My quest for the low-profile wallet

• I bought a Jimi Wallet
• Then I bought a couple All-Ett wallets
• Here are some pics

Introduction

A lower-back injury started my quest for a low-profile wallet. While my wallet had never grown to Constanza-ish proportions, my accumulation of cards for businesses, clubs, gym, building access, coupons, gas receipts, etc., had all worked together to provide a substantial object to be carried around on a daily basis. I was using a traditional, leather bifold I received for Christmas, just as I have over the years. I used to carry pictures of the girls, but the bulk of carrying the girls' lovely visages was too much for me, even preinjury. I read an article on Lifehacker.com that discussed the minimalist's wallet. The idea was to reduce the clutter in the wallet, which was supposed to help simplify the life of the user, allowing the user to get things done. "Get things done" is a common mantra at Lifehacker.com, and I felt if something as simple as slimming down my wallet could help ease my back pain, simplify my life, and help me get things done, then why not? The minimalist's wallet would contain only the essentials: a driver's license, credit card, medical card, and a few bills. Much debate goes on about what to carry on sites like Lifehacker.com, but looking through my wallet, I decided I could shed about 3/4ths of what I was carrying. My business Amex card, personal Mastercard, driver's license, and medical ID card would suffice. The CEO rarely lets me have cash, so carrying a lot of bills was never going to be a problem. I planned to carry this wallet in my front pocket.

The Jimi

The Jimi wallet, $15, was the first minimalist wallet I bought. I read some good reviews by the readers of Lifehacker and other sites. The sturdy wallet is made from recycled plastic and is well designed. The wallet is rigid, with only a four-card, three-bill capacity. Instructions show how tri-folded bills and cards are carried and accessed. Essentially, four cards are inserted into a slot, and the user gets good at thumbing the cards up until the desired card is found, and then that card is pushed further out than the rest. It's not rocket science, and it's only four cards, so it becomes second nature pretty quickly. The tri-folded bills fit nicely on the other side of the Jimi, but I found it to be a pain to have to keep them perfectly folded. If I received change from a $20, and suddenly went from two bills to six, the inflexible nature of the Jimi made it somewhat difficult to close. If I had three bills to start, and made a few purchases, I would inevitably end up with some bills in my pocket. It also became a little cumbersome when paying with cash, since I had to remove all three bills to get one bill from the trifold. I had to hold the wallet, remove the bills, take one bill from the three, pay, and try to manage getting the non-trifolded change back into the Jimi. Often, I would just cram the change in my pocket, and fold and secure the bills when I got home. It seemed a small price to pay, but it was a nagging thought anytime I had to use cash or if I planned on going out in the evening. Another issue I had with the Jimi, the very feature that made it unique and appealing to a minimalist, was it's size. The Jimi was pretty substantial, and not much smaller than the traditional wallet. Yes, it minimized what I could carry, and reduced clutter in my wallet, but the substantial form factor made it evident that I was carrying an object, similar in size to a small cell phone, in my front pocket. Jeans and business attire alike clearly showed the outline of the Jimi. After carrying this wallet for six or seven months, I decided that the time it was taking me to refold the bills, the limitations on the change I could carry, and the substantial, inflexible size of the Jimi made the wallet a poor choice for long-term use. The Jimi was pretty cool, to me, but it seemed that I WASN"T getting things done with the wallet because of the extra time it was taking me to organize my bills, and the nagging feeling when going out that I was going to have to remove all of my bills to pay for something, and that I was going to have to fold the change I received to get it to fit into the Jimi, if I could. In retrospect, the Jimi wasn't low profile at all. My quest for a wallet continued.

Pros:
• Geeky cool
• Well constructed
• Forces minimalization

Cons:
• Large form factor
• Pain to fold bills
• Removing bills takes time
• Inflexible size

The All-ett

I now had some criteria, and some data to compare. I wanted a real, low-profile wallet. I knew I could get along with just four cards and a few bills, but wanted something super slim that wouldn't be noticed in my front pocket. I no longer wanted to be concerned with limited bills and folding them properly to fit my wallet. I considered just reusing my original leather wallet with the four cards and few bills and carrying it in my front pocket, but felt it was a little wide and bulky. In another Lifehacker article on wallets, a user made a wallet from the innards of a keyboard. I'm a geek, but not that much of a geek, and my craft skills leave a lot to be desired. But in the comments, a user mentioned the All-ett. I went to the website and was intrigued by the small size. They had a few styles and I ended up ordering the Junior All-ett Billfold, $14, and the Mini-Card Case, $5. After the Jimi, I wanted something really small, so I thought I would order the Mini-Card Case just in case the Junior was too big. The wallets arrived in, essentially, an oversized regular envelope. I was a little concerned that I had made a mistake in ordering something so small. I was shocked to see both wallets in the single envelope. When I pulled out the Junior, it felt like a piece of paper in my fingers. It was very light and flimsy and I thought, again, that I had made a mistake. The Mini-Card was the same way. However, when I transferred the four cards to the two slots on either side of the bifold, and crammed a few bills into the traditional bill slot, I was amazed at how sturdy the wallet became. The cards and bills seem to give the wallet its shape and keep it all together. Even without bills, the All-ett holds its shape well. Once I decided the Junior was what I was going to carry, I tried to tear up the Mini-Card and was unsuccessful. The Mini-Card case required folding bills, too, and I decided it wasn't worth the effort. It's a nice little case, though. I've been carrying the All-ett for two weeks and it's great. It's not as alien to me, and others who see it, as the Jimi, and it's great not to have to fold bills. Bills and cards are easily accessible and the All-ett is amazingly thin. The All-ett is made of rip stop, sail cloth material and is well constructed with tight stitching. I'm not sure how the All-ett will hold up over the long term, but it's fairly-inexpensive price makes buying two or three a good investment, and it may not be necessary. I now have a super low-profile wallet that's barely noticeable in my front pocket.

Pros:
• Super thin
• Traditional style
• Very cool
• Flexible size: Easily accomodates extra bills or cards

Cons:
• Questionable sturdiness

Pictures

I took some pics.

Wallets open:
From left to right: My old, leather wallet, All-ett Junior Billfold, The Jimi, All-ett Mini-Card Case

Uh, pretend you didn't see my elevator code on my old wallet.

Here they are closed:
From left to right: My old, leather wallet, All-ett Junior Billfold, The Jimi, All-ett Mini-Card Case

The All-ett Mini-Card Case is the smallest, but I think impractical for everyday use.

Here is a pic showing the Jimi open, with some cards.

The top clasps into itself to close.

Here is a pic showing my empty traditional wallet on the left, and the Junior All-ett on the right.

Pretty thin, eh? I used two nickels. Quarters disappear pretty quickly around here.

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