Derek Shaw, located in Philadelphia, really exemplifies the spirit of Philadelphia in his designs and business model. They are simple and effective. He realized that life was much better in the old days, when people knew the process behind everything they consumed and knew exactly where everything came from. In other words, true hand-crafted quality. Not to mention he values simplicity and minimalist qualities in his designs. His company is actually called Waskerd Slim Wallets, which should really say enough. His products are designed with simplicity and attention to detail in the quality and construction.
construction
The Pinnell is created from a single strip of full grain leather, which is then stitched together using a durable polyester thread. This wallet features a simple, hand-forged stainless steel cash hanger, and can hold, according to the Waskerd website, 4 cards and 10+ bills at a time. I’ve managed to fit 5 plastic cards and a few paper punch cards to the local coffee shop, and it is snug.
The stitching is done entirely by hand. Entirely. Derek punches all the holes and sews the thing together himself, which takes a considerable amount of time, patience, and effort. The quality and the craftsmanship of the Pinnell becomes evident upon closer inspection of the stitching. It’s arrow straight, but with the slight abnormalities that are present with hand-stitched items: i.e. a bump here, a divot there.
The cash hangar is a hand-forged piece of stainless steel and it serves its job well. It grips the bills well and features the timeless look of stainless steel.
aesthetic
The Pinnell is clean. Simply put, it is clean; however, it is a different kind of clean, one that features a personality. What I mean is that this is not a clean cut, stainless steel and black stone modern Swedish building. It is not black and white. Rather, this wallet is simple, clean, and yet somehow teeming with color and energy, which speaks to the soul of the designer, and features a bit of its own soul.
The stitching is a major part of the aesthetic and contrasts the leather really rather well. I have the Hereford Red with white stitching and the contrast is really striking.
The wallet is designed with simple lines. Right angles, rectangles, simple and timeless. The subtle curve of the card pockets really adds to the effect as well, bringing yet another aesthetically pleasing contrast to the piece.
function
Right now, I have about 5 cards, a few punch cards and 8 bills or so, and the pockets don’t seem over-stressed or stretched. The Waskerd website says that it’ll hold 4 cards and 10+ bills, but you can definitely fit 6 or 7 cards, and a surplus of bills with no issues. The leather will also stretch if required.
The cash hanger is snug, which I suppose is a good thing, unless you are OCD about your bill placement like I am. If you are the type of person who likes to have all of his bills facing one direction and placed in order of value, this wallet could be a bit frustrating for you. For instance, if you have a twenty, a ten, a few fives, and a few ones and you want to insert another ten, the only really way to do it without crumpling/tearing the bill is pulling all of your cash out, re-organizing, then re-inserting your cash into the hanger. This really is not an issue, though, as long as you are patient. And it’s non-existent if you are a normal and sane person, but worth mentioning nonetheless.
BestLeather conclusion
I am new to the world of money clip style wallets. Aesthetically, it’s a great way to do things. Really simple, clean, functional. As I have quickly learned, minimalist wallets are really the way to go. The Waskerd Pinnell is a gorgeous approach to minimal wallets and a great approach to money clip wallets. The price, at $78, is very reasonable considering the amount of time and effort and care it takes to put this thing together. So, if you are in the market for a money clip wallet, this is a solid option. If you are in the market for a minimal wallet this is also a great option. BestLeather.org has a surplus of reviews on cool, minimal wallets, most of which are in or below this price range, including the Craft & Lore 5 Port, and a few from Saddleback. However, if money clips are your game, then game on because this wallet is for you.
Check out the Pinnell Money Clip from Waskerd here.
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