The Djin Wallet Review by Koala Gear

The first thing you’ll notice about the Djin wallet is how much it doesn’t look like what we’ve come to view as a wallet. This distinct and unusual look plays a big part in the innovative features the wallet has. The wallet is the true definition of innovation and creativity and has a range of features not normally found in a wallet, such as the way to store coins. 

Update: Koala Gear has ceased operations and no longer is in business. This article will be kept online for historical records and value. 

Djin is another example of a wallet first seen on Kickstarter were back in 2017 Djin raised over half a million dollars in probably the greatest example of Crowdfunding success in any wallet I’ve personally ever seen. What made the Djin popular among investors is its unique take on how you access your cash, cards and the great range of functionality it has in a tiny compact design. 

Djin – owned by Koala Gear – are a company built on the idea of creating products that combine both beauty and practicality. They first came on the scene developing backpacks that were built on the idea and needed to adapt to today’s urban lifestyle. Since then they’ve continued to innovate and have a small range of products that are all beautiful in design.

‘We wanted you to experience DJIN like no other wallet before. When we came up with the idea of a concealed drawer, we knew we had it. This is for very small items that are valuable or precious, that you want to keep extra close. Use your imagination to see how it can work for you’.

Look & Design

The Djin is a hard case style wallet that stores your cards in a cardholder mechanism. The Djin is a combination of metal and leather. The metal forms the inside system for holding cards in place while this is encased within a premium textured top grain leather. The leather is beautiful quality and textured feel really gives a distinctive feel in the hand. 

The wallet itself is very unusual in its appearance. Although the materials are nice the boxy design makes it something that resembles more of a cigarette holder than anything else. This isn’t a bad thing, although some people may be confused at what it is on first inspection – a wallet that’ll turn heads for sure.

The inside body of the wallet – the skeleton as its called by Djin – is made from a single piece of a machine engineered polypropylene-injected skeleton for strength and flexibility. The wallet feels robust and doesn’t seem fragile for a wallet which is made from many small parts – Fantastic. 

This is also lined with woven polyester. For me, it reminds me of what a snooker/pool table might feel like with a smooth pleasing texture. I believe this material is used to provide the least friction between the coins and the body of the wallet and allows items to move freely inside the wallet for easy access. 

Functionality & Utility 

The wallet has a good capacity for the stand features like card and note capacity. The wallet has a max storage of 10 cards which are stored by being stacked on top of each other. This isn’t the most functional way of accessing cards as the ‘stacking’ style is quite finicky when it comes to taking out cards to use. Nevertheless, it is a necessary evil to keep a wallet of this size nice and slim. 

The capacity for notes is in a similar vein. Although you have to fold notes to store them the capacity for notes is high (up to 20 bills). This just shows to show the great capacity the wallet has and coming in at only 14-19 (H) x 60 (W) x 90 (L) the wallet is a great compromise between a slim profile and ample capacity. The variation in height is down to the wallets sloping design as you can see in the images. 

The main feature of the Djin wallet – and its unique selling point is its stash compartment for coins or other small items. Mainly targeted towards storing coins or a few keys the stash area is roomy and provides a different take on carrying a range of different items with you on a daily basis. 

The Wallet also comes with a Free RFID blocking card. It’s a shame to me that Djin didn’t build RFID Functionality right into the wallet as this blocking card is just a clumsy way to get around the fact that RFID security is becoming a must in every wallet. For more information on RFID protection read our full article on the subject here. 

The Djin also has a Magnetic closure mechanism to keep the thing secure when out and about. It very much reminds me of the Apple Mac charging cables. For those who don’t know Apple uses a magnetic cable and slot to easily keep the cable secured to the computer. These magnets are located in the front corners of the wallet giving you satisfying feedback when the wallet is closed. The magnets are strong enough that you won’t have to worry about the wallet may open by mistake which was an initial worry of mine. 

The Djin also comes with a secret sliding compartment located on the very bottom underside of the wallet, although it’s not as useful as you’d think. Sure its a cool feature but if your wallet was stolen it really doesn’t matter if it’s stored in a secret slot or not. It’s still gone forever, so the utility and reason for needing this sort of ‘secret compartment’ are open to debate. Nevertheless, the area is probably best used for storing condoms (that’s right). I’ve talked about Condoms in the past in my article ‘should you carry condoms in a wallet’. Although the general answer is ‘no’ wallets like this provide the best means to do so and with a secret compartment you can keep the fact you’re carrying one on you on the down-low. 

Customer Reviews

The overwhelming majority of reviews on the Djin wallet are positive (92% of all reviews are at least 4 out of 5 stars). Although, we want to provide you with a look at some handpicked reviews to see if there’s anything we missed when reviewing the Djin. These customer reviews are directly from the Koala Gear website (the company that make Djin).

Review 1: ‘Very comfortable, very good quality, it took me a couple of days to get used to its concept and now I can’t imagine using something else’.

Review 2: ‘I liked my djin wallet for the most part (: I did find it hard to store a bit more than a couple of coins at a time’.

Review 3: ‘It doesn’t quite hold as much currency as I’d like, but otherwise it’s a very compact pocket solution’.

Alternatives to Djin

The crazy thing about the Djin wallet is its so innovative in its design and functionality it’s really only one of a few wallets on the market with this kind of design. After searching around I managed to find a few wallets I’d tried in the past that acted in a similar way to the Djin in terms of its design and functionality. 

The Zenlet Wallet: The Zenlet is probably the closest to the Djin you can get and is probably its most direct competitor. What I like about the Zenlet its is slimmer profile and sleeker design. The Zenlet provides storage for coins in a sliding door mechanism and easy access to your cards in a cascading motion. For more information on the Zenlet check out our full review by clicking the link here.

The Flipside Wallet: A hard case style wallet, the Flipside doesn’t quite have the quality or attractiveness of the Djin. Nevertheless, the Flipside is built for durability and safety. The Flipside name comes from the access mechanism inside that allows you to access your cash and cards with a simple flip upwards. The capacity of the wallet is great and at a price tag of $40.00, it’s a true competitor for people looking for a more affordable alternative. We also have a full review of the Flipside wallet so check that out here.

The Price ($$$)

The Djin comes in at a price tag of $69.00 which sits on the medium-high price range. Usually, I’d say $69.00 is a lot of money for a wallet but in the case of the Djin, I’ll be frugal in saying it’s probably priced accordingly. From an engineering perspective and a product that’s one of a kind, the wallet is fairly priced as a small member of an elite club.

If you’re still not sure if the Djin is for you they also offer a 30 days returns policy. They also provide a 1-year warranty if the wallet breaks in any way during that period. These are really nice things to have and show the confidence Djin has in the quality of their own wallet.

Compare this to the price of some of the other wallets on the market – which don’t have the same quality or features – and you’ll quickly see why I think this wallet is good value for what you get. You can probably get the Djin on offer at some point (so I’m told) so if the price is a little too high you can always wait and see.

Final Verdict

A great all-round wallet with superior functionality and a nice design. The usability can be a bit clumsy in practice but as you use the wallet more you get used to how the Djin wallet works. I recommend the Djin wallet for people who are still active carriers of coins and other small items (maybe a key) and want a more efficient way to carry these items on a daily basis. This is where the wallet really excels and at a reasonable price tag I can’t recommend it enough. For more information on the Djin Wallet check out their website by clicking the link below.