Leather Wallets for Men: 4 Special Features You Should Look For

I believe a leather wallet is an accessory that every man should own. Regardless of one's profession or daily activities, leather wallets for men stand as a testament to quality and necessity. 

A wallet carries your cash, debit and credit cards, driver’s license, business cards, keys, receipts, photos of your loved ones, and much more.

Given how big of a role a wallet plays in your everyday life, it's essential that you get one that's up to the task. Obviously, this means a high-quality leather wallet.

While other materials like carbon fiber and metallic wallets are available to experiment with, nothing beats a perfectly manufactured leather wallet for men in terms of beauty, functionality, and durability.

However, not all leather wallets are created equally, and if you intend to get the best, there are some key features to look out for:

• The different qualities of leather and how to spot the best
• What makes exceptionally built leather wallets for men
• A feature to protect you from identity theft

In the end, you’ll be able to find a leather wallet that’ll last you a lifetime and perfectly suits your needs. 

The quality of the leather used to make your wallet will be the difference between an okay wallet and a great wallet—what we at Popov Leather call “heirloom quality.”

But how can you tell if your wallet is made from great-quality leather? 

Easy, first examine the words a manufacturer uses to describe the leather in their wallets.

• Full-grain leather: The highest quality leather and what you should be looking for.
• Top-grain leather: Also high-quality leather, but has gone through some processing to refine it and remove blemishes.
• Split-grain leather: Sometimes also branded as genuine leather. But don’t let the marketing trick you. This is the lowest quality of real leather.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Leather Grades: Is Genuine Leather genuine?

The build quality of your wallet is arguably as important as the quality of the leather. After all, with poor technique, even the best full-grain leather will yield a mediocre leather wallet.

When inspecting your leather wallet to determine the build quality, remember, the devil’s in the details. Even the best-looking wallets for men might have some quality issues upon close inspection.

The two most obvious indicators of a high-quality leather wallet are:

• Burnished edges
• Hand stitching

Burnishing refers to the process of sanding down and polishing your wallet’s edges to a smooth finish. Although the process can be tedious and time-consuming, the results are worth the extra effort.

Burnished edges on your wallet are a testament to the manufacturer's attention to detail.

Also, you must keenly analyze the stitching as it determines how well your wallet stands up to the tests of time and use.

I recommend that you look out for hand-stitched leather wallets as this is often a precursor for exceptional build quality.

Take Popov Leather’s wallets, for instance; our leather wallets for men are hand-sewn using a saddle stitch technique that guarantees a lifetime of use without falling apart. 

Additionally, we use a Ritza 25 Tiger Thread—the industry standard for quality in leather stitching.

Wallet manufacturers often struggle with finding the right balance between functionality and aesthetics. 

Ideal leather wallets for men should not only be functional enough for your everyday carry items and sleek enough to look good, but also compact to comfortably fit in your pocket. 

To get the perfect leather wallet, you must first think of both your lifestyle and everyday essentials. 

For instance, consider how much cash and how many cards you need to carry with you, along with your preferred wallet style, and if it suits your needs. 

The most common leather wallet style is the traditional (billfold) wallet, which usually carries about 6–8 cards and a good amount of cash. 

On the other hand, if you need to carry a bit more than that, then the trifold wallet is the perfect option, and if a minimalist carry is more your speed, then perhaps a cardholder or money clip is ideal. 

In summary, always ensure that the construction offers maximum space without being too bulky, no matter your wallet style preference. 

Of course, this is not something you’d need to worry about with a Popov Leather wallet. We employ an exhaustive design process that ensures our leather wallets for men are both spacious and compact.

Below are a few examples of my favorite compact wallets with large capacities.

What is RFID?

RFID is short for Radio Frequency Identification. It refers to a radio waves-based technology used to passively identify tagged objects. It's used in several commercial and industrial applications, including debit/credit cards, passports, and contactless cards.

The technology uses microchips that store data and scanners to read the microchips.

With the recent universal access to RFID technology, cards that previously used magnetic strips to transact have become contactless. 

But this has also made them more susceptible to unauthorized scanning through RFID skimming. It means you can fall victim to identity theft without even removing your cards from your men's leather wallet. 

Someone with a remote reader can scan your cards while your wallet is still in your pocket and make copies they can use online to make unauthorized purchases.

This makes RFID protection a must-have feature in your leather wallet for men—to protect you from RFID skimming.

Related: The RFID Blocking Card: Here’s What You Need to Know 

So, there you have it. These are some of the special features to look out for in your next leather wallet.

Of course, there are more features such as wallet chains and outside pockets that'll make your wallet better suited to your needs. 

However, the above-mentioned features, I believe, form the foundations upon which heirloom-quality leather wallets for men are made.

This is precisely what we offer at Popov Leather—the best quality leather wallets, made from full-grain Horween leather and hand-sewn with Ritza 25 Tiger Thread for unmatched durability.

Our leather wallets go through a meticulous design process, resulting in stunning wallets that don't waste space with unnecessary bulk. 

The end product is a beautifully compact and functional leather wallet guaranteed to last a lifetime. 

No, really, and that is why we offer a lifetime warranty on all our wallets.

Visit our online store today to order a Popov Leather wallet that will last you a lifetime.