Nite Ize Financial Tool Multi Tool Wallet Review

The Nite Ize Financial Tool Multi Tool Wallet has seven tools, an extraordinarily durable plate, and a budget-friendly price. That said, you’re likely to carry your wallet daily, so it should be able to handle the correct number of cards for you while withstanding the bumps and knocks of everyday travel, and the silicone band doesn’t feel the most durable. Will it last, or will we be looking for a new wallet by the end of this review? Let’s find out.

The Rundown

The body of the wallet is stainless steel. It’s durable, feels rugged, and is fairly lightweight. At first glance, you might not know that it’s a wallet. There are a ton of grooves and notches, which makes it look unique and fun straight out of the package.

At the time of writing, there are two colorways available. There’s Black and Stainless, both of which are sleek. The Black model is more low-key, but the Stainless looks more polished. They’re both fine-looking wallets.

Before discussing how these work as wallets, let’s talk about the extra features that make them stand out.

There’s a bottle opener, which is handy for cracking open a cold one after a long day or while hanging out with new friends on the beach. It can be challenging to use when you have cards in the wallet, but you can still do it as long as it’s not overstuffed. That said, using this feature is easier when nothing is in the wallet. The bottle opener works pretty well but can hurt your hand slightly when you grip the sides hard to get a good handle on opening the bottle.

On the other hand, those sharp edges that can cause discomfort while opening a bottle can be used to scrape things in a pinch. Get some gum off the side table in your aunt’s guest room that hasn’t been used in years, clean up the bottom of your shoes, or get creative with your scraping habits. Remember, this is your wallet, though. Whatever gets stuck on it will be near your cards and cash. It’s a handy feature, though!

The integrated wrench tool has 1/4”, 5/16”, and 3/8” wrenches. It can be challenging to use, and you need a lot of clearance to utilize these tools because of how wide the wallet is. When it comes to a way to carry cash, this thing is pretty small, but it’s a lot bigger than a socket, so it’s more challenging for that purpose.

The last few features are all on one end of the wallet. The bottom two corners have screwdriver heads. One functions as a flathead, and the other will work as a tape cutter or with some Phillips screw heads. While it doesn’t make a cross, the tapered shape works with most screws like that. Similar to the wrenches, these aren’t wholesale solutions to your screwdriver needs but are handy in a pinch.

A mini ruler with Metric and Imperial units is between the screwdriver heads. One side has an inch with 1/16” notches labeled, and the other is three centimeters broken down into 30 millimeters. Again, this is handy in particular situations but impractical for most of your measuring needs. Typically, you’ll need to measure things that are much longer than an inch. This is one of the only features that doesn’t get in the way of anything else, which we dig.

All those extras are great, but you probably want to know how well this thing works for its native use: carrying cards and cash.

To do that, a silicone-like plastic band goes around the outside of the stainless steel. Three notches are carved into the sides to make the corner less sharp. We don’t thinkthe strap feels very durable. Others online have had that same experience, and plenty of reviews showcase that it broke within the first year. However, in our experience, so far, it has been good. It shows no sign of wear, and the band has remained snappy. That said, we haven’t overloaded it, which might be what keeps this thing alive for longer than 12 months.

This thing feels comfortable with under five cards, and a few bills of cash folded and slid inside. Anything more than that feels like it’s stretching the band too much when you pull or place cards inside. You can stow more, but doing so makes us worry about the lifespan of the plastic.

Packability

One of the biggest perks about this wallet is how small it is. It’s barely larger than a credit card and feels similar in weight to a premium metal card. Seriously, this thing is tiny and hardly weighs anything. You can easily fit it into your front pocket, and there’s no reason it won’t fit into a daypack, travel backpack, or sling. If a standard credit card fits with a little bit of leeway, this will likely fit there.

Regarding specifics, this thing weighs 1.05 ounces or 29.8 grams. It feels like a dream in your pocket if you don’t overstuff it with gear. Unfortunately, just like a crazy dream, sometimes, holes appear in the morning.

No, seriously. The sharp corners are much more likely to puncture a hole in your pants pocket or the mesh lining of your backpack than a standard billfold or a leather wallet. Typically, these corners are somewhat covered by your cards, but they can move around when you slide them in and out of your pocket. Although it wasn’t this exact model, I had a similar wallet years ago that forced tiny holes into my pants pockets. Before I realized it, the damage was done. Because of that experience, we’ve been careful with this one and haven’t had any issues. If this is your first metal wallet like this, it’s worth paying attention to.

According to Nite Ize, this wallet is airport and travel-safe. Although we didn’t take it through security, that seems correct. There’s no blade or sharp corners that would make a TSA officer snag this from you, but we’re not sure it’s worth the risk. We’ve all had things taken at security that technically were legal, and losing your wallet before you start your trip is a bummer. That said, you’ll probably make it through!

Quick Comparison

As of this date, we haven’t reviewed any minimalist wallets with as many features as the Nite Ize Financial Tool Multi Tool Wallet. That said, we have tested numerous models in a similar league to this one, so choosing a model to compare it to was fun. We decided on the Trayvax Original 2.0 Wallet because it’s one of the more popular minimalist wallets on the market.

The Trayvax is heavier, coming in at 2.4 ounces or 68 grams. Percentage-wise, that’s a lot heavier. However, they’re both quite light in the grand scheme of things (and as a total percentage of your travel pack out). If you’re counting ounces, you’ll save a few with the Nite Ize.

The Trayvax is larger, too, but only marginally so. It’ll still fit comfortably in most front pockets or inside your backpack. It’s a lot thicker, which may deter some front-pocket wallet travelers. However, the two-plate design protects your cards more than the plastic strap on the Nite Ize model. It’s less minimalistic, but it offers more durability and protection. Plus, the cable connecting the two plates is more durable than the money band on the Nite Ize.

The Trayvax doesn’t have nearly as many tools as the Nite Ize model but retains the most important one. After all, who doesn’t want to end the day with a cold beer or a fresh soda? If you’re from the Midwest, a soda is a pop. If you’re not, just keep on rolling.

We think having a multi-tool with all of this wallet’s features is fun, but many aren’t as useful as they might seem at first glance. The screwdrivers and wrenches are hard to use, the ruler is only suitable for micro measurements, and scooping gunk off things isn’t super handy, especially when the gunk goes onto your wallet afterward. That said, if you only need a couple of cards and minimal cash, it’s nice to be able to combine a TSA-safe multi-tool and a wallet.

Plus, at the time of writing, the Nite Ize Financial Tool Multi Tool Wallet will run you $12. Even if it only lasts you a year, that’s a dollar a month. Not too bad, huh?