The Benjamin Bott Frankengull card wallet is made from two different leathers by hand to provide frictionless operation while carrying cards and cash in a very functional design. It looks, feels and smells so good.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
If you haven’t heard of Benjamin Bott wallets, then you need to take a look. We have the Frankengull Double Wren wallet today, and I’m kind of excited to get into it.
It comes in a hand-stamped cotton bag, with the Benjamin Bott name on the front. This version of the Frankengull Double Wren is in black and natural russet colors. There are two different leathers used and the sewing is very tight as they use an uncommon kind of thread. In the russet colored leather we can see striations in the leather. This really adds character from the hide more than looking like a defect which some might think it is. The leather feels really good, looks excellent and smells wonderful! This wallet is similar, but still different to the Craft & Lore Port wallet and the Mamut Cartieras Brut wallet.
The overall feature set of this wallet comes down to three slots. We have two on the exterior, card slots that can also accommodate cash folded in thirds or quarter. There is also an additional slot on the interior, with all having top-down access. On the exterior slots the leather has a downward slant which provides a quick finger and thumb access to grab cards Due to it being a wrap wallet using two separate pieces of leather it creates amazing flexibility by just pinching the outside. And there’s no RFID. That’s right, no RFID. That means you can use tap pay with this wall all day long with no concern. And we know that RFID is NOT a problem anymore.
I was able to get one card in each of the exterior slots and three cards on the interior, as well as a few slips of cash folded twice. From a minimalist perspective, probably three cards, five is reasonable. The company says it can hold six to eight cards plus cash. From a quality perspective, this is designed and made in the United States. And what I really like about Benjamin Bott, and Ben, who’s the creator, uses different kinds of leathers. Whether it’s a Buttero or Pueblo, a Dublin or Harness from Horween, or Wickett & Craig Tanneries, he mixes and matches leathers, and it’s just not something you typically see. The variety and unique color and texture options make finding wallets enjoyable.
The back of this wallet is made from black Horween Dublin, with the natural color being a natural Russet Harness from Wickett & Craig. The thread used is a Japanese proxy cord, and it’s very tight, very strong, and a very clean looking thread. The edges are hand sanded, and burnished to a high gloss finish. You can see how fantastic that looks with the leather striations of the colors as it comes together.
It measures 3.7 x 2.6 x 0.3”, and it weighs 36 grams, not bad, a lot of great leather. My perception is Benjamin Bott has been at this since 2011 and not only do they make several pre-made bird named products, this is the Double Wren for example, they also have a Puffin and a Seagull and so forth, but he also allows bespoke options, custom options. So you can create something for yourself. And in most cases for non-bespoke, you can choose your leather and thread color, which is still a great customization capability that not all companies do.
Now onto the final score. For quality, a 5, price a 2, a little expensive considering, features a 3, usability a 5, and perception a 4. Still gives us a very healthy 4.1 out of 5.
Combining two full-grain veg tanned leather, this slim wallet can hold up to 8 cards while providing excellent usability
