A Men’s Lifestyle Review of the Muradin Metal Wallet

Key Points

• While it's slimmer than many traditional folding leather wallets, the Muradin Men's Wallet is not the sleekest choice on the market.

• With gray textile outer layers and a look that flies under the radar, this wallet can blend into any wardrobe and any situation.

• This wallet offers a lot of sturdy protection and durability with a form factor that's easy to love.

The most important thing about the Muradin Metal Wallet, once you get past the flap-front design, is how it stores cards. Aluminum makes up a framework around three sides of the wallet, and in the middle is where you find a slot of fixed size with spring-loaded corner guards at the opening. When you first attempt to slide a card into this large slot, which can hold eight or more cards at once, you have to gently force it past the corner guards. These little bump-out guards keep all your cards fixed firmly in place once they're inserted, and they provide a pleasant and reassuring bit of resistance when removing or replacing a card.

Tactical Bifold Wallets

by MURADIN 

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Key Highlights of the Muradin Wallet

Beyond that central feature, the flap on this wallet adds just a little thickness and a lot of utility. One easy-access slot on the outside of the flap can hold a frequently-used card or two; the slot inside the flap displays an ID, making it easy to keep your driver's license or employee ID card and another card of your choice within immediate reach.

On the backside of the wallet, there's another card slot meant to display another quick-access card of your choice if needed. When you purchase this wallet, it comes with a card-sized RFID blocker that you can place in a different unprotected wallet or gift to a friend; the wallet itself has RFID blocking built into its design. Engineering scholar Arun Nambiar further explains RFID technology: "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) facilitates automatic identification of items using radio waves. This technology, albeit initially introduced in the 1940s and 1950s, has seen a drastic increase in the number of applications and implementations in recent years."

Who Needs Muradin's Minimal Wallet?

It might be easier to ask who doesn't need this wallet. With a substantial card-carrying capacity, a cash-stash compartment behind the internal multi-card slot, a still-slim flap opening design, two different ways to display an ID card, and integrated RFID blocking, this is a wallet that checks a lot of boxes.

Its thickness — or lack thereof — isn't a central selling point since it's thicker than most modern phones, and there are traditional wallets or card holders that are thinner. For this reason, I'd say don't buy this wallet if you're looking for something dramatically thinner than your old leather bifold.

If your tastes lean modern and tech-centric, this is most likely a terrific wallet for you. Maybe you carry a nylon backpack instead of a canvas tote bag or leather briefcase; maybe you prefer technical running shoes to loafers when you're out running errands. Whatever the case, this wallet is a seldom-seen accessory that draws its inspiration from the future rather than the past.

What To Consider When Buying the Muradin Wallet

Andy Frakes for Men's Lifestyle

If I was comparing the dozens of minimal wallet options on the market, I'd be weighing a few factors pretty heavily. Do you strongly prefer leather, synthetic materials, or aluminum for the main substance of your wallet? Do you prefer a front flap like what Muradin's wallet has, or are you after something with no moving parts? Since it's a synthetic textile wallet attached to an aluminum frame, you might even want a metal wallet that eschews leather and textiles altogether — this one belongs in a blended category of its own.

For some, RFID blocking is of minimal consequence, but for urban commuters and international travelers, it could mean the difference between identity theft and total safety. However, this isn't an AirTag wallet; you can't mount or attach one to this wallet, a neat feature that would improve security and peace of mind even more. Take it from a couple from the Netherlands who were able to find their stolen bike with a hidden AirTag in August of 2023.

While the central card slot feels premium, and it's certainly easier to work with than some other minimal wallets where cards are all jammed tightly together, I worry slightly that if I dropped the wallet, it might fly open and empty its contents across a busy sidewalk. It's just not the most secure way to store a small stack of debit and credit cards.

All in all, your primary considerations when buying a wallet like this depend on whether you want to carry it in your pocket or bag every single day for years to come. You are using it to pay for things and to present your ID cards; it enters and exits a lot of your pants pockets, most likely, and it might sit on your work desk for roughly 40 hours a week. If you can see yourself happily using the Muradin wallet's front flap, its large credit card slot, and its hidden cash stash as you go about your daily life, then buy it — it's a well-made and well-designed product.

My Experience With the Muradin Wallet

I used this wallet over a weekend of running errands and seeing friends around my new hometown in Vermont. Over that weekend, I carried the wallet in a sling bag, in the rear pocket of some hiking pants, and in the front pocket of my favorite jeans.

This is one wallet that I think still belongs in a rear pocket, but if I'd tested it during jacket season, I definitely would've preferred to carry it in a jacket pocket most of all. It's just thick enough (and the aluminum frame around the outside is just rigid enough) that it's unpleasant for me to sit on for more than 15 or 20 minutes. Since it's not much thicker than the iPhone I already keep in a front pocket most of the time, it did feel comfortable in a front pocket.

The act of getting a card out of the wallet to pay is fairly smooth and simple, but like many minimal wallets, you can't see more than one card at a time unless you take multiple cards out to sort through them. Since they slot into the wallet in a stacked arrangement, it makes sense that your most-used cards are on top; however, when you do go to the grocery store once or twice a week and suddenly need that specific rewards card, you have to dig it out of the middle or bottom of your stack.

As much as traditional bifold and trifold wallets can seem stale and old-fashioned — and as much as they can get uncomfortable to carry in a pants pocket — the way they can display four to six different cards at a glance is wonderful. The Muradin wallet, like most minimal wallets, just can't quite match that capability.

Pros

• It is slim enough to fit anywhere a mid-sized modern phone would fit.

• The front flap provides extra protection for the cards inside and allows for two more cards to store on the inside and outside.

• The rear of the wallet features another display card slot for an ID or public transit pass.

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• The innovative card slot design is of high quality and provides fairly secure card storage.

• The aluminum frame and PU outer material feel durable and solid.

Cons

• At its thinnest, this wallet isn't as thin as some other options with cards and cash stored within them.

• The front flap provides a potential point of failure.

• When laid flap-side facing up, the flap tends to stick up into the air.

• It is uncomfortable to sit on for extended periods.

Why This Muradin Wallet Is a Great Buy

Andy Frakes for Men's Lifestyle

At the time of this writing, you can buy the Muradin wallet for just over $25 — in the world of secure and protective minimalist wallets, a bargain. Innovation rarely comes so affordably, and thanks to its build quality and thoughtful design, you can count on using this wallet for years to come.

Tactical Bifold Wallets

by MURADIN 

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