(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
Have you heard of a Stuart and Lau brand? Well, it is a partnership of two friends, one from New York and the other from Hong Kong, two individuals who live in two different worlds.
In this review, we have the Stuart Lau slim wallet, even though it is a bifold. The wallet comes with some inserts and we got it in the navy color, but it also comes in cognac, black chocolate, evergreen, stone, and ox blood. This nice-looking wallet has an interesting pattern, logo on the bottom right. They call this a slim wallet, however, it is a bifold with some construction corners to reduce the width.
When we flip this wallet over, we find one external card slot that is for quick access with the capacity of one to two cards and is tap-capable for transit passes or credit cards. There is no RFID lining in this wallet, it is all leather. The other side of the wallet opens up and reveals two internal card slots with a crisscross pattern. The capacity of each slot is one to two cards or more, and behind there is a fold pocket that is capable of fitting most of the currencies. It measures 4 x 3.3 x 0.5” and weighs 48 grams or 1.7 ounces.
The company recommends up to 10 cards. I got seven cards easily, five on the interior, two on the exterior, and five slips of cash. In addition, it does fit the taller yen and euro without a problem. It is designed in the United States and made in China from a full-grain, vegetable-tanned Italian leather. Although I did read in an interview that they import Horween leather to China for other goods they manufacture, I am not quite sure if this is Horween. Nevertheless, it does smell of full-grain vegetable-tanned leather, which smells good. It is black suede-lined in the back, and opposite it has a nylon, which is what is pervasive inside of the slots. The leather does go all the way down, but if you flip the slot over, it shows nylon that is lining it on all corners. Moreover, the nylon in there is RFID, therefore, the cards in are RFID- protected, while other cards are not, permitting the operability of tap pay or transit cards. The edges are painted all the way around, a very common treatment. The creasing is on both the edges and the interior with the card slots. The stitch and thread is a single-filament nylon, which is a very strong thread, and it is machine stitched. It also has some reinforcement at the bottom, but not in all places which would be, in my mind, this is a wee bit concerning.
This wallet is reasonably priced and from a usability perspective, the first item to note is the non-RFID slot. This is quite nice, as well as the really convenient thumb notch for card extraction.
The crisscross pattern that I mentioned in the feature review, offers flexibility in how you insert your cards. Besides the normal operation of inserting the cards, you can push it further by inserting the cards on the top which will allow you to have another avenue of getting your cards in and out. Please watch the video for more details. While the normal operation is very secure when the wallet is closed because the cards are inserted from the middle, the other method poses a potential risk of the card falling out. But otherwise, as the cards are placed as designed in the crisscross pattern, you will have easy access and total security.
Stuart and Lau only sell two wallets: this bifold and a passport wallet. Their main business is in bags of all kinds and other travel accessories.
The final score of the Stuart Lau slim wallet is 4 for quality since it is a nice wallet and the leather quality provided boosts its score despite the nylon. Price scores 2, because it is still expensive for what you get. Features score a 3, they are good overall. Usability scores a 3, and perception a 4. That gives this wallet a final score of 33 out of 50.
Uniquely crafted from just four cuts of full grain Italian leather and stitched with single filament nylon thread, and coupled with a soft suede lining, it's a stunning wallet to carry
