One of the draws to everyday carry for me is that so many goods are being made by hand. Whether it’s knucks, knives, or coins, you can find EDC gear that was painstakingly crafted by someone’s two hands.
That goes for wallets too. I’m seeing more and more people get into leatherwork. And one of the first projects new leatherworkers make is a handmade wallet.
There are dozens of leatherworkers making leather wallets by hand. Many of them don’t have websites or great marketing skills, though. It’s easy to miss them when you Google something “best handmade leather wallets for men.”
But I’ve had my finger on the pulse of the leather community for a little while now. I’m familiar with some of the leatherworkers who might otherwise fly under the radar.
With that in mind, I want to show you a few handmade or handcrafted leather wallets that I believe are good buys in 2022. If you’re looking for a new everyday carry wallet, then start your search with this list.
You might also check out this list of leather wallets on Amazon.
The Money Clip Wallet from Duvall Leatherwork
There are a few things that stand out to me about this wallet.
- It is a handcrafted leather front pocket wallet. You can tuck this into your front jeans pocket or even the pocket on your shirt and will totally forget it’s there.
- There is a money clip. Money clips on leather minimalist wallets are hit and miss. This money clip is magnetic too, which is rarer yet.
- Duvall Leatherwork uses full grain goatskin whereas many leather wallets use cowhide.
Duvall says you can carry between 4-8 cards and up to 10 folded bills in this wallet. That’s quite a lot for a slim leather wallet.
They also say this wallet is handcrafted, which means they probably machine sew it. Or maybe they use a lot of tools and machines to cut and burnish the leather.
It’s a beautiful leather wallet regardless. Duvall stands by their work regardless of how it’s made – they’ll repair any product they make, no matter how old it is.
Between the warranty and the obvious craftsmanship in their work, this wallet is a no-brainer if you’re looking for a handcrafted leather wallet.
Leather Money Clip Wallet with Card Case by Hanks Belts
I lied – here’s another leather wallet made from goatskin. This minimalist leather wallet is from Hanks Belts. This one is different from the Duvall wallet in that it’s a horizontal wallet instead of vertical.
Hanks Belts’ wallet holds 3-6 cards, though with time it could possibly hold more. It also has a magnetic money clip that holds between 10-15 bills.
And like the Duvall wallet, the wallet from Hanks is also made in the USA. Between that and the $70 price point, I believe this wallet too is machine sewn – making this a handcrafted wallet.
It’s still a leather wallet made by hand, which is better than any cheapo wallet you’ll find in a department store.
What’s more is that Hanks Belts’ wallets come with a 100-year warrant. So, you can feel confident buying this leather wallet and look forward to passing it onto your kids.
Little King Goods’ The Royal V3
I can’t create a list of the best handmade leather wallets without including Little King Goods. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Ryan creates quality leather goods. It’s why I’ve featured so much of his stuff.
The leather wallet I want to feature here is the LKG Royal V3. There are a couple of things I like about this bifold wallet.
- 3 Tone – This wallet uses three colors of full grain leather – blue, green, and tan. It’s a beautiful and unique color combo.
- Reversed – This is a reverse bifold wallet. Instead of only having pockets on the inside, this wallet has a pocket on the outside that is perfect for carrying paper money.
- Folded Edges – Many wallets – including a few of Ryan’s – have raw edges that are polished. This wallet is different in that it has a folded or creased edge, which gives it a unique look.
I also like how Ryan gives you the option to have your wallet machine stitched or hand stitched. You have the choice of buying a handcrafted or handmade leather bifold wallet.
You don’t see this option often. Just keep in mind that a hand-stitched leather wallet will set you back an extra $30.
I think it’s well-worth the money, but it doesn’t matter which you go, you’ll end up with a high-quality leather wallet.
Bifold Wallet from Little King Goods
The Houstonian Long Leather Wallet from Bull Sheath
If you need to carry more than just a few credit cards or dollar bills, then you might consider carrying a long leather wallet. The Houstonian from Bull Sheath looks like a solid choice.
The Houstonian has six card slots that can hold 2-3 cards each. There are also two full-length vertical pockets that can hold unfolded dollar bills or a standard size checkbook.
Bull Sheath makes these long leather wallets from full grain vegetable tanned leather. You’ll have five colors to choose from – black, brandy, olive green, chestnut, and walnut.
They also offer a few personalization options. You can add an RFID blocking card and monogramming for an additional $10 each.
Between the monogramming and the patina these wallets will develop, this is one leather wallet that will truly be unique and special to you.
Long Leather Wallet from Bull Sheath
High Grain Designs
Justin is the guy behind High Grain Designs. I’m adding him to this list because you can tell craftsmanship is important to him. It’s clear that he puts a lot of work into his handmade leather cardholders and wallets.
What stands out the most to me about his wallets is the aesthetic. He has a unique style I’ve not seen elsewhere.
One design element he seems to have in all his wallets is this sort of step down he cuts into the tops and bottoms of his pockets. It’s starts straight and then drops down and continues straight again.
This is aesthetically appealing, but it’s also practical. I imagine that design choice keeps your cards more secure while at the same time makes it easier to pull them out when you need to use them.
His color choices are awesome too. The colors he chooses go together well. They’re also not your standard tan or black either. Justin works with a variety of unique colors, as well as materials.
If you want to check out one of his handmade leather wallets, just visit his Etsy store. You can create your own wallets or customize options there too.
Shop High Grain Designs’ Leather Wallets
Trifold Wallet from Popov Leather
I haven’t added a trifold wallet to this list yet. I have hesitated to add a trifold wallet because I’m not even sure people carry those anymore. They can get just so big and bulky.
But I guess there must be someone out there looking for a handmade leather trifold wallet. Why else would Popov Leather make one?
I opted to include this wallet from Popov Leather because it’s handmade wallet and backed with a lifetime guarantee. You know this is a good wallet if a company is willing to stand behind it for live.
You may not need the warranty, though, because this wallet is made from USA Horween Derby full grain cow leather and sewn with Tiger Thread. They use some of the best materials out there.
As for what you can carry, this trifold wallet has 4 card slots and an ID window. You can fit at least two cards in each pocket and up to 20 bills in the longer pockets.
I prefer the Heritage Brown color with red stitching, but you can choose from black, English tan, and natural leathers and brown stitching if you prefer.
Overall, if I were to ever carry a trifold leather wallet, odds are I’d buy this one from Popov Leather.
Leather Trifold Wallet from Popov Leather
Low Tide Leather’s Ocean Breeze N5 Minimal Wallet
Somehow I missed this wallet when I wrote my list of best front pocket wallets. That’s okay – I can add it here instead.
The first thing I noticed about the Ocean Breeze N5 wallet is the 3-tone color scheme. This wallet uses dark navy blue, teal, and light tan leather, which looks great.
The Ocean Breeze has four card slots – two on each side – that can hold 2 cards each. There is also a center slot you can use to carry cash and receipts, or even more credit cards.
Every wallet is hand stitched using polycord, so this is a handmade leather card wallet. That explains the $85 price point, but that’s a drop in the bucket considering this could be the last wallet you ever buy.
Check Out the Ocean Breeze N5 Wallet
Lesbianedc Leatherworks
I wanted to include a wallet from Stephanie at Lesbianedc Leatherworks after seeing several of her handmade leather wallets on Instagram. You can tell that she puts so much effort into her work.
Every wallet she makes is a bit different. The one I want to show you is the Four Pocket Cardcase. This is made from Cognac Italian vegetable tanned leather from the Badalassi Carlo Tanner in Italy.
What’s unique about this wallet compared to other handmade leather front pocket wallets is that it has two pockets on one side and one pocket on the other. Many slim card holders have two pockets on each side.
It’s a subtle difference for sure, but it’s little things like this that make each leatherworker’s goods stand out.
This wallet can hold only 3-6 cards and a few bills. So, this wallet is only for people who prefer a minimalistic everyday carry setup.
The biggest reason why I wanted to add one of her wallets to this list is her edges. She spends A TON of time sanding and burnishing them. The result is a mirror like finish you can almost see your reflection in.
The bottom line – if you want a handmade leather wallet for men or women, and you want a wallet that will not only last a lifetime and is made by someone who truly cares about the work the put out there, you’ll want to buy a wallet from Stephanie at Lesbianedc Leatherworks.
Wallets from Lesbianedc Leatherworks
Honeybee from ZeeBee Leather
The last leather wallet on my list is the Honeybee from ZeeBee Leather. I’m including it on my list because it’s CLEAR that it’s a beautiful wallet just from the pictures alone.
This is a long leather wallet with 3-4 card pockets and two pockets that can hold cash, receipts, and possibly a checkbook.
This wallet is hand stitched. The stress points are reinforced with backstitching, so this wallet will truly last you a lifetime.
You can choose to get a braided leash and d-ring added too. That way, you can attach the wallet to your pants for added security.
You’ll also have the choice of 9 different leather colors and more than 30 thread colors. This gives you tons of color combinations to choose from.
You can’t beat the ZeeBee warranty either. If you have any problem, they’ll fix it. They’ll even pay for shipping both ways if it’s an issue with the craftsmanship, and for one way shipping to fix any normal wear and tear issues.
If more companies did business like this, then the world would be a much better place.
Handmade vs Handcrafted Leather Wallets – What’s the Difference?
One question people often have when shopping for leather wallets is, what’s the difference between handmade and handcrafted wallets? Is there even a difference between handmade and handcrafted?
You bet there is.
Handmade goods are made entirely by hand. This means there is minimal machines or presses involved in the wallet-making process.
Handmade leather wallets are also sewn by hand. The edges are often burnished by hand too, though some leatherworkers may burnish them with a machine.
Handcrafted wallets have more machines and tooling involved. The wallets are usually machine sewn, and the crafter might use presses to cut their leather and machines to trim and burnish their edges.
The BIGGEST difference between handmade and handcrafted leather wallets is the stitching. Handmade wallets use saddle stitching, which is stronger than machine stitching.
This is one of the reasons why handmade leather wallets often cost so much more than handcrafted wallets.
That said, there is nothing wrong with machine sewn leather wallets. They might be more prone to failure, but it’s not something I’d worry about.
Also, all the best handcrafted leather wallets have strong warranties. Even if your machine sewn wallet does fail, ship it back to get it repaired. Many of the wallets I’ve seen and featured are guarantee for life.
Either way you go, you’ll have a leather wallet that you can look forward to passing down to your kids and grandkids.
Conclusion
That’s my list of the best leather wallets made by hand. This list is a drop in the bucket too. I left a lot of leatherworkers and wallets off this list. But I had to stop somewhere.
This should tell you that there are lots of handmade premium leather wallets out there. You will NOT hurt for choice. It doesn’t matter if you like thin wallets, bifold, trifold, or long wallets – you can find a quality wallet made with leather.
The best part about buying a handmade wallet is that you know it wasn’t put together by a machine. Someone likely spent HOURS cutting out the leather, sewing it together, and putting on the finishing touches.
That is so much better than buying a wallet from the mall that was likely made by some kid in a sweatshop somewhere.
I’m sure you agree, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this page.
So, check out the leather wallets mentioned above and don’t hesitate to let me know what you think of them in the comments below. Or leave a comment and let me know which wallets I need to add when I update the page.
Featured image includes images from Lesbianedc Leatherworks, Duvall, Popov Leather, Bull Sheath, High Grain Designs, and Low Tide Leather.