Getting pretty close to being a perfect compact bifold wallet, the NODUS Hifold from NODUS Collection is made of full grain veg tanned leather with selective RFID protection so it can still function without pulling every card out.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
In this review, we have the NODUS Hifold wallet. I got it in dark teal, but it also comes in chestnut brown, ebony black, taupe gray, aqua blue, and olive green.
The sewing on this wallet is acceptable, in a way it puts the enforcement where needed, and the texture of this leather is quite agreeable, besides, it smells pleasant.
The wallet has no external features, while the interior contains five card slots with one being the pole strap. Moreover, you can get up to eight cards and its size does make you warm up to it. The pole has got a bit of a loop, which is an opportunity missed as I believe it could have been creatively used as a pen slot. One of the interesting aspects about these card slots is that all of them are RFID protected, except for the hidden slot. I call it hidden, however, if you put something inside this interior card slot and close it, the exterior becomes tap payable, whether for Metro, payment card, or such. Whereas, the remaining slots do have RFID material, which you can see, as it is prominent throughout the wallet. The billfold pocket has a capacity of eight-plus notes and a little key slot which is quite nice for those that like to carry a single key to get into their apartment or home. The wallet measures 4.1 x 3.5 x 0.4 and weighs 50 grams or 1.8 ounces.
From an accommodation perspective, I got seven cards and eight slips of cash. The cash is a little tight, but it did make it in there with all currencies thanks to its height that is tall enough to handle the Euro and the yen. It is just a little tight, which I think is acceptable. I do not use a lot of cash, but I would not mind carrying it there. One thing to notice is the key as it does not handle very well keys that have a large head on them, it should be something such as a small little round head key, so be aware of that. The company recommends four to 13 cards plus notes, in addition to that key.
I put my Metro pass in that hidden slot so that I do not have to take it out every time I want to get on the Metro. I can just tap it, which I think is great.
This is designed in the United Kingdom from full-grain vegetable leather from an UN mentioned tannery in Florence, Italy. I have not been able to determine where the wallet is made, but with the leather coming from Italy, I am pretty sure that this is created and manufactured somewhere within the EU. The leather is thinly cut, I could get a feel for that as I took out the cards. With the leather top, we have a liner that is persistent everywhere where leather is not seen to help keep it thin, but it also kind of reduces leather. I like leather everywhere, but sometimes for the sake of design, it is easier to keep things thin. And we see the same strategy with many manufacturers, such as Bellroy, Harbor London, Rrox, et cetera.
The stitching is done by machine, which is evident because it is very fine to the point that it is obvious, but it still has some reinforcement in stress areas, as you would expect. The edges are rounded over, so the leather that comes around is sewn, but they are painted, which gives them a little bit more reinforcement and wearability before it starts affecting the top of the leather. Besides, if it does wear through that, then it all starts to come undone and it would not look very good. Another thing to notice is the creases at the top of the card slots, which is a feature more observed in some better wallets, and this is something that takes extra work, thus, it shows good attention to detail in the design.
From a usability perspective, the wallet presents no issue. Furthermore, I like the non-RFID slot, but I would be happy if this entire wallet had no RFID. The pull strap is totally different compared to most other wallets, it is full length, contains nylon, and provides security towards the front. It also makes it easy to put cards in, you would not be fiddling with a small strap and it just goes right in. I have to say that this wallet is getting closer to where I think is a perfect compact bifold.
The final score of the NODUS Hifold wallet is four for quality, three for the price, and four for each of the features, usability, and perception. That gives this wallet a final score of 3.8 out of 5.
If you liked this review, look at the video and the review we did on the NODUS compact coin pouch.
