Corter Leather’s Snap Wallet was Eric’s first wallet when he saw the Red Moon wallet and couldn’t buy it. That led to an amazing company, creating wonderful products and teaching the world how to make their own special creation. The Snap Wallet is a true biker or cowboy wallet with simple flair, but rugged for the task. Saddle stitched by hand, it will last a lifetime.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
If you are a wallet aficionado or happened to crawl through leather-making videos on YouTube, then you have most likely come across Corter Leather, the first-ever wallet and design of the owner and maker Eric Heins, and this snap wallet is what we are going to review. It is kind of a cowboy biker wallet, but the quality of the construction and design thinking are excellent
The wallet comes in a nice cotton bag. We got this snap wallet in saddle tan, but it also comes in a natural color that is a bit lighter, and other darker colors. The wallet has a nice double stitching, a nice feel to the leather, and cast brass snap. I think we are going to like it.
Based in a solar-powered studio in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Eric got his inspiration from the Red Moon wallet created by Keiichiro Goto from Japan. You can tell that it has a similar design and a button flare. But due to cost, he was unable to purchase a Red Moon, so Eric put one together himself in his dorm room on Ikea furniture, and Corter Leather was born.
For a feature review, the wallet does not have anything on the exterior except a little tether eyelet, that is what we are going to call it. It is meant for lanyards, chains, tethers, yee-haw snd so on, so it can attach to your pants, belt loop, or whatever you might want to attach it to. It opens to reveal the card slots, which are six located in the front. They can hold one to two cards each once they stretch. The interior has a billfold pocket, a fairly generous one, and it does not open up completely at the end, which is nice because it keeps cash nice and secure. It measures, in inches, 4.2 x 4 x 1.2, and weighs 107 grams or 3.8 ounces of lovely leather
Now, what if I told you Corter Leather also sells a patented cast bottle opener?
For the insertion test, I got six cards and nine slips of cash. The company makes no recommendation on cards, but each slot can hold more once broken in. It is very tight in the beginning, I kind of had to push the cards in, but that is the way it should be so they do not become very sloppy. The fact that they are also facing into the fold means that, when closed, it accomplishes great security. Furthermore, it has a tremendous depth on the billfold pocket for the cash
It is designed and made in the United States from a full-grain vegetable-tanned Hermann Oak leather, but Eric also likes to use Wickett and Craig and Horween, and has other different offerings. The wallet has this custom sand cast solid brass logo concho. Moreover, it is a plated brass snap hardware to resist rust. This allows you to use it to the fullest and not be too concerned if it happens to get wet. It is saddle stitched everywhere and has double stitching with all of the card slots. The corners, where all kinds of wear and pull are expected to occur, have got great stitching to maintain their durability. I want to point attention to one particular feature, which is how these card slots build upon themselves, they go almost all the way to the bottom. However, if you had a card in and you pushed it further in, it would go all the way to the bottom. So how does Eric maintain this wallet’s staggered look? Well, it is done through sewing. There is a stitch right at the bottom, and another stitch right above it. The stitch provides the backstop when a card goes in. Therefore the card goes only so far, hits the stitch, and keeps that stagger going, very clever in what it does. The other part that I want to point out is how it staggers. You have got the tab for each of these card slots, and they do not fully lay on top of each other, and that way, it remains thin and you get the full support of the stitching as it goes along. The edges are also lightly sanded and very lightly burnished, nothing too fancy or too glossy.
From a usability perspective, it is a bit thick and one that you should probably consider carrying with a chain or other tether just because of its size, as you do not want it to fall out and get lost. The snap provides kind of this thickie profile here, and that is where I did my measurement, which was 1.2 inches when it had those six cards and nine slips of cash. That said, it is easy to use, and once the slots are broken in, the cards will still be safe, as I mentioned, because they face the fold. Besides, it is a really easy card with billfold ingress and egress.
One of Corter Leather’s primary missions is to teach leatherworking, which is why you can find so many excellent videos on their YouTube channel. To that end, they also sell their patterns so you too can create something great at home. Eric also sells leatherworking tools, and as I have mentioned, this patented hook leather bottle opener you can use with your keys, tether, or anywhere else.
The final score of the Corter Leather is five for quality, two for the price since it is still in the higher area, but on the edge due to it being handmade and, of course, done in the United States. Features score a three, usability scores a four because it is very easy to use, and finally, perception scores a five because Eric is trying to make a difference, and that is important. That gives this wallet a final score of 4 out of 5.
Six card slots & bill slot, eyelet for chain attachment, hand punched & sewn with burnished & waxed edges. Custom sand cast solid brass logo concho with plated brass snap hardware to resist rust.
