Ekster Parliament Wallet Review

Dubbed the flagship wallet of the Ekster range, the Parliament wallet was one of the most anticipated wallets of its time first being successfully funded on Kickstarter back in 2016. Since then, Ekster has gone on to become one of the largest and most respected independent wallet brands in the world cementing themselves in history thanks to their innovative designs combining traditional aesthetics with modern functionality. 

Today we’re going to look in detail and the Ekster Parliament Wallet, and go into detail regarding its design, functionality, capacity, and quality while also looking at the potential longevity of the wallet. I first got my hands on the Parliament wallet back in 2017, so this review is the cumulation of nearly 5 years of use and comparison with other wallets. Let’s jump straight in.

Look & Design

The Ekster Parliament, now simply known as the Ekster Wallet, is one wallet I love to go out with since I got mine, this is due to its size and easy carriage – the Ekster is the size of the pack of playing cards. The leather of the Ekster is smooth top-grain leather that is quite good and has a luxurious feel to it. The stitches are also tight and solid and look nicely built. The wallet has a thumb lever at the bottom that helps my cards slide out in an orderly manner. 

There are about seven colors of the Ekster, although mine came in a beautiful classic brown color.  There is a wide elastic band finished with leather that helps me secure my cash, or some extra cards when I need them, as the case may be.  There is an additional card pocket at the back of the wallet that I also make use of when I need extra cards.

Functionality & Utility 

The Ekster is designed around a card slider system that helps to store and dispense the cards while being protected by an RFID/NFC blocking against wireless theft. I keep five cards in this space, but it can hold up to six, the thumb lever at the bottom of the wallet helps the cards slide out after a push. The front cover of the wallet can hold an additional two cards, while there is an additional card pocket at the back.  One error in the Ekster is that these additional card pockets are not RFID protected, so I only keep my IDs or non-scannable cards in those spaces. 

Now, this is where I love the Ekster; there is a customized tracking card for when I lose my wallet. It utilizes the TrackR technology, and it’s the size of a thick business card that can fit in the rear card pocket in my wallet. The card works with the TrackR app which you will have to download on your smartphone. 

Sustainability & Ethics

Ekster isn’t just a great brand with great products but is also paving the way in the wallet/appeal industry with its sustainable and ethical stance. Ekster as a company is committed to helping set the global standards for environmentally friendly business practices and has managed to achieve many impressive feats including becoming Certified Climate-Neutral in 2021 and setting out guidelines for working towards becoming certified B-Corp one of the most recognized bodies for sustainability in companies. 

And this sustainable dispositive will affect everything Ekster do when it comes to the manufacturing of their wallets. Although Ekster has taken fantastic steps in sourcing quality leather for ECCO an LWG Gold-Rated Tannery based in the United States. Fantastic quality, and just that little bit sweeter knowing it’s sourced with environmental concerns in mind. 

Accessories & Variations

The Ekster Parliament wallet comes in a wide array of different colors to choose from. In fact, I’d probably say that of any wallet in the world the sheer variety available is probably one of the highest, if not the highest, of any wallet on the market today only rivaled by probably Secrid. These color options range from more traditional colors such as blacks and a variety of browns to more unique colors such as reds, blues, and greens.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Parliament wallet also comes in a variety of different versions or models. This includes the standard Parliament Wallet, but also other color and material varitions including Juniper Green and my personal faviourite Navy Blue. With each is a significant jump in price, but also a significant jump in quality.

I’d also like to mention the Ekster Tracker Card which is an optional extra when considering the purchase of any Ekster Wallet. We have a full review here, but the little credit card-shaped device will transform your wallet into a class Smart Wallet, allowing you to use GPS Tracking to keep track of your wallet where ever you are.

Value for Money

Price-wise, I think the Ekster Wallet is fairly and competitively priced when compared to similar wallets on the market and considering the quality of wallet you get. In terms of price, the Ekster Parliament Wallet starts at a price tag of $89.00 and rises as high as $189.00.

Pop-up-style wallets have become the norm in the wallet world, and their popularity is only going to increase over time. It may be tempting to go with one of the cheaper competitors but I’d advise against it. Not all wallets are created equally, and the cheaper cascading wallets tend to break incredibly quickly or simply don’t work effectively at all. 

With Ekster you also get the guarantee of a globally recognized brand, support for environmental causes, free returns within 45 days, and a 12-month warranty. All this, and the quality of the wallets themselves make the Ekster Wallet, in my opinion, great value for money and a wallet that should last you a lifetime. 

Final Verdict

Overall, I was blown away by both the quality and functionality of the Ekster Parliament Wallet. They combined the very best of both traditional aesthetics with both their choice of premium and a huge array of vintage color options. On top of this, the functionality of the wallet excels as the Ekster Wallet keeps a slim form factor while leveraging the effectiveness of a pop-up mechanism for easy access to cards. 

Combining all this with a trusted brand with over 20,000 4 to 5-star reviews, a great warranty and returns policy, and the brand’s dedication to sustainable causes, I highly recommend the Parliament Wallet by Ekster. For more information on the Ekster Wallet check out our Frequently Asked Questions section below or visit the official Ekster website using the link provided.