(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
Today we are going to do a comparison on the Ridge wallets; the aluminum, the titanium, and the carbon fiber.
Ridge got its start on Kickstarter like most wallets do these days. Since the company has grown, their variety of colors and materials have changed, but the model you see, by the way it has been constructed has stayed the same. Today we are going to do a review of the material basis as well as look at the construction of them all, since they are basically the same.
With these three wallets; the aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber, there is a lot of speculation about what drives the price of these, because at the time of this filming we are looking at a cost of $75 for the aluminum, $105 for the titanium and $115 for the carbon fiber. Their price is based on the different materials used. For better or worse, I am going to take you through a rough exercise that kind of debunks that basis.
Let’s first go through a quick feature review of the Ridge wallet. They are all the same. We will choose aluminum. It has a quick thumb push for cards. Cards go into the middle slot and it has elastic on both sides as well as a catch elastic on the bottom. The idea is that with cards, you just slip them in. They go in nicely because of the way it is designed. There is an elastic piece on the inside which attaches to the metal, which is on the outside. Like most band wallets, it’s very simple. Cards in, cards out. And then of course we have capabilities on the back. This one is a cash band or cash strap. They also come with a cash clip or money clip that you can attach to it.
So with that information based on the materials, let’s see if we can just break this down in a raw state to see if there really is a correlation between the material and the price you’re paying for the product.
Let’s first look at aluminum. One metric ton of raw aluminum is $1,885. There are 35,274 ounces per metric ton. That leaves us with basically 3 cents an ounce for raw aluminum.
One metric ton of raw titanium is $4,800. There are 35,274 ounces per metric ton, which leaves us with basically 5 cents an ounce for titanium. For carbon fiber, carbon fiber comes as a finished product and it’s based on its application. For 2020 the cost of carbon fiber is expected to be $13.80 a kilogram. That comes to $13,800 per metric ton. This leaves us with a cost of 39 cents an ounce.
I unscrewed the top off of each one of these wallets and put it on a digital scale to represent the total metal or material weight. Therefore, .6 ounces for aluminum is .3 for each side. Same thing for titanium. Titanium is heavier, and thus we see that it’s a half an ounce per piece, so one ounce total. Of course we would expect carbon fiber to be very light, which it is.
What I wanted to do is debunk the fact that carbon fiber, because it’s carbon fiber, is so expensive. I might be wrong, I probably could be wrong. I’m just looking at it from an overall perspective of numbers and what I’m thinking is an opportunity. But then again, the construction of Ridge wallets is really good. I think these are very well built wallets regardless of price or anything else, and that reflects in the construction. I have been impressed with these as I have used them. They are actually my favorite band wallet that I have used up to this point. You can see the final scores, the aluminum 34, titanium and carbon fiber ended up at 37.
So whichever wallet is your preference, if you like Ridges, then that’s your choice. You can choose which one you want to use. I think they’re a fine wallet. And from a construction perspective, they’re engineered incredibly well.
The Ridge wallet is an excellent band wallet. It’s materials and presentation provide a great experience.
The leader in band wallets, the Ridge's high quality and carry-ability make it a favorite for slim wallet owners.
The Ridge was built with a focus on design and functionality—a wallet that’s minimalist without being limiting.
