The JJ Leathersmith wallet, named Lucais, like Lucas, is a beautiful slim wallet with a flap opening with two versions, one for US dollars and another for International currencies.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
Several requests came for the Lucais Wallet from JJ Leathersmith. It is a cash wrap with great ease of use, but does its flap get in the way? Well, the answer to that is coming. It has two versions, the US dollar, and international. Obviously, there is a difference in width to accommodate the taller currencies. I always like to go international to keep flexibility with currencies. It comes in two colors, honey and cafe. It has kind of a rough cut and some nice strong stitching can be seen in the thread. It is a tri-fold, very familiar to the recently reviewed, Cash Finn from Lost Dutchman.
The flap would appear to be useless without a strap, however, it might require a little more time before its functionality is perceived. But if flipped over, on the back, there are no features. Once opened, there is a quick access card slot and no strap to interfere with the flap. Therefore, it facilitates easy access to the cards. And this is the first of two interior card slots, a second is accessible once it is open up. This is a slit that works with the back slot, and this is where the cash wrap is located. Cash goes in and then is folded.
It measures 4.2 x 2.8 x 0.4”, and weighs 52 grams, a very light wallet. The cards and cash test revealed some interesting features, it was quite the exercise. Four cards is probably minimalist carry, and reasonable is six. During the test, six cards seemed a little much, but it needed to break in a bit. The company does recommend up to eight cards and 30 notes. I was trying to get 12 and 10 and there respectively between the US and International version but they worked great. You would want to slide it in the pocket with the flap facing up so it goes in and does not catch. Other than that, it is a great wallet for the front pocket.
The rougher look of the leather is attractive. Moreover, the monogram of the maker is on the inside, instead of being stamped on the front. The front is kept nice and clean on both sides.
From a quality perspective, it is designed and made in Ecuador. It is a thinner cut of leather to facilitate the slimmer profile. It’s a full-grain veg-tanned vachetta leather with a wax polyester thread. It is also used to ensure the longevity that Jonathan, along with his business partner, Humbi, hand dye the leather with a water-soluble dye. That is why the color is not seen all the way through the leather. It is very soft, and if that is not seen as a disadvantage, I believe that the darker edges blend well, and I am usually a fan of dying on both sides, but this one is not bothersome. It is important to understand that surface dying is a common practice, but it does have its detractors. Jonathan’s team applies a natural polish on the exterior to seal in the dye and it keeps it looking great without concern for bleeding.
He buys all of his materials within 500 kilometers of his shop in Ecuador, which is very admirable. The Lucais does not have that, permitting access to cards or cash immediately.
The final score of the JJ Leathersmith Lucais Wallet is 5 for quality, it is great leather and there are great tanneries around the world, they don’t all exist in the US or Europe. Price and features score a 3, usability scores a 4, it may seem odd to remove that strap, but it is kind of nice. With 3 for perception, the wallet gets a great score of 3.9 out of 5.
he vertical bill fold design, created in 2014, is unlike anything you've ever seen before. Imagine the envy of your friends and colleagues as they watch you effortlessly pull out this sleek, functional wallet to pay for your purchases.
