I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the Distil Union Wallly Bifold 5.0 and ModWallet impressed me for the security, major ease of use, flexibility and tight design elements.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
The Wally Bifold 5.0 is a natural evolution from the original Wally wallet along with the introduction of the accompanying ModWallet offering.
From a features perspective, the Distil Union Wally 5.0 wallet shows no features on the exterior except for the pull strap heads. The ends have exterior card slots. Both sides have a card slot that closes with magnets. The wallet is quite nice and has pull straps that are used to extract the cards. The interior has two additional card slots on both sides, and can accommodate about one card in each, whereas the top-down slots can fit up to six cards each. Finally, it has a wonderful-looking stainless steel laser-cut money clip. If my wallet money clips investigation has proven one thing, it would be how much how uniquely styled money clips contribute to the aesthetics and function of a wallet, as seen with the Farrah or Mitchell wallets.
Looking at the Ferris Wally Bifold 5.0 ModWallet, the card slots are from the top on both sides with magnet closure. What is unique about this is its modularity. So what does that mean? The modularity comes from its ability to incorporate multiple functional pieces in a wallet. Let’s say we like the money clip and we want to add it. All we need to do is separate the front and back and add it in. The magnets stack and hold together with just enough strength that it won’t come apart easily but strong enough to use it normally. The difference between the regular Wally 5.0 and Wally ModWallet is that ModWallet is a little bit longer than the regular, so if that is inconvenient, then this wallet might not be the right one. However, modularity is attractive.
The magnets are part of the company’s MagLock design that keeps the card slots in place and the bi-fold closed when it is not being used. Distil Union have been using magnets for their wallets for years, and they have figured out how to not affect cards. Although, magnets will always affect mechanical watches. From a usability perspective of the company itself, Distil Union is all about the finesse of usability.
From the outside, it can be seen that even the pull strap heads have magnets that are just to keep it thin so they are not flopping around or getting in the way. Moreover, there is the red and blue color difference between the strap heads that helps in organizing the cards.
Accessing the cards from the top can be easily done using a couple of methods. The cards can always be pinched and grabbed, and of course, the other method is why there is a pull strap. It can be pulled up, and when it is done, the card can easily be fanned, used and put back. Once cards are back in, the strap resets itself.
The money clip, as mentioned before, is a custom-made stainless steel laser-cut, and the smooth nature of its function is very attractive. It is easy to put cash in and to pull it out, but it is not easy for it to just fall out. That is because of the tension created by the groove that locks cash into place.
The Distil Union Wally 5.0 wallet measures 4.4 x 3 x 0.3”, and weighs 61 grams. It scores 4 for quality, 3 for the price, 4 for the features, 5 for usability as it is incredibly easy to use, and finally 4 for the perception. That gives a great score of 4.1 out of 5.
We went back to the billfold drawing board and distilled a traditional wallet down to the essentials for a slim profile that fits comfortably in your front pocket.
