This will be a detailed review of the Flipside 4 wallet, one of the most popular minimalist wallets for men ever made, especially in the budget price range.
Flipside 4 Wallet Review
The Flipside 4 is a tactical, minimalist, lightweight, RFID-blocking wallet that fully encloses and secures its contents. It has a capacity for 12 cards, and it can hold a total of 15 cash bills (US only). The wallet is a bit bulkier than other popular minimalist wallets, but it’s also quite cheaper, and is arguably the best budget minimalist wallet on the market today.
Should you buy the Flipside 4 wallet?
I would recommend the Flipside 4 to anyone that’s looking to carry more than a dozen cards and cash bills, and wants them as protected and covered as possible. Unlike other minimalist wallets, the Flipside 4 has a button for opening it, and it also has no holes in it, so it’s much closer to a traditional wallet.
If the other minimalist wallets are simply too fancy for your taste, but you still don’t want your grandfather’s wallet in your pocket, then the Flipside 4 will be just right for you.
Buying
The Flipside 4 can be bought from either Amazon or the official Flipside wallet online store. Usually, I recommend Amazon because the shipping will be free and faster.
Price and value for money
The wallet will typically cost $45 no matter where you buy it from. That kind of price puts it on the lower end of the price spectrum, and compared to other minimalist wallets, the Flipside 4 is clearly a budget choice.
However, in this case, budget doesn’t necessarily mean low quality, and the wallet is probably one of the best value-for-money minimalist wallets available on the market.
Shipping
Shipping will typically take several days. You can get the wallet delivered to your door in 4-10 business days for $7.75, or $11.75 if you want it shipped in 2-5 business days.
You can find out more about shipping on the Flipside shipping information page.
Customer support
You can reach the dedicated customer support team through several channels, including the contact form on their website, some of their social media accounts, or email them at [email protected].
Warranty
Unlike other minimalist wallets, the Flipside 4 has one part that can actually break, which is the folding hinge. That’s why, unlike other minimalist wallets that provide a lifetime warranty, the Flipside 4 will only come with a 2-year warranty period.
Returns and refunds
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you have 30 days to return the product for a full refund. The wallet must be returned in the same condition you’ve received it in. It is also strongly advised to keep the original packaging of the wallet for a smoother return process.
You can find out more at the Flipside returns page.
The Flipside brand
Flipside is an established name in the wallets space. They’ve been around since 2004, and the mere fact that the Flipside wallet is already at a version number 4 bears witness to the company’s dedication to designing and producing a leading minimalist wallet.
Where are Flipside wallets made?
Every Flipside wallet is made and quality-tested in the US.
Basics
The Flipside 4 is one of the simplest minimalist wallets on the market right now, and that’s mostly because it looks and feels a lot like a traditional wallet. Of course, it has a lot of tactical, smart features that make it much more than that.
How to use
Opening the wallet can’t really be simpler – it’s just a matter of pressing the button.
Don’t be alarmed when you hear the fairly loud sound when you pop open the wallet, that’s by design! You will get used to it with time, but still, this is one more distinct thing about this wallet that you won’t notice in most other products.
The wallet has two distinct compartments, separated by a solid plate in the middle. Both compartments have 2 slots each, and all of the slots can be used for storing both cards and cash. Still, the slot that only has one clip will typically be better suited for keeping cash, while the slot with the two smaller clips on the edges will be a better option for holding cards.
Further, the outside slot is detachable, and you can easily remove it if you wish to reduce the space occupancy of the wallet.
Unboxing
The wallet arrives in a simple branded white box. The only contents of the box are the wallet itself and a short user manual.
The wallet is not wrapped in any other protective covering, so damages on delivery are possible (but still rarely reported).
User experience
My favorite thing about this wallet is that even though it’s hard on the surface, it doesn’t have any rough edges or weird parts sticking out of it. In fact, the edges are all quite smooth, and the wallet will never get tangled with other items in your pocket, or get caught in your clothing.
Probably one of the weakest points of this wallet is that compared to other minimalist wallets, not all cards are easily accessible. If you have more than a few cards in a slot, you will have to remove all of them if you need to get to the one at the bottom. Of course, you will likely order your cards so that the ones you use most frequently are near the top, but still, this is one minor weak point of this wallet.
Aesthetics and design
While the overall look of the wallet is still minimalist, this is not one of the slimmest wallets out there, and there are certainly other wallets that may fill that requirement better.
Colors
The Flipside 4 wallet comes in 4 different color options:
- black
- grey
- red
- blue
Compared to some other wallets, that’s not a lot of color options, but it will still be enough to satisfy the needs of the majority of men.
Clothing style fit
This wallet will be a perfect fit for sporty people or even nerdy people looking for a cool little gadget to add to their inventory. In general, the wallet will fit almost any style, but I would definitely recommend other wallets if you’re going for an elegant or a more sophisticated look.
Features
At first sight, the Flipside 4 looks pretty simple, but its no-frills design and execution actually keep a lot of interesting features.
Weight, size, dimensions
The Flipside 4 is a little bigger in size than what’s traditionally considered a minimalist wallet, especially when it comes to depth. Its dimensions are:
- width: 4.25 in / 10.79 cm
- height: 2.75 in / 6.98 cm
- depth: 0.75 in / 1.9 cm
The wallet weighs 3 oz / 85 g, which, again, is a bit heavier than most other minimalist wallets that typically weigh around 2.5 oz / 70 g.
RFID blocking
The Flipside 4 is one of the best wallets when it comes to RFID blocking, mostly because it’s fully enclosed.
Other tactical wallets that claim to be RFID blocking have still been proven to not prevent RFID scanning fully in all cases. That’s not the case with this wallet, and if you’re concerned about your card being charged while in public, the Flipside 4 is one of the best options out there for you.
External rubber strap
Besides the internal compartments, the wallet has a quick-access rubber strap on the outside that can hold some items that you may need to use frequently. It can also be a good option for keeping some cash, although I would recommend keeping larger bills within the wallet, as that will obviously be a lot safer.
How many cards can the Flipside 4 hold?
The official recommendation for the number of cards that can fit inside the Flipside 4 is around 8. However, owners have pushed this limit much further, and some have even managed to fit more than a dozen cards inside of it.
How much cash can the Flipside 4 hold?
Officially, the Flipside 4 can hold up to 15 cash bills, making it one of the best cash wallets available today. On top of thath, it’s clear that the wallet can fit many more bills, especially if you don’t have a lot of cards in there as well.
Keep in mind that while the slots will fit all cards perfectly, the wallet is made for holding US cash bills primarily. Cash notes from other countries are usually wider than the dollar bill, so you will have to fold them one extra time, which practically halves the cash capacity for bills from other countries.
Is Flipside 4 waterproof?
The Flipside 4 itself is made primarily from aluminum, which means that water contact will probably not damage it easily. Still, corrosion is possible with aluminum, so try to keep the wallet as dry as possible.
As far as the contents of the wallet go, the wallet is more enclosed than most other minimalist wallets, but it’s still not fully sealed, so the contents will not be protected from water.
Build quality
The level of quality of this wallet is pretty satisfactory, especially if we consider its price. However, keep in mind that this wallet doesn’t even try to be a luxury item, and you will probably notice that fairly quickly.
Durability and lifespan
Even though the Flipside 4 has just 2 years of warranty, owners have often rated this product as very durable, and they have owned it for several years without any issues whatsoever.
Materials
The materials used in the Flipside 4 are the following:
- polycarbonate shell
- aerospace-grade aluminum
- plastic
Known issues and problems
While the Flipside 4 is a massively popular product, it still comes with a number of issues you should be aware of if you’re considering buying it.
Probably the biggest concern that some owners have with this wallet is its build quality. Several owners have noted that the wallet may not look and feel as advertised, complaining that the wallet may feel cheap and poorly made. Of course, this is in direct contrast with the thousands upon thousands of owners who have nothing but good things to say about this wallet.
In my personal opinion, however, the biggest potential issue with this wallet may be that it may not fit some cards, especially if they’re a bit bigger than usual. Before buying, make sure to check the dimensions of both the wallet and your cards.
One surprising complaint about this wallet is that the RFID blocking may not work 100% of the time. Still, the wallet will provide better RFID blocking than most other minimalist wallets simply because it’s fully closed.
As we mentioned before, this is an aluminum wallet, which can corrode, so you should do your best to keep the wallet dry as much as you can.
Finally, one minor complaint that only one user had was that the money clip broke pretty quickly after buying.
Those are all the major faults with this wallet. Personally, I don’t believe that most of them are true dealbreakers, but I would definitely recommend checking the sizes of your cards and whether they would fit inside the wallet before buying.
Flipside 4 vs Dango D01 Dapper
The Flipside 4 is cheaper, and definitely the go-to choice for budget-oriented shoppers. Also, the Flispide is fully enclosed, and you’ll never have to worry about items falling off, which can’t be said about the Dango D01 Dapper. The Flipside 4 will also provide better RFID blocking.
While similar in height and width, the Dango D01 Dapper is thinner, almost twice as thin as the Flipside 4. Still, that’s barely noticeable when you carry either of them in your pocket, and probably won’t make a world of difference in everyday use. The Dango definitely has simplicity as its advantage, as it doesn’t have an opening mechanism, and that’s why its warranty is so long (a lifetime warranty, actually), which dwarfs the 2-year warranty of the Flipside 4. If those advantages sound appealing to you, check out my full review of the Dango D01 Dapper.
What owners are saying
The Flipside 4 is one of the most popular minimalist wallets ever made. It’s pretty much impossible to determine how many units has the wallet sold, but with more than 6300 reviews on Amazon (the majority of which are overwhelmingly positive), and untold numbers sold through their website, the wallet is likely owned by dozens, if not hundreds of thousands of satisfied owners.
And the jury is in on this wallet – it would be impossible to get to version number 4 if this wasn’t a great product.
Who shouldn’t buy the Flipside 4?
One downside of this wallet is that it doesn’t really provide a quick way to access your most frequently used cards. If you need to frequently use some keycards or even public transport cards or something along those lines, then the Flipside 4 may not be your best choice.
Also, while this is a pretty solid-quality product, a few owners have complained about it feeling cheap on the touch. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, as this is definitely a budget option, so it will not be a good fit for anyone looking for more premium wallets.
Finally, if you need to carry a ton of cash on you, then of course this will not be a good choice.
Who should buy the Flipside 4?
Simply put, the Flipside 4 is probably the best minimalist wallet for under $50.
Definitely consider it if you don’t want to overspend on a wallet but still want to get a slick, elegant, modern-looking wallet that can hold pretty much all of your cards and some cash.
Also, keep in mind that this wallet has several advantages over other minimalist wallets, most notably the fact that it’s fully enclosed and your items will never fall out of it, which may not always be the case with other open-style wallets.
Where to buy the Flipside 4 from?
Flipside 4 Specifications
| Type | minimalist |
| Max n. of cards | 12 |
| RFID blocking? | yes |
| TSA compliant? | yes |
| Materials used | polycarbonate shell, aerospace-grade aluminum, plastic |
| Height | 2.75 in / 6.98 cm |
| Width | 4.25 in / 10.79 cm |
| Depth | 0.75 in / 1.9 cm |
| Weight | 3 oz / 85 g |
| Features | RFID, cash band |
| Water resistance | some |
| Warranty | 2 years |
| Return period | 30 days |
