The Decadent DM1 Minimalist Wallet Review

The Decadent Minimalist DM1 Wallet reinvents what we thought we knew about the traditional men’s wallet. When I first laid eyes on the Decadent wallet I originally thought it was a part of a car as the aluminum frame gives it a machine-engineered look and feel. The design is so unique that Decadent has been able to successfully secure a US patent so you can guarantee a truly unique wallet experience if you choose this wallet.

The ambition and motivation behind the creation of the Decadent Wallet were to help improve people’s postures and raise awareness of the negative effects of continually sitting on a bulky wallet for hours on end. Research shows the effects of this on the spin and back and it’s not pretty.

A moral cause for sure, and only after a few days of carrying the wallet I saw a difference with not only bulk but also having my own body adapted to a slimmer, more compact wallet in my pocket. Let’s take a closer look at what else the Decadent Wallet has to offer and see if it’s the right fit for you.

‘Decadent Minimalist was founded in 2014 with the DM1 Wallet launch on Kickstarter. Our campaign was funded 1837% of our goal and we sold over 2,000 wallets to more than 1,500 backers. A year later, in 2015, we returned to Kickstarter to launch DM1 Nickel, DM1 Titanium, and DM1 Carbon Fiber. We smashed Kickstarter records – with over 5,000 backers and $500,000 in pledges we became the largest wallet crowdfunding campaign ever. With both successful campaigns, we remain the largest wallet creator in Kickstarter history’ – Decadent, 2020.

Look & Design

Made from a single piece of aircraft-grade metal, this patented design was created to eliminate any unnecessary bulk, slim down your wallet, and keep functionality high. The first thing I noticed in the Decadent DM1 is its sturdiness. Being made from a metal of your choice (either aluminum, nickel, or titanium) the wallet has a very high build quality (as you’d expect from metal) and feels premium and robust in the hand.

The wallet also comes in a huge range of eclectic color options for you to choose from. This includes standard colors such as black and silver but also includes more unique colors like pink, green, blue, and red. This is great for people who have a unique style and want something a little different from the boring colors most wallets come in.

The Decadent wallet also allows for custom engravings laser etched directly onto the surface of the metal (for an extra $12.00). Here, on the website, you can enter a customization screen that allows you to position text on two areas of the frame and choose a unique word or phrase to add  (35 & 25 characters depending on the text positioning). You can also change the font which is a great option and something I don’t usually see in customization options such as this.

Materials & Colors

The Decadent DM1 Wallet comes in a variety of different materials and colors at varying different price points. Below is a quick overview of these different materials and the various different color options available for purchase. 

• Colour Options: The DM1 Wallet comes in a whole host of different and unique color offerings including red, blue, black, and 2 varieties of green. There’s also the unique DM1 Titanium Damascus version which has unique patterns. 

• Material Options: The Decadent DM1 Wallet comes in 3 different materials including Aluminum, Nickel, and Titanium. Each of these comes in at various different price points. 

Functionality & Utility 

Simple in design the Decadent DM1 Wallet is made to perfectly fit your credit/debit cards in a way that keeps them tightly secured but easily accessible in the wallet. Accessing cards once stored inside is very intuitive and as simple as sliding your thumb, or finger, across the card in a fluid effortless motion.

The wallet is designed solely for credit and debit card storage. The wallet’s capacity for card storage depends on the type of wallet you choose. On the product page, you have a choice between 4 different card storage options. The lowest is 4 max, with this increasing to 5, 8, and, the highest amount, 12 cards. Having the customization option to change the wallet based on what you daily carry, and need is a very unique feature that you don’t often come across in most wallet brands. 

Unfortunately, the Decadent wallet doesn’t have a way to store physical cash as standard. They do provide you with the option to purchase an additional card-shaped money clip, that slips into the wallet and provides an effective way to store notes. The money clip comes in at an additional $29.00 so keep that in mind if you’re somebody who carries a lot of cash with them and is interested in the Decadent wallet.

Wallet Accessories

Money Clip: One of the biggest issues with the Decadent Wallet is its inability to store any banknotes. This is quite an oversight in the original design of the DM1 Wallet, but again, was probably deliberate as it keeps the wallet slim which is the original goal of the wallet to start with. That being said, for people who love the DM1 Wallet and also want cash storage, there is a solution. 

Decadent has developed an accessory in the form of a metal insert that acts as a classic metal money clip. The clip is simple and effective and does a good job of adding this much-needed functionality to the DM1 Wallet. That being said, this money clip doesn’t come cheap. At a price tag of $29.00, and on top of the already expensive wallet, this is potentially an expense that is just too much money. 

DM2 Badge Wallet: The DM2 Wallet, another wallet from Decadent, is also worth a mention. This is dubbed as the Badge Wallet as it comes with an additional loop allowing for a lanyard, or badge to be attached allowing you to easily showcase any Badge, Drivers Licence, or Identification Card. The DM2 Wallet comes in at a price tag of $79.00. 

Price Tag

The Decadent wallet sits on the upper high end of the price scale coming in at between $67.00 and $79.00 depending on the size of the wallet you choose. The wallet also charges an additional cost for engravings ($12.00) so keep that in mind. At its max, the wallet could cost you $89.00 and more depending on the choice of metal. 

Is this expensive for a wallet? Perhaps. But, let’s not give the Decadent Wallet any less credit. The wallet is great and does a fantastic job of streamlining your EDC for a near-perfect carry experience. I know the wallet will be outside of many people’s price range but if you can afford it then the Decadent  DM1 Wallet is a great wallet to consider. 

Final Verdict 

The Decadent DM1 is a lovely little wallet with a unique design and functionality to match even the best wallets on the market. The wallet’s build quality is some of the best I’ve ever come across and I have no doubt this could last a lifetime even with daily use.

I recommend this wallet to people who mainly carry cards and are looking for an alternative to leather for their next wallet. For more information on the Decadent DM1 Wallet check them out at their official website by clicking the link below.