The Vaultskin Manhattan Wallet Review

Vaultskin as a brand has always been high on my radar as they’ve done a fantastic job of creating a high-value brand identity. The range is sleek and they’ve released a bunch of great products from iPhone cases to the unique value card (an RFID-blocking device). 

The wallet we’re reviewing today is the Manhattan wallet. The Vaultskin Manhattan Wallet makes a great first impression, arriving in a handsome, compact box and featuring a gorgeous Italian leather exterior. It’s a bi-fold that holds bills flat rather than the folded bills of other minimalist designs and advertises a capacity of up to 9 cards.

‘We believe that these products should simplify your movements and transactions during the day. Our products range from smartphone sleeves and cases to wallets, which are engineered to block unwanted RFID skimming. VaultCard is our latest creation that offers exceptional protection for your RFID cards’. – Vaultskin

Look & Design

This is an attractive, simple wallet. Elegant and businesslike, it’s undoubtedly a 10/10 for looks. The fine Italian leather pops without being ostentatious, and the simple embossed logo centred at the bottom of the outer flap looks great. It feels soft and supple in hand, which speaks to the quality of the materials used. There’s a handy outer pocket for easy access to your most-used cards, and the inside features a large bill space and symmetrical card slots on the left and right-hand sides.

The wallet also comes in a nice array of colours including your typical black and brown through to more unusual colours such as red, blue and green. I like it when brands allow us to have a choice between a larger array of colours and this is something Vaultskin constantly does throughout their range.

Functionality & Utility 

Those symmetrical card slots are where we hit our design snag with the Manhattan. The back slots are too deep so they hide the cards, requiring you to pull all of them out while hunting for a specific one. The front slots have a small cutout but my average-sized fingers had trouble finding purchase, making it tough to get a good grasp on the card without the opposite-slot cards getting in the way.

This was a bigger problem the colder it got outside. I scraped the top of my middle finger on a card while trying to yank a fuel rewards card out of the left front slot in a subzero Chicago wind. The cards don’t nest, they only stack, so you’d better memorize what order you’ve put them in and what side they’re on, or you’ll find yourself pulling all of them out to get to a specific one. 

On top of that, a simple filling of 7 bills and 6 cards prevented the wallet from folding fully and made its back-pocket presence uncomfortably noticeable. I found myself removing the wallet as soon as I sat down in my car and switching it to a jacket pocket anytime I found myself on a hard chair. For a wallet that’s “engineered to be slim,” this was a disappointing discovery. I suspect that the semi-firm RFID-blocking material inlaid in the leather added to the bulkiness.

I pared down to three cards and the wallet worked better in the back pocket, but then I found myself arriving at the train station without my Ventra card because it hadn’t cut. At that point, I had to swap the lovely Vaultskin out for a more efficient design. Shame — it’s a handsome, well-built wallet. For true minimalism and comfort, you’re better off with one that nests the cards better, usually by requiring folded bills.

Quick Summary

Wallet dimensions: 104 x 76 x 10 mm or 4.09 x 2.99 x 0.39 inches 

Maximum banknote dimensions: 192 x 69 mm or 7.56 x 2.64 inches 

Weight: 38 grams or 1.34 ounces

Final Verdict

The Vaultskin is a lovely little wallet and is quality for what you get. Nevertheless, the bi-fold is not as slim as advertised so you may be disappointed with its bulkiness once in use. I want to recommend this wallet as it’s a great little leather bi-fold but can’t due to this fact. Coming in at $39.99 the Vaultskin is a little expensive for what you get. For more information on the Vaultskin Manhattan click the link below.