(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
We’ve had tremendous interest in the Akeeni XSTO when it was released. Today I’m going to take you through my carry experience. I used the eight card version and it’s in the forest green color, it’s made in the United States from aluminum and stainless steel.
I carried a number of cards and I had some cash included in the bottom tray area. And of course, you fold cash into thirds or fourths to fit. It’s been really nice working with and getting cards in and out of the wallet, it’s been a breeze. It’s just a matter of moving cards around by pushing the to the left or right, and sorting your cards, inserting them after use, etc., without needing to completely remove them from the wallet.
I did drop it. I usually don’t drop my wallet, but I did and nothing fell out or “exploded” when it hit, it was great to see. I used the business card holder they have located on the outside top of the wallet. I placed my ID and some loyalty cards there. They stayed in place just fine. I was able to use my primary card on top of the cards I placed in the wallet for tap payment without any problem. It’s made of metal which means there isn’t a lot of flexibility like you have with leather in your pocket, but it’s very slim and it sits nicely in your pocket.
As mentioned, this is the eight card and it does come in a four, six, eight and ten card version. I carried the eight card version for well over four weeks. I had two metal cards in my stack for testing and they all worked great.
A couple interesting things to note, if you want to put in fewer cards than the maximum that you can carry with this, there’s the possibility that the lack of cards to keep the cash held down might provide an opportunity for the cash to fall out. I never experienced that even though I did reduce my cards down to just a few cards and it never caused that problem. Additionally, if you have fewer cards in the wallet they will rattle, but are still contained with no potential to fall out.
Out of interest, I also inserted the Chipolo tracker card. This is a kind of tracker card which uses your phone sold commonly by companies like Ekster. I also tested a coin tray, similar to the ones you get from Aviator or Ridge. Neither of these are sanctioned by Akeeni, they don’t sell these yet, but I have fielded questions if they work. They don’t fit super tight, but they do work.
Now about my likes, the tight footprint of the XSTO is excellent, there’s nothing flopping around in the wallet (unless you severely reduce the number of cards). Everything is held tight and even with the eight card version, it still fits well in your front pocket for a metal wallet. I really do like the click sound you get when you insert cards, it provides an audible sense of security.
Now for my dislikes, but they’re really more suggestions. The version I bought came with the default plastic card cover for the top “business card” space, and I wish it wasn’t a bit more rigid. It’s really just flimsy plastic. It’s fairly good, but honestly, I would love something more rigid, like their optional carbon fiber version. I have not tested that plate yet, but something a little more rigid there would be really good. I also noticed that the edges of my cards have expressed some wear and tear, but it’s not dramatic and I’m not too terribly concerned about it. It’s not destroying my cards. There’s been a lot of concern about the potential of card edges being really destroyed, but I didn’t experience that.
As the successor to the STOW, I really enjoyed carrying the new XSTO. I’ve had many experiences around this wallet and consider it to be a solid offering to add to your collection. If metal is something you’re willing to try in a wallet, and you’re still not quite sure, this is the one to try.
Hitting the spot on so many requirements, the XSTO (used to be called the STOW) sits at an almost perfect slim wallet for cash and card carry; easy to access, simple for card extraction too.
