Roco Slim Review – The Most Affordable Aluminum Wallet

The Roco Slim is a simple slim wallet made out of two aluminum plates and an elastic band, and is probably the cheapest minimalist aluminum wallet in existence. Read my full review of the wallet to decide whether it’s the right fit for your taste.

Should you buy the Roco Slim wallet?

I would recommend the Roco Slim wallet to anyone looking for a budget-priced, metal wallet with enough storage to keep up to a dozen cards inside. The wallet is slim, elegant, and expandable, thanks to the elastic band keeping the plates together. The Roco Slim is great for people carrying lots of cards and looking for a wallet that can keep them safe.

The Roco Slim is also a great sidekick to your main wallet, and you can use it with a tighter band to keep around 4 cards, without having to carry your bulky wallet with you.

Buying

The best place to buy the Roco Slim wallet is definitely Amazon.

They are probably the only web store that offers this model at the time of writing, and have so far sold dozens of thousands of pieces.

Price and value for money

The Roco Slim costs around $17.

It is one of the most affordable aluminum wallets on the market, and one of the cheapest wallets overall. It’s a real budget-priced solution for those who want to switch to a metal wallet without spending a fortune on it.

Shipping details

Amazon offers free shipping for this item with delivery in 7 to 10 days.

You can also get the expedited shipping option, which will cost from $7 onwards, depending on the location you want the wallet delivered to.

Customer support

If you haven’t yet purchased anything from Amazon, you will be delighted to hear what a great customer support system they have.

You can send any questions or complaints about the product to Amazon’s customer service webpage. There you’ll find the chatbox, FAQ, and other forms and channels to contact their team.

Warranty policy

The Roco wallet comes with a 1-year warranty which covers any manufacturer’s defects found upon arrival.

if any such defects arise after the wallet is delivered, you’ll be given the option to repair, replace the product, or get a full refund for it. All of these options vary based on the type of defect, so you will have to contact Amazon’s team in order to get the details regarding a specific issue.

Return and refund

If you aren’t satisfied with your wallet, Amazon gives you the option to return it and get a refund up to 30 days after purchase.

The refund should be full, although sometimes you may have to cover the costs for shipping the item back. You can always check the detailed Amazon returns webpage to find out more about their policies.

Roco Slim Basics

The Roco Slim wallet is made out of two metal plates connected to each other with a flexible band.

It uses one of the most typical two-plate builds found in most of the latest minimalist wallets.

The wallet comes with two bands in the box, one much wider than the other and with a larger capacity. You can easily switch between the two, depending on how many cards you plan to carry.

How to use the Roco Slim Wallet?

Using this wallet is the simplest thing ever.

You stuff all your cards in between the plates, and the cash bills go strapped on the wallet band. The cards are tightly squeezed in between the plates, and won’t fall out no matter how hard you try to shake the wallet.

Taking the cards out is made easy by the small holes the wallet has at the edges of the plates. These holes help you push the cards out a little bit and then pick the one you need.

Aesthetics

The Roco Slim has quite a nice build, made very aesthetically-pleasing by some of the smooth black colors and a wooden design.

Design and colors

The wallet has an open design, without any enclosing from the edges of the plates. There’s a single pocket formed in the middle of the wallet, and another secondary one on the elastic band.

The plates of the Roco Slim come in black color only, covered with a wooden-like decoration.

The band comes in a darker black shade and perfectly complements the striped plates. One of the bands, the one with the lower capacity, has the Roco logo engraved on it as well, while the other is completely blank.

Clothing style fit

With its slim build and refined, elegant design, the Roco Slim is a universal fit for most outfits.

One of the benefits of the slim build is that it will go unnoticed on almost any clothes, even if you hold it in your front pocket. The matte and woodwork-black combination will complement pretty much anything you plan to wear.

However, the best way to pull off the Roco Slim is with something more formal. Suits or even business casual shirts are a great fit, while sporty outfits less so.

Build quality

The Roco Slim has probably one of the strongest build qualities in its price range. You rarely see a sturdy aluminum wallet such as this one priced below $20.

Materials

The wallet uses two materials in its build are aluminum for the plates, and silicone for the elastic band encircling them. I believe that Roco Slim is one of the best aluminum wallets in the budget category.

Features

The Roco Slim has some great features that will be useful to all types of people.

RFID Blocking

The biggest perk of aluminum is the strong RFID protection it provides to all cards placed inside the wallet. All the sensitive information stored on your credit cards will be safe and sound with the Roco Slim, as long as you keep them nicely put inside the pocket in the middle.

Elastic band

The main thing which holds the whole wallet together is the elastic band strapped around the plates.

The band is made from silicone, is fully flexible, yet sturdy enough to keep its tightness even after years of usage.

Inside the delivery package, you’ll find a second band that is a bit wider than the one strapped on the wallet. This one will be used if you need to carry more than 4 cards, as the main band only holds so much.

How many cards can the Roco Slim Wallet hold?

With the wider band on, the Roco Slim wallet can hold up to 12 cards in its middle pocket.

How many cash bills can the Roco Slim Wallet hold?

On the band itself, the wallet can hold up to 10 cash bills, all folded twice for better stability.

Naturally, putting more than 5 bills will be tougher as the silicone band is pretty tight. However, it’s possible to stuff up to 10 bills even when you have a dozen of cards inside.

Water resistance

Unfortunately, the Roco Slim will not provide any water protection to the contents in it.

The wallet is open, as it only has two plates without any enclosings. If it gets splashed with water or falls into a pool or some other body of water, then all the cards and banknotes might get damaged.

The aluminum plates will probably stay safe, as the material can’t get damaged by water that easily. However, anything else inside is in danger of such occurrence.

Size and weight

As the name suggests, this is one of the slimmest wallets ever made. The plates alone are barely thicker and wider than a credit card making the Roco Slim a very compact wallet, perfect for keeping in the front pocket.

Its precise dimensions are:

  • width: 3.1 in / 7.9 cm
  • height: 4.5 in / 11.4 cm
  • depth: 0.40 in / 1 cm (when full)

The Roco Slim weighs just around 2.4 oz / 68 gr when filled to its maximum capacity.

Customer satisfaction

There is a big division between the customers who have purchased this wallet so far, and the main points of argument are the wallet’s cheap price and its questionable build quality.

Ratings

The general acceptance of the Roco Slim is pretty well. The wallet has a rating of 4.3/5 stars on Amazon, with 75% of the review giving it 4 or 5 stars.

Known issues and problems

As with any budget-friendly wallet, it does come with some notable issues you should be aware of before buying.

The first problem I have noticed is with the insides of the plates. Their surface is too rough and might scratch the cards whenever you slide them in or out. Any cards that need to be scanned in order to be functional (payment cards, entrance card, etc…) will have to be kept in between the other cards, without direct contact with the plates.

Secondly, the smaller band of the two is too tight and fits only around 4 cards, practically rendering it useless. You most probably won’t ever use that one and will stick with the wider band all the time.

Another issue I and most of the other users have found has been with taking the cards out of the wallet. It can be very tough and frustrating at times, and you’ll need to spend some time to get the hang of it.

And finally, there are many reports that the RFID of the wallet was not working. Many people try scanning their cards on entry doorways or hotel rooms, and they worked perfectly fine while stuffed inside the wallet.

How does the Roco Slim compare to other minimalist wallets?

Open frame wallets made out of two plates are a common occurrence in recent years. The market is filled with many such wallets from different brands, making it harder and harder to choose the right one.

Let’s see how do some of the most popular options compare to the Roco Slim and which one is the best for you.

Roco Slim vs Ridge Aluminum

When it comes to open-frame wallets made out of two plates, there is no doubt Ridge is among the top brands in that area.

The Ridge Aluminum is one of the best, premium wallets made out of the same material as the Roco Slim. It costs around $85 and comes with a design very similar to the one found on the Roco.

Except, of course, there are a lot of differences between the two. Most notably, the material of the Ridge is of much higher quality than its cheaper competitor, is more durable, and comes with a lifetime warranty.

Additionally, the band strapped around the Ridge wallet is made out of elastic leather instead of silicone and is much easier to use for keeping cash bills.

However, the capacities of the wallets are the same, so the choice here is simple: if you want a high-end wallet that you will use for a lifetime, the Ridge Aluminum is something to consider. Otherwise, you can just stick to the more mediocre, budget-friendly Roco Aluminum Slim.

Roco Slim vs Trayvax Original 2.0

When it comes to budget-friendly wallets, it’s hard to go over Trayvax. The brand specializes in manufacturing great tactical wallets, affordable to every pocket.

The Trayvax Original 2.0 is a two-plate expandable wallet, very similar to the Roco Slim. It costs around $35 and is made out of aluminum and steel. It is one of the best value high-capacity wallets, storing up to 15 cards and 5-10 cash bills in its pockets.

Unlike the Roco Slim, this wallet uses a money clip for keeping cash bills and a military-standard paracord that keeps the plates connected. That same paracord is used to expand the size of the wallet to your liking.

Furthermore, the Trayvax Original 2.0 has a lot more features on it, including a pry bar, attachment hole, ID hole, and a bottle opener. If you are more of an adventurist type and you love tactical gear, then I would strongly suggest you read my full Trayvax Original 2.0 review and see what this wallet has to offer.

Who should not buy the Roco Slim Wallet?

I would not recommend this wallet to people who want more color options for their accessories. The Roco Slim comes only in one dark black design and doesn’t have any customizing options available. If you are not fond of this color and don’t want your items in all black, then I would suggest looking for some more customizable wallets that will offer a larger array of color options as well.

This is also not the best option for people who fear keeping their cards in an open-frame wallet. The Roco Slim is safe and won’t keep your cards loose, but the idea of keeping them in a wallet that is not enclosed would not be welcome for many. Fortunately for you all, there are a lot of fully enclosed wallets offered on the market as well, and a lot of them come with a similar price range like this one.

The Roco Slim is a spacious wallet, with lots of storage, but looks and feels nothing like a traditional wallet does. If you are just switching to a minimalist wallet from your previous traditional one, I would recommend going for something more conventional. You can see my guide on the best leather wallets for some great picks.

And finally, this is not a great choice for people looking for a premium, high-end wallet. The Roco Slim is a budget-priced wallet and is a good option for those on a tight budget, but there are a lot of better alternatives for those willing to spend some more. See my guides on the best wallets under $100 or even the best wallets under $200 for some better-quality wallets.

Who should buy the Roco Slim Wallet?

This wallet is perfect for people who put their safety first and want to keep their cards protected from all kinds of theft. The RFID protection will be important for a lot of people, and is a rare feature to find on a budget-priced wallet (or, rather, it is advertised in a lot of budget models, but often times it simply doesn’t work).

Minimalists will also love the Roco Slim, as its build is truly one to admire. It’s barely thicker than half an inch, but still holds dozen of cards comfortably inside. It has a slick design, great minimalist aesthetics, and will be a perfect addition to all of those filling their closet with discreet items.

Additionally, this is the perfect solution for people who are tired of leather wallets and are looking to switch to an affordable metal one.

And finally, I would recommend the Roco Slim to anyone with a tight budget who is unwilling to spend hundreds of dollars on a new wallet. The Roco Slim is a sophisticated alternative that offers the best of both price and quality, so it will offer a great balance between value, features, and durability.

Where to buy the Roco from?

Worldwide
At the moment, Amazon is the only place that sells the Roco minimalist wallet.

Roco Slim Specifications

TypeMinimalist
Max n. of cards12
RFID blockingyes
TSA compliant?yes
Materials usedaluminum, silicone
Width3.1 in / 7.9 cm
Height4.5 in / 11.4 cm
Depth0.40 in / 1 cm
Weight2.4 oz / 68 g
FeaturesRFID blocking, wallet band
Water-resistantnone
Warranty1 year
Return period30 days

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Matt standing next to his Xiaomi M365 Pro electric scooter and holding an electric scooter helmet
I love all things tech, so I decided to make a blog about technology, electronics, gadgets, accessories, and all the various items we use every day that make our lives easier. I like doing a lot of research on various models and brands, looking for great value and performance, both through data and experience.