Kerf Card Wallet Review

Introduction

The Kerf Card wallet is a simple elegant wooden wallet made from a variety of different hardwoods. Mainly specializing in smartphone accessories such as cases Kerf has built a reputation upon developing the highest quality wooden apparel. Along with this, they’ve created a brand that puts great emphasis on sustainability and the environment obsessively recycling and reusing all materials they can.

The Kerf story began in 2013 where the founder, Ben, was unsatisfied with the array of wooden phone cases on the market. This is their main offering but eventually branched out into other small wooden goods such as wallets. Let’s take a further look at what the Kerf card wallet has to offer. 

‘In woodworking, “Kerf” is the thickness of material removed from a saw blade, usually measured in 1/1000 of an inch.  Making familiar accessories from unconventional materials requires a level of extreme precision, so we chose Kerf to represent us because it’s everything we are: precise, finicky, and obsessed with perfection’.

Look & Design

The wallet is very simple in design is made from two pieces of wood held together with an elastic band. But where the wallet really shines for me, especially compared to other wooden wallets, is the sheer variety and choices of wood you can pick from. 

With 7 choices between the different wood (Cherry, Mahogany, Maple, Purpleheart, Spalted Maple, Sycamore and Walnut) you also get the choice between having the front and back plates a different type of wood. Keep in mind the cost of the wallet varies depending on the type of wood you choose. This is only a slight variation (from $20.00 to $30.00) but it’s worth noting.

The wood is very hardy, durable and crafted to perfection. You also get the choice between 3 colors of the elasticized band included with the wallet (Red, Brown, and Blue). The range of choice and customization options for the Kerf is fantastic and something I strive to see in other wallets. Kerf also offers a free monogram of up to 3 letters engraved on the wallet. This isn’t a new concept with wood or leather wallets, but the fact they provide it for free is something I’ve never seen another brand do. 

Functionality & Utility 

The wallet’s primary function is to provide an attractive, streamlined, minimalist approach to reducing the size of your wallet. The wallet obviously does this very effectively. The Kerf Card wallet works in a very simple way. Your debit/credit cards are stored in between the two wood plates and secured in place with the elastic band. Think of it as a sandwich with the wood is the bread and the credit/debit cards acting as the filling.

For minimalist wallets such as the Kerf access physical cash - such as banknotes - can be a problem. The way Kerf handles this is with an elasticized band that fits around the center of the wallet. This not only keeps the two wooden plates together but also acts as a way to store cash as you can fold and secure banknotes under it. The only issue I came across was the elastic was a little flimsy. Although I didn’t have any issues with the potential of it snapping I am concerned that prolonged use could cause it to deteriorate fast overtime. Just something to keep in mind.

Price Tag

One of the best things about the Kerf Card wallet is its price. Most wood wallets I can cross on the market are very expensive probably due to the higher cost of materials (i.e. the wood) but as well as the manufacturing process. But that’s not the case with the Kerf wallet. They sell the Card Wallet for as low as £20.00 with a $10.00 variation depending on the type of wood you choose. I can’t really fault the wallet for this and the price tag is fantastic. 

Final Verdict 

Overall I really enjoyed using the Kerf card. It is a great example of what other manufacturers of wooden wallets can do in terms of the variety of woods. These other brands can also learn a thing or two regarding pricing their wallets accordingly. It’s clear that wood wallets don’t have to cost the world so I respect Kerf for placing their wallet at a fair price tag. For more information on the Kerf Card wallet check out their official website with the link below.