Leather Wallets: Features and Benefits

Wallets are essential in this day and age. They are not just meant for men to carry money around anymore, women have started carrying them as well. They are meant to hold everything from your identification cards, to your debit card, to receipts and pictures.Some companies hand out wallets for promotional purposes or souvenirs from sports teams, which make for great, fun gifts. Leather wallets are far more durable and better looking than most of the other types of wallets on the market today. For younger people, these types of wallets show a maturity that your old wallet just does not show.The Benefits and Features of Leather WalletsThe reasons people choose a leather wallet over other types is because of the look. It may sound strange, but when asked, most people list the design of a wallet as the number one reason for purchasing it. Plus, a leather wallet can offer many different styles and designs to go along with the vastly superior durability.When it comes to picking out a leather wallet, one should consider the type of leather and the colors to choose from. The different types of leather have an unique look and feel to them. Genuine leather is made from cow hide and is considered a classic when it comes to leather wallets.Full grain is another type of cow hide used, except that they do not sand it down like they do with genuine leather, giving it a different feel once you get your hands on it. Top grain leather is softer leather that is sometimes used and preferred by women. You could also choose a suede leather that is soft but with a coarse feel, sometimes these wallets have a furry feeling.The most common colors of leather wallets are black and brown. Generally these wallets include shades of tan or gray depending on how the leather was lightened during the process. According to fashion trends, shades of brown are for a more casual look such as when wearing jeans, while the black wallet is considered to be more formal. Many men like to color coordinate their wallet with their belt.Wallets made of leather are harder to over stuff than other types of wallets, something often over looked when buying a new wallet. Because leather stretches you are able to fit more items into a wallet perfectly and without worrying about the wallet splitting. While you may have to worry about the occasional loose stitch with normal wear and tear, you will not have to worry about too many credit cards tearing the leather pockets.Standard Types of Leather WalletsWallets come in two standard types, the bi-fold and the tri-fold. Bi-fold is the most popular amongst men. It is a traditional style where the wallet is folded in half once. Bills are easy to reach from the top of the folds while still keeping them safe from loss. Bi-fold wallets usually have space for plenty of credit cards and various forms of identification either in horizontal or vertical rows. A convenient feature of the bi-fold wallet is that it fits into most pants and suit pockets with ease.The tri-fold wallet is not very popular with men but it has been a hit for women. It is much thicker than the bi-fold, which feels awkward in a man's back pocket where the bi-fold wallet usually goes. The tri-fold wallet is usually slightly smaller in height and width than the bi-fold but it is thicker.It folds over three times which makes paper money more secured but also harder to get to. The credit card and identification slots are more easily reached in a tri-fold wallet, usually with at least two sides of vertical rows. If you use your credit cards more often than cash, the tri-fold might be a good choice of wallet. Both styles offer plenty of space for pictures of your friends and family too.As time and technology advances, there are many new designs coming out that suit our busy lifestyles. Some new styles are being made to not only hold all the cards that we need, by our wireless phones or mobile devices as well. They are a bit bulkier than normal wallets but the convenience is becoming harder for people to pass up. Most of these types are zippered shut instead of folded over and fit better in either a purse or a jacket pocket because of their size.Leather is much easier to clean than the typical cloth-like material other wallets are made from. Leather does not stain and maintains its shape after accidental spills. While leather is not water proof, if you keep a good leather cleaner around, it will stay blemish free and looking good long after the spill is dry.The choice of a leather wallet is a personal one and should say something about you or the person you are buying it for. Whether it is the color, the style or one of the designs printed on the outside of the wallet, there are plenty of choices for you. Since leather wallets are so durable and long lasting, selecting a good leather wallet will help insure you have a wallet that you like for years to come.