If you buy something through one of our links, we may earn a commission.
If your bulky leather wallet feels like it’s overstayed its welcome, the Ekster Cardholder Pro makes a compelling case for a slimmer, smarter, and more efficient wallet replacement.
You’re walking around with a thousand-dollar smartphone in your pocket, a couple-hundred-dollar pair of earbuds in your ear, and maybe a smartwatch on your wrist. No judgment, but you shouldn’t still have a $40 wallet that’s spent over a decade in your pocket, which is barely holding it together.
Yeah, it might be time to upgrade your wallet. But instead of grabbing a newer version of what you already own, this is the perfect time to try something new. Something like the $120 Ekster Cardholder Pro, a slim, metal wallet with a quick-release button for easy access to your cards. After finally ditching my old wallet and using Ekster’s solution for over a month, let’s discuss life before it and after using it.
The Cardholder Pro is mostly comprised of metal, save for its rubber strap designated for cash and additional card storage, with 100% recycled aluminum and carbon fiber on the card ejection trigger—more on that shortly. The wallet weighs 0.2 lbs before adding any cards or cash to the wallet, and its dimensions are 0.6 inches thick, 4.25 inches tall, and 2.4 inches long. Despite its metal build, it’s still relatively slim and on the lighter side.
Ekster states it can carry up to 14 cards in total, with up to seven in the cardholder and up to another seven under the backplate. Coming from a slimmer leather bi-fold wallet, I carried two debit and two credit cards in the cardholder section, my driver’s license in the backplate, and my insurance, library card, and cash within the rubber strap. The metal ejection trigger is a spring-loaded mechanism that feels solid and well-built. It’s also worth noting that the trigger ejects the cards in a beveled layout rather than being lined up evenly, which makes it easier to remove and replace them for quick use.
Still, being a minimal wallet is both its strength and a potential detriment to the Cardholder Pro. While it can store up to seven cards inside the cardholder, it can get a little crowded when reaching to take a card out for purchases. If you desire additional room for coins and more cash, you’ll have to pick up Ekster’s coin tray along with cash clip backplate add-ons, both priced at $30 each. Also, being crafted from 100% metal, sharing the same pocket with keys can rub away (but not scuff) at the paint job. Thus, in the process, unwanted wear and tear is added, and the wallet can age in a short time.
If you’re concerned about thieves stealing your card information, the company equipped the interior with an RFID-blocking layer to put you at ease. Also, the Cardholder Pro comes with a 100-day return window and a lifetime warranty, which covers defects in its metal ejection trigger but not general wear and tear or theft. While the wallet doesn’t include any native tracking, Ekster does sell its own $50 slim Finder cards for both Android and iPhone, which offer IPX5 water resistance, a rechargeable 6-month battery, and both work with their own respective Find My networks.
Ekster crafted a beautifully designed metal wallet with the Cardholder Pro, which offers quick card access, a slim profile, and features that minimize and modernize my everyday carry without overcomplicating it. Like any product, this wallet has weaknesses, such as being potentially too minimal for some, and the paint can rub off over time when brushed against keys or other items in a pocket. Also, $120 for a wallet is not insignificant, but you can currently get the Ekster Cardholder Pro for just over $66 after discounts and a promo code.
After over 30 days of usage, which included sharing pocket space with my keys, sitting on it in my back pocket, and stress-testing the trigger button, this wallet is a vast improvement over my previous leather wallet. Essentially, Ekster’s metal wallet is a thoughtful upgrade to something most people haven’t reconsidered in years and can be ideal for those ready to move past the bulky leather wallet and carry a lot of cash and/or too many cards.
