Who makes good quality men's wallets in the <$200 range?

[recordaras]

I'm going to use St.Valentine's day as an excuse to relieve my fiance of his current wallet that is literally falling apart at the seams. However, the more I search, the more confused I get - I can afford to spend <$200 and apparently there's quite a bit of junk being sold in that price range.

Basically all I need is a sturdy black leather men's bifold wallet, made out of decent quality leather that will last a while. Do any of you have any ideas or recommendations?

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My husband has always been quite happy with Coach wallets. They often have 25% off coupons so it wouldn't hurt to check them out.

 

[recordaras]

Thank you! Even without the discount the price is great - $128 for the billfolds, so I will definitely keep those in mind.
Do they tend to hold up to wear well? I have no idea what it is that he did to his current wallet, but it's almost obscene-looking, with holes and strings sticking out and unraveled stitching... Can't wait to get him something nicer.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My husband has had his most recent for 5 years, still looks great and does the job.

 

[kenny]

North of $200?
Better be, every wallet >$200.

I think we men DO need a Hermes Birkin wallet for $25,000.

 

[recordaras]

Ha, I wish!
Alas, the budget is under $200, and the Hermes masterpieces will have to wait till we win the lottery.

 

[kenny]

Ha, I wish!
Alas, the budget is under $200, and the Hermes masterpieces will have to wait till we win the lottery.

Opps, sorry.
I got the > and the < mixed up.

I'm also no help because my SO supplies my wallets and I'm sure they are all south of $10.

 

[Gypsy]

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/tods-wallet/3211729?origin=keywordsearch I'd try to find this one, not back ordered.

Overbudget, but anything Burberry will not die. The men's wallets are about 275 though.

 

[gregchang35]

I have 3 wallets. but they are all >$200. All duty free of course.
Previous wallets were <$100. I thought: I should live a little...

Bifold= everyday cards n notes
Coin wallet.
Long wallet- for all the other store/ discount/ awards cards

It is a pain to have 3 of them, but with so many cards, it's hard to fit them all in one!! I DONT put them in my pockets. They live in my work bag.

I have LV with the taiga leather; the insignia is hardly noticeable. I am not a big fan of the other types as their insignia is splashed across the wallet that I feel like I am advertising for them and they don't pay me for it.
Great "hard" leather to keep shape.

Had these wallets for 12 months and they look as new.

 

[recordaras]

I'm also no help because my SO supplies my wallets and I'm sure they are all south of $10.

Thanks, Kenny! I think my fiance now has one of those south of $10 ones, and it's just waaaay past its prime at the moment.

 

[recordaras]

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/tods-wallet/3211729?origin=keywordsearch I'd try to find this one, not back ordered.

Overbudget, but anything Burberry will not die. The men's wallets are about 275 though.

Thanks, Gypsy! Tods are great, I'll have to see if I can find something like that with a discount.
And I'm sure the Burberry ones are amazing (I've seen some nice Ferragamo ones around that price point too), so I'll keep those in mind for our next wallet upgrade.

 

[recordaras]

I have 3 wallets. but they are all >$200. All duty free of course.
Previous wallets were <$100. I thought: I should live a little...

Bifold= everyday cards n notes
Coin wallet.
Long wallet- for all the other store/ discount/ awards cards

It is a pain to have 3 of them, but with so many cards, it's hard to fit them all in one!! I DONT put them in my pockets. They live in my work bag.

I have LV with the taiga leather; the insignia is hardly noticeable. I am not a big fan of the other types as their insignia is splashed across the wallet that I feel like I am advertising for them and they don't pay me for it.
Great "hard" leather to keep shape.

Had these wallets for 12 months and they look as new.

Those much be gorgeous!
My guy's incredibly low maintenance though, and he literally won't spend a cent on himself unless he absolutely has to. I've slowly started upgrading a lot of his daily wear things, but it's very much a work in progress and there's lots and lots to take care of. So at this point I'm not yet going full blown luxury on him.

 

[missy]

Tumi makes nice quality men's wallets for less than $200.

Welcome back Kenny...I'm glad you are back. :wavy:

ETA for link: they are having a sale too.
http://www.tumi.com/family/index.jsp;jsessionid=nDvWSw6Js8s6Nf6Hg2njLnxNhD4yHmlrhK75dJRHl24yvm8s5FT1!1981787683?size=69&sort=&categoryId=4110935

 

[Sparklelu]

Re: Who makes good quality men's wallets in the <$200 range?

Got DH, and both DS Coach wallets a few Christmases ago and they all still look great.
DH has used a Coach trifold wallet for as long as I can remember and I just keep an eye on it a replace every few years.

Way back (197 I gave him a beautiful handmade leather wallet and belt I got in a tiny leather goods shop in Venice on a business trip. No fancy name just beautiful. It lasted for about 10 years.

Older DS likes the bifold and some times uses a money clip for all those big wads of cash he carries(lol)

 

[Sakuracherry]

My husband's wallet was falling apart, so I got him a new one from Mulberry last year. I absolutely love leather goods. They'll repair your wallet if the stitches become loose etc... They are around $300 each. If you can find a good sale or have a friend who's traveling to Europe, you can probably get one for $200 or so.

 

[vc10um]

Although DH has yet to let me replace his wallet (sigh) so I can't speak specifically to the men's wallets, I've had great luck with leather products from leatherology. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[MollyMalone]

My son asked for a new wallet this past Christmas since he was now employed & the wallet he'd carried through high school-college was, as he said, "too beat up for a real job". His criteria, which may not match your husband's: not-bulky bi-fold & not made in China, which eliminates most wallets nowadays including, e.g., Coach, Tumi. After trawling through the AskAndy forums, Amazon reviews, etc., I ordered these three for him to consider:

* wallet style #2 from Leather Goods Connections (his previous wallet was a now-discontinued LGC style). Made in Georgia, price ($45-80) depends on whether you choose calfskin or bridle leather:
http://www.leathergoodsconnection.com/wallets.html

* Jonah wallet from Status Anxiety, an Australian outfit but available from US vendors via Amazon for $48-65
http://www.statusanxiety.com.au/collections/mens/products/jonah-black

* Large ID wallet from Aspinal of London ($168-189). The wallet received -- the best quality of this trio -- was made in England, as were the items I purchased from them 8-10 years ago, but I've read that more of their leather goods are now made in Turkey:
http://www.aspinaloflondon.com/mens-collection/mens-leather-wallets/id-wallets

FWIW, my son decided on the Jonah wallet despite the fact that the brand name is branded on the front. Liked the idea of having a windowed flap for his work ID card, deemed the suede and silk moire linings of the Aspinal wallet "not very practical."

 

[knonaka]

A little over your budget but great quality.
http://www.montblanc.com/en-us/shop/leather/montblanc-signature/horizontal-wallets/wallet-6cc-106749.aspx

 

[OUpearlgirl]

They don't come in black, but my husband loves J.W. Hulme products. We like to try to buy American made products when we can.

http://www.jwhulmeco.com/wallets-s/163.htm

 

[lyra]

You might check out www.bellroy.com.. They are all about slim wallets that have a lot of storage. I bought my DH a travel wallet from them last year that is amazing. The quality is excellent. They have a video for every wallet. Definitely in your price range at around $100.

 

[recordaras]

*insane* day at work today, but I just wanted to thank all of you for the great advice! I definitely have a bunch of options to consider now.

 

[recordaras]

My son asked for a new wallet this past Christmas since he was now employed & the wallet he'd carried through high school-college was, as he said, "too beat up for a real job". His criteria, which may not match your husband's: not-bulky bi-fold & not made in China, which eliminates most wallets nowadays including, e.g., Coach, Tumi. After trawling through the AskAndy forums, Amazon reviews, etc., I ordered these three for him to consider:

Thank you SO much for the detailed reply and list! I'm searching for exactly the same requirements as you were, and my next step was to start identifying who makes their products not in China (grrrr, why can't they just post that info online with the product description...). I find it maddening that even at the over $100 price range most of the options will be China-made.

 

[SMC]

If he doesn't carry too many cards, this Ferragamo one is in your price range: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/salvatore-ferragamo-stamped-calf-card-wallet/2965854?origin=category&BaseUrl=All+Wallets

 

[recordaras]

If he doesn't carry too many cards, this Ferragamo one is in your price range: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/salvatore-ferragamo-stamped-calf-card-wallet/2965854?origin=category&BaseUrl=All+Wallets

Alas, he has lots and lots of cards, so I'm looking at no less than 8 card pockets. Thank you though, Ferragamo products are lovely, but I always assumed they'd be out of my price range!

 

[recordaras]

You might check out www.bellroy.com... They are all about slim wallets that have a lot of storage. I bought my DH a travel wallet from them last year that is amazing. The quality is excellent. They have a video for every wallet. Definitely in your price range at around $100.

And they come with an OWL on them???

 

[recordaras]

One more question - what height starts fitting dollar bills without having them stick out of the wallet? I'm trying to figure out the best dimensions, because the current wallet he has is too narrow and bills always get murdered in there.

 

[Gypsy]

One more question - what height starts fitting dollar bills without having them stick out of the wallet? I'm trying to figure out the best dimensions, because the current wallet he has is too narrow and bills always get murdered in there.

Can you measure a bill and then add about a centimeter to allow for leather and seams and such?

 

[recordaras]

Can you measure a bill and then add about a CM to allow for leather and seams and such?

Found the dimensions online - with the added cm it comes to a smidge over 3", so I think it will be safer to do 3.125"-3.25" tall.

 

[Gypsy]

There you go! Have fun shopping! I love it when I get a chance to replace things of DH that have been bugging me for a while. It is such a great feeling.

 

[recordaras]

There you go! Have fun shopping! I love it when I get a chance to replace things of DH that have been bugging me for a while. It is such a great feeling.

Thanks so much, Gypsy! I can't wait to get him something nicer, although for some reason shopping for him is so much more stressful than shopping for myself - I start getting OCD about finding the absolute. best. option. ever. and the whole process ends up taking waaay longer than it should.
Still worth it in the end, though. I can't wait till he will finally have a wallet that actually fits money.