(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
Today’s review will be on the Japanese abrAsus small wallet. It provides a great balance between cards, cash and coin. It comes packaged in a nice black box with the name abrAsus on the top. The wallet itself comes in a protective cloth with instructions written in Japanese.
This is a very small wallet. There are no distinct features on the exterior. However, there is the ability to have cards removed without opening it up. The card slot is immediately behind the snap closure with the corner of the card slot exposed. This means you can push the cards out with your finger without needing to unsnap the wallet. When the wallet is opened, you first see the card slot. Unwrap the wallet once and you’ll see the coin pouch and the cash wrap space for currency. When folded up coins cannot escape The cash rests inside, and when you fold it back up, it keeps it in place.
In testing I was able to get three cards, eight slips of cash, and six coins inside. It will also fit Yen and Euro as well. Business cards also fit in the card slot in the front. Minimalist carry would probably be two cards. Five cards would be reasonable. The company says it can hold up to five cards, fifteen slips of cash, and fifteen coins. I had six coins inside and it seemed to work just fine. When this is unfolded it is a wrap. It is not the typical folding cash over once or twice. It is made from Italian Buttero leather. All abrAsus wallets are made in Japan.
There is finished leather on both the interior and exterior. We don’t see any flesh side leather on this anywhere, which means there has been a lot of effort put into making this wallet have a nice presentation. All of the major stress points have double stitching on them to ensure you are going to get good longevity and durability.
With the construction is a bridge piece of leather which attaches the exterior leather to the interior piece. This allows the interior leather to float and not be sewn directly to the exterior leather. The result is a tight fit in the folded corners between the exterior and interior leather to keep the profile as slim as possible.
A lot of wallet makers are going to minimal branding, the Small Wallet is no different. The name of the company is simply embossed on one of the inside slots. This gives it a nice clean look. The edges are burnished very nicely on this as well.
The size of the wallet is very good and very easy for front pocket usage even when it has a lot of things in it. It only measured 0.7” fully loaded. From a measurement perspective, it is 3.54 x 2.36 x 0.4”, and weighs 32 grams.
I would generally find the lack of card space problematic, but up to five cards is good due to the compromise considering you are also carrying cash and coins in such a small footprint. The design is very innovative as are all of abrAsus products, but the cost from the overseas shipment for customers is really brutal.
As for the final score, for quality, a 5. Price, a 1. Features, a 4. Usability, a 5, and perception, a 4. That gives us a final score of 4 out of 5.
Comfortably fits nicely into the palm of your hand or your pocket.
