We’ve seen some unique wallets from Trayvax over the years, but the Trayvax Venture Billfold is different. It’s still unique and creative, but it follows more traditional features and designs while still incorporating security features like a magnet closure. Even though it’s a billfold, it’s minimalist, RFID protected, EDC, metal wallet that stands up to the Contour, Element and OG 2.0.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
Trayvax makes some of the absolutely most creative wallets I have ever seen. Some are more functional than others, and my personal favorite is the Contour that I loved carrying in the past. Still, they all have design quirks that make you wonder, “Why?” For example, why did they put the lanyard eyelet on the Contour such as that? It looks just like a wart. Why did they use a massive piece of stainless steel on the Ascent Wallet? That thing weighs a ton. Why do we have the hanger eyelet, ready to poke holes in your pocket? And finally, the Summit Notebook with all the hardware on its back, why can’t I wrap something around to keep it as a bundle instead of having it flopping open all the time?
In this review, we will see something different, something still unique and creative, but it follows more familiar wallet patterns. We are going to look at the recently released Venture Billfold.
Trayvax has always had a black slider box packaging their products. It has always been that way, except for the new Venture, which has more of a retail package that comes with different stages and goes through all the details. That makes it a bit different from what we have seen in the past.
This wallet comes in brown or black, and they are setting themselves up to be able to offer different kinds of material as well. Its construction includes some rivets in the back. It is aluminum and very light compared to some of their other wallets and has a little magnetic opening that makes getting into the wallet a pleasant experience.
From a feature perspective, we have one exterior card slot that is a little different because you only have to flip it open to get access to it. That provides true protection so cards do not fall out. Inside the wallet, we have two other additional card slots, one at the front, and the other is a card slit on the opposite side, providing more storage for cards, which makes a lot of sense. This billfold pocket works in conjunction with cards that are coming in from the side, but it is a full billfold pocket. Finally, we have a magnetic closure using two magnets located on the outside, which I like because it keeps the wallet secure. It is not going to come open on its own because of the lip, but to open it, you just barely touch it and it kind of comes open. I really like this from a security perspective. The wallet measures 4 x 3 x 0.5 and weighs 94 grams, which is not bad considering that it contains metal.
I like everything in this wallet, but can it actually carry 20 plus notes and up to nine cards before stretching out?
That is a lengthy exercise and one that I need to talk you through. I have inserted eight cards, a number that is not unreasonable. The company makes mention of up to 10 cards and up to 20 notes while I did try putting 15 notes and it did not work, so I got down to five plus the eight cards. I just had to push it and then it finally decided to click. It cannot take 20 notes and all the cards, that is just over its capacity. Therefore, you have got to be judicious for you are more of a cash person, in this case, you can put lots of cash in it, but then you will have to concede the capacity of the cards, and vice versa.
Furthermore, the metal involved in this wallet will of course provide some RFID protection to your cards. This is designed and made in the United States and it has a CNC frame from a 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum. It is a single piece of full-grain vegetable-tanned Horween leather, which wraps on the bottom and comes around. It uses saddle stitching using heavy-duty, braided nylon thread, all throughout the sewn part. In the rear, we have rivets that are triple-plated neodymium magnets used for the closure of the wallet. These magnets are safe for high coercivity cards, basically credit cards or debit cards. However, they could have issues with low coercivity cards like hotel keys, visitor passes, and so forth. I find their placement very commending.
This wallet is priced for $110, and it can be engraved with up to two lines of text. It comes with Trayvax’s 65-year heirloom warranty. So did I find something I did not like with this wallet? Well, actually, no. So if you like Trayvax or want to try their wallets, but are looking for something more mainstream, do the venture.
The final score of the Venture Billfold is 5 for quality, like all Trayvax wallets, materials and construction are excellent; price scores a 3 and I think this is reasonable for what you get, but it is getting into the high side; features score a 3 since it does what it should; usability gets a 4 because it does what it should do well; finally, perception scores a 4. Product quality, solid guarantee, company vision, and helping people are what their products are all about and they do a great job. That gives this wallet a final score of 40 out of 50.
With the Venture Billfold, we’ve redefined the traditional bi-fold wallet. We combined our low-profile card storage with a full-sized cash pocket with a distinctive closure that provides instant access while keeping everything contained when you’re on the move.
