Unique spring-back minimalist wallet

This time I have a special wallet to review. I’m always on the outlook for wallets that have more of an unusual material usage or a system that’s somewhat new. So I was very interested in this cork wallet by STAK when I first saw it on Kickstarter, see my list of Kickstarter projects to back in July. It’s made of a strip of cork with a peculiar system to use it.

Design

The design of the packaging and the wallet is very minimal. The packaging is not very special, a cardboard with a cut-out and some extra information about the wallet and the usage. It’s no gifting packaging, more a store display packaging.

The design of the wallet is very appealing. The cork look is a look that’s very contemporary. It appeals to nature, to ecological matters. It also has a minimal logo on the left at the top, which suits the wallet.

The STAK wallet measures 5.4 x 11.8 cm and weighs only 27g. It’s also incredibly thin with under 5 mm thickness when empty!

Quality & Finish

The STAK wallet seems very qualitative. It consists of two sheets of polypropylene covered with a sheet of sustainable cork. Cork is a very light, thin and tactile fabric. It has a very nice soft-touch feeling.

The wallet is very nicely finished. I don’t see any flaws to the product. I’m very pleased by the level of quality and finish.

Storage Capacity

The card holder can contain up to 15 cards, cash or receipts. According to the information on the website of the designers, you have the choice to keep the STAK wallet as minimal as you want. Logically, the lesser cards you put in there, the less bulky it will become. Which makes sense! As it’s a very minimal designed wallet, I would say that I would put 5-7 cards in the card holder. It still remains quite slim and minimal at that point.

Features

The special feature to mention for this wallet, is the how the system works. You press on the tapered ends to easily fill and access the wallet. When you let the wallet get back in its original form, your cards are stored inside. A simple, but genious way to redefine the wallet.

Usability

You need to get accustomed to the system the first times you use it. The first time you need to use both hands to open it. After some time you get how it works and you can open it more easily with one hand to store your cards.

STAK Lifestyle discovered that there are two kind of users. The ones that fan the cards out of the wallet and the ones that squeezes the card holder to reach for a specific card. I must say I’m a fanner. I push the cards out from one side to get quick access to my cards. When finished, you just push your cards back in. Very easy, and no fuss!

Innovation

The innovation of this wallet is the material used and the system. Cork wallets aren’t that new, but it isn’t very common. Cork is a sustainable material, which grows back when harvested from the tree. Together with the contemporary design of the wallet, it gives the wallet a young and fresh image.

The other innovation is the system of the wallet. It’s a new way of opening and using a card holder. The designers really thought it through how to keep a wallet as minimal as possible, which is very easy to use!

Final verdict

The wallet by STAK is one that amazed me. The wallet intrigued me at first, but when I saw it in real life I didn’t expect a great deal of it. After using it, and getting accustomed to it, I must say it’s a very pleasant wallet to use.

You get a very good wallet for a sharp price; 25GBP (around 28€ or $33)! You’re searching for a wallet that’s slightly different and will give you a minimal, contemporary look, then this is a wallet that suits you.