(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
Today we are going to review the STOW Slip wallet. For a slim based wallet, it has some interesting design features that make this stand out from the rest of the crowd. It is packaged in a multi-colored box that looks to have a cutout on the top. It incorporates the color of the product on the inside through the cutout so you know exactly what you are getting. This is the crimson red. I really like this color. It looks very simple but there are some complexities built into the design that I think is really unique and has been very well thought out. The company recently changed its name to Akeeni and released an improved version of the wallet called XSTO.
Packaging is very interesting and is a science that you can’t overlook, as it provides insight into what the manufacturers are thinking in both value and perception and how it associates with the product they sell. This is why I like to talk through the packaging beyond just the unboxing.
Let’s get into the feature view of the STOW Slip wallet. There are three main components and features to this wallet. There is a cash carry, a card carry, and a business card carry. While this is not unique to most wallets, the STOW provides specificity on how it handles these three main things.
As for the card and cash insertion test, I was able to get six cards and eight slips of cash inside. The wallet comes in different versions. You can get a four, six, and eight card capacity. It works great for US, Canadian and Australian currencies, but Yen and Euro are still too tall to fit. The wallet is designed and made in the United States and is made of aerospace grade aluminum in a single piece.
There are many different colors available on their website.
For those who have complained that this doesn’t have RFID, if you’re looking for a great way to get it without ruining your wallet with fabric you don’t want or need, pick up the Popov Gauntlet RFID card. It slips into your wallet and provides the same protection which can be transferred between wallets.
The wallet measures 3.6 x 2.3 x 0.6, and weighs 45 grams. It is made from metal but is still very light because it is aluminum.
The thing I really like is the resiliency of the company. It is impressive, and the spirit of the entrepreneurial-ism is fantastic within the STOW team. Right when they were finalizing their prototypes, they were caught in the California Carr wildfire in mid-2018 that burnt down their home and manufacturing facility, which was located in their garage, along with many other buildings around them including residences. However, this did not deter them from jumping back on the horse and successfully launching the company with the products being reviewed today.
Now let’s get onto the final score. For quality a 4, price a 3, features a 4, usability a 5, and perception a 4. That gives us a final score of 4.1 out of 5.
Hitting the spot on so many requirements, the XSTO (used to be called the STOW) sits at an almost perfect slim wallet for cash and card carry; easy to access, simple for card extraction too.
