Thanks to products like the Arkän and the Squalix, there’s been a wave of money-carrying innovation in the past couple of years, with the idea of converting us away from the traditional folded leather design. These wallets use synthetic materials in far slimmer profiles, ditching the ability to carry cash, and looking far sexier as a result. The ZENLET falls into all the above categories, and claims to be the best designed yet.
At 10mm thick, the ZENLET isn’t the thinnest example of the modern breed, but it makes up for that with usability. On the outside, it resembles a squat iPhone, and in a clear nod to the interface of a smartphone, the wallet opens with a downward swipe of the thumb. This simultaneously reveals your cards, which are presented in a neat little vertical fan. This trick is automatic — they’ll come out like this every time, even if you put your cards back untidily — and it allows for discreet access to your cards. There’s room for seven cards here, or fewer cards sharing the space with anything slimline, like coins and folded bills.
The other impressive thing about this wallet is its outer case. It is built from some seriously durable recyclable plastic, and the design is hinge-less and screw-less, meaning fewer weak points. The result is a shell which is scratch resistant, can take 10m drops, and is sufficiently well sealed to survive a minor dunking. The ZENLET comes in white, black, and five zingy colors, and an optional RFID-blocking insert is available, too.
At the time of writing, the ZENLET has raised ten times its Kickstarter funding target, with backers who pledge $29 or more receiving one of the first units and a free RFID insert. A high-ish price, undoubtedly, but it’s a new product, and a nice one at that. Check out ZENLET’s website for more.