If you’re watching YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or consuming social media in general, you may have heard about Ridge Wallet and maybe wondering: Should you get one? Well, I did buy one for myself—actually, a kit with a Ridge wallet and key holder—and I can tell you all about the cons of the Ridge, because the pros are all over the internet, but you rarely see anything negative. I’ve been using this for over a month now, and I can give you my opinion on the building materials, quality, usability, convenience, price, and also offer some alternative options.
As I said, I got a kit with a card holder and a key holder. Ridge comes in a variety of finishes and materials. These ones are carbon fiber, and it’s real carbon fiber—not the adhesive decorative carbon fiber tape that is very popular in aftermarket automotive tuning. This is the real deal. As for the quality, I don’t really have anything to compare it with, but judging by its face value, it looks very well-made. Everything is smooth, neat, symmetrical, and the materials used seem fine. It’s also not scratched right from the factory, which is a plus for me. To my taste, it looks beautiful—no issues here.
However, when you try to actually use these things, there are some issues. I’ll start with the key holder. This is a pretty common design that essentially turns your keys into something resembling a pocket knife with swing-out blades. Again, this is a pretty common design you can find with other brands as well. The problem here is Ridge claims that this can hold up to six keys, but I found that the maximum I could fit in was two normal keys and two smaller keys. The keys have to be short and flat—if you have larger keys with elements protruding from the sides, they won’t fit. Also, if the key handle has any plastic around it, you’ll have trouble fitting it in, and it’ll be difficult to swing out the key.
Another issue is the spring inside between the two panels. There is a lever spring that presses against the keys to prevent them from rattling, but that lever has two teeth, and if your key handle isn’t flat (if it has any raised logos or serial numbers), the teeth will constantly bump into those, making it harder to rotate the key. After a single day of usage, the metal teeth already scratched a circular groove around the key. You might think adding a washer will fix this, but no—it will just push all the keys together and make the last key scratch the inside of the opposite panel.
Not only does the key holder scratch your keys, but it also scratches anything in your pocket. Carbon fiber is relatively hard, and the key holder has a thin, protruding metal belt clip that will scratch surfaces easily. If you ever place, for example, your car key fob next to the Ridge key holder, it will scratch the fob since fobs are usually made of soft plastic. The same applies to anything with a screen, such as a watch or a smartphone. Even just walking a few meters with it in your pocket will scratch it.
The biggest problem is usability. You can’t extract just the key you need; you’ll have to take them all out, keep the one you need, and fold everything else. If you have two locks, you’ll have to repeat this process twice every time you lock or unlock the door.
Now, the card holder. This is a very simple design—basically, two panels attached to each other with an elastic strap (the kind you find on your underwear) on three sides. The side without the elastic is where you put in and take out your cards. Ridge markets this as a solution to wallet bulge, which happens when you put your regular wallet in your pants and it sticks out. While the Ridge wallet is definitely thinner than a regular one, it is still quite thick. It holds up to 12 cards, which makes it about 18–20 cards thick when full. So it’s not as slim as advertised.
There are a couple of versions of the Ridge wallet: one has a cash strap, the other has a cash clip. There’s also a coin tray you can insert inside between the panels to hold coins, SIM cards, memory cards, or other small and thin items. However, it is incredibly inconvenient to use. I received this tray as a free gift with my purchase, but it’s not something I use.
When it comes to the cards, only standard-sized cards will fit. Smaller cards, like the ones from banks or grocery stores, won’t fit very well, and they make the wallet look very uneven and bulky. The Ridge wallet’s RFID blocking feature is a positive, but taking out a card is more difficult than it seems. You have to pull out all the cards and then use your fingers or nails to get the one you need. If your fingers are wet or greasy, it becomes even harder to pull out the card.
The Ridge wallet also doesn’t work well for people who need to access cards multiple times a day. I use my proximity card at work and need to tap in and out many times during the day. With the Ridge wallet, I have to pull out my proximity card every single time, which is a hassle. I ended up pulling my proximity card out just slightly to make it easier to access.
If you’re thinking of gifting a Ridge wallet, I’d say probably not. It’s awkward and uncomfortable to use, and the person receiving it will likely curse every time they try to use it. However, if you’re considering one for yourself, I would suggest trying a knockoff first. You can get a Ridge wallet knockoff for less than $10, which may not have the same high-quality craftsmanship or materials, but it will be fully functional. If you like it, then you can consider upgrading to the real Ridge wallet.
If you still want to spend top dollar on something like this, there are other alternatives that seem to be better, such as the Secret Card Slide, Groove Wallet, or Code 118. These allow you to fan out your cards more easily, which makes them more practical to use compared to the Ridge wallet.