Welcome to the full review of the Fidelo Hybrid – one of the most stylish and compact budget-priced wallets with a quick access button.
Fidelo Hybrid Review
The Fidelo Hybrid is a slim, metal, lightweight, minimalist wallet. It is offered in two versions, aluminum or carbon fiber, and comes in black or grey color. The wallet has a capacity for up to 7 cards and 10 cash bills, as well as many useful features, including RFID protection, an elastic band, and a slide button for quick access to your cards. This is arguably one of the most elegant and lightest wallets in this price range that comes with a sturdy design and a lifetime warranty.
Should you buy the Fidelo Hybrid wallet?
Fidelo Hybrid is one of the most compact affordable minimalist wallets that has a quick access button for its contents. The wallet fits perfectly into most pockets and offers strong protection from damage and wireless theft to your cards.
With such nice and elegant aesthetics, this wallet is a perfect match for anyone putting extra thought into what they wear each day.
If you want a smooth sturdy wallet that can fit all your important cards and some cash bills, offers convenient usage, and feels very light in your hand, getting the Fidelo Hybrid is one of the best choices you can make.
Buying
The Fidelo Hybrid wallet can be bought from Amazon.
Price
Fidelo Hybrid typically costs from $25 up to $30, depending on which model you choose.
The wallet comes in two variants – aluminum and carbon fiber. The aluminum version is the cheaper one, while the carbon fiber costs around $5 extra.
Shipping details
Shipping on Amazon is free and you can get the wallet delivered to your doorstep in about a week.
Ordering it from Fidelo, on the other hand, comes with an additional fee of $2 for the standard and $7 for the expedited shipping option.
Customer support
Any questions about the product, your order, or shipping and returns policies can be sent through Fidelo’s contact form found on their website. Additionally, you can send them an e-mail at [email protected] if you need more details. Their team will usually respond in up to 24 hours.
Warranty and return policies
Fidelo is very devoted to the quality of their products and has further assured this with a lifetime warranty of this wallet.
The brand also has a 30-day free return policy, meaning you can return the item back in up to a month after you’ve bought it and get a full refund.
Fidelo brand
Fidelo is a North American brand that manufactures minimalist wallets and accessories. They have produced dozens of metal, leather, and carbon fiber wallets equipped with lots of tactical features that help users organize their belongings without changing their style.
Their wallets are designed with the modern lifestyle in mind, mainly aimed at people with busy lives and those who put a lot of effort into their appearance.
Eliminating most of the clutter in your old wallet and transferring to a minimalist one is a hard choice, and the main goal of this brand is to help you and guide you through this process.
Basics
Fidelo Hybrid is a simple, hard-shell cardholder equipped with two pockets: an enclosed slot for cards, and an open slot found on the elastic band strapped around the wallet.
How to use the Fidelo Hybrid wallet?
There are only a couple of things you need to know about using this wallet.
All the cards go in the main pocket, where you can easily stuff them with a push of a finger. There is a sliding trigger button at the bottom of this pocket that pushes the cards up whenever you need to pick one.
Your banknotes go on the elastic band, separately tied around the main pocket, where you can stuff the bills by folding them at least twice.
Each pocket has great stability and keeps its content safe from falling, so you won’t need to worry about any cards falling out even if you hold the wallet upside down.
Build quality
Fidelo has always used the sturdiest materials that provide great quality and durability.
Materials
The Fidelo Hybrid wallet has two materials implemented in its design:
- high-strength polymer
- 6063 aluminum / 3K carbon fiber (depending on which model you choose)
Aesthetics
Crafted in a smooth and elegant fashion, with a modern design and monochromatic outlook, the Fidelo Hybrid is a wallet any minimalist will instantly fall in love with.
Design and colors
The wallet is designed as a slim hard-shell case, offered in black or grey color.
It has a smooth surface, sharp edges, with only the white Fidelo logo standing out at the bottom right corner of the front side of the wallet.
Even the band strapped around it is completely black, adding a strong point to the contemporary formal design the brand went for with the Fidelo Hybrid wallet.
Fit to clothing style
With the modern black and grey designs, the Fidelo Hybrid can go perfectly with any formal wear. Suits, shirts, dresses, and any office outfit can be an instant match with this wallet.
On the other hand, the matte finish carbon fiber model can be combined with any other outfit, ranging from jeans to any type of casual, elegant, or more formal clothes.
Features
Let’s go through all the features found on this wallet.
RFID protection
The Fidelo Hybrid doesn’t only keep your cards organized, but safe as well.
The main pocket is equipped with strong RFID protection, blocking any wireless access and information theft to your credit cards while they are stored inside the card slot.
Many brands have tried to create a version of this feature for their cardholders, but rarely have they managed to do it as successfully as Fidelo have with their Hybrid model. Most of the other quick access buttons often jam, break apart or keep the cards stuck in the pocket and force you to use a pen or any similar item to get them out.
With the Fidelo Hybrid, you won’t have to worry about any of these issues. The button on this wallet is mounted at the bottom of the card slot and is made out of metal, making it much more durable than the other plastic versions.
When you press the button, it will slide to the side and slowly eject the cards upwards with the smooth-running pop-up feature.
What amazed me the most about this feature is the stability with which it holds the cards in place. Even after you pop them out, you can still hold the wallet upside down and none of the cards will fall out of the pocket.
Elastic band
On the outer walls, you will find a black elastic band, tied around the main pocket. The band has the sole purpose of holding cash bills strapped on it so they don’t clutter the card slot.
It’s elastic and can expand significantly, giving you an easy way to stuff the bills on it.
How many cards can the Fidelo Hybrid wallet hold?
The main card slot holds up to 7 non-embossed cards inside.
If your cards are embossed (have raised numbers engraved on their surface) you will be able to store up to 5 of them.
How much cash can the Fidelo Hybrid wallet hold?
On the elastic band, you can strap up to 10 cash bills, folded twice.
Is the Fidelo Hybrid wallet waterproof?
While aluminum and carbon fiber are both non-corroding materials that won’t be damaged by contact with water, the wallet itself doesn’t provide much water protection to its contents.
This is mainly due to the semi-open design of the Fidelo Hybrid wallet. The card slot is not fully enclosed and has an opening at the top where the cards come out. This hole will let through any water that might splash on the wallet, and will completely damage the cards if it gets submerged.
Weight, size, dimensions
The Fidelo Hybrid is one of the slimmest wallets ever made. It’s almost as big as a credit card and deep just enough to store 7 of them.
Its dimensions are:
- width: 2.6 in / 6.6 cm
- height: 4.3 in / 11 cm
- depth: 0.32 in / 0.8 cm
The weight of the wallet varies based on the model and the material it’s crafted from. The aluminum model weighs just around 1.7 oz / 48 g, while the carbon fiber model is slightly lighter, weighing around 1.3 oz / 36.7 g.
Known issues and problems
When buying a budget-priced wallet, you will usually have to make some sacrifices regarding the quality and functionality of the product in order to fit it into your budget. With the Fidelo Hybrid, this will only be true for a handful of points.
The biggest problem with this wallet is the aluminum, which is of poor quality and feels a bit like plastic. The wallet doesn’t feel that great in your hand, and although it’s sturdy and durable, there are a lot of metal wallets with a better material quality than this one.
You will also instantly notice the rough edges of this wallet, as they can be a bit uncomfortable in your pocket. They may not be sharp enough to tear your pants, but you will always feel like something is poking them. Additionally, this will make your pants less appealing as the wallet will stretch them around the pockets a lot.
When it comes to functionality, there is one minor inconvenience you might want to know about. When the slide button ejects the cards, they pop out all squished together. This makes it pretty hard to separate the cards from one another and pick the one you need.
How does the Fidelo Hybrid compare to other minimalist wallets?
Often times you will see lots of slim wallets with the same build as the Fidelo Hybrid. Sometimes it can be tough to make a distinction between them, especially with how cluttered the minimalist wallet market is right now.
Here are two of its biggest competitors so you can better choose which wallet is the best for you.
Fidelo Hybrid vs Secrid Cardprotector
The Secrid Cardprotector is probably the most similar wallet to the Fidelo Hybrid. Both wallets cost around $30, have the same design, features, and card capacity.
However, they both offer a different style and there are some parts where these two wallets differ.
The main differences between the two wallets are the aesthetics, their feel, and the cash capacity. While the Secrid Cardprotector feels slightly better in your hand and comes in more color options, it only has a single card slot and lacks an elastic band or any other type of pocket for cash bills.
If you don’t really use banknotes in your life anymore and always shop with your cards, then I suggest you look at the Secrid Cardprotector instead, as this wallet might be a better choice for you.
Fidelo Hybrid vs Ekster Aluminum
The Ekster Aluminum is the high-end alternative to the Fidelo Hybrid.
It’s a slim wallet with a very similar design to the Fidelo Hybrid, offering a much higher quality and bigger capacity, but has a much higher price too of around $79.
The Ekster Aluminum is made from a stronger and more durable 6061 space-grade aluminum. It has two pockets, thanks to an expandable backplate, that offer a capacity of up to 15 cards, two times more than what you can store in the Fidelo Hybrid.
The premium-priced wallet has more customization options as well, as it comes in about a dozen different colors you can choose from. If these features sound like they are worth investing in a more expensive wallet, check out my review of the Ekster Aluminum where I go into detail about its qualities.
Who should not buy the Fidelo Hybrid wallet?
The Fidelo Hybrid won’t really suit people who use a lot of cards. The wallet only has space for 5-7 cards, which won’t be sufficient if you have multiple credit cards, entrance tags, membership cards, etc. I suggest checking out my guide on the best wallets for many cards in this case.
It also comes in very monochromatic designs, offered only in black and grey. People who often like to dress in colorful and fresh outfits might have a harder time adapting their wardrobe to this wallet’s aesthetics.
The Fidelo Hybrid is very affordable, and, as counter-intuitive as it might sound, that might actually be a downside for people looking for more luxurious products. You can take a look at my guides on the best wallets under $100 and the best premium wallets if you want something of better quality.
The slide button and elastic band are some useful features, but hardly offer anything other than quick access to your cards and banknotes. If you are more of an adventurist type who is looking for something with lots of tactical features, I recommend checking out my guides on the best tactical wallets and the best outdoors wallets.
And finally, not everyone is fond of metal wallets and the new trend of hard shell minimalist wallets that took over the market. A lot of people still like their old, vintage, leather wallets simply because of their materials and design. See my guide on the best leather wallets if you’d like to explore some of the best options in that category.
Who should buy the Fidelo Hybrid wallet?
I would primarily recommend the Fidelo Hybrid to people who are looking for a new wallet to transition from their old, worn-out one. When choosing a minimalist wallet, not a lot of people are ready to go for something so slim and strict in its storage. However, the Fidelo Hybrid is spacious for enough cards and cash bills (and is pretty affordable too), so you can make that switch from a bulky wallet to a slim one as painless as possible.
The quick access slide button is one of the most useful features found on wallets today. It’s a great reason to seriously consider buying this wallet, especially for people who use their cards multiple times every day.
I would strongly recommend this wallet to anyone who spends most of their day in a formal outfit or inside the office. The sleek black aesthetics are a perfect match for the modern office lifestyle and will look great with any formal business clothes.
The Fidelo Hybrid is a great wallet for people who travel a lot too. It has a very simple, slim, and compact design with quick access to anything you might need from your wallet. Whether you have a busy day, you’re at the airport, or on a street in a new city, this wallet will be a great sidekick and provide you with a simple yet safe way to carry your essentials.
Finally, if you want a strong and durable metal wallet, with quick access pockets and a slim build but don’t want to exceed your tight budget, the Fidelo Hybrid is one of the best wallets below $30 that ticks all these boxes.
Where to buy the Fidelo Hybrid from?
Fidelo Hybrid Specifications
| Type | minimalist |
| Max n. of cards | 7 |
| RFID blocking? | yes |
| TSA compliant? | yes |
| Materials used | polymer, aluminum or carbon fiber |
| Height | 4.3 in / 11 cm |
| Width | 2.6 in / 6.6 cm |
| Depth | 0.32 in / 0.8 cm |
| Weight | 1.7 oz / 48 g (aluminum) | 1.3 oz / 36.7 g (carbon fiber) |
| Features | RFID, quick access button |
| Water resistance | some |
| Warranty | lifetime |
| Return period | 30 days |
