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Are you searching for a minimalist wallet alternative to the Ridge Wallet? The Aviator Slide Wallet might be that. In this video, I'm putting both of these wallets head-to-head in seven categories and let you know my thoughts after extensive testing of both. By the end, you should know which one is right for you!
- Get your Ridge Wallet here (Paid Link): http://shrsl.com/4ds6e
- Get your Aviator Slide Wallet here (Paid Link): https://sovrn.co/g6avqra
Read the article: https://gear43.com/ridge-wallet-vs-aviator-slide-wallet
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0:00
This is the Ridge Wallet. It's a wallet that, honestly, most of you guys probably recognize
0:07
It's one of the most popular wallets out there, and there have been plenty of copycats that look just like this
0:13
almost exactly down to the same screws and all of that kind of stuff
0:17
But a brand that kind of wanted to follow a similar design, but take a very different take on it
0:21
I got to give them credit for doing a great job at that, is actually this Aviator Slide Wallet by Evermade
0:29
So this is a very kind of similar style wallet to the ridge in that it's a kind of a sandwich design
0:35
However, they flip things around, they added features, and it is a quite different wallet from the ridge
0:41
rather than a lot of the just straight up copycasts that are out there. So today we're going to be comparing these two wallets up against each other to see which one might be
0:50
best for you. So let's get right into that. But before we do, I do really quick want to say that this wallet right here was gifted to me by Evermade
0:59
And this one was gifted to me by my wife a long time ago. I have had this wallet a really long time
1:04
And after testing quite a bit, I have a pretty good knowledge on what to compare these wallets to
1:09
And just in case you're interested in buying one of these wallets, I do have some paid links down in the description and the top comment of this video
1:15
If you guys wanted to purchase it, I do get a small commission. And let's go ahead and move on
1:20
Alright, so what are these two wallets? Let's start off with the Ridge as it's pretty much what everybody knows and it has a really good basis
1:27
So Ridge wallets are a two plate and an elastic strap style wallet
1:32
So basically you have two different plates. There's one there, one there. You put the cards in the middle and that's about it
1:38
You have a little notch here that you push out and you can get your cards out like that
1:43
And then on the back you can choose at the time of purchase whether you want to get a money
1:46
clip or a cash strap. I generally go with a cash strap just because I find it a little bit easier and it's a little
1:52
bit more kind of compact in your pocket and you can easily just throw in cash right there
1:57
It's a very simple idea. It works really, really well. And moving over to the Aviator wallet, this is a very similar kind of sandwich style design
2:06
where it has two different plates. There is a coin tray that slides out the bottom
2:10
And then you put the cards in the top. And then to pull the cards out, you just pull on that strap and they all come out very
2:16
similar to the ridge just out the top instead of the side Now this strap is really cool However I will say you can kind of hear it It jiggles around like that That something kind of worth mentioning I talk a little bit later in this video So the first of the seven categories that I comparing these wallets in is styling and aesthetics
2:33
And unfortunately, while I normally am somebody that likes to have a clear winner in each category
2:38
I actually do have these as a tie. I do think a Ridge wallet looks really, really nice
2:44
It's very simplistic. It's very flat, very minimalistic. There isn't much to it
2:49
and it does look really nice, it feels really nice, and these really are great wallets that
2:54
honestly really are worth their price, even if people say they're not
2:58
So as for the Aviator, I do have the carbon fiber cash clip, as you can kind of see right here
3:03
which I think is really cool. That is an added fee, otherwise it's just kind of a standard, I think, acrylic or aluminum
3:10
money clip. However, it does look really nice. The edges are kind of like a bare aluminum kind of feel and look to it, and it's just really, really well made
3:19
It looks different than the ridge, but it does look really, really nice
3:24
So as for styling and aesthetics, while they do look different, I do think both wallets honestly are very similar in styling and aesthetics
3:31
Even if they're different style, you kind of have to decide for yourself which one you like better
3:36
But for me, they're a tie. Number two category is build quality
3:41
And I actually have the aviator winning out in this one. It's just, I don't know why
3:46
It feels a little bit more unrefined. While both are very similar quality wallets, honestly, I do think that the Aviator just has a little
3:54
bit nicer quality to it. You can completely take the wallet apart and replace the elastic band
4:00
if you need to and all of that kind of stuff. However, it just feels a little bit better
4:06
a little bit higher quality than the base level ridge that you have right here
4:10
Next thing is card capacity. And again, the Aviator by Evermade actually does win out on this
4:16
So this is actually an interesting thing. I'm going to put away the ridge here. By the way, the ridge can handle up to 12 cards in the capacity and then of course cash in the back
4:23
The Evermade is interesting. So there's this little pull strap right here that you pull and it ejects the cards out the top of which
4:30
by the way, I'm using double oak cards. If you want to check out their review, I have it linked up above
4:35
However, they basically, so what they do is you can either choose your card capacity when you order it
4:41
So you can choose in between 1 to 3 all the way up to 18 to 20 cards So this has a 20 card capacity What changes is basically this little pull strap right here changes in length and so it adjusted based off how many cards you have So the more cards you
4:56
have, the longer the strap is going to be. The less cards you have, the shorter the strap is
5:00
going to be. And so this is fully adjustable to be able to handle anywhere from 1 to 20 cards
5:06
which is just nuts. Honestly, I haven't seen any other minimalist wallets. That can go all the way
5:10
up to 20. Generally speaking, 12 is kind of your max. The aviator right here, even
5:15
wins out that category for me. Now, durability. Which one wins out on this one? It comes down to the ridge
5:21
So the ridge I used pretty exclusively for about a year. This was one of the first minimalist
5:26
wallets I've ever had. And I have to say it has held up extremely well. I don't really have
5:31
hardly any damage. You can kind of see like the aluminum plate right here is starting to kind
5:37
of wear. There are tiny little nicks in the paint and that kind of stuff. But overall
5:41
it has held up extremely well. Now I've used the aviator. quite a bit less just because I've been really getting into reviewing wallets
5:49
And so I'm testing out a bunch of different ones. I'm moving them in and out of my pocket and that kind of stuff
5:53
And I am noticing a few kind of nicks on this side here. That is one of the downsides of having a straight kind of aluminum body with a thin paint over top of it
6:01
is you start to kind of notice wear and tear a little bit more as I kind of saw in my extra
6:05
aluminum wallet that they had gifted me a while back. And it just I do find that the wear and tear is a little bit more obvious
6:12
Now, I will say as for actually usability side of stuff, I'm not really concerned in it. There aren't any moving parts. I don't see this like breaking down and like falling apart anytime soon
6:22
They're very similar screws and that kind of stuff for both wallets. So as for usability for long term, both these wallets are going to be quite similar
6:30
But as for the aesthetic side of it, I think the ridge wins out for me. Now overall usability. I've found that like this money clip right here, it struggles a little bit sometimes to get cash into that little clip
6:42
And this right here, like this strap likes to kind of hang down there. I'm not paying attention. It's just kind of annoying. Then you have to kind of figure out how to get back into its groove and stuff
6:49
It is extremely usable, but when it comes to somebody that's used so many different wallets like myself
6:55
the ridge really does a better job overall for just kind of your daily usage
7:00
While it is a little bit more difficult to get like interior cards, the outer two cards are extremely easy to get to just by
7:06
basically, you just take your thumb notch like that and go like that. You have access to the card Alternatively you can just pinch that and it kind of displays them out like that It is a very easy wallet to use and I gotten better at it over time by just researching a little bit more
7:21
And I think just kind of the aviator got maybe a little bit too complicated for itself of having
7:26
this pull strap. It just almost kind of complicates things more than it needs to
7:31
That said, if you are somebody that needs a coin tray like this, I know a lot of people in
7:35
the European countries and that kind of stuff do use a lot of coins. That is a really nice feature to have
7:40
can get that for the ridge. However, I would say this is a better setup. But for me, I do have
7:46
the ridge winning out. So the final category we're comparing these two wallets in is the warranty
7:50
and return policy. And these two wallets actually tie. They both have a lifetime warranty on that
7:56
end of stuff. And where they don't tie comes down to the return policy. So the Aviator has a
8:03
14-day return policy and the Ridge wallet has a 99-day return policy. Now I'm pretty sure both
8:09
wallets do require them to be in like new conditions, so there is always that risk if you are
8:13
testing them out and wanting to return them. However, at 99 days, the Ridge obviously wins
8:19
out in this category as well. Alright, so who are these wallets for and which one would I buy
8:26
The easy winner for me honestly is the Ridge wallet. I've also been testing out their carbon
8:30
fiber wallet as they had gifted that to me somewhat recently, and they are just so simple
8:36
that it just generally makes sense to go with them. However, not everybody wants such a simplistic wallet
8:41
Some people want better access to the interior cards and that kind of stuff. And that is really where the aviator does shine
8:48
And so if you're somebody that's not a fan of Ridge, this is a fantastic alternative
8:53
I'm not a huge fan of those companies that just straight up copy things like Ridge Wallets
8:57
So if you're wanting somebody that actually has original idea, but does it similar to a Ridge Wallet, this is a fantastic
9:06
option. I really do like these Aviator wallets. They are extremely well made. They are great quality
9:12
They work really well. They just have a couple little drawbacks that the Ridge Wallet just doesn't
9:17
have just due to its complete simplicity. And so there you have it. The Ridge Wallet technically
9:23
wins out. However, the Aviator is a pretty close second, honestly. And again, if you guys do want
9:29
to purchase one of these wallets, I do have links down in the description and the top comment for that
9:33
And if videos like this are helpful for you, make sure to subscribe as I have a lot of them coming out here soon and like this video as it helps with the algorithm
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