For a man, one of the most tedious decisions he can make in life is choosing the right wallet to stick with for a long period of time. Big, small, vertical and horizontal; they come in all shapes and sizes. Right when we find the one we really like, something new is introduced to us that completely throws off our equilibrium and makes us second guess everything we have been doing thus far. Ok, admittedly, I may have exaggerated my point just a wee bit, but picking a good wallet is really hard and not a decision to take lightly. After 29 years, I have finally settled on keeping my cards and cash separate and, for the most part, I am happy.
Recently, I was pitched on a Kickstarter project that caught my eye: the HuMn wallet. Simplistic and cool, it aimed to hold both my cash and cards, while protecting me from dreaded RFID fraud (thieves who steal your card information directly from your pockets).
Perfect, huh? So I bit and opted for the neon green iteration.
Measuring at just 9.5 cm x 7 cm x 2.5 cm and featuring a glorified elastic band to hold things together, I was ready to go.
On any given day I carry about 7 or 8 cards with me, so I took everything out of my wallet and installed them in between the plastic cards as I was instructed to. I immediately found installation awkward; there is nothing to physically hold the cards in place, so it’s hard to keep things together and steady when you’re literally creating a plastic sandwich.
Alas, I gave it a shot.
At first I thought it was pretty nifty. It held everything together, offered minimal bulk in my front pocket, and protected me from the bad guys – what’s not to appreciate? Then came time to actually buy something. I found myself struggling to take the elastic band off, remove cash and get to my cards; things were just not moving together smoothly. I had to take everything apart just to do something as mundane as use my debit card (or grab a five to pay for my coffee).
But of course, you know, my OCD had to to pop out and say hello.
Why (once I struggled to put everything back together) weren’t my cards staying straight? Why was the cash sitting awkwardly? Ugh. I marched back home, took my cards out and threw them all back into my leather wallet, opting to use my little HuMn (see what I did there) as a money clip instead - and that’s where it has stayed since. Unlike metal clips in the same class, using an elastic band means it never loses shape. And unlike the M-Clip – another popular choice in the money clip category – the addition of the plastic backing means you can store $5 or $500 cash with convenience and ease, no more awkwardly bent bills or lost cash in your pocket – things stay secure and exactly where you put them.
My only real stipulation is the pricing: at the end of the day, you’re paying $76 for a plastic money clip that protects from RFID fraud. If the aforementioned is a big concern, take the plunge; if not, I am sure you can find something else that does the same at a more cost effective pricing.
To learn more or buy one for yourself check out their store here