The Tom Bihn Nik’s minimalist wallet number 1 is a bifold, card holder made in the USA for small credit cards and folded cash. It’s all fabric with no support, so is this bifold wallet worth it?
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
We have Nik’s Minimalist Wallet Number One from Tom Bihn. It comes in five colors. There’s no stiffeners in the wallet, it’s very flexible.
There are no exterior features on the wallet, no quick access slots. We have an elastic strap which actually keeps everything in play. On the interior we have two interior card slots. That’s it. But that’s all you need, 6 to 10 cards between both slots. And you can fold cash in thirds or in quarters, depending on your preference for cash carry.
Tom Bihn’s Nick’s Minimalist Wallet Number One is the most minimalist of the four wallets in the product line, all being made of this kind of fabric. It measures 3.5 by 2.7 by 0.1. And it weighs 12 grams. No surprise in the light weight.
I was able to place six cards and two slips of cash. Minimalist carry would be four cards, reasonable being six. The company does recommend 6 to 10 cards. Honestly, it can do that. And it is built for credit cards in particular. US business card sizes, ironically, do not fit. From a quality perspective, this is designed and made in the United States. The wallet is very limp when first held. When you take things out of it, it just crumples up. But there’s no need to have any artificial stiffeners as inserted cards do that just fine once loaded.
The company is large enough to produce its own fabric, which is great, because they can design it, but it’s still small enough to keep production close to the customer. It’s made of a 2010 denier 2 x 2 ballistic nylon. The way it’s sewn, it reduces bulk and it leaves a very nice, clean, seamless look to it. From a usability perspective, there’s not much to say, except you pull back the elastic for access, and when done, you just close it and put the strap back for good security. All the cards face into the fold, and so they’re not going to be falling out.
This is the first and foremost a card wallet. It does require you to fold cash, and depending on how you like to organize your cards, it might not be for you, as you must stack the cards. It is a stack card type wallet. You can see how it goes into the pocket, no worries. It’s very small, and fits in the palm of your hand, so it works in either a front or a rear pocket carry.
The company is a Certified B Corporation which is a wonderful testament to the company and what it likes to do to give back. Tom Bihn’s main lines are bags, backpacks, and other travel gear, but this wallet is kind of cool.
Now onto the final score. For quality a 4, price a 4, pretty nice. Features a 3, which you’d kind of expect from a card wallet. Usability, is a 4, easy to get to. With perception, a 5. They give back and they really do well as an organization to help their people and the community. That gives us a final score of 4.1 out of 5.
Nik's Minimalist Wallets can only fit the essentials: a few credit cards and folded cash bills, driver's license, and health insurance and library cards. The simple and slim design leaves no extra room for the unnecessary receipts, meaning that these wallets will slide into your pockets with ease.
