AnsixDesign’s Fantom R Accessories were planned when it was originally created, great forward thinking. But is the ID Holder, Cash Holder, Coin Holder and Key Holder worth it? Do you really even need it?
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
By now, you should have heard about the Fantom wallet by Ansix Designs. In our prior reviews, I mentioned how lacking the wallet was by way of secondary carry features for coins, IDs, keys, et cetera, and that you needed to spend a lot of money, more than I thought really, for a money clip, which didn’t come by default with the wallet. I was very surprised when I saw not just one, but several accessory options for the Fantom R to help alleviate the loss of functionality
Due to advanced planning by the company, none of these accessories were afterthoughts, but were part of their larger product extension strategy. How do I know? It’s pretty obvious if you look for it, which I didn’t do in the original Fantom R wallet review. There are three screw points which provide the anchors for each accessory.
It’s good to remember that these accessories only work with the Fantom model R. They do not work with the model S. All are designed in Canada, being manufactured in China, with each providing a 30 day money back guarantee, and unlimited lifetime warranty. You can really only have one of these accessories attached at any given time on your wallet, except for the money clip which can rest on the opposite side.
ID Holder
The ID holder, priced at $9, is an easy and nice featured accessory. It weighs 12 grams, which includes all the hardware for installation. It’s made from Lexan, which is strong, flexible, transparent plastic, a polycarbonate. It has high impact strength as it’s used for cockpit canopies for example and bulletproof screens. This is not going to fail very easily.
Unlike the rest of the wallet, the ID holder does not have RFID. So, it’s the perfect spot to put your access card, whether that be a bus or subway pass, hotel key or work card, even a credit card you may use often. Interestingly enough, today, a lot of credit cards have their numbers on the back of the card so if you use it with this view window, you won’t be exposing your numbers.
Cash Holder
Now onto the cash holder. As with all their accessories, it comes with excellent instructions and all the hardware you need. The instructions also provide image examples of what you can use with this accessory. And like all the accessories, it only works with the Fantom R. It comes in three colors; walnut, bamboo, and carbon fiber. They didn’t have the leather brown dot that would match my wallet, so I chose carbon fiber. If we look at the design, we can see tabs on the back of the accessory which press against the back of the wallet. And as you can guess, that’s what provides that pressure when cash is put in there to keep it in place.
Usage with cash is a mix in my opinion. Of course, you do have a full money clip you can install on the bottom which will work with every accessory, so the addition of this specific accessory might be redundant or an additional carry space. Due to how cash sticks out when folded once (which is preferred) you are left folding cash twice which then makes insertion and extraction more difficult.
So what can you use this for if cash doesn’t work so well? You could use other types of cards. Business cards, receipts, instead. So, even though it is a cash holder, I’m going to call it a card holder for lack of a better word based on how it’s useful. One final thought on the cash holder is if you do use it for additional cards, I wasn’t able to get more than three. Three is probably the maximum you can get into here.
Key Holder
Let’s look at the key holder. Priced at $44, it weighs 36 grams, and of course includes the hardware for installation. It also comes in three colors; walnut, bamboo and carbon fiber. Like the others, three screws are all that’s needed to attach it to the Fantom R wallet. A protective film is also provided which is laid on the top of the wallet before the key holder is installed. It provides protection to the wallet so as keys are pushed out and in, it won’t scratch the wallet face.
If we look at how it works, it supports 4 keys with a slide button to eject each key separately. There is a small elastic band that snaps back after a key is slid out. When finished with the key, you push it back into the slot until needed again.
Coin Holder
The apparent simplicity disguises a bit of work in getting the Coin Holder working. Priced at $34, it weighs 33 grams and also comes in the same color options. It comes with an extension piece to the top level which when attached provides the cap to prevent coins from falling out. Like the Key Holder, the Coin Holder includes a Tyvex insert to protect the wallet from coin friction.
Be mindful that you can also put in SD cards, SIM cards, keys, really, anything that fits.
If you own a Fantom R, then your additional carry options are expanded with these accessories.
Made of aluminum including the trigger, it's durability stands out, albeit a little tall in its presentation.
