(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
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This is the zipper wallet from En Enishi. This is from a website that is essentially the Etsy of Japan called minne.com. They’re all handmade pieces. This is an L-zipper type wallet and it’s made from Horween leather. This is fantastic and it’s a green color. I really love this wallet, not only because of its quality and the fact that it does have a YKK zipper (I harp on zippers all the time), but also because of the features inside, which a lot of other zipper wallets seem to miss.
Let’s get into the feature review. It’s a handmade L-zipper wallet from En Enishi in Japan. Obviously zips in an L shape. It doesn’t go all the way around. If we open it up, there’s nothing on the outside by way of features, but on the inside, we see immediately that we have all kinds of space and places to to put cards, cash and coins. If we start on the left, we can see that we have a card slot. Immediately on the next flap on the interior, there are two card slots that you can put to one, maybe two cards in here each.
And then in the middle is where we actually have a coin pouch. This coin pouch allows us to put coins in there and really keep them secure because once you zip the wallet up, they’re locked into place. But once you open it up you have immediate access to them.
On the right hand side, it mimics the same thing we had in the left. We have two card slots then another slot on the outside for additional coins or cash. Cash actually can wrap around the coin pouch in the middle as well. And of course the zipper itself is a great feature because that actually helps secure everything within the wallet itself.
We were able to get 8 cards in the wallet, and 7 slips of cash. I had all kinds of coins including a $1 coin, an Eisenhower dollar. It could probably hold up to 16 cards, but it depends on how much coin, cash, and cards you carry. However, once I have add heavy coins it can really cause an issue.
By way of quality, like I mentioned, this is designed and handmade in Japan. And it is made of this fantastic Horween leather and has no RFID in it (which we really like). It also has a YKK zipper, which we’ve talked about. The quality overall on this is amazing. And speaking of YKK, let’s look at the little background of this a little bit, so we know what we’re talking about.
So YKK stands for the Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, which really translates to mean the Yoshida Company Limited. The company controls all processes of manufacturing from the smelting of the metal, clear to the final packaging. And they’ve looked at every part of the process from beginning to end again and again to determine where there is a better way to do it, to reduce the errors, reduce the manufacturing problems, and increase reliability and ensure longevity. So really, there’s no doubt that when you have a YKK zipper in your product or clothing, you are getting the best zipper possible.
So there’s really no doubt that this wallet will last a super long time. With the Yen exchange rate, as well as shipping increased the price. So it’s a little on the high side for what you’re getting.
For usability, it’s very easy to use. But if we look at the interior, there is one thing that bothers me. It’s that these flaps aren’t connected at the bottom. They can get in the way since they’re not secured. If these two exterior flaps were sewn to the bottom, I think it would be a much more usable. And if there was at least one exterior, quick access slot, I think that would also be beneficial, like what we’ve seen in other zipper wallets we’ve reviewed.
Measurements on this is 3.8 x 3.5 x 0.3” thin. It just has a fantastic feel. The best products you’ll find tend to be the ones made by hand, one at a time. Usually there are no gimmicks because the goal is longevity, durability, and dedication to the craft by these makers. And so although there are a few shortcomings to this particular wallet, the guarantee of quality on this, that it’ll last for many, many years is certainly there, for sure.
So now let’s get to the final score. For quality, a 5, price, a 2, features, a 4, usability, a 3, and perception, a 4. That gives us a final score of 3.7 out of 5.
Available on the Etsy equivalent of Japan, individual maker En Enishi produces wonderful leather products including this Horween leather L-shaped leather.
