A treasure trove of wallets is on Etsy which hasn’t had much attention so we’ll look at the TOP 10 Etsy Wallets of 2021.
(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 go over the top 10 Etsy leather makers of 2021. The aim will be to uncover Etsy’s hidden gems. Many of the most popular brands had their start in Etsy before jumping to their own websites, and many of them kept their shops open on the platform. This review is intended for those who sell solely on Etsy or may have a dedicated website, but still keep their shop open.
The nine wallets (with two more added later) to be reviewed are the EJV Leather wallet, the Lone Deer Leather, Ozalita Leather Goods, the John Brandon Flap Wallet, the DWCraftsUK, Softie Leather Goods Logan, the Night Heron Leather Great Heron, the Open Seas Leather Topsider, and the Leathings wallet. As you can see from the map, they come from all over the world, which, of course, is our purpose.
First, we will look at their prices. On Etsy, prices tend to fluctuate, therefore, do not be surprised if it is different from what I mention. The EJV Leather costs $80, the Lone Deer Leather is from $45 to $90, Ozalita Leather Goods from $66, John Brandon Flap wallet is $43, DWCraftsUK is priced at $58, Softie Leather Goods Logan $65, Night Heron $50, Cocuan Coin Holder at $62, Open Seas Topsider Bifold for $89, the Leathings is priced at $27 with the Tauruscamp BaseWallet at $69.
What makes each of these wallets special? We have a mix of unique and classic designs, all being very functional, which is something every wallet should demonstrate.
EJV Leather 4 pocket
Moving to the review, the EJV wallet has nothing on the exterior, four card slots on the interior, and two additional pockets on the back of the interior which is great for additional cards and cash. It is designed and made in the United Kingdom from a full grade vegetable tanned maya leather from the Conceria Il Ponte tannery. In addition to the leather components, Elliot, the maker, has included a fabric backer, which provides some texture. It attractively introduces different designs, making the wallet very engaging. Moreover, it has different colored leather on the exterior. The interior on the other hand has pocket slants for detail, different colored thread, and the already mentioned texture on the back. Overall, it is a great-looking wallet. Fully handmade, hand-cut, glued, stitched, and burnished, which shows the mix of leather colors that are truly fetching. On this edge, is it very similar to what we have encountered with Benjamin Bott for example. It fits all the different currencies as well as up to 10 cards and five-plus notes, except that the tallest notes need to be folded at least once. This wallet provides ‘all handmade’ excellent quality.
Lone Deer Leather Bifold
The Lone Deer leather bi-fold wallet also has no features on the exterior. When opened up, we locate four card slots, but if we open the snap, we have an additional four more, which equips this wallet with eight total card slots and a very generous billfold pocket. Moreover, thanks to its different layers, it permits arranging archive cards and less used cards in a way that the wallet keeps a very thin split to it and is very lightweight. Besides, it has a fantastic thread reinforcing all the edges. It is a great-looking wallet, very rugged, and it will last. It is designed and made in the United States of top-grain Crazy Horse leather, and Crazy Horse leather smells good. It can hold up to 16 cards and 10-plus notes with all currencies fitting in the billfold pocket. The snap feature, like mentioned, is quite nice, it offers a focus on the most used card.
Ozalita Craft Bifold
The Ozalita leather goods is designed and made in Turkey, it has no features on the exterior, while the interior has a total of four card slots, which are oriented for horizontal and vertical card insertion. It has a geo-looking crease design on the card slots. The bill-fold pocket is located on the interior. Two different colors of dyed leather can be seen providing a nice view. It is a great wallet to look at, can hold up to eight cards and a recommended 10-plus notes, and it fits all the currencies. It is a vegetable-tanned leather, burnished nicely on the edges. One thing to be aware of is that the cards could overlap, which might cause some wear and tear.
John Brandon Flap
Moving on to the John Brandon Flap wallet, the color blue of this wallet is stunning! The exterior has one slot that could be used as a card slot, but it is specifically made for cash, which fits well. The interior card slot can accommodate several cards. This wallet is designed and made in the United States. It is a full-grain vegetable-tanned leather, which starts out a little stiff as some leathers do, but will break in nicely after use, and the patina will be wonderful. It fits most currencies folded only once, with the taller currencies sticking out the side. Excluding the yen and the tall Euro, it handles the rest pretty well. It can hold up to 10 cards with five-plus notes. It uses an Irish linen stitch cord for sewing which is all done by hand, and bees wax for burnishing. In addition, the entire wallet is made from one piece of leather that has been folded and stitched.
DWCraftsUK Bifold
The next wallet, the DWCraftsUK wallet, leaves no opportunity to wonder where this is created; it is the DW Crafts UK for that reason. It has no features on the exterior. Also, beyond the rivets, there is no sewing in the wallet. The interior holds two pockets, the top a slit, and then a card pocket behind it. On the opposite side there are 2 small pieces of leather that poke out, which provide for 2 keys to be inserted and stored. It also contains a compartment for coins. Its function is simple, put coins in there, snap it down, along with a billfold pocket. Very delightful wallet, it has a nice cut and it is very thin, allowing it not to be bulky, even though there are a lot of leather layers involved, it sits nicely. The key slot is clever and it can hold up to 15 cards plus 10 notes. In the review on this wallet, I stuffed as many cards as I could and it handled it, albeit, it is a Costanza-type wallet. The design is very compact, the folds are very precise, and this is something that will last a lifetime and develop a fantastic patina.
Softie Leather Goods Logan
Moving to the Softie Leather Goods Logan wallet, this wallet does have an exterior feature, a quick access card slot. It is equipped with a snap closure, when opened up it shows an accordion-type design. It has another card slot in the front, providing good access to cards and more room in the back. The drawback of this accordion is that when pulled out, it limits what goes in, but cash can be inserted in as a cash wrap. It fits the US currency. Thus, it gives the option between that or more cards in a clever accordion design. It is designed and made in the United States from a full-grain vegetable-tanned leather from Wickett and Craig. It has a smooth flesh side, not rough, which I like, but that depends on personal preference. This is very smooth leather, and the cut is not flimsy, the weight is perfect for the design. It is made from four pieces of leather and it is sewn using the Vinymo MBT thread. I am unsure what that is, but it sounds pretty good to me. It fits up to 10 cards and handles 10-plus notes, but not foreign currencies that are taller than US dollars. It is a little bigger than what would be expected for a wallet of this size and carry features, but the quick access makes it very usable.
Night Heron Leather Great Heron
The Night Heron Leather Great Heron minimalist wallet is a mouthful of a name. It is pretty simple with a piece of leather that wraps around another piece of leather. It has pockets on both the front and the back for cash or card. The inside has another interior slot, again, for cash or cards. The cash needs to be folded in thirds or quarters before insertion, and that is pretty much the features on this wallet. It is designed in the United States from a full-grain vegetable-tanned leather, and it is Horween, which makes it smell like a dream. It has light burnishing on the edges, and it is hand-stitched very tightly. In the review, I talk more about the lines, so I encourage you to look at that and how the sewing was done. It is made of two separate pieces, which can be clearly noticed from the color, and that adds great variety. It holds up to eight cards. The round cut at the top prevents the wallet edge from poking you in your pocket, but it helps see how it is sewn down and allows quick and easy access, as well as more effective pinching for opening.
Cocuan Leather Coin/Card
One of the wallets not listed in the beginning of the review is the Cocuan Leather Coin/Card. This wallet does not have any sewing. It only has snaps and rivets. It is made out of two pieces of leather and very cleverly designed. The coins go in the front snapped pocket, and by pulling the closed coin pouch forward, we find our way to the rear, where the card slot is located. Built for coins and cards, cash can be inserted, after being folded in thirds or quarters The multiple folds and the accordion look permits the cut of this leather to be perfectly suited for what it will accommodate, but it does result in a thick wallet. It can hold up to six cards and two-plus notes, however, its primary design is for coins and cards.
Open Seas Topsider Billfold
Back to the list, the Open Seas Leather Topsider Billfold is next. It’s an improved version of the Open Seas Leather Topsider that was sent to me, in which I have encountered a lot of difficulties and functional defects in the previous review. It has a security flap that goes into this front slot. On the back, it has a quick access card slot, which every wallet should have. On the interior, it has two card slots, and the regular Topsider can turn into a cash wrap. With the Topsider Billfold, a full currency pocket is also available.
Leathings Craft
The next to last wallet on the list is the Leathings Craft wallet. Its characteristics are the two rivets and a snap. It is a little big and a bit wide but has a quick access card slot which is located in the front, on the side. Opening the wallet exposes its back, where a large pocket for cash or additional cards can go. It is designed and made in Turkey from a full-grain vegetable-tanned calfskin leather. Calfskin is great for its flexibility, and can hold up to eight cards and 10-plus notes, in addition to all the currencies only needing to be folded once. It is pretty thick at one inch due to all the leather folding, but it is easy enough to use and would be a great front or back pocket carry.
Tauruscamp BaseWallet
Finally, the mysterious last wallet is the Tauruscamp BaseWallet, another great wallet from the Tauruscamp company. This is the BaseWallet and it has a quick access card slot on the rear. The front on the other side has quick access to cash. Thus, without opening the wallet, cash would be pushed with a finger from one side to have it come out the other for access. When opened there is a card slot that can fit two cards or coins, which fit very well and the profile still maintains a thinness that hides the capacity. It can accommodate eight or nine cards and up to 10 slips of cash. A demonstration of cash insertion and extraction is illustrated in the review. The cash is inserted easily, quickly and it is held in nicely, still maintaining a great profile with 12 notes.
These wallets measurements can be seen in the video; they all measure up against each other. About the weight, some are a little heavier than others. The largest in this list is the Lone Deer Leather, which weighs 90 grams, a lot of leather goodness there.
Upon that, what would be the final score on all of these? All these wallets have been reviewed and they all have a rating, but one thing I wanted to point out is that when I did the original review on the Open Seas Topsider Billfold it had some quality issues which affected its final score. Since then, Michael from Open Seas, reached out to me and expedited a new wallet, and I am very happy to say that it has changed their score from a 32 to a 41.
That wraps up our look at the top 10 Etsy leather makers of 2021. If I went through too fast, it is because there is a review on each one, which you can read and/or watch for the details.
