All Dango products hit the spot with creative designs and excellent quality with their metal (leather is meh). The Dango M1 Rail review shows the new rail kit added to the M1 design to increase card capacity, but with capacity being low to begin with, does it really help?
Today’s review is on the new Dango M1 Rail. As with all Dango products, they come in very consistent packaging, a tin which can be re-utilized for other things. There is also a paracord leather strap included, as well as instructions on how to use the wallet and a thank you card. This particular wallet is satin silver. It also comes in jet black and is a very solid looking wallet.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
Like all Dango wallets there are connection points. There are two at the bottom and two on the top. This works well if you choose to use a lanyard or pickpocket tether. The rail side, which is available as a separate kit, compatible with all M series wallets, connects via six screws. There is a quick access thumb push at the bottom. There are very tight tolerances at the top which is machined into the wallet. This provides a flex point that allows cards to slide in with friction, clicking them into place as soon as they pass the top entry. This provides security for cards, so they don’t fall out. On the other side of the wallet there is a more standard Maverick configuration. There are screw slots provided for additional accessories that can be added later such as the card chassis. The silicon strap is a standard piece on all Dango wallets and is where you slip cash for carry.
Minimal carry on this is probably three cards with eight being reasonable. The company recommends up to nine cards. The cash placement on the back is not optimal, and a bit of an oversight, but that is the case with most Dango wallets, where cash is secondary to card placement. This wallet is not something you would want to put in your back pocket, as it is a bit bulky for the capacity and is considerably wide.
The Dango M1 Rail is designed and made in the United States. It is machined from 6061 aerospace grade aluminum. This wallet is a really solid build, being made from all metal with the exception of the band, and can take a lot of abuse.
Dango products have always sold at a premium, but there are increased costs associated with manufacturing in the United States. With this being machined, and not press molded, I think the pricing is reasonable.
The wallet measures 4 x 3 by .53”, and weighs 86 grams which is what you would expect with an all metal wallet. I prefer the use of complete metal of this Dango product versus the ones that have a combination of metal and leather. If the quality of Dango leather improved, maybe a full grain veg tanned leather to match the high quality metal, they would have a great combination. You will definitely be making a conscious choice to carry this wallet because it is quite heavy and has reduced carry capacity compared to other wallets, but the company continues to extend their product lines as they introduce new products on a consistent basis.
For the final score; quality a 5, price a 3, features a 3, usability a 3, and perception a 4. That gives us a score of 3.8 out of 5.
The M1 Maverick Rail Wallet is a different breed of Dango and unique from any other wallet in the market.
