This is a detailed review of the Dango A-series G10 Backplate wallet, a high-end wallet with great aesthetics.
Dango A-series G10 Backplate Review
The A-series G10 Backplate is a slim, premium, modernized, aluminum-leather wallet, with an exceptional design inspired by the tech industry. It holds up to 8 cards, 3 cash bills, and is compatible with all Dango A-series tools and adapters. It has great features, like RFID blocking, infinite customization, and some of the highest-quality materials you can find in this price range.
Should you buy the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate wallet?
Unsurprisingly, Dango yet again delivers a unique, stylish, and very functional wallet as part of their A-series.
The A-series G10 Backplate is a modular wallet that comes with lots of customizing options and a fashionable design equipped with futuristic aesthetics.
If you are after a good-looking, small, and compact wallet, then your search is probably over. This is one of the best wallets in its price range, so take a look into its features and see if it fits your style.
Buying
Your safest bet is to buy the wallet from the official Dango web store. The brand offers various great deals for such products, as well as paying in 4 installments without any interest.
Price and value for money
The G10 backplate will usually cost you around $50.
However, if you don’t already own a Dango A-series wallet to mount the plate on, then it’s best to get the following three-part package:
- Dango A10 Adapt – $79
- Dango A10 Pull Pocket Adapter – $35
- G10 Backplate – $50
The total cost of the wallet will come at about $164, and the whole deal is already suggested when you try to buy the backplate itself.
Shipping details
While ordering from the USA, you will get free shipping that comes with all orders above $49. Buying the whole wallet will almost guarantee free shipping for it.
However, Dango offers international shipping, as well as fast shipping on all orders. These options usually cost around $8-$10, depending on the product, plus any additional fees, taxes, and shipping prices to get the delivery to your door.
Customer support
The other great thing about the Dango brand is its customer support. Their team can be contacted via e-mail, a social media message, or through the contact form on the Dango website.
Dango’s support team is available every business day, during working hours, and typically replies to all messages within a day.
Warranty
Quite sure of the quality they offer, Dango has a lifetime warranty on all their wallets and wallet accessories, such as this product.
The warranty covers any manufacturer’s defects, including broken or missing parts, ripped exteriors, torn paracord or bands, and similar flaws not caused by the users themselves.
Activating the warranty is fairly easy, and done by a simple e-mail sent to the Dango support team.
Returns and refunds
Aside from the great warranty, Dango also offers a 30-day free return policy on all their wallets. If you aren’t satisfied with the product, you can simply return it and get a full refund on the price you paid for it. All you need is proof of purchase, such as a receipt, and for the wallet to be intact and in the same condition it was delivered in.
You can read all about Dango’s policies on their webpage.
Dango brand
Dango makes some of the best minimalist wallets for men currently, and are one of the hottest brands on the market. If you are looking for a new wallet, it is almost impossible you haven’t already heard of them.
What they offer is a pure premium, high-class products with great quality and innovative design. They thrive on unique innovations placed on every new series of wallets they come up with. And they always deliver in great style.
Dango also designs and manufactures all its products in the USA.
Basics
The A-series of Dango wallets, led by the A10 Adapt, is a series of modular, customizable wallets designed to be fully adaptable to the user’s needs. It’s an all-aluminum chassis wallet on which you can attach multiple pocket adapters and customizing features.
The G10 Backplate design is one of such features. It aides the multifunctional metal wallet with a great style, completing one of the greatest-looking Dango wallets from this series.
How to use the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate wallet?
The main A10 chassis is a simple, two-pocketed, open frame that can store around 5 cards in its compartments. On it, you can attach one of the many Dango pocket adapters which widen the space for an extra few cards inside.
The adapter is attached through the quick release rail mechanism on the side of the chassis. The rails also allow you to dismount the adapter at any time and use the chassis alone as a cardholder.
Storing and using the cards, on the other hand, is very easy. There is no closing mechanism on the pockets, you simply stuff them inside and pick out the one you need. It’s a fairly simple wallet that can look complicated at first but offers much better usability than any other competitor on the market.
Unboxing
All Dango wallets come in the same, signature, tin-box package. They are neatly stored and heavily protected from any damage.
Inside the box, you will find the wallet itself, completely assembled, as well as a user’s manual and a thank you note from the brand. Next to them, you’ll find a lanyard, which you can attach to the wallet for better safety and tighten to your belt or a backpack.
Aesthetic and design
The A-series G10 Backplate is one of those great-looking wallets with amazing design, with a modernized matte-black futuristic look.
Design
The main chassis of the wallet has a metallic aluminum finish, covered with a black backplate that looks like it has come from a ‘Back to the Future’ movie. It is designed in a way to combine efficiency, functionality, and style, combining a couple of items that perfectly complement each other.
Depending on which adapter you choose, you will get a slightly different wallet. But opting for the most popular Pull Pocket one is your best choice, as it comes with a pull tab for easy access to your cards.
Colors
Since there are multiple parts in this wallet, you can make any combination you want from all the various colors Dango offers for them. The aluminum A10 chassis comes in 5 color options:
- Red
- Grey
- Gold
- Silver
- Black
The Pull Pocket adapter, on the other, has 4 available colors:
- Brown
- Black
- Rawhide
- DTEX
The backplate comes only in one, matte black color, which is the best way the G10 material can truly shine.
Materials
All of the wallet’s parts use a variety of materials to fully encapture its quality.
The materials used for the chassis are:
- aluminum, for the plates;
- stainless steel, for the screws;
The pocket adapter is mainly made from leather, but it also comes in a DTEX variation.
The backplate is, of course, made solely from G10, a type of fiberglass laminate that is frequently used for its high endurance at wide temperature varieties. It is a very durable material, that not only looks great but also offers great safety and protection to your wallet.
Clothing style fit
Matte black G10 is a rather modern and elegant material, with a sharp look and smooth, monochromatic design. Such an outlook will fit best people who like to dress professionally, modern, and in a somewhat avant-garde fashion.
It’s great for those who show off wherever they go, always in a flashy, well-dressed appearance.
Features
The A-series G10 wallet is stuffed with features that make it one of the most functional open-frame wallet.
Weight, size, dimensions
The A10 Adapt, even when customized with the G10 backplate is still one of the thinnest and smallest wallets out there. Its precise dimensions are:
- Height: 2.7 in / 6.8 cm
- Width: 4.1 in / 10.4 cm
- Depth: 0.6 in / 1.3 cm
But although it’s very thin and compact, the metal build with multiple parts stacked on it does make the wallet a bit heavy. The G10 backplate alone weighs around 1.7 oz / 48 gr. Together with the wallet, the weight almost triples.
It’s simply a price you’ll have to make to use the full capabilities of this Dango design.
RFID blocking
Aside from durability, the strong aluminum and G10 build also give a lot of protection from unwanted RFID scans.
The whole wallet has great RFID blocking features all around it, completely protecting your cards from any wireless information theft.
How many cards can the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate wallet hold?
The wallet chassis alone has a capacity for 5 cards inside. But if you buy the full package with the pull pocket adapter, you will be able to store up to 8 cards inside the wallet.
However, be noted that with the modular capabilities of the A-series, you can always switch the adapter for another, bigger one. Dango offers various bifold and two-pocket adapters as well, enlarging the capacity of the wallet of up to 13 cards, for those in need of so much space.
How much cash can the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate wallet hold?
While great for cards, the A-series wallets aren’t the best options for carrying cash bills. You will be able to stuff a couple of them in the main pocket of the chassis, but they will be hard to reach and trouble to put back inside if you are in a hurry.
You will always have the extra pocket on the adapter, where you can stuff the bills you need. Only in that way you will shorten the space for cards and sacrifice some of them for your cash.
Water resistance
While the materials surely have some water endurance, the wallet itself offers no protection from water damage to the contents inside.
The chassis is a simple open frame with many holes on it, which will instantly leak if it’s submerged in water. The adapter, on the other hand, is made from leather which is not one of the best water protective materials as well.
If you need something stronger and much more water-resistant, I will not rely too much on this specific model. In fact, most open-frame wallets will probably be the same. I suggest you look into some fully enclosed ones if water damage is one of your biggest concerns.
Known issues and problems
The biggest issue most users find with these wallets is their lack of space for both cards and cash. The maximum number of cards you can fit, even with the adapter, is eight, which might be insufficient for most people.
Add on that the fact you can’t carry even a couple of bills as you should, the A10 suddenly becomes a rather impractical wallet. It sacrifices a lot of space in order to remain as thin as possible.
And finally, you can’t disregard the price Dango has set up in this case.
Quality-wise, the G10 is a very strong, durable, and great-looking material. But it is also pretty expensive. Paying around $50 for a simple aesthetic accessory for your wallet might be a trouble for a lot of people. Opting to go without it altogether, and using the wallet without such add-ons will be the better financial choice for most.
How does the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate wallet compare to other minimalist wallets?
In the end, it is always hard to make the final choice and decide what the best wallet for you is. There are many other great options on the market, all in different price ranges and with various positive and negative sides.
Have a look into some of the other similar options available for you, and see how the A-series G10 wallet ranks in its category.
Dango A-Series G10 Backplate vs A-Series Walnut Backplate
In case the G10 surface didn’t quite catch your attention, then Dango has another option for you. The A-series backplate accessory comes in another, walnut edition.
The walnut design comes at the same price, with all the same features, and can be mounted on all the same A-series wallets. The only difference between the two is the style and aesthetics.
Dango’s A-series Walnut backplate is offered in dark wood, with shades in light and dark brown colors. It’s a rather vintage design, completely contrasting the modernistic G10 aesthetics of its counterpart.
Dango A-Series G10 Backplate vs Dango D01 Dapper Bifold
If you weren’t altogether amazed by the design of the backplate, and want to go with something much simpler, Dango’s got you covered here as well.
One of the most sold-out wallets from their assortment is the Dango D01 Dapper Bifold. It’s a slightly cheaper option, costing you around $80. But it also has a much bigger capacity for up to 17 cards, 8 cash bills, more features overall.
The downside here is that the D01 models are not modular, and with fewer customizing options as a result. But with the same leather style and way more storage, it compensates well.
Dango A-Series G10 Backplate vs Zitahli Men’s Slim
Like the minimalist leather style, but don’t want to spend a fortune on Dango’s wallets? Don’t worry, we have a solution for you as well.
Zitahli’s Slim leather wallet is one of the most functional minimalist wallets in the budget price range. This wallet will you just around $35, but will fit 12 cards and some cash bills in it comfortably.
It’s made completely from leather, naturally with some lesser quality to justify the price. But the greatest thing about this model is its design. It’s made in the notable folding style found in most of the old, traditional wallets, and is a great option for those who are looking for something new, minimalistic, but still steers away from the trend of metal, open-frame wallets.
Who should not buy the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate wallet?
The biggest selling point of this whole wallet is the design of its backplate. And there are many people who will not find this sufficient enough for their money.
If you don’t like the matte black design, then you are out of luck. Dango offers the G10 backplate only in this one color. And although the other parts can be found in various different colors, the backplate is the one that sticks out the most.
This wallet is also not the best option if you are just getting used to minimalist wallets. The open-frame design with rather small storage is hard to adjust to, especially if you just got rid of a much bigger wallet.
On a similar note, this is not the best option if you carry more than 8 cards, and especially some cash on you all the time. The A-series G10 wallet has space only for so much. You will either need to constantly choose what you need to carry out, or simply opt for something else altogether. In these cases, I suggest going over my guides on the best wallets for many cards and the best wallets for cash.
And finally, we must not forget the price. Dango is a brand that only offers high-quality, premium wallets that come with hefty prices. If your budget is light, you might want to take a look into some of the cheaper options as they can offer some great functionality as well. I recommend checking out my guides on the best wallets under $50 and the best wallets under $30.
Who should buy the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate wallet?
If you liked the design and want a high-quality, durable wallet, then this is the best choice for you. Dango uses only the finest materials with the highest quality in their manufacturing process, so you won’t ever need to worry about how long it will last in your pocket. Because it will so for years after purchase.
This is also a great option for geeky people who buy accessories made in a futuristic, tech style. The G10 material largely resembles computers, made with similar aesthetics. On that note, it is also one of the main materials processing units are made of, so its quality is guaranteed.
The A-series G10 wallet is also great for people who don’t carry too much stuff with them daily. If you only need a few cards with you, then it’s best to opt for something small, something that will not be a burden in your pocket, as this exact wallet. At the end of the day, if you need a simple cardholder for 4 or 5 cards, you just buy the aluminum chassis without any adapters and use it as such.
Where to buy the Dango A-Series G10 Backplate from?
Dango A-Series G10 Backplate Specifications
| Type | minimalist |
| Max n. of cards | 8 |
| RFID blocking? | yes |
| TSA compliant? | yes |
| Materials used | G10, leather, aluminum |
| Height | 2.7 in / 6.8 cm |
| Width | 4.1 in / 10.4 cm |
| Depth | 0.6 in / 1.3 cm |
| Weight | 4.7 oz / 133 g |
| Features | RFID-blocking, rail mechanism for add-ons |
| Water resistance | some |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
| Return period | 30 days |
