitched from cotton thread. The leather is high quality but nowhere does Bosca claim it to be full grain leather, it is therefor lower quality, such as top grain leather. None the less, this wallet feels smooth, supple, and substantial.

The most concerning detail is the cotton single stitching. It is light thread which will not age extraordinarily well. Do not plan on this wallet lasting 10+ years with light use and gentle care.

It is understandable why the leather is universally thin, the wallet would be more huge than it already is, but the lack of a strong leather core gives the wallet an unsettling floppy feeling.

function

With eleven card slots, a foldout ID slot (with plastic) and two full size cash compartments, this wallet gets big fast. You can carry lots of cash, cards, and receipts. At some points the ID card can be difficult to remove due to the plastic covering over the ID. How the plastic will color with age also remains to be seen.

Carrying the Bosca Continental in your back pocket will most certainly increase your frequency of chiropractor visits so you may want to carry it in a jacket pocket. If you do that, you may want to embrace wallet minimalism or get a full sized wallet that will accomodate this many cards without the extra bulk of the ID slot.

aesthetic

No doubt the Bosca Continental ID Wallet is a classy in black leather. It looks as expensive as it is, appropriately.

The Cognac is also lovely.

Best Leather conclusion

While the Bosca Continental is eminently classy with its sheik black supple leather, the durability is quite questionable. A wallet with a thicker leather core would last longer and maintain its shape better.

Bosca Continental ID Wallet or Saddleback Leather Bi-fold Wallet or Battenkill All-leather Hipster Wallets. These would be acceptable bi-fold wallets with good capacity.

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Saddleback Leather ID Wallet Review

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Every boy admires his father’s wallet. We remember the worn and torn, battle scarred sheaths for our father’s hard-earned bills, and perhaps much more. A wallet endures a great amount of abuse being regularly slipped in and out of the pocket, sat on, soaked, washed, and stretched. It has to be tough enough. Otherwise, what is the point?

construction

Saddleback Leather’s ID Wallet is built around a core of two 4mm 4 1/8″ wide and 2 7/8″ high tough pigskin leather rectangles. The side pockets and ID slot are 2mm full grain leather. The whole kaboodle is sewn together with Saddleback’s notable heavy thread. The thread is kept away from the very edge to protect it from abrasion with your pocket.

The wallet does not seem ready to last 100 years due to the slimmer leather used, however, the price is low and the slimness affords convenient use and also minimizes back issues, to an ambiguous extent. In the below photos you can see where the raising printing on cards has imprinted on the leather, giving evidence for its thinness. Not that this is bad thinness, it is just thinness not common for Saddleback Leather products.

The greatest risk for wear and tear seems to be in the two card slots. These slots see lots of use and have thinner leather than is normal for Saddleback Leather products. However, the model reviewed here has been used rigorously for six months with very little visible wear beyond expectable patina around the edges of the wallet. So, time will tell. Expect a follow up review later.

aesthetic

Let the photos convince you.

It’s great, obviously.

functionality

Between the swaths of leather is a slot for your cash, not much, not too much, just right. There are two card pockets on one side with 2mm leather which will easily accomodate two cards each. On the other side is the ID slot. There is no chinsy plastic covering it so pulling your ID out is exceptionally easy. Between the ID slot and the center is another slot where business cards fit well.

This is not a wallet for receipt savers, business card hoarders, and those obsessed with back tweaking wallets. Tri-fold wallets were designed by chiropractors to do you know what (not really, but you get the point).

All you need to carry is your few cards (simplify), ID, a bit of cash (money clip is also an option), and maybe a few of your business cards. All the other bits of paper that sometimes get jammed into our lower vertebrae belong elsewhere.

It is enjoyable to slip cards in and out. Once the leather is broken in to how many cards you use you can grab a card with your thumb and slip it out with ease. Vice-versa for putting the card back in.

For the simplicity, the Saddleback Leather ID Wallet preforms perfectly.

Best Leather conclusion

If you want a simple durable wallet, get this.

If you want a more hefty wallet, get the bi-fold.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions to add in the comments?