First Impressions
No fancy unboxing here – mine arrived in minimal packaging. The leather Ekster looks nice at first glance, but you quickly see where they made improvements in the metal versions of the wallet. This one is a bit awkward to hold due to the leather flap that opens on the outside. It’s harder to handle the wallet, the flap gets in the way, it slips around, and is generally cumbersome.
Build Quality
The leather itself is very nice, but the quality on the stitching leaves something to be desired. Right out of the box, the stitching where the flap opens behind the pop-up card holder is already starting to split away from the rest of the wallet. Otherwise the wallet feels pretty well put together, premium materials, and still has that cool pop-up card slot.
Capacity & Fit
- Card slots: 4 total
- Pop-up slot: 7 cards
- Inside leather flap: 2 cards
- Back exterior: 1 card
- Cash: 5 bills max
- Reality check: Holds everything I need pretty easily
Daily Carry Experience
Definitely larger than the metal Ekster wallet. The leather flap on the outside adds quite a bit of volume and makes the entire thing much thicker than I’d like. The flap continues to make handling the wallet more challenging, and I constantly feel like tearing the thing off so the wallet works better. If this was a leather-wrapped version of the metal wallet without this flap, I’d like it a lot more.
One Arm Test
The pop-up card slot works almost as well as the metal Ekster for the one arm test, however the leather flap makes it harder to get a good grip and press the spring. The flap slots are very hard to get a card out of one-handed.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- James Bond pop-up card slot
- Cash holder is elastic rather than rubber, much easier to use
- Leather used feels premium
Cons
- This damn flap on the outside – I cannot stand it
- Too bulky compared to other Ekster wallets
- Stitching isn’t holding up, splitting right out of the box
- Metal cards fall out the top (offset by having spots on the flap)
Who It's For
If you want an Ekster wallet and it MUST be leather, this could work for you. Otherwise just get the metal one and call it a day.
Final Verdict
If this was a leather-wrapped Ekster without the flap, I’d be over the moon. Instead, I can’t see myself using this wallet day to day. My dreams will be haunted by this flap constantly slapping me in the face.
If you’re considering Ekster, skip the leather and get the [metal version] instead.