In this comprehensive review you will learn everything there is to know about the Chelmon wallet, one of the cheapest unisex minimalist wallets currently available.
Chelmon Wallet Review
The Chelmon is a slim, lightweight, unisex, leather minimalist wallet. It can carry 7 cards and some cash bills. The inverted design of this wallet comes in a lot of different colors. This wallet has lots of great features like RFID protection, some water resistance, and a finger glide window. It has a 1-year warranty period and it’s one of the cheapest minimalist wallets on the market.
Should you buy the Chelmon wallet?
The Chelmon is a compact wallet that is lightweight and easy to carry around in your pocket.
This wallet has an inverted design, so all its pockets are on the outside. It also has a currency pouch where you can carry cash bills.
On top of being very thin, it offers decent storage space for everything you need to carry.
If a budget, unisex, leather minimalist wallet that comes in a lot of different colors sounds like something you might like, then you should go for the Chelmon wallet.
Buying
The most secure way to buy the Chelmon wallet is through Amazon. As a matter of fact, this is the place where you will most usually find the wallet available.
Price and value for money
The Chelmon wallet usually costs $6.99, which puts it in the ultra-budget category. This is one of the cheapest minimalist wallets so far and it still offers a lot of interesting features for this price. The wallet has good RFID protection, decent storage space, a pocket for money, and a finger glide pocket. It comes in a lot of different color variants and it’s made out of good quality leather. Overall, the Chelmon wallet is good value for money.
Shipping details
If you decide to buy the wallet from Amazon, the shipping will be free only if you order is $25 worth of items as well. It usually takes 5-8 days for your order to arrive.
Customer support
There is only one way to reach out to the seller of the Chelmon wallet, and that is through their Amazon shop page. All you have to do is go to the seller’s page, ask them a question and wait for them to reply to you.
Warranty
The Chelmon wallet has a 1-year warranty which you can use if you come across any issues with this item. If there are any defects in your wallet after delivery, you should contact the seller and use your warranty in order to get a refund or replacement.
Returns and refunds
If you want to return the Chelmon wallet you can do so within 30 days of purchasing it. Don’t forget to keep the wallet in the same condition and packaging you’ve received it in. It usually takes 3-5 days after Amazon has processed your return for you to get a refund. You can also get a replacement for your product if you think you got a wrong or defective item.
How to use the Chelmon wallet?
Using the Chelmon wallet is very simple.
The first thing you need to do is gather all your cards and decide where each of them will be placed. You can place 4 cards in the front pockets of this wallet, and 3 in the back pockets. One of the pockets on the back has a finger glide, so I would recommend placing a card you use a lot there.
After that you should neatly fold any cash bills you intend to carry in the wallet and place them in the currency pouch.
Aesthetics
As an inverted minimalist wallet with lots of available colors, the Chelmon wallet certainly stands out.
Design
All of the slots on the Chelmon wallet are on the outside due to its inverted design.
The front side of this wallet has 4 credit card slots and the Chelmon logo at the bottom. Each of these slots is capable of holding one card.
On the back, there is a finger glide ID window and 2 more pockets for cards.
The wallet also has a currency pouch on top of it where you can store cash bills.
Colors
There are a lot of different color variations that the Chelmon wallet comes in:
- black carbon
- black crane up
- black cross
- black gene
- black napa
- black peby
- blue
- brown
- coffee
- coffee crane
- deep blue
- deep grey
- genapa carbon grey
- green
- green classic
- grey
- grey steel
- khaki crane
- navy blue
- orange
- orange classic
- pebble yellow
- pink
- pink classic
- pink jelly
- purple
- red vinti
- rose red
- sky blue
- tan greyish
- wine red
- yellow
- yellow vinti
- crazy horse black
Some of the colors are elegant and simple while some of them are vibrant and eyecatching. With so many options available, you will surely find one that fits your style perfectly.
Materials
The Chelmon wallet is made entirely out of 100% genuine leather. This type of leather isn’t as strong as some high-quality leathers, like for example top-grain leather. However, it is still a very attractive type of leather that offers decent durability.
Clothing style fit
You can’t really go wrong with a leather wallet. All the available colors and the appealing aesthetic make this wallet an accessory that’s easy to pair with just about any type of clothing.
There are Chelmon wallet options with vibrant colors that would suit someone with an artsier style, as well as sophisticated options that would be perfect for someone who likes to suit up. Some simple color variants of the Chelmon wallet are also available for people who just want an everyday wallet that goes well with casual clothes.
Features
There are a lot of useful features that are a part of the Chelmon wallet. Here are some you should know about.
Finger Glide
The ID window which is on the back of the wallet has a finger glide. It’s basically a small open space where you can place your finger and easily glide out the card inside this pocket. This feature allows fast access only to the card which will be placed in the ID window.
Water protection
The Chelmon wallet doesn’t have the best water protection out there.
Because the Chelmon wallet has an inverted design, all the cards are placed in card slots which are on the exterior of this wallet. If by any chance the wallet gets splashed by water, none of the cards will remain dry.
The space that is the most troublesome when it comes to water protection is the ID window with a finger glide. This window has an open space in the middle of it, so water can easily get in it.
RFID blocking
RFID protection is an important feature that most minimalist wallets today possess. Just like them, the Chelmon is an RFID-blocking wallet in its design. But unfortunately, this feature might have some trouble functioning properly when it comes to this wallet, mainly because of the ID window pocket which is transparent. This means that all the information on the card that will be placed here will be exposed, and it would be easy to scan it.
Weight, size, dimensions
The Chelmon wallet has the following dimensions:
- height: 4.3 in / 10.92 cm
- width: 3.1 in / 7.87 cm
- depth: 0.2 in / 0.51 cm
On top of being an extra slim wallet, it is also very lightweight and you will barely notice carrying it.
How many cards can the Chelmon wallet hold?
You can easily fit 7 cards in the Chelmon wallet without straining it. It is possible to fit another card in one of the pockets, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this. As I previously mentioned this wallet is made out of leather which is a pretty tight material. If you forcibly add another card in one of the slots, the leather might not be able to handle it and it could get damaged.
How much cash can the Chelmon wallet hold?
The Chelmon wallet can hold at least 5 cash bills. Just keep in mind that the more cash bills you add to the wallet the bulkier it will get. Also, the currency pouch is in the middle of the wallet, so carrying a lot of cash bills will push the cards outwards as well, which could damage your wallet.
Customer satisfaction
There are a lot of people that have already become owners of the Chelmon minimalist wallet, and a large part of them have had only great things to say about it. There are a couple however who have come across some issues with this wallet. Here are some of the positive and negative things that customers have had so far.
Positive reviews
The Chelmon wallet offers a lot of functionalities for one of the lowest prices for a minimalist wallet I’ve seen so far. It has RFID protection, some water resistance, a finger glide window, and decent storage space. On top of all this, you get to choose among a dozen different colors which are available for this wallet. A very large portion of owners had highlighted that the Chelmon wallet is good value for money.
One of the best things about this wallet is that it’s very slim and lightweight. This makes it extra comfortable to carry in your pocket.
Another great thing about it is that it limits the stuff you carry, just as a minimalist wallet should. The storage capacity that this wallet offers is just enough for you to carry everything you need, without ending up with a bulky wallet in the end.
Known issues and problems
The ID window with the finger glide is hard to use. When you place a new card in the ID window, the card sticks to it and can’t move. This makes using the finger glide very difficult ad time-consuming, which is something that a couple of customers have had issues with.
As I previously mentioned, this wallet is made out of genuine leather which isn’t as durable as other leathers that are of higher quality. Some customers have had problems with the material. After using the wallet for some time there have been scratches on the leather and in some instances, the stitching has come loose.
Another issue has got to do with the pockets. They are very tight and after you place a card in them, it’s hard to take it out, especially if you also carry a lot of cash bills.
How does the Chelmon wallet compare to other minimalist wallets?
Choosing the right minimalist wallet for you can be a hard task. Here are some comparisons between the Chelmon and some other wallets to make the whole process a little easier.
The Chelmon wallet vs Bellroy Card Sleeve wallet
Leather is the main material that’s used to create both of these wallets.
The Chelmon wallet has an inverted design and all of its slots are on the outside, while the Bellroy Card Sleeve wallet is a single pocket minimalist wallet.
Between the two, the Bellroy Card Sleeve wallet is more expensive, smaller, and can carry more cards than the Chelmon wallet.
RFID protection is something that only the Chelmon wallet has as part of its features.
The warranty period on the Chelmon wallet is 1 year, while the Bellroy Card Sleeve wallet has a 3-year warranty period.
If you are looking for a leather minimalist wallet that has a lot of storage space, then you should read my full Bellroy Card Sleeve review.
The Chelmon wallet vs Coach Zip Card Case wallet
Both wallets are made out of leather and they both have an inverted design with an additional pocket for cash.
The Coach Zip Card Case wallet is bigger and a lot more expensive but can carry just 1 additional card, compared to the Chelmon wallet.
They both have the same warranty period of 1 year and the same return period of 30 days.
Only the Chelmon wallet has RFID protection incorporated in its design.
If a designer minimalist wallet sounds like the type of wallet you are looking for, then you should check out my full review of the Coach Zip Card Case.
Who should not buy the Chelmon wallet?
I wouldn’t recommend this wallet to people who carry a lot of cards and cash. You can only carry 7 cards and a couple of cash bills with this wallet. Sometimes you might need to limit the amount of cash or cards just so you don’t end up with a bulky wallet. See my guide on the best slim wallets if you need some extra card capacity.
As a minimalist wallet with an inverted design, this model won’t be the favorite of people who like traditional wallets. It’s very different, and such a design might take some time to get used to. If you prefer a wallet that’s more similar to a traditional one, you should check out the Andar Appolo wallet.
Another person I wouldn’t recommend this wallet to is one that doesn’t like using a finger glide, as this feature is a part of this wallet. A finger glide is supposed to make accessing your cards faster. The only issue is that the ID window with the finger glide on this wallet tends to stick to the card inside it. So if you don’t necessarily want to access one of your cards this way every day, you shouldn’t get this wallet.
Finally, this is a very cheap wallet, which may not be what some people are looking for. Check out my guides on the best wallets under $100 and the best wallets under $50 for some more premium options.
Who should buy the Chelmon wallet?
If you want to choose among a dozen different colors in order to find the one that fits you best, then this wallet would be a great choice for you. The Chelmon wallet is one of the rare inverted minimalist wallets that has so many color options available.
The perfect person to buy this wallet would be someone that carries just a couple of cards and a small number of cash bills. If you are such a person, then this lightweight and thin minimalist wallet would be the best fit for you.
I would also recommend this wallet to someone that likes to organize every card in a separate slot. This wallet is specifically designed to be able to carry one card in one pocket.
Finally, this wallet is of good quality overall but costs just $6.99, so I would definitely recommend it to budget or value shoppers looking for a decent wallet that won’t impact their finances in the least.
Where to buy the Chelmon wallet from?
Chelmon wallet specifications
| Type | minimalist |
| Max n. of cards | 7 |
| RFID blocking? | yes |
| TSA compliant? | yes |
| Materials used | leather |
| Height | 4.3 in / 10.92 cm |
| Width | 3.1 in / 7.87 cm |
| Depth | 0.2 in / 0.51 cm |
| Weight | / |
| Features | RFID, finger glide window |
| Water resistance | small |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Return period | 30 days |
