Oliver Co. Premium Compact Wallet Review

Oliver Co. is a relatively new company that’s poised to last the test of time. Their brand ideology sits behind a noble cause with wallets aimed at helping compact the global environmental crisis and giving back to the community in any way they can. Each and every one of the wallets they produce is made with sustainability in mind, creating wallets with unique environmentally friendly material along with being a part of many global initiatives including 1% for the planet and being certified climate-neutral. They’re also on their own journey of continuous improvement as a company and are actively taking steps to become a B-Corp Company, a difficult but rewarding task.

Today we’re going to be talking about the latest wallet in their range – The Premium Compact Wallet. This takes their already highly popular Compact Wallet and upgrades it with a more premium design, better craftsmanship, and luxurious quality. If you’re like me and are looking for the best of both quality and consumer-conscious design, then keep reading. The Oliver Co. Premium Compact might be for you. We also managed to sit down and chat with Matt, the Founded of Oliver Co, and interview him. If you’re interested in that check out the full interview by clicking here. 

Look & Design

The Premium Compact Wallet is built in a very traditional and vintage bi-fold style. Coming in at a size of 110mm x 70mm x 8mm (without any cash or cards), the wallet is fairly larger in stature, and is more elongated than most bifolds I’ve come across. Because of this, it’s hard to recommend the wallet for those who are minimalist, or tend to carry less, but perfect for those who want a certain style and aesthetic with a strong capacity for cash and cards. 

What sets the Premium Compact Wallet apart from other bifolds, is, of course, its material of choice being made from a highly distinctive and unusual Apple Leather. This Vegan Leather is created using 50% apple waste and 50% polyurethane to create a soft but durable material. This apple waste comes from Bolzano in Italy one of the largest regions for Apple production. Due to its sheer scale, it faces a significant amount of waste, that Oliver Co. has capitalized on allowing them to take this bi-product and convert it into something useful – upcycling at its best!

Finally, the Oliver Co. Wallet can be purchased in two colors, black or green, with the option for personalization in the form of up to 4 characters of your choice. This costs an extra £12.00 (or $16.00) but adds a choice for customization that many people like. Overall, I can’t fault the design and quality of the Oliver Co Wallet. It really has the most luxurious look and feels to it, is hardy and durable, and knowing its origin in its sustainable material just adds that much more to it.

Functionality & Utility 

Given the larger size of the Premium Compact Wallet,  the wallet really has a high capacity for cash and card storage. At its peak, the wallet can easily store up to 11 credit/debit cards split among the wallets 8 inner pockets, and 1 outer pocket. The outer pocket is a great addition as it utilizes space effectively and allows me to access my most used card(s) at ease and effortlessly.  RFID Security is included with the wallet which is a nice feature to include. For those who don’t know, RFID is a security measure that helps protect your cards for potential crimes such as ‘card skimming’. This gives peace of mind when out and about and is a nice addition to be included with no additional fee. For more information on RFID Security check out our article on the subject here. 

The only downside I found with the wallet is its lack of inclusion of a full-length cash slot. Considering the wallet’s larger size, it’s really ashamed one couldn’t have been included as it really is the most efficient way to store cash (in my opinion) when it comes to traditional bifold wallets. Cramming the cash folded into one of the slots can bulk the wallet out further, and cause complications with how easy it is to access and retrieve the cash in question. It’s a small gripe, but not a major issue considering the plentiful of benefits that wallet has.

Overall, I was impressed with the functionality. The wallet doesn’t go crazy with features but does provide a well-designed and thoughtful layout where all your cards are easily accessible and space out for easy access and storage. It just works, and I have no doubt people will have no qualms with the utility of the Oliver Co. Compact Wallet. It’s best suited for people who want that ease of use who also tend to carry more credit/debit cards than the average person. 

Final Verdict

Overall, I was highly impressed with Premium Compact Wallet. It excels in quality and craftsmanship, and impressively so, considering the use of their Apple Leather and other sustainable materials. It’s really great to see that you don’t need to use traditional animal leathers to achieve such quality, and without knowing beforehand, I would never have known it wasn’t made from anything other than high-quality full-grain leather. 

The functionality of the Premium Compact Wallet is also great. It has all the capacity that the majority of people would need, laid out in an easy to access manner. I can’t stress the importance of innovation in the ethically focused customer goods market, and in terms of wallets, Oliver Co. is at the forefront of bringing this to light. Coming in at a price tag of £89.00 (that’s around $123.00), the Compact Wallet isn’t cheap, but definitely worth the money in my opinion. For more information on the Oliver Co. Premium Compact Wallet, check out their official website by clicking the link below.