Stainless Wallet

P

Phydeaux

Joined
Mar 4, 2006
Messages
2,466
Here's something I stumbled across on line, a stainless steel wallet.

I wonder what type of SS its made of and if metal fatigue and the fold is a problem. It only weighs 2 oz.

Stainless Wallet

Ric
 
It's stainless mesh---supposedly they hold up just fine from the few reviews I've read. I've used stainless mesh butchering gloves before and they have a lot more complicated bends and flex points in them than a wallet does.
 
RevDevil said:
That looks pretty cool. The Faraday shield is a nice touch too.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, this wallet is not a Faraday shield... far from it. An effective Faraday shield is not an easy thing to accomplish.

Fortunately, to protect RFID cards, you don't need a Faraday shield. You don't need a shield at all. All you need to do is detune the antenna and the RF circuitry inside of the card. This is easily done by putting a piece of metal (kitchen foil will do just fine) into close proximity to the card. And this is, of course, harmless to the card. When the card is taken away from that piece of metal, the card returns to working just fine.

A simple piece of kitchen foil cut to about the size of the card and put into the wallet pocket where the card is kept will work just fine.

This is works not by blocking radio signals -- that's the Faraday shield and that's hard to do -- but by capacitively shorting together all of the RF circuitry inside of the card rendering that circuitry temporarily nonfunctional. When you thing about shorting out circuitry, you often conjure up images of arcs and sparks and destruction. But that's not what happens here. Shorting out the antenna and the RF circuitry means that they just don't function as a radio anymore until the short is removed. It's safe, harmless, and effective.
 
I have a wallet similar to that one; different pattern, manufacturer and pocket layout. They do indeed stand up to wear, better than any leather one I have had in the past. They also do not stretch so you'd have to carry light, but it's worth for the look on the cashiers face when they realize that it's not a run-of-the-mill leather wallet.
 
They're pretty nice. I like the slim form factor a lot.

Some things to note:
1) The numbers on credit/debit/ATM cards will make difficult to remove impressions in the steel mesh, so keep your cards facing inwards for security reasons.
2) The steel mesh will abrade whatever else is in your pocket over time.
3) When you first get it (and perhaps over time) the edges of the wallet may have steel fibres sticking out, and yes, they can easily penetrate skin and break off like splinters. Deburr (closest term I can think of) the wallet before you use it, and check the edges every so often.

I've been carrying one for about 6 months, and it's very nice. For something that is less expensive, feels less durable (but most certainly is not), but much lighter and easier on the pockets, look at wallets made from Tyvek. I had one before the steel wallet (carried for a year or two), and aside from getting some scuffs and slight loosening of the folds, it still had plenty of life left in it.
 
Antikythera,

Thank you for point #3. I forgot how sharp and nasty the loose wires are when they stick out. at one lace I worked, we had some teflon hoses covered with braided stainless steel. When the strands would break and stick out they could stick you pretty good!

I'm actually using an Eagle Creek nylon wallet that is 5+years old. I just thought the SS one was kind of cool. If I really wanted a silver colored wallet, I'd make myself one out of duct tape.

ric
 
It's really not that bad, though. I've carried the wallet for about 6 months now, and I've only gotten poked twice. I wouldn't call it a deal-breaker, but just something to watch out for.
 
I made a wallet out of Weathermax 65 and a jacket too .Excellent water and wind resistance for the jacket .The wallet has held up well.
 
Yup, that Dynomighty is the one I have. Great wallet, just remember not to put too much stuff in it; it won't shrink if you want to downsize later. It's pretty slippery with no definable edges in use so it never feels big.
 
Gollnick said:
Unfortunately, this wallet is not a Faraday shield... far from it. An effective Faraday shield is not an easy thing to accomplish.

Fortunately, to protect RFID cards, you don't need a Faraday shield. You don't need a shield at all. All you need to do is detune the antenna and the RF circuitry inside of the card. This is easily done by putting a piece of metal (kitchen foil will do just fine) into close proximity to the card. And this is, of course, harmless to the card. When the card is taken away from that piece of metal, the card returns to working just fine.

A simple piece of kitchen foil cut to about the size of the card and put into the wallet pocket where the card is kept will work just fine.

This is works not by blocking radio signals -- that's the Faraday shield and that's hard to do -- but by capacitively shorting together all of the RF circuitry inside of the card rendering that circuitry temporarily nonfunctional. When you thing about shorting out circuitry, you often conjure up images of arcs and sparks and destruction. But that's not what happens here. Shorting out the antenna and the RF circuitry means that they just don't function as a radio anymore until the short is removed. It's safe, harmless, and effective.
Click to expand...

That's good info right there. Thanks for the details Mr. G. :)
 
i had one when they first came out , it did ok for about a year and a half and end up ripping after that.
 
Nothing says you mean business like a tactical wallet. Why use aluminum foil when you can have an aluminum wallet?!

[youtube]Ec2T7TaTRFo[/youtube]
 
harkamus said:
Nothing says you mean business like a tactical wallet. Why use aluminum foil when you can have an aluminum wallet?!

[youtube]Ec2T7TaTRFo[/youtube]
Click to expand...
Way to thick, bulky, and overpriced. Switched to a NRA/Storus money clip about a year ago--room for 5 cards and 50 bills--won't bother with
a conventional wallet again.
 
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