Made in Turkey, the Ozalita bifold wallet shows creativity and usability while showing how a billfold wallet can be used.
(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 will take a look at a bi-fold wallet from Oğuzhan’s Ozalita Leather Goods. The wallet arrived in a zip-lock plastic bag, nothing fancy. This reviewed wallet is the brown color with caramel-colored thread, as well as a caramel color interior, which is an attractive contrast.
The stitching is done well, but is missing some reinforcement.
The wallet exhibits nice geometric creasing, besides a natural flesh side, which means that both brown and caramel dyes have been applied to this wallet. The wallet has no features on the exterior, while on the interior, there are four card slots, which intersect over each other on
both sides. In addition to the card slots, this wallet has quite a generous billfold pocket with the ability to accommodate cards vertically as well.
The card and cash insertion test was performed with six cards and a whole stack of cash containing 12 notes. It fits all currencies without any issue, even the taller ones like the Yen and the Euro. Minimalists carry would probably be four cards, and reasonable is six cards, while the company recommends up to eight cards. Looking at the wallet in the pocket insertion, it slides in nicely in the front pocket and extraction is not a problem, it also fits well in the back pocket.
Oğuzhan, the maker of Ozalita Leather Goods is a new maker on Etsy, the unique design elements on his wallets are what attracted me to his work. He has been able to take something really hard to innovate on, a bifold for example, and then introduced something fresh.
From a quality perspective, this is designed and made in Turkey. Its burnishing is quite nice and has a shiny edge to it. Moreover, different layers of leather can be seen adding more character to it. The approach is different from other makers, but when such a thing is done this way it really adds to the wallet. Another aspect is the crease feature at the top of the wallet that goes all the way around, adding some texture and character. In addition, on the interior, the geometric type shape based on the design of how the cards insert themselves draws the eye in a particular way, and again, it adds some texture and character. It is a thin cut of leather to facilitate a slimmer profile. It measures 3.8 x 4.1 x 0.3” and weighs 40 grams. It is a full-grain vegetable tan leather and it does smell good.
Oğuzhan hand dyes the leather with a water-soluble dye, which is why the color is not seen all the way through as pointed out on the flesh side in the billfold slot. Surface dying is a common practice, it is done by major manufacturers, but it has its detractors depending on the type of dye and the process used. If it is an aniline dye that uses a protectant like resolene, which is an acrylic layer that is applied afterward to prevent it from bleeding, which is the biggest concern, then everything will be safe. I have determined that an acrylic has been applied. The dye has come through and it can be seen, moreover, some variation in the dye has been applied.
From a usability perspective, this wallet is pretty easy to use. The only recommendation might be on lowering the height of the front piece of leather, as it relates to the back piece of leather in the billfold pocket. A lot of wallets will reduce the height just a little bit so they permit a thumb to grab on the back piece without having to always touch the front because it will begin to show wear and tear over time. It allows more long-term usability after getting used to it, and it is just kind of a preference. The probable reason why he did not do that is that once it is lowered, then it begins to expose the undyed portion in the back. The other concern is that the cards overlap on the interior, as they do not have separate slot pockets, which means that the cards will be subjected to wear and tear over time, and that might be troublesome.
The final score of the Ozalita bi-fold leather wallet is 4 for the quality, a good score but it is still lacking due to the missing reinforcements on the edges and the dye not being applied on the flesh side, it is something of a personal preference, but also something that most people feel, which is the understanding that I have gotten over time; the price scores 3, it has fluctuated up and down, so watch for that; features score a 3, usability a 4, because of the ease of utilization; perception scores a 4 as well thanks to the unique design elements Oğuzhan incorporates and expresses in his wallets that make it stand out. The total score of the Ozalita bi-fold leather wallet is 3.7 out of 5.
