The OGON Cascade wallet provides a side slide trigger box wallet with a well crafted leather card and cash wrap capability, but it has magnets…and we know what happens with magnets.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
The Ögon Cascade wallet is on deck today. Like most of the wallets we review, this one was highly requested. It is a card case with magnets, I know not the best combination, more on that later. It comes packaged in a typical-esque designed retail box with a clear top. The transparency provides a good view of the color you are getting. A little booklet is also included giving you instructions on how to use the wallet.
The Ögon Cascade looks like a typical box wallet with a push up lever from the side. However, there are magnets which are attached to the box part of the wallet as well as on the leather wrap where exterior cards and cash are stored. This definitely gives the wallet a solid closure. Unfortunately, the magnet part of the wallet makes it a little dangerous.
With the Ögon Cascade being a box wallet, there is obviously a box component, meaning a metal exterior with a plastic interior mechanism. There is also an internal card slot in the attached leather wrap. This slot is great for quick access to a bus pass, ID or non credit card. There is also a cash wrap incorporated within the wallet. If you don’t want to use this area for cash, it can be used as a place to put additional cards.
Minimalist carry on this is three cards. You can get up to six non embossed cards inside the box with three to four embossed cards. The company indicates it can hold eight cards due to the secondary slot in the leather wrap. Because of the height of the wallet, it will fit all currencies without concern.
The wallet is designed and made in France. The box is made of aluminum with the plastic insert made as a polycarbonate. Both materials are recyclable. The company also offers a vegan leather option. The leather for this wallet comes from tanneries in Italy. I suspect it’s actually a higher quality leather, but the company didn’t go out of their way to mention that in any of the details. This particular wallet has finished leather on both sides as well as the interior which is a nice perspective. There is nothing wrong with this concept. However, as mentioned in the past, there have been concerns about the adhesive that is used to attach the leather wrap portion to the back of the wallet. In this particular wallet the adhesive used is strong and the leather lines up perfectly with the box itself. It gives the wallet a nice aesthetic that you don’t really think about. It seems like it would take a lot of effort for the leather to pull away from the box portion. After taking a closer look at the interior of the box wallet, the mechanism at the bottom is made from plastic and has a typical spring actuated lever. There is also a lever at the bottom which is a very common type of mechanism used in box wallets. There are felt stoppers on both sides, so as cards are extracted, they don’t go flying out, but are released in a uniform way as the teeth on the arm push them out in a nice presentation.
The company includes distinct usage instructions for the possible demagnetization of your cards if not followed properly. If the credit card strip is put on the same side as the magnets, it could cause de-magnification. On the card slot side, you do not want to have your strip on the inside facing the magnets, otherwise, it could demagnetize your cards. You definitely need to understand where you are placing your cards in order for them not to be demagnetized. I love how the use of magnets keeps the exterior cover closed securely, but if a mistake is made, it could demagnetize your cards. The way the company suggested inserting my cards isn’t my preferred way of viewing my cards. The demagnetization is a concern for me as I don’t want to think about how my cards are placed.
The trigger mechanism is not that easy to use either. It requires considerable effort to push the slider to extract the cards. Oftentimes, the trigger will get stuck at the top.
The wallet measures 3.8 x 2.6 x .5” and weighs 83 grams. It is a bit hefty, but that is what you would expect from a box wallet.
Ögon has a broad range of card cases, as well as clever coin dispensers that you might want to look at. Their first products were aluminum clamshell wallets, which they pioneered in Europe.
The company has been in operation since 2004. Since 2015 all of their products have been manufactured and assembled in France. There is a lifetime warranty on all of their products.
For the final score: Quality a 4, price a 3, features a 4, usability a 2 and perception a 4. That gives us a final score of 3.3 out of 5.
Automatic card holder / aluminum and leather wallet, Instant card access by ejection, Capacity 1 to 8 cards + receipts + banknotes, RFID Protection: protects your cards against fraud, data theft and card demagnetization, Genuine full grain leather
